All eyes are on the GOP hopefuls who will take the stage in tonight at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, a northern suburb of Los Angeles. The debate is co-sponsored by NBC News and POLITICO, and airs live on MSNBC.
It will also be livestreamed on msnbc.com and POLITICO.com
The NBC political team will be live tweeting the debate, offering minute-by-minute updates and analysis.
Tweets from Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro – as well as other NBC producers and correspondents – will appear as the debate begins at 8 p.m. EDT.
**Update: The event has ended**


Where ya been?
Were you all taking a nap today?
Don't know about the rest of you, but, I want to see some *fireworks* tonight!
Like someone said earlier, will Slick Rick be wearing his 'Mitt Kicker" boots this evening?
Got my *popcorn* ready... lol
Well my guess is the "Journalists" have been in closed door meetings all day trying to figure out how to explain why their "NBC Pollsters are comcerned" with Obama"s falling numbers in their recent poll.
Chuckie probably didn't mean to say that out loud.
Dear Feisty, BREAKING NEWS. I am privvy to Perry's 'secret':
Pay to Pray!!!!
Texas: "It's another kind of country"!
Feisty, think of it.................. PAY TO PRAY!
Should Rick Perry be attending a debate considering what's happening in his state? Couldn't they have all come to some sort of an agreement to postpone until Perry did his duty during this difficult time? Of course not. They don't give a **** about people.
Perry's priorities are really something to behold. And he wants to be President?
1,000 homes have been destroyed.
Well, I guess the Federal Government will come to his assistance. FEMA it's called. I'm sure President Obama will see that these people are taken care of. While Perry engages in a debate and accepts the President's help.
Although I believe Romney said recently that FEMA assistance is immoral.
Has Bachmann explained God's role in these fires yet?
Republican Party. So out of touch it's sickening.
One thing they have little of. Compassion for us.
Vitter is going to miss the President's important speech because a football game is on. DeMint is going to miss it. Joe Walsh is going to miss it.
This is the party our country is depending on to help with jobs.
The same party who caused this crisis to begin with.
Romney doesn't think the President fixed their mess quick enough. THEIR MESS. Has Romney bothered to challenge Mitch McConnell or John Boehner? Has the media? Nope.
And now football has become a priority with a United States Senator. A presidential candidate puts a debate before his own state's suffering.
Yeah, Chuck Todd on NBC Nightly News tried to change the perception of being on "Obama's team" tonight ; he made a specific point of saying "the White House is concerned" about poll numbers....
What we dont need tonight is questions from the panel that all reflect the liberal mindset of MSNBC and Politico ..have at them, hard questions, but from Left and Right, both.
LOL!
Don't forget Marcus who claims he can PRAY AWAY the GAY!
I still think he'll make a fine first lady... lol
That's a shame and could of been avoided if Perry hadn't cut funding by 75%!
After Boehner threw his temper tantrum I decided to boycott the debate. Hey if Teapublicans like DeMint are going to skip class during the president's speech, I'll catch the debate highlights and analysis later. It'll just be scripted talking points unless some really hard-hitting questions are asked, which rarely happens. Sorry MSNBC, it's not your fault, and certainly more than FAUX Noise would ever do for the Dems. I'll catch ya tomorrow for the president's speech.
Feisty, yes - I saw that story earlier today. I hardly know what to say.
1,000 homes - gone. And Gov. Perry is at a debate.
I can't understand why it wasn't postponed for a week or so.
Expect more of days like today - really slow.
Are there a variety of other topics to cover in the news today? Sure there are, but all bad for Obama.
First Read will be very hard pressed to keep up the cheerleading.
This is where I have to disagree - it's not like he's doing anything other then photo op's & press conferences anyway.
It's the brave men & women who are on the front lines battling the blazes that deserve 110% of the credit.
Perry is the ultimate politician first & foremost...
Bob, I don't think Chuck Todd has to change anyone's perception. He was never a cheerleader for the President. Not in the way the media as a whole were cheerleaders for President Bush leading up to the Iraq War.
There is plenty of evidence all over the internets where the media didn't question the invasion. You can find it all if you like. Who they were, what they said...
It's not pretty. That war should never have occurred. And it was up to the media to scream and scream loud. They didn't.
They were Bush/Cheney lackeys. They're still lackeyes for the GOP. And always will be. And that's why we're where we're at. We have a media who continues to fail us.
Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy. More people should have listened to them. They were 100% correct. But no one did. Until it was too late.
Compliments of my soul sister Clara, KC
Let's see who's the last women/man standing... lol
We're less then 10 minutes into it and I am SO getting my monies worth...
Clowns on parade for the entire country to witness... lol
WOW Pat, you very Liberals bitched if he didn't show up and now he showed up you're bitching!!! Classic!!
Heck Feisty,
Slick Rick look like he just ate a bad tamale...indigestion!
Get on board, the Republican-Tea Potty crazy train is getting ready for the show.
So true Job1 - I'm sure it'll be heavy on tax cuts for job creators, payroll tax holidays and general tax cuts for all, and cutting regulations.
Oh wait, is that tonight or tomorrow nights' topics?
Man job 1 Obama is also caving on the tax breaks for corporate jets thing-y.
You got a score card brother, cause it's getting mighty difficult to tell the R's from the D's.
Job1 where did all the progressives run off too and what happened to all their brilliant ideas?
