Posted on 09/04/2011 9:12:21 PM PDT by Clairity
“DeMint question: If you are president what are the things in D.C. you’d downside, eliminate?
Bachmann says Obamacare and the individual mandate. The Czars. Says refusing to defend DOMA and immigration holds violate presidential oath. Dept. of Education as example of unconstitutional incursion.
Bachmann asked about Obama’s job’s speech. 0% rate on repatriation (Perry said the same this morning at his townhall). Would make corporate tax rate 20%. Moratorium on ObamaCare. “
Good so far.
“DeMint question: If you are president what are the things in D.C. you’d downside, eliminate?
Bachmann says Obamacare and the individual mandate. The Czars. Says refusing to defend DOMA and immigration holds violate presidential oath. Dept. of Education as example of unconstitutional incursion.
Bachmann asked about Obama’s job’s speech. 0% rate on repatriation (Perry said the same this morning at his townhall). Would make corporate tax rate 20%. Moratorium on ObamaCare. “
Good so far.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/erikajohnsen/2011/09/05/live_from_south_carolina_gop_presidential_forum
This is the link I’m using with fine reception. But I’m stateside.
King starts with the shining city question.
Says we are the shining city because people are trying to sneak in, not sneak out of America. Says we must first secure our position and America will not weaken its military strength. Mentions his 9-9-9 plan. 9% corporate tax, 9% personal income, 9% sales tax on the way to Fair Tax. Asked about immigration.
Professor's turn. Asking about Dredd Scott comparison to Roe vs. Wade and using the 14th amendment due process & equal protection clause to protect life at all stages. Cain could support that. Cain defines a limited roll for the executive.
(More stream problems.) Some question asked about same-sex adoptions and Catholics in Illinois. Says the feds should not be subsidizing programs that discriminate against legitimate religions.
Question about poverty and marriage culture. Cain says stop incentivizing broken homes. Says Detroit could become an empowerment zone. Says economic rebound would have a ripple effect and help move towards rebuilding the family. Would Cain choose a running mate with prolife views? yes. DeMint asks about debt. Cain says boost economic growth. Says bold tax changes will work. Under JFK. Also in 1980s. Says cut spending, say, 10% across the board and then go through every agency looking for deep cuts. Supports personal retirement accounts as an alternative to Social Security as Chile had done. Asked about a Balanced Budget Amendment, Cain supports. Says the will isn't there without one. Mentions reduction in growth isn't a cut, it's deceiving the American people.
Asked about QE and the Fed. Cain says the Fed can be fixed. Says congress should limit its authority. Says the dual mission (inflation vs unemployment) needs to be ended because it's like trying to hit two targets with one arrow. Return the Fed to what it was created for in 1913. He also wants to move back towards a gold standard or some other standard so a dollar is a dollar. Cain's time up. Newt next.
I am totally enjoying this no-nonsense format. The questions sound something like those at a Congressional hearing, i.e., putting out an opinion then letting the candidate respond, but they’re serious questions, serious answers by serious conservatives, no interruptions and preening (so far).
Maybe not so much a debate but the opportunity to hear each and every candidate speak for him/herself is refreshing.
Right now Newt’s playing standard opening joke/local football fare that I could live without. Bachmann and Cain did really well. Too bad Perry had to drop out.
Because I have dial-up, I’m missing the majority of it, but like what I hear, and read on FR posts.
I hope there is a transcript of the debate later.
I would hope there’s a transcript. I would also hope that before the first primary vote is cast there is another forum like this, with all the the-declared candidates participating. So far, it’s the best I’ve seen.
Amazingly, the panelists, being serious people, are not out with their gotcha questions, nor trying to make themselves the focus of the forum. That alone makes this just superior watching for those who really want to see and learn from the candidates before casting that vote.
Gotta give it to Newt, he IS always the smartest guy in the room intellectually. It’s just a shame he blew it on his personal issues. Whoever ends up carrying the party banner will hopefully seek his counsel once in office.
Professor up first. Again with Sect. 5 of 14th amendment on equal protection question. Can Congress can use it to overturn Roe vs Wade. Newt says yes. Attacks the Warren court for expanding court's power. Lists other examples where the court has gone too far. Says Congress has the power to regulate the court's jurisdiction and should. Says he wouldn't go as far as Jefferson when he eliminated many posts. He'd only remove Judge (Sam) Biery of San Antonio and the 9th Circuit. (People laugh.)
Newt says given the state of things a federal marriage amendment is the only way to defend marriage.
DeMint mentions stimulus and coming Obama job's plan. Says Obama won't listen to his failures. Said going to Detroit would've been a great opportunity to learn this. Says repeal Dodd-Frank (Perry mentioned this at his SC townhall this morning). Would replace EPA with a solutions agency. Would repeal Sarbanes Oxley. 0 cap gains. 12.5% corporate tax rate. 100% expensing so farmers and others will have the most modern equipment. No death tax because it's immoral.
What about debt? Quit running a deficit. Says he favors it for practical reasons. Says the super committee is a dumb idea. Suggests modernizing government to save billions. Mentions "Strong America Now."
King asks what his first legislative priority would be. Says the King bill to repeal ObamaCare. Talking about Lincoln as an example of decision making and seeking God's guidance.
