CNN Tea Party Debate

- Is it just me? As Wolf Blitzer introduced them and the candidates came out one by one, I wanted each to have their own theme music and pyrotechnics. "Rick 'The Social Piranha' Santoooooruuum!"

Intro:

HUNTSMAN - Today we're deeply divided; I have the experience and leadership to move this country forward.

CAIN - I'm the only non-politician here.

BACHMANN - I want to repeal Dodd-Frank and Obamacare. I'm the founder of the Tea Party Caucus.

ROMNEY - America's economy is in crisis. I understand jobs.

PERRY - I'm proud to be here today and want to make DC as inconsequential in your life as I can.

PAUL - Been in Congress for 20 years, my plan has always been to obey the Constitution.

GINGRICH - In the spirit of 9/12 I hope to work WITH you.

SANTORUM - I won in a state with more Democrats than Republicans.

"How will you convince senior citizens that Social Security and Medicare need to be changed, and how will you get their votes?"

BACHMANN - Obama "stole" $5 billion out of Medicare to switch to Obamacare. I've had feet in the private sector and a foot in the public sector. Seniors can count on my "core of convictions."

PERRY - The folks on Social Security are "slam-dunk guaranteed" that I won't call it a Ponzi scheme tonight. We need to fix it.

- Romney turns to completely face whoever's answering.

ROMNEY - I'll remind people Perry said "Ponzi scheme." Perry also said in his book SS was forced on us.

PERRY - If Mitt's trying to say they made the right decisions in the 30's and 40's, I disagree. (mild applause)

ROMNEY - But do you still believe SS should be discontinued as a federal program?

PERRY - I...

ROMNEY - Answer the question.

PERRY - You're trying to scare people.

ROMNEY - You said "Ponzi scheme" not me.

PERRY - You called SS "criminal" in your book. (Hoots from audience.)

ROMNEY - Quote me correctly, I said the way Congress was dealing with SS was criminal.

PAUL - I agree SS is broke; we spent all the money. I tried to pass a bill to keep SS money from being raided for these nonsense wars. Young people need to get out of SS. My plan is...

"Wait, let me get Cain in here."

CAIN - It's broken. The citizens of Galveston, TX, opted out and they're getting 50% more than they would've out of SS. It worked in Chile. Personal retirement accounts.

HUNTSMAN - Drama queens. Romney called it a fraud. Perry called it a Ponzi scheme. We're frightening Americans who want solutions.

GINGRICH - I'm not worried about Romney & Perry frightening the American people when Pres. Obama does it every day. (Big pop from audience.) That's not a rhetorical joke. If you're younger and would like a personal acct to control instead of the politicians, you should have the right to choose.

"Santorum are you with Romney or Perry on SS?"

SANTORUM - The question is, who's with me? I knew in 1994 this day was coming. I have the courage to tell the truth. I have a track record of courage. I have mad courage skills.

"What is your plan to balance the budget?"

GINGRICH - It's a Washington mythology. I balanced the budget four years in a row. See if the SuperCommittee dares to do it right. There's so much waste.

SANTORUM - We have to make sure there's a prescription drug component in Medicare. I had courage on this issue. DC believes they know better than you how to do your health-care.

PERRY - There's a $17 trillion hole in our budget. In Texas we combined HHS from 10 to 5 agencies.

ROMNEY - I'd reform Medicare and SS. We talk about waste, but we're not going to balance the budget just by cutting out waste. We need cut fed spending and pass a Balanced Budget Amendment. We need to grow the economy to raise revenue.

PAUL - We spend $1.5 trillion overseas in wars we don't need to be in; we need to cut there. And it still wouldn't be enough. Cut the Depts of Education and Energy. (Applause.)

BACHMANN - Too many believe the govt is there to "buy people more stuff." We need more personal responsibility.

Commercial break.

"What would you do to get the economy moving forward, do you have a plan, and what is it?"

