Rubio momentum derailed by
Christie attacks, 3rd-place Iowa finisher turns in his
shakiest performance on national stage, by Cheryl Chumley, 2/7/16, WND
The final Republican debate before
New Hampshire voters head to the primary polls kicked off with confusion – due
to mix-ups over candidate introductions – and included several testy moments of
back-and-forth among contenders, most notably between Gov. Chris Christie and
Sen. Marco Rubio, and a much-anticipated broach of the topic of the week: The
Ted Cruz-Ben Carson Iowa caucus flap.
The call to candidates to enter the
stage about 8 p.m. Eastern Time was a bit of a bumpy ride that saw a somewhat
baffled Carson standing awkwardly by as he missed his ABC introduction and ABC
News announcers then called on Trump and nearly simultaneously,
Rubio. Rubio walked onto the stage, while Trump opted to stand backstage with
Carson. Announcers ultimately forgot to call for Ohio Gov. John Kasich,
and had to be reminded of his absence by Rubio. “Yes, yes, we’re going to
introduce … Governor John Kasich,” one ABC announcer said, while another
commented about the loud applause.
Following, the questions
began – and one of first to Carson dealt with his accusations at the Iowa
caucuses that Cruz campaign officials purposely and falsely spread the news he
was suspending his run for the White House.
Carson turned the question into a
joke, saying when ABC failed to introduce him as scheduled, he thought the news
outlet was showcasing him as dropped from the race. He then said: “I will
say I was very disappointed that members of [Cruz’s] team thought so little of
me that they thought … I would just walk away 10 minutes before the caucus and
say ‘forget about you guys.’ … Unfortunately, it did happen [and] it gives us a
very good example of certain types of Washington ethics. … That’s not my
ethics. My ethics is you do what’s right.”
Cruz responded by speaking of
the friendship he and his wife had developed with Carson and his wife, and said
he had telephoned to apologize for the mistake. “Ben is a good and honorable
man,” Cruz said, “and I apologized to him then and I do now.” Cruz also doubled
down on earlier explanations of the mix-up, faulting CNN’s reports and saying
his team was simply forwarding news that had been broadcast.
From there, the three-hour debate
headed into nearly every policy direction, from immigration to ISIS to jobs.
The big interest to emerge was not
Donald Trump, who – unlike previous debate – fielded about the same, if not
less, questions than other stage competitors. Rather, it was the fireworks
between Christie and Rubio, following questions about the senator’s experience
and ability to serve in the executive White House role.
The outcome of the debate regarding
these two candidates was aptly summed by one blunt Politico
headline that read: “Rubio chokes.”
As the subhead explained, “The
Florida senator went into Saturday night’s GOP debate with momentum. He ended
it as a viral glitch sensation.”
The last couple days’ polls put
Rubio as a rising contender in a three-way race with Trump and Cruz. But after
New Hampshire’s sparks, and Christie’s concerted and well-executed attacks, the
next polls may not be so kind.
The back-and-forth began after Rubio
spoke of his accomplishments, including his defense of Floridians from eminent
domain abuse and his sanction of terrorist groups, and then wrapped with his
signature reminder of America’s greatness and need to recoup Founding Father
values and visions.
Christie pounced, drawing a
difference between his governor experience and Rubio’s senator service. “Every
morning when a United States senator wakes up, they think about what kind of
speech can I give, or what kind of bill can I drop,” Christie said. “Every
morning when I wake up, I think about what kind of problem I need to solve for
the people who elected me. It’s a different experience.”
He went on, speaking to Rubio: “You
have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held
accountable. The fact is when you talked about the Hezbollah Sanctions Act
[sanctioning the terrorist group], you weren’t even there to vote for it.
That’s not leadership; that’s truancy.”
Christie wrapped by saying he liked
Rubio, “but he simply does not have the experience” to serve as president.
Rubio fought back, speaking of the
credit rating downgrade he said New Jersey suffered under Christie’s leadership
and then seguing into the greatness of America. But Christie jumped in: “That’s
what Washington, D.C., does, the drive by shot at the beginning with incorrect
and incomplete information and then the memorized 25 second speech.”
Christie finished: “When you’re
president, when you’re governor … the memorized speech doesn’t solve one
problem.”
Moderators then brought up the
breaking news of North Korea’s long-range missile firing, as reported
by WND, and asked for candidates’
reactions.
Cruz called the launch a “direct
result of the first Clinton administration” and its relaxed sanctions, and
warned “what we see with North Korea is a foreshadow of what we’ll see with
Iran.”
