Bachmann: 'Submission' Means Respect

And he's not the only one who thinks so

(NEWSER) - The saga continues: Donald Trump thinks Jon Huntsman is a "joke candidate." Huntsman thinks Trump's debate "is a joke." More from the candidate's comments, made today, plus other reactions to the controversial Dec. 27 debate:

• Huntsman: "This is not about ratings for Donald Trump, this is about jobs for the American people. This is a serious debate that we ought to be having here in the United States," he said on NBC's Today . "I believe that the presidency of the United States of America is beyond reality shows. This is a joke."
• Robert Gibbs: “Cancel Christmas. Just get ready for the Donald Trump debate," said the former White House spokesperson on Morning Joe, according to Politico . "Pay-per-view. Pay-per-view. We ought to have this, the new rule, I think you’ve heard, you have to have your birth certificate to participate in the debate. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel."

Cain needs more substance; Perry just needs a better performance: Politico

(NEWSER) - Tonight’s GOP debate—the last one for three weeks—is one of the few remaining chances for the Republican presidential candidates to change the opinions (for better or worse) of millions of TV viewers before Iowa’s Jan. 3 caucuses . With that in mind, Maggie Haberman offers some advice to the candidates, via Politico :

• Hermain Cain: He’s sitting pretty right now, but he needs to prove he deserves to be on top. Cain doesn't exactly hit the ball out of the park when discussing his 9-9-9 plan , but "given his foreign policy weaknesses and his inability to correctly identify a 'neocon' to [David] Gregory, he may want to avoid talking about anything other than '9-9-9.'"
• Rick Perry: He needs to stop giving canned answers, and keep Mitt Romney from turning all of his attacks back on him. But mostly, “he needs to avoid seeming like the Rick Perry of the last four debates, and more like the confident version who took the stage for the first half-hour at the Reagan Presidential Library face-off.”

Bachmann's HPV attack on Perry turned heads

(NEWSER) - Pundits seemed to all agree that Michele Bachmann was on the ropes heading into last night’s Tea Party debate—and now they all seem to agree that she fought her way back in with her scathing indictment of Rick Perry’s HPV vaccination program. Here’s what people are saying:

• "Bachmann needed to make some noise ... and she did," a Republican strategist tells Reuters . "She challenged Perry in a very aggressive way." The question, another adds, is whether it will affect Iowa polling, because Bachmann "has to either win Iowa or help Perry implode."

Rick Perry-bashing pays off for rivals

(NEWSER) - It was "attack Rick Perry night" at last night's GOP debate in Florida -—to the extent that even Jon Huntsman got in on the act—and the Texan's rivals succeeded in landing a few blows. Mitt Romney, who wisely ignored the Tea Party debate audience to focus on people watching on CNN, and Michele Bachmann, who tore into Perry over the HPV vaccination issue, emerged from the debate stronger, decides Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post . More»

Social security and Tea Party topics likely to be big issues

(NEWSER) - Yes, it’s debate time again. Here’s what to watch for when the 2012 GOP presidential candidates face off tonight in Florida, at an event sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express:

• Social Security will likely continue to be a flash point. At the last debate, Rick Perry attacked Mitt Romney’s record on jobs; this time around, he could take a swipe at his inconsistent social issues record, Politico notes. All of the candidates will be walking a “fine line” when it comes to Social Security, one strategist predicts.
• Rick Perry “did OK” at the last debate, one insider tells the Texas Tribune . “Not good, not poor.” The paper took a survey of insiders and found that 65% felt the governor’s performance was “good,” while 15% called it “great” and 8% said it was “poor.” But some note that he started out strong then began to fade—at this debate, he’ll have to prove he has stamina.