Questioners are Bret Baier, Gerald Seib, Kelly Evans and Juan Williams.
First question to NEWT GINGRICH, and Bret Baier didn't let him off lightly. Newt justifies his attacks on Mitt Romney so soon after he said the Republicans should stay positive and not savage each other. Of course, Newt said this when he was in first, but now that he's not, it's Earth-scorching time. Baier pushes Newt on it, and Newt keeps trying to say he's not attacking capitalism, it's just that Bain was evil. Reagan.
MITT ROMNEY responds, defends his record, and ends with how he'll defeat Barack Obama, which gets loud cheers from the audience. Baier moves on.
RICK PERRY is asked to defend his comment on "vulture capitalism." He says he visited a steel mill that Bain picked over and people lost jobs. Hey, I released my tax records. Mitt, you need to release yours. I think that's fair. As Republicans we cannot "fawr" our candidate in September. We need to know the answers now. Anyway, repeal Dodd-Frank; regulations are strangling us.
ROMNEY - We invested in that steel mill for 7-8 years.. China's dumping of cheap steel into our economy caused 40 mills to be closed. I will crack down on trade cheaters. BTW, we opened a new steel mill with new technologies on cheaters. I agree with him on regulations.
Next is Gerald Seib, who looks like the kind of guy found guilty of murder at the end of a CSI: Miami episode. He points out one instance where Bain made millions off a company that went bankrupt.
ROMNEY - That company was still open when I was at Bain. They bought another paper company down the road and consolidated. Every time we invest it, we try to grow the company, create jobs. You look at Staples and other companies, my record's pretty darn good. The prez has no job plan. I have a jobs plan and I'm not even president...yet.
Next is Kelly Evans, a hot brunette Wall Street Journal reporter. Asks Ron Paul about negative campaigning.
RON PAUL - If you're exposing a voting record, it's quite proper. I did one on Santorum where I couldn't get everything in that I wanted. He was for NCLB, Sarb-Ox, prescription drug benefits, etc.
RICK SANTORUM - He's getting some of his quotes from CREW, a left-wing George Soros organization. I'd repeal No Child Left Behind now.
Juan Williams asks Santorum about personal attacks.
SANTORUM - I've run a strong positive campaign. Romney's Super-PAC put out an ad saying I support felons voting. I would ask Romney right here, does he support felons who've served their time, fulfill their sentences get to be able to vote?
ROMNEY - First of all I can't tell Super-PACs what--
SANTORUM - Just answer the question.
ROMNEY - I'll get there. I would hope Super-PACs who have anything inaccurate would remove those or correct those. As for felons voting, it says you did that?
SANTORUM - Just answer. I voted to restore voting rights to felons who've repaid their debt to society. This is MLK Day. I was supporting that becuz of the disproportionate amount of African-Americans who go to jail and lose their rights.
ROMNEY - I don't believe violent criminals should ever regain their vote.
SANTORUM - Interesting. In Massachusetts, the law was that not only could violent criminals could vote while on parole let alone after they served their time. If you're going to have someone criticize me for supporting that, why didn't you change that in Mass?
ROMNEY - I had an 85% Democratic legislature. I could nto get many changes that I wanted to, and I did not send anyone to criticize you, I have no control over Super-PACs. I've had some outrageous, inaccurate accusations made against me by Super-PACs...
SANTORUM - I want to keep talking. Your Super-PAC was inaccurate in attacking me and if I had a Super-PAC doing that, I'd say stop it!
PERRY - Here's a great example of the insiders up here having a conversation. These should be state decisions.
ROMNEY - I agree; this should be at a state level. I agree with Ron Paul about the mistakes Santorum's made in his voting. He voted against right-to-work becuz he said his state was against it. I was in a state that wanted felons to be able to vote. Same thing.
Commercials.
Baier asks Romney about previous Huntsman quotes, asks Twitter question about how can they trust Romney to not change his positions again.
ROMNEY - I get asked this, and it's usually on my position on abortion. When I saw those embryos that would destroyed, I wrote an op-ed saying I was pro-life and I served as a pro-life governor. I've always been against gay marriage but I am for equal rights. I believe Obama is turning us into a European socialist state, I want to restore America. I believe in this country, I will fight for its values.
