Ares
8th January 2012, 11:54 AM
Republican presidential candidates met in New Hampshire in the ABC WMUR Republican Presidential Primary Debate.
Last week, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul placed first, second and third, respectively, in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses, while other presidential hopefuls fell into further obscurity.
Michelle Bachmann called it quits after finishing a distant 6th place in Iowa. Her fall from the top tier followed a disappointing Iowa debate in which she challenged Congressman Ron Paul on Iran. The Texas Congressman handily defeated Bachmann in the exchange. Bachmann never recovered.
Texas Governor Rick Perry also nearly found himself a casualty following an exchange with Ron Paul over the number of federal agencies he would eliminate. Hoping to one-up Paul in the debate, Perry forgot his talking point, resulting in the infamous “Oops Heard Round the World”. After a poor showing in Iowa, Perry announced he was returning to Texas to reassess his campaign prospects.
Tensions were high going into Saturday night’s New Hampshire debate. While Mitt Romney enjoys a solid lead, the margin is slipping as Ron Paul surges. It is Rick Santorum, however, who has found himself in Paul’s crosshairs. The former senator from Pennsylvania finds himself on the defensive as Paul released a blistering attack ad accusing Santorum of “betrayal” and “serial hypocrisy”. The ad, scheduled to begin airing next week in South Carolina, is already an internet sensation. It calls into question Santorum’s ethics and honesty.
Paul came out swinging in the opening round of the New Hampshire debate, saying of Santorum:
“In a survey he was voted one of the most corrupt in Washington because he took so much money from the lobbyists. What really counts is his record. He’s a big government, big spending individual. He preached that he wanted a balanced budget amendment but then voted to raise the debt limit five times.”
Paul went on to list a string of big government programs which Santorum voted to support in the senate. Dr. Paul continued his answer by pointing out that not only did Santorum take a large amount of money from Washington lobbyists, but that the senator became a lobbyist himself after he lost his senate seat. Without pausing, Congressman Paul also took a jab at Newt Gingrich for taking money from lobbyists - suggesting, “I think we ought to find out how much money he’s made from lobbyists as well.”
Santorum tried to counter the attack by explaining that he is a “cause guy.” He said that after he left the senate he ‘got involved’ with a health care company because he believed in their cause. (Santorum did not mention is that he profited to the tune of over one million dollars from his support of various corporate ‘causes’ in 2010 alone.)
Paul was unfazed. He followed up with a sharp rebuke of Santorum, stating:
“You’re a big government spender and that’s all there is to it. To say you’re a conservative, I think, is a stretch. But you’ve convinced a lot of people of it, so somebody has to point out your record.”
Gingrich was asked to respond to a statement by Ron Paul earlier in the week that Gingrich was a “chicken-hawk.” The former Speaker tried to steer the conversation away from avoidance of the draft by highlighting what his life was like living with family members who had served in the military. The moderator turned to Ron Paul and asked if he would still choose to describe Gingrich as a chicken-hawk – sparking a sharp exchange between the two candidates.
Referring to Gingrich’s avoidance of military duty, Paul said:
“I think that people who don’t serve when they could – when they get three or four or even five deferments – have no right to send our kids off to war. I’m trying to stop the wars - but at least I went when they called me up.”
He then gave a passionate defense of his position on bringing troops back home to America.
“The veterans’ problem is a big one. We have hundreds of thousands coming back from these wars that were undeclared and unnecessary – they haven’t been won because they’re unwinnable. And we have these thousands of veterans coming home looking for care. There is an epidemic of suicide among them as they are coming back. When you add them all up, we’ve lost over 8,500 Americans [in Iraq and Afghanistan] and 40,000 more have had severe injuries in these undeclared wars.”
Referring to Newt Gingrich, Paul said:
“And I don’t like it when we send our kids off to fight these wars by people who say they didn’t go [to war] themselves because ‘one person wouldn’t have made a difference’. I have a pet peeve that annoys me a great deal - because when I see these young men come back my heart weeps for them.”