Kasich said “we’ve got to step up
the pressure,” “have to be very tough,” and “we should impose same kind of
sanctions on North Korea that we have on Iran.”
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: “If a
preemptive strike is necessary [on the launch pad, for instance], the we should
do it.”
Trump: “I think we have a president
who is completely incompetent … [China] has good control over North Korea. They
have tremendous control … I would get on with China, let China solve that
problem. They can solve it quickly and surgically.”
Notable on immigration, meanwhile,
was Kasich’s insistence to “finish the border [and] lock our doors” at the
border, then “get on the pathway” to legalize the 11.5 million illegals
currently in the country. “I believe they should pay some back taxes, pay a fine,
then get on the pathway,” Kasich said.
Cruz’s plan on immigration was point
blank: He referenced the 11-page plan on his campaign website and its bullet
promises to build a wall, triple border patrol, combine technology with “boots
on the ground” to enforce laws, use biometrics on visas. implement eVerify on
businesses, cut tax dollars for sanctuary cities and end welfare for illegals.
“Federal immigration law provides if
somebody is here illegally, they are to be deported,” Cruz said.
More fireworks flew between Rubio
and Christie over immigration, after Rubio was asked if he ran from his Gang of
Eight amnesty-type legislation, or fought in its defense, when questioned about
it on his presidential campaign.
Rubio didn’t answer directly, but
spoke of what immigration reform was necessary in the present day and age.
Christie then characterized him as a dodger. “Again, this is the difference
between being governor and accountable, and not answering a question,” Christie
said. “It’s abundantly clear he didn’t answer the question.”
Moving to health care, Trump vowed
to repeal Obamacare and replace it with “something so much better,” then
adding,” We’re not going to let anyone die on the street.” Carson spoke of his
“health empowerment account” idea and suggested Americans check out the details
on his campaign website.
On the future of conservatism,
Kasich spoke about the need to grow the economy, but also “reach out to people
who live in the shadows,” like drug addicts and minorities.
And Trump insisted he was a true
conservative, based on the definition that conservatives want to “conserve our
country, save our country,” “be smart,” and “conserve our money.” He added:
“It’s a very important word and it’s a word I believe in strongly.”
Rubio, meanwhile, defined
conservatism as “limited government,” “about free enterprise,” and “about
strong national defense.”
On jobs and the economy, Trump
advocated a lower tax rate to bring back companies that have left, or are in
process of leaving, the country; Christie credited Kasich for a fine record of
jobs growth in Ohio, but said New Jersey has cut spending at the same time.
On ISIS, Cruz said the best defense
for America against terrorism would start with a strong message from the White
House, followed by a loosening of some of the rules of engagement; Rubio spoke
of strengthening alliances with Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia; Trump, of
taking a stronger and more aggressive approach. “[Right now], we give notice
we’re going to bomb,” he said. “We don’t want to bomb because we don’t want to
hurt [them] … pollute the atmosphere. … When you take away their wealth, take
banks, oil … they’ll become a weakened power quickly.”
Trump also said when asked about
waterboarding: “I would bring back waterboarding and I would bring back a hell
of a lot worse than waterboarding.” Bush disagreed: “No, I wouldn’t. … We need
to make sure we expand our intelligence.”
Other topics discussed: How to
successfully work in a highly partisan atmosphere; the rising trend of heroin abuse;
police relations; Zika and government-imposed quarantines; women in the
military and a gender-blind draft; veterans’ issues; and same-sex marriage and
abortion, as they pertain to younger voters.
And their final thoughts? Notable
last lines, from each other candidate’s 60-second sound-offs:
Kasich: “Please give me a chance to
come back.”
Christie: “I’ve focused … on serving
the people who’ve given me a chance to serve them.”
Bush: “I believe I have the skills
to take our party to victory in November.”
Carson: “Guess what? I’m still here.
And I’m not going any place either.”
Rubio: “We will unite this party …
we will defeat Hillary Clinton.”
Cruz: “We can turn this country
around if we get back to the Constitution.”
Trump: “If I’m elected president, we
will win and we will win and we will win.”
The debate was long, roughly three
hours, and the last chance New Hampshire voters would have to hear from the
candidates on one stage before voting this Tuesday. From there, the candidates
head to South Carolina for a primary set for February 20.
http://www.wnd.com/2016/02/candidates-spar-rubio-christie-spat-ignites-stage/
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