HUNTSMAN - We're seeing a human tragedy. Millions unemployed, millions given up on finding jobs. My plan is based on what I did as governor. New tax code. Strip loopholes and lower rates. We need to ger rid of our heroin-like addiction to foreign oil.

PERRY - Obama's last stimulus produced zero jobs. Free up regulation and this economy will take off "like a rocket-ship." Reform the tax code. People are tired of spending money we don't have on programs we don't want.

BACHMANN - When you have a trillion in spending you don't pay for, the deficit will go up, and now the Prez wants to do it again. We shouldn't have raised the debt ceiling. He wants to borrow more from China. Repeal Dodd-Frank, repeal Obamacare. (Applause.)

CAIN - This economy is on life-support. Throw out the entire tax code and put in my 9-9-9 code. 9% business tax, 9% income tax, 9% fed sales tax. US businesses will create jobs if we provide certainty.

ROMNEY - Texas is a great state. Right-to-work. Lotta oil. We're an energy-rich nation living like an energy-poor nation. We've gone from a pay-phone world to a smartphone world, but Obama wants to keep putting quarters in the pay-phone. I'll rattle off seven things I'll do, and Perry will nod in agreement. "How much credit does Perry deserve?" Well, if you have four aces, that doesn't make you a good poker player.

- Mitt made a mistake there.

PERRY - Mitt, you were doing good til you got to talkin' poker.

PAUL - Our taxes, spending and debt has gone up under Perry. I don't want to offend him; he might raise my taxes. 'How do you pay for a tax cut' is the wrong question. It's your money.

PERRY - Hey, I cut taxes by $14 billion.

GINGRICH - Well, when I was Speaker there were more jobs created at that time than when Huntsman, Romney and Perry were governors for their states. i don't take credit for it; it was investors and businessmen, etc. (Applause.)

"Can you be pro-business and pro-worker at the same time?"

CAIN - Yes, I was a worker before I was an executive. My mom was a maid, my dad was a janitor. We need leadership.

HUNTSMAN - This country needs more workers. We need an environment that creates jobs. Utah was #1 in job-creation, the best-managed state in America. Businesses flocked there, the Superfriends set up the Hall of Justice there; it's a great state!

Commercial break.

"What is your position on the Federal Reserve? Should we audit?"

SANTORUM - Yes, audit it. There should be a sound-money federal reserve. We need a pro-growth plan. Let's make zero taxes on American manufacturing.

CAIN - Yes, audit it. Its focus needs to be narrowed. Don't end it, fix it. The Canadian dollar is now worth more than the US dollar becuz of the Fed.

BACHMANN - I wouldn't reappoint Ben Bernake. Congress has given almost unlimited power to the Fed over the economy. The Fed "has a lot to answer for." 'Do you agree with Perry that Bernake is close to treason'? I'll let Perry answer that.

PERRY - Almost treasonous. I'm not a fan.

ROMNEY - The Fed has a responsibility to protect the value of our currency. But if we get rid of the Fed, who will oversee our currency? Congress? I'm not a fan of that.

"Out of every dollar that I earn, how much do you think I deserve to keep?"

HUNTSMAN - I'd flatten the tax rate. You want a competitive tax code. We need to cut the deductions. 8,14,24%. Thse would be my personal income rates. Lower corporate rates from 35 to 25. "Clean out the cobwebs." Debt is a cancer that will eat away at this country until you find a leader in 2012.

GINGRICH - Hey, GE paid no taxes. (Applause!) Obama talked about taking care of loopholes. Doesn't he realize everything GE is doing is a loophole? 'Isn't getting rid of a loophole a tax hike?' Yes, technically, but I'm cheerfully opposed to raising taxes.

"Would any of you be willing to support the Fair tax?"

ROMNEY - The idea of a national sales tax would make us more competitive globally, it'd level the playing field. But the way it's structured it'd raise the burden on the middle class. My plan is to reduce taxes on middle class. No tax on interest or dividends.

