Republican debates
The Los Angeles Times: "John McCain and Mitt Romney carried their bitter Florida clash into California on Wednesday, each impugning the other's honesty in a hot-tempered debate as they sought to attract voters casting ballots in five days in a coast-to-coast array of primaries and caucuses… The tension between McCain and Romney, the two leading Republican candidates, was heightened because the two sat next to each other, uncomfortable and occasionally glaring, as the insults burst forth."
Doesn't this Washington Post headline basically say that McCain won the debate? Here's the header: "McCain vs. Romney on Iraq." The fact that the lead of the debate stories are on Iraq and not the economy plays right into McCain's hands.
“Ten Republican candidates met in the same venue nearly nine months ago for their first debate of the campaign and similarly laid claim to the Reagan legacy. Although four remained last night, the debate was dominated by the two front-runners.”
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
EDITOR’S NOTE: There has been a lot of confusion over a whispered moment from last night’s debate -- someone saying what we believe was “not raise taxes” after a question from Tim Russert on Reagan and social security. We put the following post up last night immediately following what we and several First Read commenters heard.
For full disclosure, the way it works for us when we’re liveblogging is our contributors, who are either on site at the location or in D.C. or elsewhere, will usually send me posts via e-mail. While I am watching the debate, I read the dispatches, post if applicable after quickly editing and put up my own thoughts. Regular e-mail questions get mixed in sometimes. I put this one up, but when I did, Lauren Appelbaum wrote me and said it was not necessarily intended to be a post but actually just a question to me if I knew who made the "taxes" comment. Being in South Carolina, following the Democrats for their primary and not on site in Florida, I didn’t know. We thought it might have simply been our control room cueing a question, which then didn’t seem to warrant a post, since that would be very inside baseball. So, I took it down.
After some of the confusion today, we are putting it back up for those that haven’t seen it. As far as figuring out the mystery of who or where it came from, that is being worked on, and we hope to have an answer soon. It puzzled us here too, and we’re looking through tape of other candidates to see if it was one of them. We’ll let you know. Here's the original post:
The taxes whisper
From NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum and NBC/NJ’s Erin McPike
After Russert asked Romney the question on Reagan -- “Will you do for social security what Ronald Reagan did in 1983?” -- there is an audible statement in just one channel of audio saying “not raise taxes.”
Then Romney says “I’m not going to raise taxes…”
First Read commenters also noticed this -- where did this come from?
*** UPDATE *** After reviewing the tapes, NBC determined that an open mic picked up a whisper from the audience. It is unclear who it is that says it, but it was not said by any of the candidates, was not heard in the hall and, more importantly, not heard by the candidates.
The Miami Herald: “With just five days to go before Florida's do-or-die Republican primary, Thursday's nationally televised debate could have been a bloodbath. Instead, it was more like a Rotary Club forum, with rivals doling out compliments and only the occasional polite disagreement. When the candidates posed questions to their rivals, they tossed Nerf balls.”
Video: Watch the entire MSNBC Republican debate.
“Even the legendarily combative Rudy Giuliani, who has slipped to third place in Florida polls,
declined to tear down John McCain or Mitt Romney, the duo wrestling for first place. The docile Republican forum at Florida Atlantic University stood in stark contrast to the most recent Democratic debate, in which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama traded barbs.”
The New York Times: "It was not exactly the kind of knock-down, drag-out fight that has characterized past Republican debates. Most of the candidates agreed that the economic stimulus plan being considered in Washington was a good first step but also said it should include permanent tax cuts."
The Washington Post: "The mostly civil forum came at a critical moment in the muddled GOP competition, and the five remaining candidates appeared eager to avoid some of the sharper differences that have sparked tough exchanges. Instead, they played it safe and were often cordial to one another five days before Florida's primary election, which could end one or more candidacies."
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From NBC's Mark Murray and Chris Donovan
McCain said a few things tonight that set off our fact-checking alarms. The first came when NBC's Tim Russert asked him this: "Senator McCain, you have said repeatedly, quote, 'I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.' Is it a problem for your campaign that the economy is now the most important issue, one that by your own acknowledgment you're not well versed on?"
McCain replied, "Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from."
Actually, the quote came from a 2005 piece by Stephen Moore, in which McCain said: “I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics that I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.”
McCain also said this, per a December 2007 Boston Globe article: "The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should. I’ve got Greenspan’s book.”
Another McCain remark, answering a question on why some Republicans aren't enthusiastic about his bid, also raised our eyebrows: "But, look, I won the majority of Republican vote in both New Hampshire and South Carolina."
