It should be interesting, because the subject matter brings several of the GOP factional fault lines into play. One would hope that the moderators will use that to their advantage without turning the event into a cockfight.
Some of the subplots will be:
- The field v. Carson on economic literacy: Now that Carson is leading in Iowa, he can expect more scrutiny. The other candidates will use this opportunity to try to prove that he is clueless on economic issues. Based on what I’ve seen so far, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
- Free traders (especially Bush) v. Trump on protectionism: This may be Jeb’s best chance to make the case for free trade. Unfortunately for him, it is easier to encapsulate the argument for protection than for free trade in a sound bite. Look for Trump to win this battle.
- Trump v. Fiorina on CEO competence: Expect a second round of comment on Fiorina’s tenure at HP.
- PBPs v. Reactionaries on a host of issues: The pending debt ceiling agreement, immigration, the 2008 bailouts, the role of the Fed, and various forms of alleged “crony capitalism” should be in play. The two factions have fundamental disagreements on all of these items.
- The panel v. the candidates: The panel members need to explore the tax cut plans of the various candidates and their impact on the deficit.