Juan asks Perry about SC's new law on voter registration. Are you suggesting that on MLK Day, the fed has no business investigating election laws in a state where minorities were once not allowed to vote?
PERRY - I'm saying the state of Texas is under assault from the fed govt, and SC is at war with this fed govt. At war! This administration is "at war!" with churches. This admin is out of control.
Bret asks about national debt and extending unemployment benefits.
SANTORUM - I don't support extending benefits to 99 weeks. When you're that far away from a job, you lose skills. I believe, like welfare reform, we send it back to the states, give them flexibility to implement their programs. We're not doing people any favors by keeping them on unemployment for long periods of time.
((When I was laid off in 2004, they explained to me unemployment lasted 26 weeks, but I believe that was state unemployment; I never got federal unemployment that I know of. There must've been significant changes in the law since.))
GINGRICH - All unemployment compensation should be tied to job-training. The help we should give should be connected to a business run. 99 weeks is an Associate degree. It tells you everything about the difference between Obama and the five of us. We actually think work is good. We think maximizing dependency is terrible for this country.
Kelly asks about some European downgrades.
ROMNEY - We want to keep our financial insitutions running, but we've learned some lessons. We can't give the prez a blank check choosing and picking which friends or which industries he wants to save. It's time for us to recognize that the free enterprise system works. The best way to get the US economy going to push govt out of it. Our tax rates are too high, our regulations are too burdensome, we have an energy policy that doesn't take advantage of our resources. This prex has opened up no new markets. That's the answer, not bailouts.
Gerald asks Paul about defense spending cuts that would cost SC military jobs.
PAUL - Your question suggests you're very confused about my position. I want to cut money. I want to close bases overseas, maybe have more bases here. The military is behind me more than the others. I get twice as much money from active-duty military than the other four combined.
You call for pulling military spending to 2006 levels, that would cut jobs.
PAUL - You still don't understand. There's a difference between military spending and defense spending. Building a military base in Baghdad bigger than the Vatican. You call that defense spending; I call that waste. We're supposed to be conservative. Spend less money!
Bret asks what is the highest federal income tax any American should have to pay.
PERRY - 20% flat tax. Keep it simple. ((Perry likes simple.))
SANTORUM - My highest would be 28%, same level as Reagan when he cut taxes. ((And raised them one year later.))
ROMNEY - I'd like to get it down to 25%. Right now it's 35%, paying more than 25% I'm against.
GINGRICH - I'd like to see flat tax of 15%.
PAUL - We should have the lowest tax and up until 1913 it was 0%. What's wrong with that? What our seniors are getting hit with is the inflation tax; let's see that zero.
Kelly asks again about tax records, since Romney never answered the question earlier.
ROMNEY - I looked at what's been done in past campaigns; the tradition has been to release them around April, tax-time. I'll keep my options open.
So you'll release them around April?
ROMNEY - That's probably what I'll do. ((Some murmurs from the audience on that one.))
Juan points out Romney's father was born in Mexico. ((Some boos just at the mention of Mexico.)) Aren't you alienating Latinos with your hardline stance on immigration and being against the Dream Act?
ROMNEY - Latinos like all people look at us an opportunity nation. This prez looks around and says "It could be worse." I can't believe saying that. The American people say it's gotta be better. As for immigration, I don't believe special privileges should be given to those who come illegally. We have to follow the law. I love legal immigrants.
Juan points out unemployment's 20% for blacks.
SANTORUM - A 2009 study showed 3 things can be done to avoid poverty: work, graduate high school, and get married before you have children. ((Applause from audience.)) It's a huge opportunity for us, but what is Obama doing? He has a policy targetted at at-risk youth, regulating that marriage can no longer promote marriage to young girls, they can no longer teach abstinence. This admin is deliberately telling organizations to not tell girls what good choices are.
Juan points out blacks, jailed 4 times more than white, are usually arrested for drug charges.
