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Fox News Republican Debate - January 6, 2008
By Bill | January 6, 2008 | Email This Post
On January 6, 2008, two days before the primary in New Hampshire, Fox News hosted a debate between some of the candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination in Milford, New Hampshire. The moderator was Chris Wallace. I’m watching and blogging this as it happens, so my reactions are coming out as they happen with minimal editing - my apologies in advance for any grammatical or other similar errors. I don’t claim that this represents everything the candidates said, but I believe this is an accurate and fair summary of the major points. My goal is to provide a largely unfiltered representation of what the candidates said, but I can’t resist commenting along the way, so my editorial comments are in italics. There’s also a summary/comments section at the end that I’m using for sort of stream-of-consciousness commentary as it pops into my head… hopefully you’ll find it at least a little bit amusing.
Candidates scheduled to appear are Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson. Notably absent from that list is Ron Paul, who was not invited to appear by Fox News despite the fact that he actually finishes ahead of Thompson in several polls of New Hampshire voters. The omission had the side effect of the New Hampshire Republican party officially withdrawing their sponsorship of the event. Fox’s stated reason for the exclusion is that they have limited studio space and just don’t have room for him… you’re free to judge the credibility of that explanation for yourself.
Here are the candidates, and here we go.
Rudy Giuliani:
- Cites his work in replacing welfare with “work-fare”
- Says that change is important, but that can be good or bad. Believes the change as represented by the Democrats would constitute a bad change, and that Americans must be careful not to choose change just for the sake of itself.
- Says that his experience running NYC goes far beyond 9/11, but that he had the safety and security of eight million people on his shoulders on a daily basis for years. Despite that, he also says he’s the only one of the candidates with experience making executive decisions in the face of an attack by Islamic terrorists. Mentions his decisions in keeping Castro and Arafat from visiting the United Nations and in turning down a donation from a Saudi prince.
- Defends his record on dealing with illegal immigrants in NYC, particularly in the case of schoolchildren, people needing medical care, and people reporting crimes, saying that he made exceptions in those cases because it was the humane thing to do. Believes we can best address the immigration problem at the border, followed by a tamper-proof ID card. Believes everyone entering the US should have to identify themselves. (My comment: we don’t already? Other than the ones who slip through illegally?)
- Asked if he is too controversial to become President, Giuliani responds that Americans aren’t looking for a perfect person, but rather someone who can lead the country. Said he has made mistakes and has learned from them.
- Says that he is the best Republican candidate to beat the eventual Democratic nominee because of his record of getting things done. “I’m tested, I’m ready…” and believes the time is right for his leadership.
Mike Huckabee:
- Says he cut taxes 94 times, including the first broad-based tax cut in 160 years in his state. In the time he was Governor, sales tax went up one penny, and the income tax rates were the same, although fewer people were subject to it.
- Admits that there may have been a particular tax increase in Arkansas, but says that it was the result of a court order which he was legally bound to obey.
- Denies that his recent comment about voters prefering (paraphrasing) “a guy like they work with, rather than a guy like the one who laid them off” was directed at Romney. (I actually hadn’t thought of that with Romney specifically, but I get it now that it’s pointed out.)
- Mentions that he’s in favor of eliminating income and corporate taxes in exchange for the FairTax.
- Says that he has more executive leadership experience than anyone in the race, Democrat are Republican.
- Believes that the conditions at Guantanamo may be “too nice.”
- On illegal immigration: “Even Ronald Regan can make mistakes.”
- Huckabee says that he made a decision not to respond negatively to Romney’s ads, and that the people of Iowa rewarded him for taking the high road. Believes that people are looking for a “positive President.” Believes that if we could make public debate more civil it could change the way we govern America, as well as the way we run for office.
- Says that he is the best candidate to beat the eventual Democratic nominee for three reasons: 1) his connection with the average American, 2) his consistency in upholding traditional Republican principles, and 3) his ability to solve problems (I may have slightly blown #3 there, they’re going faster than I can type, but I think that’s the general idea.)
John McCain:
- Tax cuts are fine, but spending cuts are also important. He invokes Ronald Regan as an example. Believes that lowering taxes without lowering spending is contrary to the true spirit of the Republican party.
- McCain mentions that Jack Kemp endorsed him today.
- Promises to veto pork barrel projects, including asking for the line item veto to fight government waste.
