Live Blog of Iowa GOP Debate
Editor's thoughts:
ABC - Newt won, Romney just did not have a pulse.
ABC, that last answer from Romney when given a chance to praise others was weak.
Romney had a couple of good moments but clearly lost the most. RomneyCare is back around his neck. Bachmann drew blood on Romney. Romney's $10,000 bet crack was stupid and a huge mistake.
Perry came across as strong, presidential, and grounded in the right perspective for the country. Clearly this was his best performance. I think Perry should take second place.
Bachmann's "Hail Mary" play with I am the consistent conservative pounding might resonate or it might not. We will just have to see.
If Bachmann comes back in the polls she will end up facing Newt one on one and she does not want that.
Rick Santorum certainly increased his stature as a man and a statesman.
I think this is the beginning of the end for Mitt Romney.
ABC: What is your distinguishing idea on how to bring jobs back?
Gingrich: I worked to help Reagan's governing program which created millions of jobs and Clinton on a similar program. Tax and regulatory reform, a 12% corporate tax rate, 100% expensing for new equipment, energy, etc etc.
Romney: I came from the private sector and I know how to create jobs. Our tax rates are higher than the industrialized world and we need to fix that, China has been cheating, reign in the NLRB, etc.
Ron Paul: Stop excessive credit and printing my the Federal Reserve. Debt and mal-investment stop economic growth. We all want lower taxes and lower spending.
Perry - get rid of the tax and regulatory environment that has been killing jobs. I have been setting a blue print for that in Texas. The Federal Reserve who makes all of these massive secret loans etc etc. An outsider like Rick Perry can do that.
Bachmann: Pays homage to Herman Cain. WIN WIN WIN plan. I am a federal tax lawyer and we need to abolish the tax code and put in a pro-growth policy and is the same for all Americans and not picking favorites, energy policy, repeal ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank etc.
Santorum: Spoke about his talk with locals in Iowa businesses and I learned that we need to have a pro manufacturing environment, perhaps even a zero percent corporate tax for businesses that actually make things, drill and get energy, and jobs will be created. Rural and Small town will be revitalized.
Santorum in a shot against Romney: Government cannot make a plan from the top down that will guarantee XXX many jobs or do any successful bean counting.
New Question - Payroll Tax:
Bachmann - The payroll tax extension is a gimmick that is temporary that doesn't create jobs and it has blown a 111 billion dollar hole in the social security trust fund and will cost another 112 billion in the next year. We will have to borrow money to cover this.
Romney: I don't want to raise taxes on people under the Obama economy. This is just a band-aid. This president has not put forward a plan to get this economy going again, how will we be competitive again. People aren't investing in America because Obama has made this a less attractive place to do business.
Santorum: Is there a Social Security trust fund or not? The Democrats policy is absurd, either Democrats care about Social security or they don't, they say that Republicans want to cut it but it is Democrats who are doing that right now.
George Stuffingenvelopes: Who is the most conservative? George is trying to start a fight and the ABC moderators are seemingly already locking Perry out of the debate.
Romney: We have a merit society and I think I can take that message to the president and the people. I believe in America, Mitt jumps the shark in making fun of and mischaracterizing Newt's plans. Mitt came off as petty. This will be a YouTube moment as will Newt's response.
Newt: The only reason you (Romney) didn't become a career politician is that you lost to teddy Kennedy in 1994. You would be a 17 year career politician by now if you had won so to for you to blast me as a career politician is silly. Kids should be allowed to work part time in school (like apprenticeships) and give them work experience and work skills.
Capital Gains: Mitt you and I talked about this at Dartmouth, I am astonished at what you just said about capital gains.
George stuffingenvelopes to Ron Paul: Why do you think that Newt is engaged in serial hypocrisy.
Ron Paul says that newt received a million dollars from Freddie mac. Newt isn't always consistent. People would have a hard time competing with me on consistency.
Newt: I was in the private sector and they paid me to tell them what I think. I was in the PRIVATE SECTOR (looks at Mitt).
