Thursday, May 3, 2007

Republican Candidates Debate - Live Blogging Coverage

LIVE debate excerpts

Paul: Forign policy needs to be changed. I would never abuse habeus corpus.

Guiliani: We havent been attacked since 9/11. Bush did the right thing to put us on offense.

Thompson: I would transform healthcare system better than Bush has done.

Huckabee: I wouldnt centralize power like this administration. We need strong state power, not just federal.

McCain: I woulnd't mismanage the war like bush.

Romney: I respect Bush's thoughts to protect our country from terror. We need to strenghthen the American Family.

Romney: The big bad three are Pelosi, Reed and Hilary Clinton

Guiliani: The national card should be required for only for immigrants.

Tancredo: We do not need a national ID card, but do need a social security card that cannot be tampered.

Paul: I am absolutely apposed to a national card. This is against our idea of a free nation.

McCain: We do need a tamper proof document.

Brownback: We dont need a card. We need a secure border with a fence. We already have a social security number.

Romney: Having a national card and an indication of work status will help.

Guiliani: A national tamper proof card is needed in this country. We need a database of everyone.

Tancredo: I will work to protect women's rights. But the right to kill another person is not one that I will support.

Paul: I trust the freedom of expression and we shouldnt regulate the internet.

Gilmore: I am a consistent conservative that wont say one thing one year and another thing the next year.

Romney: The American family is the heart of this country. We need more marriages before babies.

McCain: YES believes in evolution. Also sees the hand of god when he sees the sunset at the grand canyon.

McCain: Lieberman would be a part of my administration. "I know how to reach across the aisle to the democrats, and they know how to do it to me"

Guiliani: We have to adjust the alternate minimum tax, we need to adjust the death tax.

Paul: Get rid of inflation tax. Its a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich.

McCain: Let's cut the alternate minimum tax and the 3000 tax credit for low income citizens.

Gilmore: Let's cut the Alternative minimum tax.

McCain: Tax cuts need to be permanent, but spending is ruining the future of this country. The first pork barrel bill that crosses my desk will be vetoed.

Romney: Is for universal heath care.

Guiliani: YES Govt funding on embryonic stem cell research.

Paul: NO Govt funding on embryonic stem cell research.

McCain: YES we should fund embryonic stem cell research.

Gilmore: NO Govt funding on embryonic stem cell research.

Gilmore: We have to let the courts and juries make the decisions on imprisonment.

Hunter on the environment: We should bring together colleges, universities and the private sector...to remove energy dependence on the middle east.

Huckabee: too early to give a grade to Bush's handling of the Iraq war

McCain: We need line-item veto!

McCain: Will make the authors of the first pork barrel to cross his desk famous

McCain: I never new a drunken sailor with the imagination of this congress

Tancredo: it's all about believing in your heart the things that you say. NOT being a centrist to win

Brownback on political corruption quistion: we need to rebuild the family structure! (and blames don imus)

Giuliani: George Will said he ran most conservative government in NYC

Giuliani: "Neither party has a monopoly on virtue or vice"

Tancredo: Carl Rove would not be in his White House

Hunter: his border fence is a DOUBLE fence! (not one of those little shitty ones) (btw, answer to question about being non-partisan to garner votes)

Brownback: we should invite in and celebrate faith to the public square

HUCKABEE: Those whose faith does not effect dicision making are lacking strong faith. (flip flop of what he said in previous quote)

Thompson: It's the right of businesses to fire gay employees for being gay

Paul: Overdoing military aggressiveness weakens national defense

Giuliani, now standing amongst his peers is anti-abortion

Romney: Abortion is a states rights issue

Thompson: "(Roe V Wade) should be left up to the state"

Paul on IRS: "If you want to lower taxes....you have to change police"

Hunter on Iran: "Iran has crossed the line."

McCain on Bin Laden: "I'll follow him to the gates of hell."

Romney on Bin Laden: "We need to make sure he pays for what he did" "This is a world wide jihadist movement" "He is going to pay and he is going to die!"

Gilmore on Bin Laden: "I think we need to do everything we need to do to get this guy, he is a symbol" "We have to use all abilities, diplomatic, economic and be on the moral highground"

Tancredo on protecting Israel: "If there is a threat to the existence of Israel...then you have to come to the aid of Israel"

McCain on Iran: "Iran is a state sponsor on Terrorism" "Iran poses one of the greatest threats to the world." "We cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons"

Paul on foreign policy: "Lets not pretend the Iraqis were a threat to us"

Gilmore: "We're gonna have to engage in the middle east for a long time" "There will have to be a new commitment to the Middle East."

Huckabee on Rumsfeld and Iraq: "Clearly there was a real error on judgement"

Brownback on Iraq: "We win the war by standing up for our values" "Iran is the lead sponsor of Terror on the world"

McCain on Iraq: "We need the support of the American people" "We are on the right track now. It was terribly missmanaged, but we have a new strategy and a new general."

Giuliani on Immigration: "We should solve our immigration issue with our strengths, not our weaknesses"


The Debaters:
Sam Brownback
Jim Gilmore
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Tommy Thompson


Going into this debate, these are the poll standings for the Republican front runners courtesy Rasmussen Reports:
Giuliani: 30%
McCain: 14%
Thompson: 14%
Romney: 11%


Going into this debate, the leading Republican Candidates have the following YouTube Channel Subscribers:

Giuliani: 1223
McCain: 1131
Paul: 1243
Romney: 1770

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