The fun starts in just over an hour from Dearborn, Michigan, on CNBC. As usual, there will be a heap of paraphrasing (I’m not the fastest keyboardist around), with the questions in italics and my own comments in parentheses. The updates will be on the 24-hour clock, set to Central Daylight Time (after all, that’s where I am). I’ll probably insult supporters of every candidate before it’s over, and you can guarantee I’ll take gratuitous shots at Prissy Chrissy Matthews, so be forewarned.
Semi-confirmed fellow live-bloggers (H/T – Sister Toldjah):
– Right Wing News
– TownHall (dunno exactly who has this duty just yet)
– HotAir (it’s AP as of 14:41; I still expect Michelle to live-blog from her site)
– Free Republic (live thread up and finally noticed by me at 14:17)
I’m settling in for the last hour of a tape-delayed Rush.
14:21 – CNBC.com will be streaming live for those of you without access to CNBC on your TVs (I’ll change the link to the live feed if I remember).
14:39 – Today’s lineup:
Sam Brownback
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson
Asking the questions: Maria Bartiromo and the aforementioned Prissy (I’ve got my gas mask and all the sources of ignition are under control, so rip away, Seditionous One).
14:57 – Live link to CNBC’s coverage
15:00 – And we’re LIVE! John Harwood and Jeffrey Seib (sp?)
15:01 – Maria to Thompson – Are we headed to a recession? – Nope. Listing the tax cuts, low inflation, low interests, mentions the stock market (new record for the Dow Industrials and S&P 500). “We’re spending money we do not have…. That has to do with our mandatory spending.” But, but, but 2/3rds say we’re in a recession or heading there – There hasn’t been enough done to tell the story.
15:03 – To Romney – Whose job is it to fix unemployment? – Everyone’s. It’s a uniquely-Michigan problem “The President has to say to the auto industry the door is always open.” Hits on the Detroit public schools graduation rate (22%), smacks Gov. Jennifer Granholm for raising taxes instead of cutting it.
15:05 – Prissy to Giuliani – Is there a downside to private equity markets? – Praises the free markets (hmm, that’s a switch from the ’80s). The fundamentals are keep taxes low, regulations moderate, spending under control, and tame the legal system.
Neocon News has joined us (at least if he gets the database fixed).
Giuliani and Matthews want Torre to stay with the Yankees.
15:07 – To Paul – Wah, we’re in a recession because of the monetary system. STFU, goldbug, you’re about a century off.
Matt Lewis drew the short straw at TownHall
15:09 – Maria to McCain – Is the tax code fair? – “We’re losing industrial jobs and not taking care of those left behind.” SocSecurity and Medicare are going broke. Hammers pork-barrel spending. Maria pounds the question again, and McCain gaffed. First said it was fair, then said we need to fix it.
15:11 – Chrissy to Huckabee – Will the FairTax kill spending? – Nothing will kill American spending. It will untax exports, end the underground economy (Bravo Foxtrot Sierra). For a lot of Americans, the economy is not doing well.
15:13 – To Hunter – “I’m a sponsor of the FairTax” (DAMMIT!) Hammering the loss of manufacturing capability to Red China.
Jonathan Martin at The Politico is also live-blogging.
15:15 – Chrissy to Thompson – Respond to the charge of Free vs Fair Trade – Points out that the Red Chinese have devalued their currency to maintain their edge, but free trade is still best.
15:16 – Maria to Brownback – No new taxes? – “We don’t need to raise taxes. Pushing an optional flat tax (why just optional, Sam?). Hammers on spending. Name a program you’d cut – Advanced Technology Program, corporate welfare. It’s tough to cut.
15:18 – Same to Tancredo – Absolutely. Cutting earmarks aren’t the end-all/be-all to balancing the budget. It’s ‘mandatory’ spending; you could cut the entire discretionary spending and not balance the budget. You need to address Social Security, privatize it or forget about ending deficit spending.
15:20 – Chrissy to Giuliani – Differenciate yourself on taxes. – “I’ve cut taxes 23 times” (what about fees, Rudi?).
To Romney – “I did so too…. If you’re going to cut taxes, you’re going to have to cut spending.” Notes Giuliani fought to kill the fed line-item veto (I need to verify this).
To Rudy – “Spending went up by 8% under Romney, down 7% under me.” Line-item WAS unconstitutional (BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!)
CATFIGHT!!!! Romney trots out different spending numbers from Club for Growth showing Giuliani raised spending more.
Mary Katharine introduces LOLdebatez
Giuliani still fighting against S(l)ick Willie.
15:24 – FINALLY to somebody else – John Harwood to Thompson – Wah; those losing creme manufacturing jobs can’t replace their income with no new education. Defend – Growth is good, and we should figure out how to get America back to manufacturing parity. We have the 2nd-highest corporate tax, and try to fix devaluation.
15:26 – To Hunter – Hammering Red China again.
15:26 – Chrissy to McCain – Will we ever go back to industrial dominance again? – Nope. Points out there’s a lot of costs, including health care, holding Americans back. Faith in government’s broken. More spending to make up the difference (WTF?)