PAUL - There is a disparity. With blacks, they're arrested disproportionately, they're tried and convicted disproportionately, they suffer the consequence of the death penalty disproportionately. Rich white people don't get the death penalty very often. ((Would've loved to see Perry's face right then. He loves the death penalty.)) The drug war unfairly hits the minority. MLK would agree with me on the drug war and foreign wars. ((Faint applause.))
Juan asks Gingrich about his quote on how blacks should demand job not food stamps, poor people's work ethic, and his quote about having kids be janitors. Can't you see how this is insulting?
GINGRICH - No, I don't see that. ((Applause.)) My daughter's first job was a janitor. She liked working and getting paid. I've had fifty people write me about their first jobs at 11,12,13. What I tried to say, Joe Klein pointed this out to me, union janitors in NYC are paid an absurd amount of money. You could hire thirty kids for the cost of one janitor. Only the elites despise earning money. ((Applause.))
My question's on work ethic. Are your comments not intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities? ((Boos.)) You called Obama the food-stamp president. It sounds like you're intentially belittling people. ((More boos. Boos for the black guy asking about racism on MLK Day.))
GINGRICH - More people have gone on food stamps under Obama than any prez in history. I know the politically correct don't like facts that are uncomfortable. Obama hasn't done anything that's really helped the poor. ((Wild, rousing applause. People clinking beer mugs, a guy strumming his upright bass in the corner, square-dancing in the mezzanine, etc.))
Bret asks Paul about foreign policy. You said you were against the operation that killed OBL. You believe international law should have stopped from killing the man who committed the most heinous attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, the demon from hell who rose up with his bony hand and crushed the heart of America, the man who burned a flag while urinating on a Justin Bieber picture?
PAUL - No I didn't say that. After 9/11 I voted for the authority to go after him. My frustration was we didn't go after him. We used it as an excuse for nation building.
My question's on international law.
PAUL - We communicated with Pakistan on giving us KSM, and they handed him over. But when you don't respect the sovereignty of other nations, we keep bombing these countries trying to get our enemies, we reduce them to civil war, they're getting money from us to rebuild. It's a deeply flawed policy. When they waited ten years, I don't see why they couldn't have done it the way they did KSM. Say a Chinese dissident came here, we wouldn't endorse "Well, they can come over and bomb us trying to get him..." We wouldn't expect him. There are proper procedures. We keep digging bigger holes for ourselves. Iraq's getting worse, we're still in Afghanistan...
I understand. They found there were plans for further attacks. On this topic, GOP candidate Ron Paul would be far to the left of Barack Obama on hunting down terrorists. <
PAUL - We captured Saddam Hussein. His country hung him, he had a trial. We gave Adolph Eichmann a trial. Why can't we question them first, get information?
Bret asks Gingrich about would he kill OBL even if it meant the end of relations of Pakistan.
GINGRICH - OBL plotted to bomb the USS Cole and killed 3100 Americans on 9/11. He was not a Chinese dissident. His analogy is "utterly" irrational. When you give a country billions and you learn they've been hiding the biggest terrorist in the world, you go in and bomb him. Now let's talk about Andrew Jackson. he had a clear-cut idea about America's enemies: kill them. ((Holy crap, did he just bring up the founder of the Democratic Party and notorious racist Indian-killer Andrew Jackson as a standard for 2012 foreign policy?))
PAUL - We ought to consider a Golden Rule in foreign policy. Don't do to other nations what we wouldn't want them to do to us. ((Ongoing boos.)) This idea that we can't debate foreign policy, we just need to start another war. These people can't wait to start another war. We should quit the ones we're in! ((Applause.))
Bret asks Romney about negotiating with the Taliban.
ROMNEY - Of course not. Newt's right. Take out our enemies whereever they are. These people declared war on us. They killed Americans. We go where they are and kill them. OBL recived the right course of action, a bullet to the head. The Taliban is killing Americans. Obama announced the date of our withdrawal. He announced the date he wants to pull out altogether and now he wants to negotiate? We're under attack. The right way is to have a military so strong that no one would think of testing it. We do not negotiate with the Taliban when they're killing American soliders. We need to streghten the Afghan military force.
