The Republican Party came closer to choosing a candidate for President last Wednesday night in Simi Valley, California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The intensity of the 2012 presidential election manifested itself in a ninety-minute debate hosted by NBC's Brian Williams and POLITICO's John Harris. While there was certainly contentious debate and a fair share of mudslinging, one thing was clear: every candidate on the stage was unified in their goal of defeating President Obama next November.
Eight candidates showed up trying to obtain the American people's trust, but it seems the field is narrowing down to two. Even Brian Williams did not hide that the first question of the night was intentionally directed to the front runner, Texas Governor, Rick Perry. The nation was formally introduced to candidate Perry on Wednesday, the newest member in the Republican field, who within a week of his announcement shot to the top of all the GOP polls.
Perry was very passionate and used ideological rhetoric to excite his base. By contrast, the other main candidate in the race, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, was more temperate, pleading that he was the more electable candidate.
Both candidates were asked to defend their jobs records. Perry was not shy to boast his jobs creation experience, saying that Texas created one million jobs during his tenure while America lost 2.5 million jobs.
He also attacked Romney by saying, "Michael Dukakis [former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic presidential candidate] created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt". Romney quickly retorted, "Well, as a matter of fact, George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor."
Romney highlighted his achievements in Massachusetts by asserting that as governor he created more jobs in his state than President Obama has in the entire country. He added that when he came in as Governor he faced a great deal of adversity- an unbalanced budget and a rapid increase in unemployment. Romney was quick to remind his audience that all states are different and you can't compare apples and oranges. Texas is an oil-rich state, has a Republican legislature and has less heavily regulated work laws. Perry did not create these advantages, he inherited them.
Another distinction between the two candidates is that Romney, unlike Perry, has worked in the private sector- a point both candidates used to their advantage. Romney said that career politicians don't have the same understanding of the economy as those who have experience in the private sector. He admitted that not all of the projects at Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm he cofounded, worked well, but that he helped businesses grow and got an understanding of how the economy can be rejuvenated.
Perry replied by saying, "…when he [Romney] moved that experience to government, he had one of the lowest job creation rates in the country. So the fact is, while he had a good private sector record, his public sector record did not match that".
Perhaps the most talked about comment of the debate came from Perry when he called the social security program a ‘Ponzi' scheme- an audacious aspersion to cast upon a system on which millions of Americans have depended. Romney believes that social security needs to be reformed, but it has worked well for many Americans. In addition, saying that social security is a Ponzi scheme is something that Romney believes, is not a centrist view and would almost certainly prevent Perry from winning in a general election.
Next came the issue of health care. Every candidate on the stage agreed that the individual mandate component of the Obama health care law, dubbed Obamacare, was unconstitutional and every candidate seemed committed to repealing it. Michele Bachman (R- Minnesota 6th) was able to say that she was the Congresswoman who officially introduced legislation to repeal Obamacare.
The argument was then made that Obamacare is eerily similar to Romneycare (the health care reform bill passed in Massachusetts under Romney). When the candidates were asked: "… was Massachusetts' example a great opportunity for the rest of the country?" the silence among the candidates was indicative of their feelings- a resounding no. Romney defended his plan by claiming that different states have different necessities. Massachusetts' system was being abused by people who had made the conscious decision not to buy insurance, even though they could afford it. This came at the expense of the taxpayer.
He added that Massachusetts' plan is unique to that particular state and a nationwide policy of that nature cannot and should not be implemented. Perry derisively said that Romney gave the country a model on what NOT to do. Perry was not without criticism, however. Texas is the state with the fewest insured individuals.
The health care debate allowed a new voice to have its moment: former Utah Governor and former ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman. Huntsman was able to talk about the health care system that works so well in Utah. It is a system based on choice and competition that insured many people without using a mandate clause. Huntsman was very impressive, giving articulate and well thought out responses. Many people are now questioning, is Jon Huntsman a dark horse? He is certainly an intelligent and likeable figure, but he still remains relatively enigmatic and unknown. Huntsman was president Obama's ambassador to China and speaks fluent Mandarin.
When the subject of China's possible currency manipulation came about, he had a very poignant answer that suggested that our problems with China have very little to do with them and a lot to do with our economic core. "We have no leverage at the negotiating table", said Huntsman.
He also was eager to insert his skill set by saying that as president he would look forward to addressing the Chinese people in Chinese. Huntsman also promoted the idea that Republicans need to adopt and accept science in order to seem more credible on the national stage.
The rest of the field looked weak. Bachman, who started the campaign by finishing first in Iowa's straw poll, seems to be slipping. She was supposed to be the alternative candidate to Romney, but now it seems Perry has absorbed most of her tea party base. Santorum (former Pennsylvania senator), though answering some questions astutely has proved Wednesday that he too is not a viable or realistic substitute to the main candidates.
Herman Cain, another low profile candidate who was President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas and the CEO of Godfather Pizza, laid out an economic plan called the 9-9-9 plan (9 percent corporate income tax rate, 9 percent tax on personal income, 9 percent national sales tax). Mr. Cain added, "If 10 percent is good enough for God, 9 percent ought to be good enough for the fellow government".
The libertarian and controversial Congressman, Ron Paul, advocated free market solutions to all of America's problems and criticized Perry's executive order requiring girls to receive the HPV shot.
Last, but not least, Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich seemed alert. He attacked the President, saying that Obama is committed to socialism and got angry with the moderators for trying to pin the candidates against each other. He believes the candidates are all united in defeating the President.
There will be more debates on the 12th and 22nd. Soon the Republicans will decide which of these candidates is best suited to take on Obama.