Well, according to the exit polls, Huckabee slightly beat McCain among self-identified South Carolina Republicans, 32%-31%. And Romney slightly beat him among self-identified New Hampshire Republicans, 35%-34%. The independent vote in both states was instrumental in putting McCain over the top in those contests.
The Palm Beach Post previews the GOP debate in Boca Raton, FL. “Proving they are presidential material will be no small task for the five Republican candidates facing off in tonight's Florida Atlantic University debate. They'll need poise, wit and charm. They'll need to address regional issues such as property taxes and property insurance. And they'll be pressured to demonstrate that they not only can win Florida's primary Tuesday but also can defeat the Democratic nominee in November.”
“And, though the debate's MSNBC anchors may wish otherwise, the candidates also should try to steer clear of the intense and personal sparring that took place Sunday night between Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, one political analyst advised. ‘Republican voters don't want to see that in their debate,’ said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida political science professor. ‘This state's Republicans want to hear about tax relief. They want to hear about controlled spending. They want to hear about security to a certain extent. But they really want somebody who looks presidential and can get the job done.’”
The
Los Angeles Times writes, “Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, in one of his most forceful debate appearances, offered a harsh repudiation of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who with his victory in the Iowa caucuses last week captured the allegiance of the Christian conservatives on whom Thompson's campaign also depends."
The New York Times’ lead, "Fred D. Thompson tried to salvage his faltering presidential campaign at a debate Thursday night with a barrage of sharp attacks on the ‘liberal’ policies of Mike Huckabee, the fellow Southerner whom he clearly sees as a rival in the South Carolina primary." More: "The debate, which was sponsored by the South Carolina Republican Party, was actually more of a series of separate minidebates that happened to be held simultaneously and in the same place, reflecting the strategies of each candidate. Mr. Huckabee and Mr. McCain were frequently the target of attacks."
The Politico's Martin: "Largely untouched after 90 minutes, John McCain left the stage here Thursday night with the same designation he had upon arrival: front-runner." More: "After the debate, McCain supporters seemed thrilled to have seen Thompson weakening the candidate [Huckabee] they believe is shaping up to be their top rival here.”
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The New York Times reports that Romney "was the target in the Republican debate. He was attacked by two rivals - Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who beat him in Iowa on Thursday, and Senator John McCain of Arizona, who is leading in polls here - on issues like immigration and on his history of shifting some positions."
The Washington Post looks at Romney's struggles through the debate prism. "Clearly feeling under siege and trailing McCain in two polls released Saturday, Romney was repeatedly in the crosshairs of his rivals. After one sharp exchange with Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, Romney accused his opponents of attacking his character rather than engaging in a serious debate. They, in turn, accused him of flip-flopping. ‘Is there a way to have this about issues and not about personal attacks?’ he asked. ‘I hope so.’”
The L.A. Times notes, "Telling in the debate was the resurgence in both praise for President Bush and comments on Iraq. In forums last year, mentions of Bush were rare as the candidates tried to keep a distance from his faded poll numbers and Iraq. But with the buildup of American troops apparently trimming the violence in Iraq, the war was back on stage Saturday."
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From NBC's Domenico MontanaroRomney tried to bulk up one of his weaknesses -- foreign policy -- by using names. He derided Ron Paul for not clearly understanding the threat of jihad, Romney said. He then cited Spain's prime minister... (he then mispronounced madrassas. It's mu-DRAH-ssas, not MAH-dru-ssus). He then used the name of an executed terrorist later to make another point, Sayyid Qutb, who Huckabee said is believed to have been a father of radical Islam.
From NBC's Mark Murray
JOHNSTON, IA -- Per moderator Carolyn Washburn, it looks like the debate will avoid issues like Iraq and immigration...
Indeed, same question starts it off: balancing the budget.
The debate was so newsless that the Los Angeles Times lead is on the apology Huckabee offered to Romney AFTER the debate regarding his comment about Jesus and Satan and the Mormon faith.
The New York Times called it a "sleepy affair." "The candidates largely stuck to their talking points, which allowed Mr. Huckabee, a former preacher, to showcase his folksy aphorisms."
The Washington Post says it was a "lifeless debate." More: “Former senator Fred D. Thompson (Ten.), who has struggled as a candidate, sought to nudge back into contention with one of his better performances at the debate after pledging this week to campaign ‘nonstop’ in Iowa until the state's Jan. 3 caucuses. But overall, the debate seemed to do little to change the Romney-Huckabee dynamic in the nation's first caucuses.”
The Politico's Martin: "It was a typical if not necessarily spectacular Huckabee performance. But without his two top rivals here training their guns on him and with the inexplicable and antic presence of Alan Keyes offering a diversion, typical was enough."
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