So, of course I'm busting your libbie balls Job1, but seriously you do understand that most of what Obama will say tomorrow night will be conservative ideas, right? Tax cuts, and incentives for business owners.
I would just hate it if you get all disappointed over that.
Spanky-- As always, thank-you for your wisdumb!
Did I just see the Ghost of Raygun holding up a Poster saying"Daum that President Obama for getting rid of Gadaffi, it was my intentions all along"!
Or,was it was Chicken George Bush cussing about Darth Cheney & him Not getting Osama Bin Laden!
O well, the Talk of Republicans Protecting America better than Democrats have been taken off the Table for the foreseeable future.
Hey Spanky, be careful in Cancun, i've heard that Ronnie Rayguns War on Drugs Failed & the Cartels are even attacking casino's in Mexico.
Fiesty get more popcorn, the Republicans are laying praise on each other, and talking about the lack of jobs and how to creat them, and the destruction of healthcare and the economy by barrycare. The sad thing is listening to all the experience on the stage and realizing what you liberals have done to this country and you don't care as long as you can have big government to take care of your sorry azzes, so other people can pay for you to live. I don't blame Obama and his lack of experience and the fact he screwed our economy. I don't even blame him for the bloated and forced healthcare he passed, hell he wanted a legacy. I do however blame you lazy, care for nothing, bunh of illiterate, redneck moonbats that voted in a freshman senator from city of Chicago, the most corrupt city in this country. But we the Tea Party are taking this country back in 2012 you have stirred up a hornets nest that will turn this country around and your socialist form of government will finally fade into the sunset. That I can thank you for, thank you moonbats for the great wakeup call.
I will be watching the debates tonight and the President's speech on Thursday. I hope that many of my fellow citizens will be watching also. Americans need to pay attention to the problems facing our country and look to find solutions that will unite our nation.
Thanks Lisa - that's more then we can say about those elected to office WHO won't be!
Dont agree with what Gingrich said, exactly, but neither do I agree with the snarky defensive tweets of the MSNBC crew...
Journalists are not above reproach...and many do have an agenda....
I am glad MSNBC decided to include Huntsman and Santorum.
Leave it to Gingrich to blame the moderators as baiting the candidates to fight simply because they asked questions to get the candidates to differentiate themselves from one another. Looks like the bad Newt came to this debate.
Hearing Republicans talk about individual responsibility is hilarious, since the debate is being broadcast in competition with “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant.”
They believe in the dignity of every person to rely on themselves, per Rick Santorum… They don’t even know they’re preggers!
DomenicoNBC Well, we guess Rick Perry has no plan to fix the wealth gap between white and black families then
Domenico, do you want another federal program to redistribute income?
Gov Perry gave a good answer...jobs in the private sector !!!
Another FEDERAL PROGRAM!!! And you wonder why this country is F-ED UP!!
Oh Barf, we now have a piece on St Ronnie. Oh the wonderfulness of Ronnie.
Didn't realize there were only two candidates debating tonight....fair media as always.
Just watched the last 15 minutes or so with the sound off, with a notion I've heard that you can pick the winner from body language, confidence, etc.
If that's true, Perry is the nominee, I think. At least it ought to be more firmly his to lose now.
This has got to be the WORST presidential debate I've EVER seen! The question's were nauseating (free lunches in school..seriously? That's what you are going to spend time asking a candidate?) the moderating and time-allotment was horrendous (they may as well have called it the 'Rick Perry Show'). MSNBC, please oh please promise never to host a debate again....
The loud noise you just heard was about 5 million viewers of the debate changing channels away from MSNBC ...when the despicable lefty loon Rachel Maddow announced the MSNBC lefty loons who will "analyze" the debate...and two seconds later, Maddow was ranting about Rick Perry "fumbling" an answer....
What a pathetic excuse for a news network.....
Well, I'm disappointed and unimpressed with Governor Perry.
Michelle came off knowing her facts and figures, but I just can't embrace her......a little too loony and radical for me.
I liked Santorum's answer on poverty.
Newt makes so much sense on some issues....on others he's just off the wall. He seems so cranky all the time. The last thing the country needs is another cranky President. Too bad.
Ron Paul, too, makes a lot of sense but a little too radical, and so easily excited.
I liked Huntsman....but he tries so hard to stay smack dab in the middle, he appears wishy washy.
I love Herman Cain. If he only had a chance I'd support him all the way.
Good grief. I guess I have to stick with Mitt.
You mean your voting for Romney based on default? Might as well vote for Obama, it's a bunch of rhetoric about cutting taxes that will lead to job growth, not guaranteed. If there is job growth will it be here in the US or overseas? Vote for Obama
Paul, why would anyone vote for this failure of a President...you can't be serious.
Ron Paul won over 55% of the vote, over 100,000 different ip addresses, more than all the others combined on MSNBC's online poll. Of course the left-wing media won't allow this to be spread. They want you to quietly follow the other sheep to the slaughter house.
As MSNBC is a left oriented channel, I'll take the Ron Paul votes with a grain of salt. He's someone the leftists would love to see go against their loser of a president. He might then stand a chance in 2012.
Ron Paul is leftist you say? That is funny, why aren't the left leaning media plastering his face all over the place? Why don't they point to this poll?
Trust me, the left and right globalist fear him.
Right now Pon Paul is running even with Obama. And that is with the media blockage.