Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average cracked the 13,000 mark, the first time since the financial crisis. But on the trail, a strange thing happened. Social issues largely supplanted talk of what the polls say is the number 1 issue: jobs and the economy. A lot of Republicans say that bringing social issues to the forefront is a mistake, and a distraction. Tonight, it's up to the debate moderators to balance the topics that will draw lines among the 4 candidates. New NBC News-Marist poll numbers show that Michigan is deadlocked. Will tonight's debate seal the fate of Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum?
Analysis from today's panel today at noon ET.
PANEL
Eric Bates, Editor, Rolling Stone
Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker
Maggie Haberman, POLITICO (@maggiepolitico)
Hugo Lindgren, Editor, The New York Times Magazine (@hugolindgren)
GUEST
Jesse Benton, Ron Paul Campaign