Bachmann: I am the proven Constitutional Conservative here. Newt for 20 years advocated for the individual mandate in heath care, Mitt is the only governor who put in government mandated institutionalized medicine. If you look at Newt/Romney they were for ObamaCare principles, Bailouts, Tarp, Cap & Trade etc etc.
Newt dismantles Bachmann's allegations and her words were too vague and loose. I had 13 best sellers and that is where most of where my income came from.
Bachmann doubles down on Newt/Romney's support for a health care mandate. I will go toe to toe with Obama and wills stand 180 degrees opposite of his bad policies. I will defeat him.
Romney, on Obama Care I wish Obama would have given me a call because I would have told him that he is going down a bad path. (But come on Mitt your team did work at the White House to implement ObamaCare). I will oppose ObamaCare and repeal it.
Perry comes out and says that Romney took Massachusetts down the same road that Obama took America. Wow Perry is looking presidential and powerful. It is about time Rick.
Romney: you like the 10th Amendment Rick, I like the 10th Amendment. If the people in Mass want to get rid of it, they can do so. I oppose ObamaCare. Romney to Perry, you mandated some vaccines as Governor (not totally true as it had an opt out).
Newt: I opposed HillaryCare and we were wrestle in an effort to stop HillaryCare. And we concluded that the mandate would be unconstitutional.
Romney and Perry spar over what Romney said in his book about the mandate. I have looked at this and Perry is just plain right about this.
Santorum: You know that it is easy for people to say what people want to hear in election season. But I opposed mandates the whole time. And if you want consistency you just have to look at someones record. Michelle is right about all these things, but the difference between Michelle and I is that Michelle fought and lost on all of them, I fought and one on issue X, Y, Z , etc. (A great showing by Santorum)
Bachmann: The important thing is that when I was in the minority I fought and fought and I led 40,000 people to the capital to get rid of ObamaCare. I took them on no matter what the odds. I wont rest.
Santorum: I was in the minority in the House too. Talked about how he beat the Democrats and uncovered the House banking scandal and ousted Rostenkowski.
ABC reporters "analyzing" the debate during the commercial. Where do they find these painfully ignorant people?
Bachmann's "NewtRomney" crack stuck. It will hurt Romney most.
Return From Commercial Break: Faith etc etc.
George Stuffingenvelopes brings up the divorce issue. Will someone who breaks marital vows break their word to the voters? Reagan was divorced too folks.
Perry sort of doubles down on it saying that if you will cheat on your wife you will cheat on your business partner.
Rick Santorum has a very mature answer.
Ron Paul: we should not be talking about these issues. These issues show through on their own. What I want to talk about are politicians who violate their oath of office. Great answer on small constitutional government. A great Youtube moment for Ron Paul.
Romney: Obama says that I do not have a "core". I am concerned about America and I do not want us to become a Greece or Italy.
Bachmann: Fonder spoke on this. They wrote about what we need as a president and they asked what is the measure of the man? Integrity is more important than anything else. Talked about her faith in Christ.
Newt: It is a real issue. People should look at the person who they may loan the presidency and they have the right to answer every question. I am a 69 year old grandfather who like all men has made mistakes and they can look at the man I am now.
ABC - Border Enforcement and The Illegals question.
Newt: we should have a local citizens review board who decides when someone applies who is worthy to stay and who should not. We are not going to rip mothers away from children and have people holed up in churches in standoffs. So we have to be realistic about this. Newt explains the details as we can all look these details up.
ABC News asks Romney about rounding people up. Romney says that we need to stop the magnets and secure the border. Illegals should register, go home and get in the back of the line to get in here. No favoritism for anyone.
ABC asks Perry about illegals who signed up for the military. Perry starts off saying that we need to enforce the laws that we have now. I will not sue states like AZ who are being sued by the Fed Gov. I will not have a catch and release program like Obama has now. Then we can have a legit convo about Immigration reform. Again Perry looked great.
George Stuffingenvelopes: Are the Palestinians and "invested People"
Ron Paul, even talking about this gets us in a mess and in trouble. We should not be dealing with these issues. Israel didn't exist in the Ottoman Empire. We are not the policeman of the world.
