Live Blog: The CNN Tea Party Republican Debate
Posted: September 12, 2011 Filed under: 2012 presidential campaign, just because, Republican presidential politics | Tags: Debate, GOP 114 Comments
Jeeze, could things get any worse? Republican presidential candidates, the Tea Party, and Wolf Blitzer as moderator. If you can stand it, please tune in or live stream the debate and join us to document the atrocities.
Rick Perry has been trying to walk back his claims that Social Security is a “ponzi scheme” and a “failure.” Mitt Romney will probably be on the offensive about that. As the The Caucus blog points out,
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, warned during a debate last week that the Republican Party should nominate someone “who isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security, but who is committed to saving Social Security.”
And Mr. Romney has hardly let up since. In a biting e-mail last week titled “Rick Perry: Reckless, Wrong on Social Security,” Mr. Romney’s campaign alleged that Mr. Perry “believes Social Security should not exist.”
Over the weekend, Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota joined in, chiding Mr. Perry — without naming him directly — for using rhetoric about Social Security that scares seniors.
“That’s wrong for any candidate to make senior citizens believe that they should be nervous about something they have come to count on,” Mrs. Bachmann said in a radio interview in Iowa.
Of course both Romney and Bachmann have said unkind things about Social Security in the past, so they might have to answer for that.
At the Guardian, Richard Adams says that tonight is Michele Bachmann’s last chance to shine, after she was pretty much ignored at the Reagan Library debate last week.
With the Republican presidential contest rapidly devolving into a two-way race between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, Monday night’s GOP debate in Tampa may represent Michele Bachmann’s last chance to keep up with the front-runners.
The latest opinion polls in the Republican presidential nomination contest make bitter reading for Bachmann and her supporters: since the entry of Perry, the Texas governor, her support has melted away like a popsicle on a barbeque.
The fire-breathing Tea Party favourite had threatened to up-end the nomination battle with her entry back in June. But she has wilted over summer and her evanescent campaign has seen its support collapse, even among the trenchant social conservatives that Bachmann was relying on.
Tonight should be fertile ground for Bachmann: the debate is co-hosted by the Tea Party Express group and is being billed as “the Tea Party debate” by CNN.
At CNN, Paul Steinhauser offers Five things to watch for in CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, and at the Christian Science Monitor Peter Grier offers three things we might see at tea party event tonight
Personally, I plan to watch the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, but I’ll check in periodically to see what’s happening. I’m hoping someone will watch this debate so I don’t have to!
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Well, here we go. I have some local insight in this debate. The fairgrounds, where this is taking place is out in the country part of the county…this is the area where some years back, the people who like to wear sheets and pointy hats put up a huge confederate flag…
The Heritage foundation had a luncheon thing, and they played a clip, oh boy, that was just as bad as watching Erick Erickson.
Oh this beginning bit is unbelievable, ugh…where is my bucket!
Oh look at those people in the crowd, is there any other black faces other than Cain in that fairground convention center.
My bad, the camera just had a shot of an African American man in the audience…
Why did I just get an image of Cartman saying…”Screw, you guys, I’m going home!”
Ooo, when does the swimsuit competition start?
Is it after the talent competition? You know, poise counts!
First question re: Social Security. Bachmann is repeating the same thing…
Rick Perry is getting a chance and the rhetoric is the same, and still says SS is ponzi scheme
I never thought anyone could make Romney look good, but Rick Perry has done it!
I think they both suck…
Of course I could never vote for Romney, but I liked that he went after Perry on Social Security.
Oh, Romney is striking Perry on SS.
Perry: time to have a legit conversation…
Each answer from perry sounds like a stump speech.
It is almost worth it to see the other Repubs beating Perry up on Soc Sec. He richly deserves it. Too bad none of them can be trusted not to turn it over to their rich corporate buddies.
I got the impression that there are a lot of Perry supporters in the audience, and they make noise when he is dancing around the questions with the same old responses.
Sure – that is his crowd. It’s similar to Obama speaking at a Cheeto event. Mindless cult worship with very little thought behind it.
yup!
He did the right thing on the HPV vaccine and is now rowing backwards??? So, much for the STRONG military dude facade. On Social Security I am ready to tackle and protest him too. Al Gore said he didn’t know what happened to him…LOCK BOX ANYONE?
Of course the redneck audience seems behind perry
Football: New England: 14 Miami: 7
update:
NE 21 M 14
Miami just got a field goal:
NE 21 M 17
NE 31 M 17
NE 28 M 17
Huntsman:
Romney called Social Security fraud
Perry called it ponzi scheme
need to fix the problem…
Why are the funds that citizens paying in put in the general budget instead of being set aside. same with medicare to fix it make it so that Congress can’t spend it. you notice they don’t put their funds in the general budget they don’t participate in any programs that they vote in.
Newt is on, he is making big his one liners…
Santorum gets asked who is he with on SS, and he says that the real ? is who is with him.
