Whoohoo! Tonight is the first night we get to see all three candidates for governor of Texas together on the same stage, answering the same questions. Expectations are going to be high from all sides and each campaign has already drafted memos about how well their candidate did, proclaiming their candidate the winner! All that is left to be done is for the campaigns to tweak the memos so that they look as if they were written after the debate and hope that their opponents made a gaffe that can be used against them.

At the same time, the big media outlets are preparing their editorials, with most of them saying that the real winner was...Bill White! That's right, they will say that Houston's budget blundering mayor won by default because the three Republicans just aren't up to the task in the modern world. Anyone care to wager on that?

Okay, back to the debate itself. All around Texas, people will be holding "watch parties" to cheer on their candidate. Or, in the case of Tea Parties, to grade the answers as to which one is "most" conservative. Here is a scorecard put out by the Houston Tea Party Society to be used at the watch parties:

These scorecards will be tallied at each location, the tallies sent in to the HTPS and an aggregate scorecard will be issued.

My own debate watching is a bit different. No one is going to win the debate, although it is possible for someone to make a gaffe and lose. I like to watch debates like this with this question in mind:

What does each candidate need to do in this debate to move his or her campaign forward?

Face it, we already know where each candidate stands on the issues in the scorecard above. Those that are going to be at watch parties, at least. The rest of the voters are just now starting to tune in - don't believe me, ask someone at work or church that isn't involved in politics in some form or fashion.

Here is what I think that each candidate needs to do tonight to move their campaign forward:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison - She needs to let her supporters and moderate independents see a little fire in the belly. If there is one thing that has been lacking in her appearances, it is enthusiasm. With the public just now tuning in, this is critical for her. If she comes across flat, as she has in most of her public appearances today, she will lose the momentum gained from her recent television ad blitz. This is much harder to do than it seems on the surface, but she has done it before.

Debra Medina - She needs to show the general public that she belongs on that stage. As an unknown entity to most Texans, she cannot pull a James Stockdale "who am I and why am I here". She must pull off a serious, statesmanlike performance and persuade voters to listen to her conservative message. Not an easy task to do but if she speaks from the heart, as she did at this event, her evening will be a success. If she speaks from prepared remarks, as she did here, she's doomed with the general public.

Gov. Rick Perry - He has the hardest job of all, which is why his camp tried mightily to keep Debra Medina off the stage. Without her on the stage, he could contrast his brand of conservatism with Sen. Hutchison's. With her there, that strategy will not work because Mrs. Medina has articulated conservative positions that are more in line with the right wing of the party. His biggest goal will be to avoid a gaffe and avoid mentioning his executive order on the HPV vaccine, the Trans Texas Corridor, his 180 on the border after the last campaign, or the rate of growth in the Texas budget. If he can avoid highlighting those issues and focus on the Texas economy compared to the nation, then he will have had a successful evening. A tall order but he is an excellent campaigner and debater.

 So there you have my two cents, worth exactly what you paid for it!

TexasDebate.org has a listing of media outlets that are carrying the debate live.