Bret asks how Santorum would deal with Syria.
SANTORUM - Obama's been as bad as possible. He props up this dictator which endangers Israel. We need to rally the international community, remove Assad, I don't support us going in, but us supporting policy that would remove him.
Bret brings up Turkey. Do they still belong in NATO?
PERRY - Turkey's ruled by Islamic terrorists, it's time to cut off all foreign aid to them. Do they have America's best interest? They were an ally in the 1970's. We need a prez who will stand up to Turkey and Syria and Iran and let them know we need to be dealt with. I served my country in the Air Force. When our Sec of Defense call what those Marines did ((urinating on the corpses)) "utterly despicable", I'll tell you what's despicable, those people who cut Danny Pearl's head off!
PAUL - I too served in the military from 62 to 68. i was in the Afghan/Pakistan region. Let me tell you something, the Taliban were our allies when they were fighting Russia. The Taliban is against foreigners. It's al-Qaeda who wants to come here and kill us, let's not confuse the two.\
Kelly asks Romney about the NDAA. Would he have signed it as written?
ROMNEY - Yes I would have. ((Boos.)) If you join a group that wants to kill Americans, that's treason. I disagree with the prez on a lot but I have faith he will not abuse this power. I would not abuse that power. You have elect someone with the values and character to not abuse it. Our military is shrinking. We're not giving our veterans the benfits they deserve.
SANTORUM - Whines about time, invokes habeas corpus, says the NDAA should not have passed. You should have the right to go to court.
PAUL - We're going in the wrong direction of our liberties. The Patriot Act wiped out the 4th Amendment. Now we have a policy of pre-emptive war where we don't have to declare war, this NDAA is major. It says an American citizen can be held indefinitely by the military. Don't give up on our American judicial system so easily, I beg of you.
PERRY - We need to cut the tax rate down where people feel comfortable investing. That's why I support 20% flat tax. Does his Timothy Geitner line again. Pull back regulations! They're strangling jobs. Let's pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.
Kelly says so you wouldn't do anything to help tyhe housing market?
PERRY - I think I just said two things that are pretty powerful.
Gerald asks Romney about Social Security.
ROMNEY - I won't touch for anyone 55 or older. I'm sure the Democrats will start showing ads of Republicans throwing old people off of cliffs ((laughs)) but don't forget Obama cut $500 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. I'd lower the rate of inflation growth for higher-income recipients. I'd raise the retirement age a year or two. Repeal Obamacare.
Gerald asks Gingrich about his SS plan, which includes privatization. But you said the givt would pay the difference if the private account doesn't pay what it would have if stayed in SS. Is that really a free market solution?
GINGRICH - I'm a historian. Anyway, in Galveston TX and Chile, they tried this and it works. These are historic facts. it gets the govt out of telling you when to retire. It makes every American an investor.
SANTORUM - We need to keep American jobs, not ship them off like the mills here were. The foreign competition is cheaper to do business, but it's because of govt taxes and regulation. Make the little guys pay the same as the big guys. I want to make a point about mitt's plan. it's not bold, and Newt's is not responsible. We're running a deficit in SS. Our debt would go up by hundreds of billions. We'd have to borrow more from China. First balance the budget. Privatize SS now is fiscal insanity, and Romney's not bold.
GINGRICH - The plan on my website shows we'll deal with 185 bureaucracies that deal with low-income Americans, consolidate and send back to the states. It's a sound plan, and I say that as someone who balanced the budget four years in a row.
SANTORUM - We can't do that now due to the deficit.
GINGRICH - As someone who baolanced the budget four times, I'm confident I can make it work w/o balancing the budget.
ROMNEY - Rick is right. It's going to be tough to get our budget balanced and our deficit cut. We should allow people to have a voluntary savings account.
Juan asks Romney about his 2nd amendment record. Signed assault-weapons ban in Massachusetts, increased fees on gun owners 400%.
ROMNEY - In my state we had legislation drafted by pro-gun and anti-gun lobbies. The pro-gun folks liked some of the pieces in it and supported. We found common ground. I believe in gun rights.