This debate is much more “juicier” than that one last week.
The “one-size-fits-all that we should all have is what Congress has. They have a one-size-fits-all.
Wanted to check in on the debate, but storm coming, so I am outta here.
Take care Frannie…
Would you repeal Prescription Drug program?
Santorum: need to fix medicare and prescription drug programs so can have both
Perry: No…Save money in Tx to combine 10 agency to 5 (aren’t they down at the bottom in health?)
Romney: I did not catch if he would repeal, says to fix medicare, need to grow economy
Paul: would not repeal prescription drug programs either…
one out of three don’t have insurance can’t get it or it is way over priced. what they need to do is open the borders for pharmaceuticals from other countries and insurance put regulations that if product a cost this amount that everyone pays the same price. Stop the open discrimination that they let go on and on.
we’re the only nation that relies on employers to provide basic insurance … it’s a worse cost for them than taxes and many don’t provide it. Insurance only works when the pool is huge and every one is opted in. There has to be a public, national insurance program paid out people’s taxes. Insurance is not a normal product or service. It happens because of market dysfunction. It’s only necessary because something in the market creates unnecessary risk, uncertainty, market inefficiency, etc. There’s no such thing as a functional market that has a third party payer and it doesn’t make any difference who the third party payer is …
?: What would you do to improve economy and do you have a plan for jobs, if so what is it.
Huntsman: pushing his plan that WSJ approved. Regulatory Reform, need to do away with Obamacare and regulations…
Huntsman’s plan is horrific. Once again, no actual jobs are created – it’s just a free-for-all for the high priests of Voodoo economics.
That is what I don’t get, why doesn’t Wolf call these people out on it!
The media never does. These nutjobs are allowed to spread their lies without ever being called to account on them.
This is why we’re in such a mess now. For far too long the right-wing bullsh*t artists have been ruling the airwaves with no one except partisans like Maddow and Schultz going beyond “he said/she said” reporting. There’s never a “Here’s what actually happened” or “In fact, this is not true” from reporter or pundit.
Perry: He will not answer the question about tax cuts must offset spending cuts
Oh, here goes the deficit shit…Bachmann, draw line no more spending…Dak, check out the BS that is flowing now!
Cain: throw out entire tax code and put in his 999 plan
I don’t think Romney and Huntsman are going to get anywhere with this crowd going towards the moderate (non-extremist) conservative route.
Paul, from Texas does your Gov deserve credit for jobs?
No…
Perry, need to make America like Texas
Perry’s pretending he didn’t want Texas to secede. Someone should bring that up.
Yeah, that bit about turning America into Texas makes me shudder.
Huntsman:
Everything’s bigger in Texas
Everyone’s smarter in Mass
Dead silence…
The tea party crowd want to hear the slams from Perry.
When Newt was speaker, they created more jobs than all the ones in Texas, Mass and Utah…
(Who was prez when Newt was speaker?)
Here comes the pizza bit from Cain.
Santorum, Fed should be a single charter.
Just gave a jab to Obama…
His plan take corporate taxes to 0 and get manufacturing jobs here again.
(didn’t GE pay 0 taxes?)
You are correct: GE paid NO taxes in 2010
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/general-electric-paid-federal-taxes-2010/story?id=13224558
GE’s profits in 2010
“General Electric, the nation’s largest corporation, had a very good year in 2010. The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion”
What they need to do is tax imported products and services and give tax credits for industries that hire american and produce american and tax credits to companies that give benefits for health. Right now we are sending money everywhere but here. amazing that Congress can give themselves a raise then say they can’t pay for other needed programs.
They need to take all the loop holes out. if a dollar is made in the usa then a dollar is taxed.
Bernake should be charged with treason, crowd cheers…
Bachmann: she would not keep Bernake.
Fed needs to answer for there loans they give, need to be audited, and need to shrink fed
That would definitely tank the Treasuries …
Okay, Perry reiterates the treason remark…and Bachmann had a strange expression when he said it.
Romney, needs to be oversight in Fed, but we need to have the Fed. Who is going to run currency, Congress?
Who is going to run currency, Congress? (Who said that? Funny remark — just imagine the super crooks.)
Romney said that NWrain
Romney is coming across like the only adult in the room. I’m telling you, if the RNC has an ounce of political savvy, he will be the nominee.
Yeah, he is coming across as the least wingnutter in the group.
Romney should just come out and say he ripped his health care off of the Chaffey/Dole Plan and that’s what Obamacare is … none of them ever say it was the Republican plan they pushed against Hillary’s plan back in the 1990s.
How much of each dollar that I earn do you think I deserve to keep?
Huntsman tried to answer it, with 8, 14 and some other numbers/percent…I wandered a bit on that.
Newt mention the GE no taxes…
Eliminate loop holes.
Wolf, but isn’t that raising taxes?
Round about answer…no higher taxes.
Fair tax ?
Middle class will get hurt most from the fair tax, he got boos.