"Under what circumstances should a president sign an executive order?"

PAUL - The executive order has been grossly abused by all the administrations for a number of years. (Applause.) It should never be used to legislate. It should be taken under control.

"Hey, Gov. Perry, you signed an executive order to make 11-12-yr-old girls get vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer. Mistake?"

PERRY - Yep. I should've gone through the legislature. I will use an executive order to get rid of Obamacare on Day One.

BACHMANN - To have innocent girls forced to be injected by the government is just wrong. Repeal Obamacare!

PERRY - It wasn't a mandate; there was an opt-out. At the end of the day, I will err on the side of life.

BACHMANN - We cannot forget in the midst of this executive order, a drug company made millions due to this mandate. The governor's former chief-of-staff was the chief lobbyist for this drug company.

PERRY - It was Merck, and it was $5000. Are you saying I can be bought for $5000, I'm offended.

BACHMANN - I'm offended for all the little girls that didn't have a choice.

SANTORUM - Your policy was wrong. "This is Big Government run amok!"

PERRY - I think we made decisions... we put in efforts to cure cancer... we protect life... what we were all about was saving lives.

- Bachmann & Santorum did a great tag-team on Perry. He's woozy.

CAIN - Pass "loser pays" laws to get rid of frivolous lawsuits. (One guy applauds.) When I ran Godafther's Pizza we came up with a health-care plan for our employees.

ROMNEY - Generally people don't care what health-care costs once they've paid their deductible. On Day 1, I'll have the A.G. grant a waiver to all 50 states from Obamacare.

PERRY - Hey, Obama modeled Obamacare on Romneycare. It'll cost billions of dollars and is wrong for the country.

ROMNEY - Let me rattle off the ways my plan and Obamacare are different.

PAUL - Freedom's all about taking risks.

- Here Wolf Blitzer gives a hypothetical of a healthy uninsured 30-yr-old goes into a coma. 'Should the got just let him die?' Someone in the audience yells "Yeah!" Obama just lit up a stogey and put his feet on the desk.

BACHMANN - Waivers and executive orders won't cut it for Obamacare. No state has the right to force its citizens to buy a product. Remove Obamacare by its root and branch. 2012 is IT! This is the election to decide if we have socialized medicine or not. The meteor is headed toward Earth!

Commercial break. Whoa, Bachmann just ran off-stage.

"What would you do to remove the illegal immigrants from our country?"

SANTORUM - I'm the son of an Italian immigrant. We have a problem of an insecure border. "Unlike Governor Perry" I believe in a strong border. I'm against amnesty, but we need to support legal immigration.

PERRY - There's no one on this stage that's had to deal with illegal immigration more than me, and the fed govt has been an abject failure on border security. The idea that you'd build a wall is just not reality. You have to have boots on the ground. 4500 patrolmen, 1500 troops. The Fed govt has to step up and do their Constitutional duty.

"What are candidates doing to attract Latino voters?"

SANTORUM - Maybe Gov. Perry was trying to attract Latino voters by allowing illegals in-state tuition. (Racist much?) It was a gift to my father to force him to learn English.

PERRY - (Starts to defend his in-state tuition bill and gets some boos.)

"Isn't that like the Dream Act?"

BACHMANN - Very similar. Giving breaks to people who break our laws. What works is have legal immigration. Speak English, learn US history and our Constitution.

PERRY - I'm not for the Dream Act; that's amnesty. What we did was a states-rights issue. We were clearly sending a message that regardless of the sound of your last name, we believe in you. We're going to allow you to contribute and not be a drag.

HUNTSMAN - For Rick to say you can't secure the border is pretty much a treasonous comment. (Audience is stunned.) We allowed a drivers privilege card, a pragmatic local solution. Go, Tenth Amendment!

