The debate is only a day away! Comedians everywhere are rubbing their hands with glee.
Some things to look for:
1. How aggressively will the panel question the candidates? Historically, the Fox News panels have been surprisingly effective in dealing with Republican candidates. Expect that to continue tomorrow.
2. How will the candidates react to the panel? One of the ways Republican candidates have traditionally shown off their swagger is by attacking the panel. Doing this with a group of Fox News journalists who have at least as much credibility with the right-wing public as they do would be very dangerous. This could help Rubio, whose lack of swagger is a big liability.
3. How will Donald Trump handle himself? Trump will be walking a tightrope here: he will disappoint his audience if he doesn’t perform to his outrageous, unscripted campaign persona, but he can’t afford to alienate the panel or look uninformed. He would be wise to use all of his ammunition on the Democrats.
4. How will the other candidates deal with Trump? At this debate, I think the better practice would be to ignore him and see if the panel will expose his weaknesses.
5. Which candidate will lead the breakaway, and will the peleton reel him in? It certainly won’t be Bush, Walker, or Rubio. Chris Christie could try it, but I don’t think he will. Bet on Ted Cruz, and don’t expect him to back down, because he has nothing to lose with the GOP establishment.
6. What characters will the candidates be playing? Here are some of them:
Jeb Bush: Lord Grantham of GOP Abbey
Scott Walker: Ronald Reagan’s Undiscovered Son
Ted Cruz: Mr. Tea Party Goes to Washington
Ben Carson: Horatio Alger
Marco Rubio: Mr. Fresh Face with New Ideas
Rand Paul: Harpo Marx
Donald Trump: Himself, of course
7. Who has to play Cecil the Lion? TBD.