- McCain, true to form, says nice things about President Bush.
- It’s “our obligation” to fix Social Security for the next generation of Americans. We need to do that by bipartisan action and by taking the need for a fix directly to the American people.
- Says that despite his long Washington experience, he can be (and has been) an agent of change. Offers the change in strategy in Iraq as an example, as well as his work on campaign finance reform and the line item veto.
- Believes that change as Romney describes it is important, but that Americans also want someone who has the experience to deal with America’s security problems.
- McCain, responding to Romney’s Governors-not-Senators observation, offers that the Governors who have been elected have been both good and bad. Believes that his experience cannot be discounted, since he knows “the players” involved on the world stage and has dealt with many of the current issues for years.
- Believes we can capture bin Laden by increasing our human intelligence resources and making it the top priority for all intelligence agencies.
- Says that his political experience is not the most important thing in his life, but rather his life experience, including the time that (paraphrase) “America was denied to him.”
- Denies that his immigration plan includes amnesty for illegal aliens.
- Asked to respond to a negative ad from Mitt Romney, McCain declines, saying that he’s running a positive campaign based on the fact that he’s the best qualified to be President.
- Asked about his age, and whether or not he would consider promising to run for only one term, McCain says no, and points out that Ronald Regan was older when he won the cold war than McCain would be when he takes office. Huckabee interjects and says that vigor is not a concern with McCain.
- On why he is the best candidate to beat the Democrats, says that he can energize the Republican base as well as reaching out to independent voters, as he uses his experience to solve the problems facing America.
Mitt Romney:
- Proposes that any interest, dividend, or capital gains income for anyone earning less than $200,000 a year should not be subject to taxes.
- Says that in his first year as Governor, his state’s budget actually went down, and that he cut the size of the state workforce while he was Governor.
- Romney accuses Huckabee of “making up facts faster than he talks.”
- In response to Huckabee’s “laid them off” answer, says that you can’t help the American worker by hurting the American wage-payer, and goes on to say nice things about American corporations.
- Agrees that McCain has been an agent of change, but that Washington is “fundamentally broken.” Believes that his experience in the private sector and as Governor gives him the insight needed to make real change that cannot be achieved by a Washington insider. Believes Americans want an outsider to bring fresh ideas.
- Fox plays a quote from Romney where he says we should elect a leader, not an expert, because of the unknown challenges that may arise over a President’s term. Romney believes that that judgment is supported by how the American people vote, and particularly cites recent results in electing Presidents from among Governors vs. from among Senators.
- Claims that amnesty is part of McCain’s immigration plan.
- Says that his ads have largely been positive. Believes there is a difference between an “attack ad” and ads that point out his opponent’s positions.
- Believes that he is the best candidate to beat the Democrats because he is the one in the best position to reform Washington, in an effort to make sure the America our kids inherit is even better than the one given to us by the “greatest generation.”
Fred Thompson:
- Wants to end the estate tax and get rid of the alternative minimum tax (AMT.) Wallace says he’ll do it by reducing Social Security benefits, which Thompson disputes. Thompson says that what he’ll do is actually save Social Security be allowing people to have retirement savings accounts and index benefits paid at retirement to inflation rather than wages as they are currently.
- Believes the President needs to be willing to “go over the heads of the Democrats” and take the case for tough decisions directly to the American people.
- Thompson makes a joke by asking Huckabee if he intends to get rid of death, rather than the “death tax.” Huckabee humorously responds that that was his job in his last profession, to which Fred says “didn’t work, sorry.”(Should have quit with the first comment, Fred, the second one sounded snarky.)
- Worries that supporting the FairTax would lead to both an income tax and a consumption tax. Instead supports a flat tax system whereby couples earning under $100,000 would be subject to a 10% tax, or over $100,000 would be a 25% tax, or they could have the option of filling out their taxes as we do now.
- Leadership is more important than change, which is a part of every election, and the most important part of leadership is telling the truth. Some of those truths include that winning the war and becoming energy independent will take far more resources than we have been told, and that we are currently spending the next generation’s money.
- Says that Romney thinks experience is important in every area except national security.
- In a brief exchange with Huckabee, Thompson mentions that Guantanamo detainees don’t have the right of habeas corpus that they would at a prison on United States soil.
