Some dynamics to look for as you watch the Fox News-Google Republican presidential primary debate, which takes place in Orlando, Fla., tonight at 9 p.m. ET:
1. Romney vs. Perry on Social Security and the Fight for Florida. Obama is underwater in Florida, a state he won in 2008 with 51 percent of the vote. A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that "Florida voters disapprove 57 - 39 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, his worst score in any Quinnipiac University poll in any state" and that "Obama does not deserve a second term, Florida voters say 53 - 41 percent."
Head-to-head polling matchups at this early date don't really tell us much about how a specific Republican candidate might perform as the nominee, but what is clear is that the already weak support for the president in Florida has dropped since early August. "Romney tops the president 47 - 40 percent while Perry gets 42 percent to Obama's 44 percent, a dead heat," the university pollsters report. On August 4, "the president led Perry 44 - 39 percent."
That makes the Social Security fight an even more important one for Democrats seeking to hold the state, which is home to many elderly voters who rely on the entitlement program for support.
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Complete article at The Atlantic : http://bit.ly/ofAA3S