Newt Gingrich: Wow Newt knocks this one OUT of the park. I will have to post the youtube of this as Newt is going faster than I can type. This is totally awesome. Newt has such moral clarity here.
Romney: I agree with most of what Newt said but I would not have said what Newt said. Romney then goes after Obama about his 1967 border proposals etc.
Newt: The Israeli's are getting rocketed every day. The Obama policy is what endangers Israel. This is a propaganda war and we must stand for the truth in a campaign of lies and the word Palestinian in the current context was not even commonplace until the 1970's.
Romney: I do not want to say anything that can harm the process. I am not a bomb thrower.
Newt: I think it is important to tell the truth just as Ronald Reagan called out the Soviets as an "Evil Empire" and in spite of everyone saying it was too provocative. I am a Reaganite, Reagan understood the power of truth and if it makes some people uncomfortable well so be it.
Bachmann talks about the hate the Palestinians teach about the Jews and their textbooks say that Jews are from apes and pigs and Bachmann. Blasted them for teaching hate.
Santorum says that we need to speak the truth but we have to do so with prudence.
Perry: This (Newts accurate comments about "Palestine") is a minor issue and is just a media creation. Perry blasts Obama for mishandling the "drone issue". Obama is the problem, not what Newt said. Perry knocked this out of the park.
ABC News: What times have you had in your life where you were short on money and gad to cut back.
Perry: Talks about his upbringing without Running water and his mom sewed his own clothes for him. Luxury really isn't in my lexicon. Talks about his military service.
Romney: I didn't grow up poor, but my dad did and he made sure that we understood the value of work and learned not to spend money foolishly. This might be Romney's best moment. Great answer.
Ron Paul: I feel fortunate and we were poor but I really didn't know it. I worked through college and my wife also worked through medical school. When a country destroys its currency it transfers wealth from the middle class to the wealthy.
Santorum: I grew up in a modest home and I was blessed with a mother and a father. Talks about family, a great moment for Santorum.
ABC to Bachmann: Troubled homeowners got evicted. I opposed TARP, I took on my own president and Hank Paulsen because I knew this was a bad deal.
Newt: I lived in an apartment above a gas station. My dad was in the Army. Talked about his family and his small businesses. I know how difficult this for small businesses.
ABC - Back to the health care mandates:
Romney: States can do what ever the heck they want to do. States should try what is best for them. Some will do X and some will do Z. But the idea of the Feds imposing this violated the constitution.
ABC to Newt - what made you change your position: The problem is that a govt can make you buy a product they can make you do anything, we realized that the very idea was unworkable. The very idea of third party paying is failing and we need to get back to the doctor/patient relationship.
ABC Lifestyle changes about health - what should government do?
Ron Paul - Govt doesn't have much of a role other than being ab referee to help prevent others from hurting you. But the govt should not be in the position of protecting you from yourself. Govt is FORCE and too often they overstep their bounds.
Perry - the feds should have no role and it should be left to the states. People are sick of Washington DC. Another good moment for Perry.
ABC - what have you learned from your opponents on stage:
Santorum: Newt Gingrich's GOPAC tapes. And a great answer from Santorum while he tells a short story. A great YouTube moment. What a kind and fair man Rick Santorum is.
Perry: Ron Paul's book on currency was very good and I learned from it. Perry, there are really good men and women who want to get this country back on track. We have to get it right.
Romney: The principle of leadership is the most interesting and I see Ron Paul people in the freezing cold holding a sign. This is a time for real leadership. (Romney made it about him mostly, petty)
Newt: Governor Jerry Branstead is my role model. Serve, get out of government a while and make money and learn, than come back to govt when you are too old and do great things. Rick Perry got me engaged on the 10th amendment issue and Santorum's consistent leadership on Iran may have save the country.
Ron Paul: Freedom brings people together.
Bachmann: Herman Cain's clear message like 9 9 9. People want a serious outside of Washington answer. WIN WIN WIN rather than 9 9 9.