- Asks what it says about the leadership of Mexico when the exportation of their own citizens is an economic necessities.
- Believes that trade agreements with Mexico have largely benefited both countries.
- Thompson and Huckabee have an exchange about the phrase “almost persuaded,” (which is a reference to a Bible verse and a hymn, for all you heathens out there
) Huckabee brings up Chuck Norris, to which Thompson responds that if John Wayne was here he could beat Norris up. Nice. I love The Duke - he gave us Fort Apache and The Quiet Man, after all - but in terms of fisticuffs, my money is on Chuck. ) - Says that he is the best candidate to beat the eventual Democratic nominee because he has never lost an election. More substantively, his record in the senate gives him credibility in the eyes of the American people.
Summary/Comments:
- All right, there will be no Ron Paul tonight… or will there? Some of his supporters are planning a protest.
- Romney did poorly last night… I’m expecting him to come out swinging. He needs to make up ground on Huckabee, and McCain is a threat in New Hampshire.
- Huckabee and Giuliani managed to keep their heads down last night… can they do it again?
- None of that open-ended hippie ABC stuff tonight… two minute answers, one minute rebuttals, and warning lights. Fox is laying down the law!
- Wow, they’re squeezed into a cafeteria table… probably to lend credence to the Ron Paul story. Doesn’t explain the twenty feet of empty space on either side, though.
- First question: about taxes.
- Yep, my prediction seems right: Romney’s first out of the gate, criticizing McCain for voting against tax cuts, and Huckabee’s record on taxes in Arkansas.
- Romney and Huckabee going at it now… Romney is good when he speaks first, but seems to get rattled when Huckabee sharply questions him back. Huckabee doesn’t seem to want to directly answer Romney’s question about a half-billion dollar tax increase in Arkansas, though… finally he does, saying it was the result of a court order.
- The Fox News graphics and bottom scroller have been caricatured on so many comedy shows that it’s tough to take the real thing seriously when you see it.
- Thompson has spent a couple debates lobbing disparaging comments in at other candidates, without anyone really striking back. That won’t last.
- The Fox scroller just ran a comment about how “Dole had just beaten up Bush in IA…” Beaten up? Beaten up? Who writes this stuff?
- Huckabee finally cracks a little bit when Romney interjects a question about the status of children who are illegal immigrants. Huckabee resorts to suggesting that he will only respond to questions from the debate moderator. This is the first time I’ve seen Mike Huckabee have a hard time thinking on his feet… the fatigue of the last week is definitely coming into play here, for all the candidates.
- Thompson’s doing a good job of giving off the vibe that he’s the only logical choice, and he’s just biding his time until everyone realizes that. We’ll see if that strategy pays off.
- Okay, the debate is over…
- There’s Frank Luntz… I want to hate him, but I can’t.
- Funny… Frank’s talking to his focus group, and there are Ron Paul protest signs circulating outside the windows of the venue. How long before they re-frame the shot?
- Oh, well… my thoughts:
- Winners: No blockbusters, but I’d say Romney. He shrugged off Iowa and last night’s debate and did what he needed to do. Giuliani did nothing to help himself in New Hampshire, but by being low key set himself up for the next set of races, which is what he wanted to do all along anyway. McCain also did well, and some of his humor showed through… McCain’s a funny guy, and really enjoys the political game, and it was refreshing to see that show through. Some people might take that second comment as a knock, but it’s not… if you don’t like politics, the Presidential race is no place for you.
- Losers: Thompson. Not that he did anything poorly, but that he failed to say anything that will land him in the news. Time is running out for him, fast. He has to make a move, and he didn’t do it tonight. Huckabee also showed cracks, which will be exacerbated by the relative scarcity of evangelical votes in New Hampshire.
- The primaries are Tuesday… look for predictions to come.
- Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed blogging it.
Topics: Debates, Republicans |
January 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
This was a good review of last night. I missed the debate and am not one of the many with a DVR/TIVO. It helped to read an every day interpretation of the debate with as much accuracy as you were able to provide.
Best of luck going forward and thank you for the posting.
January 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Thanks for the kind words.
January 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Ron Paul won this debate in absence. He received more publicity than if he had been on stage. More people are now aware that FAUX’s “Fair and Balanced” is pure BS doublespeak.
January 9th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Why wasn’t Ron Paul in the debate?