Asked about immigration. Too many legal immigrants? Merit system over familial connections? Says economic weakness is a limiting factor on allowable immigration numbers. Mentions importance of assimilation. Mentions hundreds of languages used in Chicago Schools. Says comprehensive immigration reform cannot happen. Bush couldn't do it with one party gov't and Obama couldn't with his party gov't. Border control first. 100% of control however that needs to be done. Jokingly would ship half the bureaucrats in DC to the border. Ron Paul up next.
“I would also hope that before the first primary vote is cast there is another forum like this, with all the the-declared candidates participating.”
Absolutely. This early in the game, poll numbers can go eiher way. They left out Santorum, because he didn’t have the 5%, but yesterday, I saw on Fox that Newt only had only 3%, and Santorum had 4% (still under 5%), but Newt is there, but Santorum isn’t.
I love the format of this debate, but I think excluding some candidates was a huge mistake at this point in time.
It really is a shame that Newt is a crotchety old bastard with domestic baggage. He really know his stuff, and could really tackle of a lot of problems in the US government.
But leadership has a lot to do with personality, and his is awful.
Maybe the nominee will at least use him as an advisor.
Thanks for your great updates!
Steve King asking what conditions would he put in a Balanced Budget Amendment. No tax hikes to balance the budget. Says GDP is a deceptive measure for linking a balanced budget amendment to. Need to change people from an entitlement mentality. Predicting inflation next summer. He wouldn't have troops stationed anywhere outside the U.S. Says we should've asked "What was the motivation behind 9/11?"
Professor asking about the 14th amendment and equal protection used against Roe vs Wade. Ron Paul would remove the court jurisdiction so the states could decide. Says the 14th can't be used that way because it doesn't repeal the 10th. Professor doesn't like his answer.
Asking whether the fed has any role in poverty reduction. Says it's a state issue but the federal government can fight it with sound monetary policy.
Romney up now.
Yes, I wasn’t happy about excluding Santorum. He did surprisingly well in the IA Straw Poll, given his lack of $ resources and pure use of retail politics. I am, at least for now, on board with him as VP candidate. Always liked the guy.
IF they hold a forum like this before the actual primaries, they should include everyone who’s had the guts to enter the fray (including my man, Jimmy) Just kidding on that.
I suppose it’s really difficult to set a cutoff. Giving 5-10 minutes to someone who doesn’t have a prayer does tend to lose the audience and take from time available to more viable candidates. But if Newt’s not at 5% and that’s the standard for today’s forum, he shouldn’t have been invited.
Ali Velshi is a fool.
Newt probably had 5% before the cut-off date/time, but polls are so volatile, especially this early.
I can understand cutting off candidates when it gets close to primary time, but it’s just too early, imo.
Santorum would have offered a lot to the forum, especially on the social issues.
They are now asking a question about life in the womb.
Would he privatize Fannie & Freddie? He says yes. Would he repeal Sarbanes-Oxley? Says it made it harder on mid-sized businesses to get the capital needed to grow. Large companies have legions of lawyers to deal with it. Small business is based on sweat-equity and not really effected. Corporations are made up of people and we want people to succeed.
How would he made decisions? He writes things down and summarizes, he speaks to his wife, he prays.
Professor asking about the courts, on the 14th amendment Roe vs Wade. Romney would appoint justices that would overturn Roe vs. Wade and return it to the states. He would not pursue a "constitutional crisis" by pushing the 14th amendment idea. Would the running mate be prolife and pro traditional marriage. Romney says the person would have some prodding where he only said he believes so.
Romney asked about Catholic and religious organizations being driven from adoptions because of same-sex adoption laws in Illinois. MA had a similar problem. Says institutions should be allowed to practice their faith in particular where there are competing organizations that could serve others such as same-sex couples. He would return to Bush policy protecting acts of conscience.
DeMint asking about unions. Right-to-work? Said he'd sign a federal right-to-work bill if it came to his desk but says it's a state issue. Says right-to-work is the way to go if you want good jobs. Says unions collecting dues to be used for political purposes that the union bosses decide to use as they see fit rather than the worker. Says it's a form of corruption.
Asked about foreign policy. Hitting Obama on calling Assad a "reformer" rather than a "killer." Says the foreign policy questions to ask are "does it strengthen America", "does it promote our values", "can we link arms with our allies?" Mentions Obama "throwing Israel under the bus."
Healthcare? Calls ObamaCare as unconstitutional, dealing with 100% of people instead of just 8% of uninsured like RomneyCare.
That's the end.
It just concluded here. There’s a follow up with candidates at townhall.com.
This is the most impressed I’ve ever been with a presidential primary ‘debate,’ tho technically not a debate. More like a candidate interview? I DO wish Santorum, Perry and Palin had been there, but hopefully there will be another of this sort.
No "Coke or Pepsi" or single "gotcha" question asked.
I have never seen or heard of Robert P. George prior to this debate, and let me just say ... WOW, that man is bar far the smartest person I have ever heard speak.
What I did like about Newt was that he had a real plan and knew how to implement it.
This forum was the best I have ever seen in showcasing the individual views. They were kept away from hearing the others.
This was so much better than the debates,. It also put the candidates in more of a position to get specific about what they would do.
It was also great because those asking the questions weren’t combative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.