Tonight’s Republican Debate at Oakland University in Michigan is going to be an absolute snooze-fest – unless someone in the GOP field thinks they can make a quick dash at a lead.
Herman Cain’s speedy implosion from the conservative’s Alterna-Mitt to pervy old man status has left perhaps the last gap in the Republican campaign field before the eventual coronation of Mitt Romney.
Analytically, there is still time for someone else to effectively challenge Mitt Romney with almost 60 days before the start of the primaries but the field is running out of alternatives. Every candidate, including Newt Gingrich, has had an electoral surge in the polls except for Rick Santorum (and I guess Huntsman, but he never really counted anyway). If the former Senator from Pennsylvania is going to make a move it has to be tonight.
Everyone else in the campaign field seems resigned to their fate. That’s one of the reasons why no one has stepped in to really pile on to Herman during his sexual harassment scandal. Once his 9-9-9 plan was effectively debunked in the last economic debate everyone saw he didn’t have another trick up his sleeve and the Black Steve Forbes became a side show again, albeit one who was polling better.
So Cain is out; Bachnmann peaked in the summer and has faltered ever since; Rick Perry is doing his best Jerry Jones impression, thinking he can win a championship if he spends enough money hiring people; and Newt Gingrich has always been more interested in selling books and giving speeches than actually running. Rick Santorum is a true conservative, with federal experience. If he can’t make a push tonight it’s time for him to head home.
This article originally appeared at Politic365.com.