✅ GOP DEBATES: TIMING IS EVERYTHING; TRUMP WILL REMAIN THE BIG NEWS.. ✨

✅ GOP DEBATES:
TIMING
IS EVERYTHING; TRUMP WILL REMAIN THE BIG NEWS... ✨

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And so, the moment truth has arrived. 

On August 6th, 2015, depending on their standing in the national polls selected by Fox News, the 17 GOP contenders for the White House will face one another in two debates: one in Primetime (“PT”), and another one in the afternoon (“Non-PT”). The debates will be hosted by Fox News, Facebook and the Ohio Republican Party. They will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The PT debate will be moderated by Bret Baier (Anchor, “Special Report”), Chris Wallace (Anchor, “Fox News Sunday”), Megan Kelly (Anchor, “The Kelly File”). The Non-PT debate will be moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCullum (Anchors, “America’s Newsroom”).

Fox News has announced that the 10 contenders to debate on PT will be:

1.   Donald Trump (who will occupy center stage)
2.   Jeb Bush (who will take the podium to Trump’s left)
3.   Scott Walker (who will take the podium to Trump’s right)
4.   Mike Huckabee
5.   Ben Carson
6.   Ted Cruz
7.   Marco Rubio
8.   Rand Paul
9.   Chris Christie
10. John Kasich

Those debating in the Non-PT version, will be:

1.   Rick Perry
2.   Rick Santorum
3.   Bobby Jindal
4.   Carly Fiorina
5.   Lindsey Graham
6.   George Pataki
7.   Jim Gilmore

In the PT debate, Donald Trump - who will command the center stage position - is and shall be the big news, no matter how he performs. 

Right now everyone is a-titter as to what Trump will say or not say, how will he say what he does say, how will he handle policy questions, etc., etc.. And, the wind is in Trump’s favor:  the economy is the No.1 issue for Americans, and at least 43% of them think Trump is the most qualified candidate to deal with it . . . soooo, even if Trump has a devastating “Perry Oops Moment” during the debate, the chances are pretty excellent he’ll remain the eye of the media cyclone:

If he puts in a solid performance, you can expect headlines along the lines that “Trump held his own,””Trump dominated the debate," or “Trump notched another triumph on his belt." If he performs poorly, he will nevertheless remain the big news: "Trump Goes Down in Flames,” “Trump Flubs Debate,” etc., etc. It will take practically a miracle for any of the other contenders to break out from the pack while Trump is commanding such a decisive lead in so many polls. But miracles can and do happen - most especially in politics.

Miracles aside, all of the above hoopla centered on Trump,  could actually make the Non-PT debate more interesting, as all the contenders in that time slot, will have the unique chance to shine. Some - particularly Rick Santorum - are grousing about this format, but it may actually be a blessing in disguise. The Non-Prime Timers could and should take advantage that they will be heard first before the PT debaters and, given their lesser number, will have more time to answer questions. If they rise to the occasion they could actually raise the bar quite high for the Prime Timers . . .. 

Having said all of that, it is interesting that contenders in the 2012 election, such as Rick Perry and Rick Santorum have been relegated to the 2nd tier in the national polls. Rick Perry especially entered that election as a frontrunner: he had a compelling story to tell about Texas being the No.1 job generator state in the Union under his tutelage. Unfortunately, he was seduced by his own success to enter the race tired and unprepared. His famous “Ooops” remark not only cost him that election, but may well have ended his political career, at least in terms of going for the presidency - notwithstanding that this time around he is better prepared and more relaxed, and has the “look” to go along with them.

In politics, as in business, timing is everything. As is its wont, time does not stand still and today’s political landscape is very different from that of 2012. Thus, both Rick Perry’s and Rick Santorum’s time may have come and gone. Texas is still a sexy story, but Trump has now moved into the void as the economic champion the country may want. Still, Perry may yet acquit himself well in the Non-PT debate, and may regain some lost ground.

Should be an interesting pair of debates, where if history is any indication, anything can happen, and which I will be micro-blogging live on Twitter. Look forward to sharing observations with you then.

Cheers!

ACEPUNDIT