Have you gone hunting since you talked about hunting "varmints."
ROMNEY - I've been elk hunting and pheasant hunting. I'm not the serious hunter Perry is.
Perry swells with pride.
Juan asks Santorum about his anti-gun votes.
SANTORUM - Sometimes you have to pass something so they won't pass soemthing much worse. I have an A+ record with the NRA. Contrast that with Paul, I protected gun manufacturers. We banned those lawsuits. Paul voted against that bill; he would have wiped out the 2nd Amendment.
PAUL - Hardly. You don't have national tort law, that should be at the state level. I'm trying to repeal gun bans. That's an overstretch.
SANTORUM - I need to respond. W/o a natl bill, people would have gone to Massachusetts or New York and sued the gun manufacturers out of existance.
PAUL - This is how our Constitution gets nibbled away. Tort law should be a state's issue.
Gerald asks Gingrich about his support of China's one-child law.
GINGRICH - It's "explicitly" a falsehood. It's an absurdity. It'd be nice if Romney would display leadership and call his former colleagues running his Super-PAC to take inaccuracies off the air.
ROMNEY - I said in our last debate that any Super-PAC, whether it's supporting me or supporting you, should take flasehoods off the air. Now I can't contact them directly because that would be against the law. Is that correct?
GINGRICH - Absolutely.
ROMNEY - Alright, so I can't do what you just asked me to do. ((Upper cut!)) I can say publicly I hope any Super-PAC that has falsehoods would remove them from the air. Now, Newt, you have a Super-PAC running an ad with the biggest hoax since Bigfoot. This ad is entirely false, this documentary describes events I had nothing to do with. To imply we have different standards is not quite right.
GINGRICH - I've called on them publicly to edit them. I would hope you'd call on yours to do the same.
ROMNEY - Look, we'd all like to get rid of Super-PACs to tell you the truth. Let people donate what they want to campaigns, let candidates be responsible for their own words. McCain-Feingold was a disaster. ((Applause. Except at the McCain household.)) We don't want this strange situation where we can't control what ads our supporters put up.
Kelly says border crossing is at a 40-year low.
PERRY - The reason it's at a 40-year low is becuz of this economy. I've spent 11 years dealing with this issue. Americans wants us to spend the money to secure the border.
GINGRICH - I'd get rid of No Child Left Behind. The correct answer is to "radically" reduce the Dept of Education and send it back to the states.
And that's it.
So how'd they do?
5. RICK PERRY - Wants to put a chip on his shoulder and go kick dirt on the shoes of Iran and Syria and Turkey. Wants South Carolina to secede so Texas can follow. Kept using phrases like "under assault" and "at war." Even more he said "taxes" and "regulation" about twenty times each. No reason for him to still be there.
4. MITT ROMNEY - There were times he had cool, confident answers. Other times he was knocked on his heels and tried to hedge his answers and leave himself wiggle room. He's the front-runner, he'll be the biggest target. But his tax-return answer was weak, and his support of the NDAA made my jaw drop. He's still alandslide front-runner, but if I were him, I'd start backing out of some of these debates. We've had a ton.
3. NEWT GINGRICH - He did really well in the room, but when you look at his answers, my goodness. Doubled down on making kids the janitors of their own schools, somehow made janitors sound like some overpaid elitist union job, and his outrage over the Super-PAC was muted by Romney's responses. And his Andrew Jackson line... staggering. And yet crowd reaction would suggest he won. Fox News seems to think it'll help Gingrich move up in the polls. I can only shake my head.
2. RICK SANTORUM - Showed toughness against Romney, against Gingrich, against Paul. Don't know why he thought saying that making the little guy pay as much as the big guys would be an applause line. I don't see why people who've supported him to this point would abandon him now.
1. RON PAUL - Sounds like the only guy who wants to reverse the course of our neverending military-industrial complex. The crowd booed him more than anyone else, and yet, what doesn't fly in South Carolina flies in other parts of the country. I don't agree with him on everything, but I really wish some of his attitudes would catch on with the other candidates.
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