Liveblog: "Your Money, Your Vote" GOP Debate
By Emily Ramshaw and Jay Root
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ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — Another GOP presidential debate, you say? Tell us about it.
We'll be liveblogging tonight's "Your Money, Your Vote" debate, hosted by CNBC and the Michigan Republican Party, from the campus of Oakland University starting at 7 p.m.
Though the forum will largely center on jobs, taxes and the economy, it will be second-place Herman Cain's first debate performance following ever-growing revelations of years-old sexual harassment allegations.
Front-runner Mitt Romney, static in the polls, could take the opportunity to widen his lead. But look for Gov. Rick Perry and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich — neck and neck for third place in an average of polls — to try to slip past Cain.
Another GOP debate, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is scheduled for Saturday night on CBS.
Liveblog
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We're just a few minutes away from the start of the debate. Perry looks like he'll be standing next to Herman Cain tonight, not next to shoulder-grabbing Romney.
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Ron Paul says the U.S. is in a debt crisis "never before seen in our history." If you prop up the economy, he says, you "prolong the agony." "You want to liquidate the debt. The debt is unsustainable."
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Perry, in his first answer, says America is going to be America again. "We're not going to pick winners and losers from Washington, D.C. It doesn't make any difference whether it's Wall Street or whether it's some corporate entity or some European country. If you are too big to fail, you are too big." It sounds like a big line, but the audience doesn't appear to get it. Half-hearted applause.
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Michele Bachmann makes another pitch for border fence, but debate focused tightly on economy and tax reform right now.
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The audience clearly backs up Cain on the sexual harassment allegations. Huge boos for the anchor; huge cheers for Cain.
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Cain says he's been hit with "unfounded allegations." Says people are "still very enthusiastic behind my candidacy" and "don't care about the character assassination. Studio audience clearly annoyed by questions.
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Well, with the Cain questions clearly answered for the night — put to bed by Romney — expect TV ratings to drop precipitously.
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Perry's really speaking in quick, vehement sound bites tonight. No rambling answers -- but you think he'd take a little bit more of his time.
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Perry plugs his flat tax, plays up Texan-ness by declaring: "We need to go out there and stick a big ole flag in the middle of America that says 'open for business again.' "
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Cain pulls out a decent one-liner when asked about possibility that 9-9-9 could end up being 19-19-19: "Tax codes do not raise taxes, politicians do."
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Romney, given a window to trash Perry's flat tax plan, instead trashes Obama economy and pitches his own ideas. Clever way to avoid turning over the mic to Perry.
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Spending is a tax on U.S. citizens, Ron Paul says. "You have to address the subject of spending." He proposes cutting $1 trillion out of the budget in five departments. "You have to get rid of price fixing," he said.
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Perry and Romney playing nice on TV but trashing each other in emails. Perry sends out email with headline, "Mitt Romney: 'Flat Tax a Tax Cut for Fat Cats.' " Romney issue attack on Perry's flat tax proposal. "Perry Plan Panned," it says.
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Romney, asked about why his economic plan doesn't involve housing, get's snippy: "It's because it's not a housing plan, it's a jobs plan."
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Perry's getting asked about about housing, and the negative numbers nationally. He's ready for that one: "There's not a negative number in Texas."
When asked what he'd do to make what's worked in Texas work nationally, he gets on an effective, applause-inducing soap box. "Let's get our energy freed up. Pull back all of those regulations. Everybody on this stage understands it's the regulatory world that's killing America."
When asked what he'd do to make what's worked in Texas work nationally, he gets on an effective, applause-inducing soap box. "Let's get our energy freed up. Pull back all of those regulations. Everybody on this stage understands it's the regulatory world that's killing America."
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Perry, sensing an improving relationship with the audience, kept going on regulations — threw in a flat tax plan for good measure — and then went back to more regulations. "The next president of the United States has to go forward and pull back every regulation since 2008. Audit them for one thing. Is it creating jobs or is it killing jobs? If that regulation is killing jobs, do away with it."
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In post Obama-care world, Perry says people should be given "menu of options" in health care. He said hospitals need "incentives on health care rather sick care." On Medicaid, Perry said "you send it back to the states and let the states figure out to make Medicaid work ... we will do it safely, we will do it appropriately and we will save a ton of money."
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One hour in, Romney, and, better believe it, Gingrich, are running the show tonight. Everyone else is largely a non-player, and that certainly includes Perry.
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Perry just had a major flub. He was trying to name the three agencies of government he'd do away with, and he couldn't. "Oops," he said, turning visibly red.
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Huge stumble for Perry in debate. He says "oops" after failing to remember which of the three federal departments to shut down. Commerce, Education and ... couldn't remember.
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The full quote: "I will tell you, it's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, education, and..." Ron Paul tries to help him. "The EPA?" Nope, not the EPA. Perry says he simply can't remember, and, red-faced, says, "Oops."
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Perry's being asked again — said "that was the department of energy I was reaching for a while ago."
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Perry's now being asked the order in which he would cut certain agencies and programs. He — clearly now spooked of offering any specifics — just launches into his usual comments on Social Security, and says elderly people, seniors, don't need to be worried about losing benefits.
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You've got to wonder what's going through Perry's head right now, as the Twittersphere, right and left, largely considers this an unrecoverable blunder.
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