ROMNEY - Problem with both. They came here for opportunity. Regarding illegal immigration "of course" we build a fence. Giving them in-state tuition breaks or drivers license only encourages more illegal immigration.

PERRY - We had a decision to make. Do we give them incentive to contribute to society, or put them on the government dole? States-right issue. They're pursuing citizenship.

HUNTSMAN - We can spend all night talking about where Mitt's been on the issues. (Awkward.) Fix Homeland Security. When will we have an honest conversation? Legal immigration is broken.

"The US has an abundance of coal, natural gas and uranium. What will you do in first 100 days to ensure Americans that energy independence will finally become a reality?"

CAIN - Remove some of those fed govt barriers. Start with an EPA gone wild. Start a regulatory reduction commission.

"Do you plan to decrease defense spending to reduce deficit?"

GINGRICH - We should be reminded what's at stake if a foreign terrorist gets a nuclear weapon in this country. What do you do in Mexico, in Middle East, about our national base?

PAUL - Difference between military spending and defense spending. We have 900 bases all over the world. There's nothing in the Constitution for nation-building.

SANTORUM - Your website basically blamed us for 9/11. Con. Paul, that is irresponsible. Someone running for president should not be parroting what Osama said on 9/11. We were attacked because we stand for American exceptionalism.

PAUL - As long as this country follows that, we're in trouble. The idea that we were attacked because we are free is just not true. (Applause and then boos.)

"As the next president of the US, what will you do to secure safety for women and children of Afghanistan from the radicals?"

HUNTSMAN - We've been there for ten years. The time has come for us to get out of Afghanistan. We don't need 100,000 troops there when this country's core is crumbling. We're not shining like we used to shine. When we start to shine again, it'll help the women of Afghanistan. (Huh?) Afghan people need to take responsibility for their security.

PERRY - I agree with Huntsman in getting them home, but we need to have a presense there. That country's military needs to take care of their people.

Commercial break.

"What would you add to the White House?"

SANTORUM - We'd add a bedroom. We have seven kids.

GINGRICH - I'd kick out the WH czars to make more space. We'd have more music.

PAUL - I'd bring a bushel-basket of common sense, a course in Austrian economics.

PERRY - I'd bring the most beautiful, thoughtful First Lady this country had ever seen.

ROMNEY - I'd bring back Churchill's bust.

BACHMANN - I'd bring a copy of the Constitution and Declaration of the Independence and red meat for voters!

CAIN - I'd bring a sense of humor. America's too uptight.

HUNTSMAN - I'd bring my Harley.

Aaaaaand we're done.

If this was the first time I'd ever seen any of these candidates, I would rank them this way.

1. NEWT GINGRICH - Got a ton of applause, but also had genial tone, articulate answers, seemed most willing to give credit to other candidates.

2. MITT ROMNEY - Seemed a little too willing to be aggressive toward Rick Perry, but otherwise did great in hitting the questions that came.

3. HERMAN CAIN - Relaxed, engaged, maybe suffered from clearly no one else being worried about him. I'm not crazy about a "loser pays" law. That seems like it'd make big corporations that much more confident in lawsuits.

4. RON PAUL - The man knows where he stands on every issue. But had some answers the audience would rather boo than hear.

5. RICK PERRY - He was clearly the target and his opponents landed some serious punches. I think we're going to hear more about Merck over the next few days.

6. MICHELLE BACHMANN - Her answer to almost every question was "Repeal Obamacare!" Strongest moment may have been when attacking Perry over vaccinations.

7. RICK SANTORUM - He had his moments, but he had a couple clunker answers too, especailly his response to attracting Latino voters by instantly making an illegal-immigration joke.

8. JON HUNTSMAN - Came off as a jerk. Negative against his opponents and had a couple weird scoot-arounds from answering the question.

Will this affect polls? Eh maybe. It's still a two-person race between Romney and Perry. I changed my mind about something. Sarah Palin could still get in. It'd then be a three-person race.