COMMENTARY | The latest Republican debate, hosted by Fox News and Google, took place in Orlando, Fla., Thursday night. The expected candidates were all on hand: Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Jon Huntsman. Joining them on the stage was former governor of New Mexico and Libertarian Gary Johnson, whose appearance was a surprise to some viewers.
In this debate, much like the last one, Perry and Romney were placed next to each other on the stage. The two candidates were given much more face time than the rest of the candidates, leaving Bachmann with only the opportunity to stand and nod through much of the evening.
Could the Florida debate signal the end of the Michele Bachmann campaign? All of the major public opinion polls leading up to the debate show Bachmann trailing fourth among the candidates. She is not only behind Perry and Romney, but also behind Ron Paul.
Bachmann's answers during the debate echoed her previous answers. She yet again brought up her biological and foster children. She yet again referred to Obamacare as the reason that aren't hiring, and promised to repeal Obamacare. Her use of recycled talking points prevented her from actually being able to join in on any of the heated exchanges between Perry and other candidates.
She was not questioned on subjects like foreign policy, indicating that even the debate organizers have written Bachmann's candidacy off. She did attempt to jump in on one foreign policy conversation, though the rebuttal was against Gary Johnson, which only showed she was unwilling to debate the bigger threats to her candidacy.
Bachmann's longest statement in the entire debate came when she defended her previous remarks about Rick Perry's mandate that 12-year old-girls in Texas receive the HPV vaccine. Though she made a valid argument about parental rights versus government mandates, even this seemed to be yet another scripted talking point.
In the end, Bachmann's inability to command the stage was a reflection of the direction of her campaign. Though she may have won the Iowa straw poll, her 15 minutes as the Republican and Tea Party favorite have come to an end. She would be wise to save her political donors some money and throw in the towel now; her campaign is dead in the water after Thursday's debate.
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