In his rebuttal, Gingrich said that he didn’t qualify for the draft himself because he had a wife and a family. Paul’s immediate response was sizzling. “When I was drafted, I was married and had two kids. But I went.”
Later in the debate, a question regarding Rick Santorum’s position on banning contraception was directed to Mitt Romney. Moderator George Stephanopoulos pointed to a Supreme Court decision on the right to privacy and asked Romney about the constitutionality of the Court’s decision. Romney stumbled, unable to provide a coherent response. After minutes of futile effort to answer the question, Romney pointed to Congressman Paul and said, “If you’re asking if something constitutionally could be done, we could ask our constitutionalist here.”
Stephanopoulos would not let Romney off so easy. He asked again if, under the Constitution, US states had the power to ban the use of contraceptives. Romney could not answer the question. Congressman Paul finally chimed in, giving a masterful explanation of the right to privacy as guaranteed by the fourth amendment to the Constitution. Further, he explained the Constitution’s interstate commerce clause and how it related to the specific Supreme Court decision brought up by Stephanopoulos.
Romney further demonstrated his lack of knowledge on the Constitution when he claimed that it was written by John Adams. It was clear that no other candidate on the stage could match Paul’s breadth of knowledge of the fundamentals of the Constitution – the supreme law of the land that each president swears to uphold. It is reasonable to wonder how Mitt Romney can preserve, protect, defend or uphold the US Constitution when he knows almost nothing about it.
In post debate analysis, ABC News pundits raved over Paul’s performance. ABC News senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl said, “It’s an amazing thing… Ron Paul has been a one-man wrecking crew in this whole process. He took out Rick Perry. He took out Newt Gingrich in Iowa. And now he was the most effective against Santorum.”
Ron Paul has once again demonstrated that he is a force that must be reckoned with. And he's just getting started.
http://www.nolanchart.com/article9246-huge-victory-for-ron-paul-in-new-hampshire-debate.html
Last week, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul placed first, second and third, respectively, in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses, while other presidential hopefuls fell into further obscurity.
Michelle Bachmann called it quits after finishing a distant 6th place in Iowa. Her fall from the top tier followed a disappointing Iowa debate in which she challenged Congressman Ron Paul on Iran. The Texas Congressman handily defeated Bachmann in the exchange. Bachmann never recovered.
Texas Governor Rick Perry also nearly found himself a casualty following an exchange with Ron Paul over the number of federal agencies he would eliminate. Hoping to one-up Paul in the debate, Perry forgot his talking point, resulting in the infamous “Oops Heard Round the World”. After a poor showing in Iowa, Perry announced he was returning to Texas to reassess his campaign prospects.
Tensions were high going into Saturday night’s New Hampshire debate. While Mitt Romney enjoys a solid lead, the margin is slipping as Ron Paul surges. It is Rick Santorum, however, who has found himself in Paul’s crosshairs. The former senator from Pennsylvania finds himself on the defensive as Paul released a blistering attack ad accusing Santorum of “betrayal” and “serial hypocrisy”. The ad, scheduled to begin airing next week in South Carolina, is already an internet sensation. It calls into question Santorum’s ethics and honesty.
Paul came out swinging in the opening round of the New Hampshire debate, saying of Santorum:
“In a survey he was voted one of the most corrupt in Washington because he took so much money from the lobbyists. What really counts is his record. He’s a big government, big spending individual. He preached that he wanted a balanced budget amendment but then voted to raise the debt limit five times.”
Paul went on to list a string of big government programs which Santorum voted to support in the senate. Dr. Paul continued his answer by pointing out that not only did Santorum take a large amount of money from Washington lobbyists, but that the senator became a lobbyist himself after he lost his senate seat. Without pausing, Congressman Paul also took a jab at Newt Gingrich for taking money from lobbyists - suggesting, “I think we ought to find out how much money he’s made from lobbyists as well.”
