A Rich Pageant: 14 questions for the Fox-Google debate

If you think you might have seen this movie before, it’s understandable. This is the third Republican presidential debate just this month. It’s also Rick Perry’s third debate -- and perhaps the biggest point of interest could be whether viewers will see the easygoing, in-command candidate of the first debate at the Reagan Library in California or the more defensive and distracted one of the debate last week in Tampa.

For this debate, Fox News has partnered with Google, so there will be a greater emphasis on interactivity. Google said that more than 18,000 questions have been submitted, and it fashioned a “word cloud” to illustrate the most popular terms.

The debate will feature the usual suspects: Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, plus a new face, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a libertarian who will be debating for the first time since the spring and for his first time among the heavyweights.

Here are a few questions on our minds -- and given that R.E.M. this week decided to call it quits, we offer a tribute to the legendary alternative band, which formed in 1980 at the dawn of the Reagan Revolution:

1. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? Which Rick Perry shows up? Last week, Perry seemed a bit surprised to be the focus of attacks from all sides—and it appeared to knock him off his game. The governor is an old hand at this and it would be news if he seemed shaky again.

2. Bang and Blame: How many times can Romney link Perry to the end of Social Security in two hours? Romney’s campaign is intent on using the Social Security-Ponzi scheme issue as a blunt weapon with which to bludgeon Perry as often as possible. Adding to Romney’s incentive: the debate takes place in senior-filled Florida.

3. Strange Currencies: Are viewers going to see more of the real Ron Paul? The straight-talking Paul is a great concept on paper, but the more some conservatives see him, the less they may like what they see. Paul’s views on American foreign policy and the Federal Reserve endear him to his legion of admirers, but could be toxic to other conservatives.

4. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us: How quickly will Perry be attacked on his immigration stance? His answer in Tampa regarding allowing the children of illegal immigrants to benefit from in-state tuition was roundly panned by the “tea-party” conservatives in the crowd. More than Social Security, this issue could prove to be the Texan’s biggest vulnerability.

5. Talk About the Passion: Is there any room left for a Bachmann comeback or has she, as Rush Limbaugh suggested, saltó el tiburón? Bachmann had a chance to score some points with her HPV vaccine attack on Perry, but she coughed up the football. Will she try that tack again? She still plays well to the base.

6. Can’t Get There From Here: Will we hear more about Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan? Will we hear more from Herman Cain? The businessman seems to be living on borrowed time now.

7. Catapult: Will we see another aggressive performance from Huntsman, who tried to hit Romney on healthcare and Perry on immigration at the Tampa debate? And will there be any sign that he’s beginning to move the needle in any way?

8. Fall on Me: Along that line, will there be another gang-tackle of Perry, or will the fire be trained on Romney this time, with perhaps Perry and Huntsman working in tandem? Both benefit if Romney falters.

9. Low: The California debate had people cheering for executions. Tampa offered its “let him die” moment on healthcare. Will the Orlando debate feature a similar moment?

10. Shiny Happy People: Will Gingrich again lecture the media on how to conduct its own debate, suggesting that the Republican field really has no serious internal divisions?

11. Losing My Religion: How much longer can Santorum survive? He showed some fire in the tea party debate, but he needs to count on Perry to falter if he has any shot in Iowa and South Carolina. Can he hold on that long?

12. Man on the Moon: Can Gary Johnson out-Paul Ron Paul? Who will go further to decry the federal government? One of Johnson’s pet issues is drug legalization. Does that mean a marijuana question is in the offing?

13. Everybody Hurts: Will Romney finally get cornered by the Massachusetts healthcare issue? So far, it hasn’t seem to have done him serious damage. Perry (or Huntsman) may try a renewed attack.

14. Reckoning: How much longer are we going to have debates with a bevy of candidates? When does the field start narrowing?