Dear Commons Community,

Last night, ABC News hosted another debate with the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination.  Video highlights and a good summary of the debate are available at a Huffington Post website.

Most of the candidates took aim at front-runner Newt Gingrich but he was able to hold his own.  One account has declared that “Mitt Romney is now officially in trouble”.  A New York Times piece indicated that the debate is now forcing the Democrats to shift their focus to Mr. Gingrich as he becomes a more serious contender for the nomination — and for the right to challenge President Obama next year.

Romney came out on the short end of most of his exchanges with the former speaker of the House. And to make matters worse, he committed a major gaffe that hurt his own prospects. During an exchange with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Romney proposed a $10,000. bet over whether Perry had accurately quoted from Romney’s book.  It reinforced the image of Romney as a wealthy businessman who is out of touch with regular Americans.

Good theater!

Tony