Herman Cain Likely to be the Focus of Attack in Tonight’s CNN GOP Debate in Nevada

The next GOP Presidential Debate will take place tonight on CNN at 8:00 PM ET from the caucus state of Nevada. Seven of the GOP Candidates will take part, with Jon Huntsman boycotting the debate in hopes he can win brownie points with New Hampshire. Nevada has moved its Caucus date up to January 14, 2012, angering New Hampshire, which is still trying to decide what date to use for its Primary.

I would look for Santorum and Bachmann to go after Herman Cain again to try and take away many of the supporters he now has as he has surged to the top of the polls. They know they can’t attract many Romney voters, so he will likely not get the level of attack Cain will receive. They, along with Mitt Romney, will also probably go after Rick Perry, hoping to finish him off. Perry needs to be sharp and aggressive. He has to do something memorable to begin turning things around.

Cain will have to be ready to deal with questions about his “999 Plan,” and about his recent comments regarding building a border fence that could be “electrified.” Cain has a sharp wit, and he could do real damage to Bachmann and Santorum if he’s ready to respond to their attacks with humor. He needs to avoid appearing defensive, even as he fends off the attacks.

Time is running out for the lower-tier candidates to make a move. Newt Gingrich has been strong in the debates, and he needs a memorable performance to keep his numbers climbing. Bachmann has fallen dramatically in recent weeks, and it will be very hard for her to turn it around. Rick Santorum is about the only candidate who has not had a run up in the polls so far. He has to breakthrough in one of these debates to ignite his campaign. He’s tried hard, but so far, has remained in the 1%-2% range in national and most state polls.

The obvious wildcard is how CNN will moderate the debate. Their sympathies are very clear. So look for them to do all they can to use their questions to put Republicans in the worst light possible and President Obama in the best light.

What do you expect to happen?