What to watch for in tonight's GOP presidential debate

The Republican presidential candidates stand together before a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif.

/ AP Photo/Chris Carlson

TAMPA--Less than a week after Mitt Romney and Rick Perry squared off for the first time in a presidential debate, the two GOP frontrunners return to the stage here tonight in Florida for Round Two. As we said last week, Perry's comments on Social Security ("Ponzi scheme") and his refusal to back down have guaranteed it will be a major issue in the campaign--and certainly in this debate.

Here are five things to watch tonight:

1. Romney vs. Perry. In one corner is Mr. Establishment, your 1950s dad who's kind of boring and always wants to follow the rules. In the other is the Anti-Establishment hell-raiser, your 1970s uncle who likes a good brawl and doesn't bother with rulebooks. These two guys couldn't be more different--in tone, style and approach--and we saw that clearly last week, even in how they talked to each other. (Perry called Romney "Mitt," while Romney more politely called his nemesis "Governor.") After their clash at the Reagan Library on Social Security, though, Romney hasn't let up. In fact, just this afternoon, his campaign pointed out several of Perry's comments about the program and how it should be handled not by the federal government, but by the states. And the subject line? "Rick's Latest Retreat on Social Security."

2. Will Perry give some specifics on how to replace Social Security? All the Perry-bashing in the past few days by his opponents is basically like giving the enemy your battle plan. Perry isn't walking into an ambush here. He knows he has to offer an alternative, and he started outlining one in a USA Today column this morning. He is a tough competitor, and people have underestimated him over the years at their peril. So look for him to be ready to fight back--and look for Republican primary voters to like it.

3. Fireworks are legal in Florida, figuratively at least. So expect to see a few tonight, especially from the so-called second-tier candidates who are struggling to stay in this thing and not be forever relegated to second-tier status. That means this debate could get nasty, not only because of the exchanges between Romney and Perry (see #1), but because Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum could set off some sparks--and perhaps Michele Bachmann, which leads us to...

4. Will Michele Bachmann get air time? After being sent off to the sidelines in last week's debate and largely overlooked by moderators (National Review's Kathryn Lopez asked: "hey guys, where's the girl?"), Bachmann must perform well tonight and get back in the conversation. And yes, I did just type that she must "get back in the conversation" about a candidate who just three weeks ago WON the Iowa straw poll. What a difference a Texas governor can make in Republican presidential politics. Or how irrelevant the Iowa Straw Poll is. Or both.

5. And finally, will Newt Gingrich finally restore his image within the Republican Party? After being roundly criticized by Republicans for bashing Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to reform Medicare and having that unfortunate Tiffany & Co. bill made public, Gingrich now appears to be on a mission to get his GOP Card back in good standing. Last week, he went after the moderators for "encouraging" Republican candidates to attack one another and reminding America that Barack Obama is the real opponent. What will Newt try tonight in a debate co-sponsored by the Tea Party, which surely will have a different tone? (Which, incidentally, we hope means no questions on how a Republican candidate feels about capital punishment--an actual question last week. Hint: Like most Republicans, they support it.)

[ScrewedCollegeStudent]

Look at every video question, In the background is all Ron Paul supporters, not Perry, Romney or any other candidate. But Dr. Paul is still electable. They asked all the other candidates about the FED and about Healthcare but not the man who wrote the bill to audit the fed and who is a doctor. RON PAUL 2012!

[ScrewedCollegeStudent]

still unelectable*

[ScrewedCollegeStudent]

Ron Paul 2012, Look how much support he has. Seriously look it up because for some reason the media ignores him.

[RonPaulFTW]

... you forgot one candidate, currently polling 3rd... Ron Paul!
<a href="http://ronpaulftw.blogspot.com">ronpaulftw.blogspot.com</a>

[dnamj]

Watch out for bigotry!

[stevex47]

Just what we need is another cowboy for President.

Remind us how well that worked out.

Why did bush ship 700,000 jobs a month to China? Why would someone blame the mexicans for that?

[remounts-2009]

Wow it must have been some trouble and taken special effort to not even mention the candidate in third place. I won't mention his name either out of respect for the clear motives of CBS. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to simply call him "The One".

[BensonSt]

Interestingly, this articles makes no mention at all of Ron Paul, the only honest man within this "pack of wolves." As usual, the media ignores the one candidate, who could actually make a difference in America. It really is sad the media purposely ignores him. Look at the insane amount of coverage they gave Donald Trump, who had much less chance of winning than Paul and dropped out of the race early because of that fact. Yet the media saw fit, to have a camera in front of his face, 24/7. This says a lot about our society.

[pussinbootz]

Jan, you know you ignored Paul, and I think we both know why. The major media companies are scared as hell of Paul. To those who think he is a looney, I urge you to to do research YOURSELVES rather than listening to "interpretations" and political spin. Try to keep an open mind (yeah I know he is a Repub and Repubs suck, but I have not seen anything better coming from the Jackasses lately either) and look at his voting record, his stance on foreign policy, and his views on civil liberties. But dont just read reviews, look at it for YOURSELVES. thanks

[magik1369]

What to watch in the republican "debate"? Nothing

There is absolutely nothing of substance to watch in the republican debate. This is the party that created the Great Recession and that ran this country into the ground when they controlled both houses of Congress from 1994-2006 and the US Presidency under Bush from 2000-2008. That is where all our problems were created...starting with 2 wars that cost US taxpayers $2 trillion dollars...not to mention 1,000,000 human lives.

Who wants to watch a group of climate change liars? These people are overtly lying about a crises that now threatens the human race in order to provide political cover for the polluters.
A vote for a climate change denying republican is literally a vote against the survival of the human race.

[dougzilla]

Once again you demonstrate bias in regard to candidates. Perry/Romney is a joke and represents more of the same. The only chance the Republicans have of defeating Obama (more of the same ineffectual, dollar devaluing 'change') is Ron Paul and you demonstrate this by continuing to ignore his popularity with citizens truly aware of the threat that faces us in this country.

I'll be watching to see if Dr. Paul gets treated fairly or is once again relegated to the sidelines as your organization tries to steer the race from the sidelines. The merging of the Big Three news organizations with the pretenders like Faux News is more and more apparent. Don't imagine for a minute that your credibility is not suffering as a result.

You can look into Romney's eyes and see the vacant look as he sorts out the best 'politically correct' response. In Perry's eyes you can see George Bush. (Hasn't anyone learned?) Look into Ron Paul's eyes and you see the truth.

Wake up, people. The American Spring is coming and CBS will not be around to televise it.