Santorum tried to counter the attack by explaining that he is a “cause guy.” He said that after he left the senate he ‘got involved’ with a health care company because he believed in their cause. (Santorum did not mention is that he profited to the tune of over one million dollars from his support of various corporate ‘causes’ in 2010 alone.)
Paul was unfazed. He followed up with a sharp rebuke of Santorum, stating:
“You’re a big government spender and that’s all there is to it. To say you’re a conservative, I think, is a stretch. But you’ve convinced a lot of people of it, so somebody has to point out your record.”
Gingrich was asked to respond to a statement by Ron Paul earlier in the week that Gingrich was a “chicken-hawk.” The former Speaker tried to steer the conversation away from avoidance of the draft by highlighting what his life was like living with family members who had served in the military. The moderator turned to Ron Paul and asked if he would still choose to describe Gingrich as a chicken-hawk – sparking a sharp exchange between the two candidates.
Referring to Gingrich’s avoidance of military duty, Paul said:
“I think that people who don’t serve when they could – when they get three or four or even five deferments – have no right to send our kids off to war. I’m trying to stop the wars - but at least I went when they called me up.”
He then gave a passionate defense of his position on bringing troops back home to America.
“The veterans’ problem is a big one. We have hundreds of thousands coming back from these wars that were undeclared and unnecessary – they haven’t been won because they’re unwinnable. And we have these thousands of veterans coming home looking for care. There is an epidemic of suicide among them as they are coming back. When you add them all up, we’ve lost over 8,500 Americans [in Iraq and Afghanistan] and 40,000 more have had severe injuries in these undeclared wars.”
Referring to Newt Gingrich, Paul said:
“And I don’t like it when we send our kids off to fight these wars by people who say they didn’t go [to war] themselves because ‘one person wouldn’t have made a difference’. I have a pet peeve that annoys me a great deal - because when I see these young men come back my heart weeps for them.”
In his rebuttal, Gingrich said that he didn’t qualify for the draft himself because he had a wife and a family. Paul’s immediate response was sizzling. “When I was drafted, I was married and had two kids. But I went.”
Later in the debate, a question regarding Rick Santorum’s position on banning contraception was directed to Mitt Romney. Moderator George Stephanopoulos pointed to a Supreme Court decision on the right to privacy and asked Romney about the constitutionality of the Court’s decision. Romney stumbled, unable to provide a coherent response. After minutes of futile effort to answer the question, Romney pointed to Congressman Paul and said, “If you’re asking if something constitutionally could be done, we could ask our constitutionalist here.”
Stephanopoulos would not let Romney off so easy. He asked again if, under the Constitution, US states had the power to ban the use of contraceptives. Romney could not answer the question. Congressman Paul finally chimed in, giving a masterful explanation of the right to privacy as guaranteed by the fourth amendment to the Constitution. Further, he explained the Constitution’s interstate commerce clause and how it related to the specific Supreme Court decision brought up by Stephanopoulos.
Romney further demonstrated his lack of knowledge on the Constitution when he claimed that it was written by John Adams. It was clear that no other candidate on the stage could match Paul’s breadth of knowledge of the fundamentals of the Constitution – the supreme law of the land that each president swears to uphold. It is reasonable to wonder how Mitt Romney can preserve, protect, defend or uphold the US Constitution when he knows almost nothing about it.
In post debate analysis, ABC News pundits raved over Paul’s performance. ABC News senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl said, “It’s an amazing thing… Ron Paul has been a one-man wrecking crew in this whole process. He took out Rick Perry. He took out Newt Gingrich in Iowa. And now he was the most effective against Santorum.”
Ron Paul has once again demonstrated that he is a force that must be reckoned with. And he's just getting started.
http://www.nolanchart.com/article9246-huge-victory-for-ron-paul-in-new-hampshire-debate.html