Preview / Live Thread for Tonight’s Fox News GOP Presidential Debate from Iowa – 8/11/11

NOTE: Use this post to give your “Debate Preview” thoughts, and to comment during the Debate, which begins tonight at 9 PM ET! You can enable “real-time updating” of comments to keep up with the latest.

Tonight’s GOP Presidential Debate in Iowa will be very important for the respective candidates, but for some more than others.

Right at the top of the list would have to be Gov. Tim Pawlenty. His campaign is floundering nationally with him running around 2%-3% in most polls. But if he can come across well in this debate, he could get a second look from a lot of voters. Pawlenty really hurt himself in a previous debate by not following through on his one-time attack on Mitt Romney for “ObamneyCare” in Massachusetts. When given the chance to do so, Pawlenty backed down, reinforcing the idea that he is weak. He needs to do something tonight to change that narrative.

Mitt Romney will be trying to avoid doing or saying anything to hurt his front-runner status. He will likely be trying to shore up his standing with social conservatives, many of whom have great reservations about him because of positions he’s changed on abortion. It will be interesting to see if he becomes a target of attacks from other candidates on stage, or whether they all keep their attacks trained exclusively on Barack Obama.

Ron Paul will, no doubt, have many supporters in the debate crowd (he always does) tonight, and his message of fiscal conservatism should do well in Iowa. Paul has a real chance to win the Iowa Straw Poll because of the tremendous organizing ability of his followers. I think he actually has a good shot at winning the Iowa Caucuses in January, because that is the forum that is tailor-made for his people. Will Paul go after Romney directly tonight during the debate? I’d say he will.

Michele Bachmann really needs to win in Iowa. She is putting a great deal of effort into the state, and if she does not win there, where will she win? She had a strong effort in her first debate, and will try to set herself apart as the champion of the Tea Party voters tonight.

Herman Cain has lost a lot of momentum, but he can be good in the debate forum. He needs to be memorable tonight. When the debate is over, he needs people to be talking about something he said.

Newt Gingrich is hanging at around 5%-6% in the national polls. He’s got to somehow grab the attention of conservatives to give him another chance if he is to have any hope of winning in Iowa. I really don’t see that happening.

We’ll be here during the debate tonight, offering comments in this “Live Thread” as the debate goes along. The comment system we have here allows you to enable “real-time updating” of comments. I hope you will do that, and share your thoughts as well. Also, you can leave your “debate preview” thoughts here before it begins tonight on Fox News at 9:00 PM ET. It should be a fun evening!