Yup, the fun continues. Will you be watching? Are you rooting for anyone, or are you keeping an open mind to decide which candidate you want to support?

I am live-tweeting the debate here.

A great debate so far. You watching? I’m tweeting it here.

Cain still on a roll, but I do think we are seeing Newt on the rise.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely GOP Primary voters shows Cain with 26% of the vote over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s 23%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich draws 14% support, with no other GOP contender reaching double-digits. Thirteen percent (13%) of GOP voters are undecided at this time. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

With Perry picking up only 8 percent in the poll, could it be he’s near through?

I hope this trend continues. As of right now, I’m mostly leaning towards Newt.

After his presidential campaign got off to a bumpy start, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the campaign’s on solid footing, and it appears to be showing in the polls.

Just days after his May entry into the race, Gingrich took heat for referring to Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare overhaul plan as “right-wing social engineering.” Then there were the questions about at least one six-figure credit line at Tiffany’s.

In early June, most of Gingrich’s staff resigned. At the time, sources said staffers disagreed with Gingrich’s strategy of maximizing social media and debate performances instead of traditional campaigning. Of those who departed, Gingrich now says, “They were wrong, making assumptions that just were not right.”

Fox News polling may vindicate the plan. In July, when potential GOP primary voters were asked who they’d like to see as the nominee, 9 percent picked Gingrich. He has steadily crept to 12 percent in polling released just days ago. “Every week we do a little better,” Gingrich says.

Thoughts?

So, we have some time before the next GOP debate, so I thought it be a good time discuss the debates in general. For one thing, have you changed your mind on who you are currently supporting based on the debates, whether in on a substantive issue, or just on performance.

Myself, I’ve been so disappointed in Rick Perry’s performance, that I just feel uneasy about him debating Obama. Granted, Obama without a teleprompter is like a third grader in a school play, I have higher expectations for whomever the GOP nominee will be.

I have consistently been impressed by Newt Gingrich’s debate performances, and his strategy of keeping the eye on the ball: Obama.

Herman Cain has banked his entire campaign on this 9-9-9 plan, yet fails to adequately explain his plan, which is a problem. His lack of foreign policy knowledge also leaves him in the “Potential Vice-Presidential Nominee” column.

There is a good chance that at least three candidates will dropout before the next debate. Santorum, Johnson, and Huntsman have to go. I like Santorum. I’ve met him. But his campaign isn’t going anywhere.

Bachmann and Paul also have to go, but I don’t see either of those two dropping out before the primaries.

I see the real contenders as being Perry, Romney, Cain and Gingrich. I hope between now and the next debate the candidates without a chance stop wasting our time and we are allowed to focus on the candidates who have a chance to win the nomination and the presidency. While polls have shown Newt to not do as well against Obama as other candidates, I think that will change when more people see him in action.

I used to lean towards Perry, but now I’m officially undecided again. But Newt looks better to me all the time, even the polling says he’ll have the hardest time winning in November 2012.

I still don’t see Cain topping a GOP ticket, but I think he has a great chance of being the VP nominee.

Whether Herman Cain’s surge in the polls is temporary or has staying power, he’s enjoying a big enough bounce to take a very slight lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 matchup. At the moment, the Georgia businessman is the only Republican with a lead of any kind over Obama, although former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has held a similar advantage several times and is currently trailing the president by just two points.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows Cain attracting 43% support, while Obama earns 41%. Given such a matchup, eight percent (8%) prefer some other candidate, and another eight percent (8%) are undecided.

Let’s face it, these aren’t the best days for Obama, and even as Republicans seem determined to make the primary process as damaging as possible, we do have candidates that come out on top.

Honestly, I don’t care all that much. There’s plenty of time for all sorts of things to happen, and I never let myself be shocked by the ways the GOP can screw things up. I guess you could say I’m a tad cynical despite the vast number of polls that show that Obama will be heading for unemployment soon, but I’m just not one to take anything for granted. All factors aside, elections in this era still come down within a few points of 50/50. John McCain could have won in 2008 had it not been for an incompetent campaign.

Did you watch it? What did you think? Who did well? Who fell flat?

From Gallup

Republicans’ support for Herman Cain has surged to 18%, their support for Rick Perry has sagged to 15%, and their support for Mitt Romney remains relatively stable at 20%. However, Romney’s support is matched by the 20% of Republicans who are unsure which candidate they will back for the Republican nomination in 2012.

So, what do you think? Is Cain just the flavor of the month, or is he on the way to winning the nomination? What about Perry? Is he yesterday’s news?