ABC Manchester, NH GOP debate @8pm ET **live commentary thread**

[Mr. Morden]

ABC will broadcast the next GOP debate tonight, starting from 8pm Eastern, and featuring these guys:



http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/everything-you-need-to-know-about-saturday-gop-debate-218831

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http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/republican_presidential_debate_5.html

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Post your live commentary here, including pre-game commentary.

[Classic Conservative]

I'll be there standing outside holding Cruz signs.

[Slow Learner]

Martha Raddatz?

This should be good.

[Tender Branson]

No Fiorina ?

She's actually around 4% on the RCP average and Carson only at 3%.

Not that I care much, but this seems highly sexist.

[The Other Castro]

No Fiorina ?

She's actually around 4% on the RCP average and Carson only at 3%.

Not that I care much, but this seems highly sexist.

That's not how the criteria works, and no sexism is at play here. She's a bad candidate, people don't like her, she's not polling high enough, and as such she is not invited. It's as simple as that.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

#letFiorinaDebate

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

This is worth reposting:

Who's excluded from the debate? Is it just Fiorina and Gilmore now?

Yes. Gilmore I could care less about, but excluding Fiorina is clear sexism that ABC should be ashamed of.

No it isn't. She's not doing well enough either nationally or in New Hampshire.

Yeah, they put out criteria. But it's not like there was a real mystery as to what that criteria would produce at the time of its release. ABC news knew it would likely exclude Fiorina.

Look, with only 8/9 candidates running, there's really no reason to have anything more than minimal criteria. You can fit 8 or 9 candidates on the stage just fine. Fiorina is an important voice as the only woman, and had Romney, Gingrich, Ayotte, Cruz, and Carson saying she should be included. For ABC to design the criteria it did and stick to it is Sexism - the only reason the criteria existed was to create an excuse to avoid a lawsuit.

[The Other Castro]

It's really not worth reposting your own nonsense comment from one day earlier.

[Lyin' Steve]

Thank god someone has the balls to put their foot down and enforce the rules.
The rules were fair last week.  Now, based on those rules, Carly doesn't get in and she throws a temper tantrum.  That's all that's happening here.
By the way she didn't throw a tantrum at the last two debates where she was sent to the undercard.  Guess it's only sexist if you don't have a kiddie table where she debates Jim Gilmore.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Enough about Carly.  Her campaign amounts to chopped liver within the Republican Party.  What internal battles makes the headlines on the Sunday talk shows and Monday news?

[Lyin' Steve]

CARSON VS CRUZ
I'm so looking forward to this.
I also want to see Rubio debate Cruz on something substantive.  Those have been good and roughly even in the past.
I'm also curious if Trump continues playing prevent defense or if he goes after Rubio.  My guess is that he focuses his energy on Cruz and lets the rest of the field fight Rubio.
I can virtually guarantee that Trump will bring up Cruz's shenanigans.  He'll dial back the "win was fraud, it's illegal, invalidate the results" thing and put on his "look, I just want to bring up what I think is a legitimate concern" tone.
This is the last chance for Bush and Christie to salvage their campaigns.  They have to kill Rubio or they're out.

In short, what I'm expecting:
Rubio takes MASSIVE heat
Cruz spends half the debate trying to convince the audience he's not a criminal, which he probably succeeds at, having spent the last twenty-four hours rehearsing his responses.  The rest is just him being default Cruz.
Trump largely flies free.
Kasich may get more screen time than usual.

[Blue3]

This is finally starting to feel like 2008 again, with a new debate every couple days!

[Slow Learner]

This is going to be brutal for Mannequin Marco.

[Landslide Lyndon]

This is going to be brutal for Mannequin Marco.

Let's hope so. One of the most astonishing moment during the 2008 primary was when McCain became the frontrunner and nobody laid a finger on him at the debates.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Rubio and Cruz are master debaters, they won't flub out

[Landslide Lyndon]

Rubio and Cruz are master debaters, they won't flub out

Rubio is good at reciting talking points and canned answers. When he is forced to go off-script he has that deer-in-headlights look.

[Phony Moderate]

Rubio and Cruz are master debaters, they won't flub out

Or rather they give the impression of being so. TRUMP too actually.

I'm currently reading a biography of Scoop Jackson and his excellent debating skills are noted. Yet it is doubtful that he'd come off as a strong debater in front of millions on TV today due to being a below-par orator and not exactly telegenic.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I have something else going on tonight.  Anyone know if I can see this tape-delayed later tonight?

[Drew]

Some "matchups" that I'm looking forward to tonight:

Cruz vs. Carson
Trump vs. Cruz
Christie vs. Rubio
Bush! vs. Rubio
Kasich vs. Rubio/Bush!/Christie
Trump vs. Moderators, specifically looking for questions about him flying back to NY rather than staying overnight, and his "pro-LGBT" comment from the past couple of days.

[ElectionsGuy]

I have something else going on tonight.  Anyone know if I can see this tape-delayed later tonight?

You should be able to find it on YouTube.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

This is going to be brutal for Mannequin Marco.

More or less brutal than it's going to be for coward, loser, and whiner Trump?

[Illiniwek]

I am sick of all of pity outrage for leaving Carly out of the debate. It would be one thing if she was a successful governor or senator, or even SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSWOMAN, who was polling in her place. But she isn't! She is THE least qualified "major" candidate to run for president since Al Sharpton, probably even before then. She has no more to offer than anyone else you can find in the audience. Maybe the GOP has a bit of a women problem, but let's not pretend that she is being shut out because she is a woman. She is being shut out because she is a nobody....

[Mr. Morden]

The live stream seems to be working for me:

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/election

[Mr. Morden]

Fill in the blank:

This will be the final presidential primary debate for the following candidates: ________

[The Other Castro]

Fill in the blank:

This will be the final presidential primary debate for the following candidates: Christie