Opps, I think I’m watching WWE by mistake
Executive Orders?
Paul, should not use them to legislate.
Perry, here comes the sex transmit disease…he says it was a mistake. (that was a mandate per executive order)
Here comes the innocent girl shit! Bachmann bitches about the day after pill…
Bachmann, you got paid from Pharma to pass that mandate.
Perry: I got 5 tho from Merck, you think I can get bought off for that ?
Santorum is getting on the innocent girl bandwagon.
He just made a real sick comment about how the virus is caught and how it would get “passed on” in schools …
Wow. Bachmann is really going after Perry …
She just got hot about state rights choose to keep Obamacare, no she is committed to repealing it completely.
Bob Dole needs to call her and tell her to quit call his Heritage Institute plan by that misnomer!
Well, he stole her STAR DUST, by just winking and saying he could click his boots together, smile and people would follow him.
Looks like the only two black people in the room were stuck in the front row.
ha….
Every time I check in to the debate, I see that no one is responding to Blitzer’s questions. They just start talking about whatever they want to talk about. These people are all horrible!
Pats leading again…
Yup…
Hey, I have a comment up top that has the football game scores updated!
I saw that.
It’s 20-17 now.
Romney just slammed Obama, for cutting medicare…says this is a Democrat pres?
Holy crap! I’m rooting for Romney to keep saying stuff like that. At the very least, it will put some pressure on Obama to stop going after Soc Sec.
Wolf: ? about who pays for healthcare when someone does not have insurance.
Paul: freedom is about taking own risk?
Wolf: should just let him die?
Paul: no churches should pay for it.
what a moron! Some one should ask him how many churches paid his patient’s bills in the few years he actually did what he was trained to do?
I gotta take a break, I have my sons teacher on the phone…
Give ’em hell, Minx.
Damn, the boy has not brought papers for me to sign…I missed the big Paul anti-war hubbub.
Touchdown Pats!!
Bummer, they invalidated the touchdown…
Touchdown again.
Okay, I missed a bit of the knock em sock em war/defense/911 crap…
CNN Tea party | crowd cheers | bernanke treason | Mediaite
CNN Debate | Rick Perry Michele Bachmann | Vaccines | Mediaite
I think most of that group should be consigned to mental institutes. They’re obviously hearing voices and have no concept of what’s real vs. what’s not real.
Dak, I loved your “WWE” comment! Priceless.
Mental institutes?
Got my passport renewed before it expired. You never know when you might need to take flight!
I was really disappointed but not surprised by the cheers from the audience about letting the uninsured die. I was waiting for it break out into a full blown U-S-A chant.
You know it’s really an interesting juxtaposition to think that a mere 1200 years ago or so Romans were cheering on Lions eating Christians. Now Christians are cheering the thought of people dying in the street of illness.
Makes you thinks if there was a religious question tonight the answer would start with; “Jesus WHO?”
Don’t think the Sermon on the Mount ever gets read at their churches from the sounds of it, but hey every sermon in the Presbyterian church I went to was focused on a sermon on the country club or a sermon on the golf course …
Republican Jesus:
Cartoons …seriously funny!
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/01/10/republican-jesus/
Compassionate conservatives they are NOT! Last time they even say which charity should take care of the sick and feed them. #JesusWHO?
That disturbed me too…like the reaction to Perry and the 200+ executions…
Debate: GOP Crowd Cheers Dying Uninsured Man, Ben Bernanke Treason Claim | Mother Jones
Glad you decided to officially join us and offer up comments!!! WELCOME!!!
That is disturbing. Sounds like they’re really letting their inner psychopaths out.
Not all Christians are cheering the thought of people dying in the streets of illness. I’ve been attending my father’s church (Episcopal) on and off since last year. The Sermon on the Mount is read there and the message is consistently one of love and service. Homeless families are sheltered there, free meals are given and a host of other things.
Over the past several years, the mainstream churches in my town have banded together to feed and shelter the homeless, hungry, and otherwise needy. Job counseling, legal aid, and other types of important assistance are also being provided by these churches. Many volunteers give hours of their time every week. Their faith requires that they care for the least among us. No real Christian would ever cheer at the idea of letting the needy die. It is disgraceful.
They definitely aren’t real Christians. Sometimes I wonder why these people talk about Jesus so much. They only seem to read the old testament.
I expected Katt Williams to pop out ant time, but wait Katt Wlliams is for Obama 😯
“I have 23 children”, “I have 5 children” and tonight; “I have 3 children” HPV, blah, blah, blah….
Yeah, I got that too…
😯 (((bangs head on desk))) Please God send us another Bella!
Hey I missed this part:
Rick Santorum Explains How GOP Can Attract ‘Illegal Vote — I Mean Latino — Voters’ (VIDEO) | Election 2012
must have been when I was on the phone with the Boy’s teacher.
And you have to look at the image on this post:
Open Thread | Crooks and Liars
This guy forgot he was on TV.