15:28 – To Tancredo – “Government’s broken thanks to the Senator’s support for illegal immigration.”
15:29 – Seib to Romney – Do you believe in trade? – Yes, but I believe in two-way trade. We have to protect intellectual property. The ChiComs have to start floating their currency and not ripping off our patents. Pandering to Michigan.
Giuliani isn’t looking well.
15:31 – Maria to Giuliani – Wah, the Islamokazis couldn’t take over our ports and the ChiComs couldn’t take over Unocal. P-p-please tell me you’re for free trade. – In 3 of 4 deals, we would have been exporting more. There’s economic protection, and there’s security protection. Let’s get back our entrepenurial spirit. Should Dubai own 20% of NASDAQ? Yes. Protectionism caused the Great Depression.
Question down the line — Paul – Yes, there’s no security concern.
Huckabee – Dodged.
McCain – Yes, if they pass the security requirements. Protectionism caused WWII.
Romney – Yes.
We can compete and win, but we need to make sure the agreement is for our benefit.
Thompson – Yes, points that NASDAQ would get 30% of the Dubai company. (If memory serves, Thompson pushed the Dubai ports deal).
Hunter – No, I don’t trust them. Dubai was involved in trying to move nuclear triggers to Pakistan. Mirror-trade; if you want to stick 15% tarrifs on our goods, we’ll do it to you. If you stick 1%, we’ll do that to you too.
Brownback – Yes. I did trade, and the Pubbies need to stay the party of free trade.
Tancredo – No. If they wanted WalMart, maybe. Points out that the ChiComs are waging economic war on the US.
15:39 – Prissy to Thompson – Wah, we tax-and-spenders need the Alternative Minimum Tax money, even if it targets 20 million. Bravo Sierra. Points out lower taxes and lower tax rates grow the economy. It should be phased out, but in the interim, at least index it.
15:41 – BREAK!
15:45 – Prissy to Thompson – P-p-p-please say Booosh lied, Iraqis died. – Bugger off, Prissy. We made mistakes before, but now we’ve got a good strategery. Islamokazis are THE threat because “they play by no rules and are intent on bringing down Western Civilization and America.”
15:46 – Maria to McCain – What would you have said after 9/11? – Consider volunteering SOMEWHERE! I said Iraq was failing 4 years ago, but I thank the American people for giving us a window to allow it to work.
15:47 – Prissy to Paul-nut – Would we have gone to war if not for the oil? – Not necessarily. It’s a mistake. (Would you rather have allowed Saddamite to run over Saudi just to play RealPolitik?) Oh, go join the DhimmiRATS already.
15:48 – Same question to Brownback – “We saw in Iraq what we thought was a mixture of terrorism and WMDs.” We haven’t found the WMDs (hint; look in Syria, where the Israelis bombed last month). Pushing the 3-state solution.
15:50 – Prissy to Thompson – When did the WMDs leave? – “He had them prior. He used them against his own people…. He had designs on restarting his nuclear program.” If they were left to their own devices, Saddam and Sons would still be attacking their neighbors and developing WMDs.
15:52 – Prissy to Romney – Would you need to go to Congress to go after Iran? – You’d double-check with your attorneys. Bush got the approval of Congress to go into Iraq. Did he need it? Let the lawyers decide that. It was outrageous for the UN and Columbia University to invite him.
Around the table with the question — Hunter – Depends on the timing. If it’s a very narrow window to take out the target, no. If he has time, he should go to Congress for approval.
Paul – Absolutely. “We’ve never had (an imminent attack on us) in 220 years” (what the fuck do you call Pearl Harbor, you dumbfuck?)
Huckabee – If it’s actionable now, nope. You do what’s best for the American people and suffer the consequences later. You never let the American people get hit with nukes.
McCain – If it’s immediate, nope. If it’s a long-term buildup, go to Congress, at least the leaders.
Thompson – McCain has it right. There is a conflict in the War Powers Act between the President and Congress. In any close call, you should go to Congress whether it’s legally-required or not.
To Giuliani (Prissy now brings out that Hiliary brought forth legislation to do just that) – What do you call 9/11, Toofer? We have to be willing to use military force to bring Iran’s nuclear program to a halt.
16:00 – Maria to Giuliani – Something on oil and energy independence? – Goes back to the earlier Iraq/oil question. Have to do everything we can to get energy-independent (didn’t hear drill). Would you include drilling off California? Nothing’s off the table, going to nuclear power.
To Brownback – Drill off Florida? – Dodge by saying we should be energy-‘sufficient’ in 15 years. Pushes electric cars (that’ll fly REAL well in January in Detroit; you hear of zero degrees?) Pushing on drilling – Yes, with environmentally sound practice.
To Tancredo – Same – The biggest chunk of our trade deficit is oil, which goes to those that want us dead, so let’s drill, baby.
16:04 – Harwood to McCain – Wah, I don’t think Big Oil’s paying enough taxes – Avoids that, I wouldn’t drill unless the locals want it. McShame is a Gorebal “Warming” disciple (BOOO!!!!!!)
16:06 – Seib to Huckabee – Does corn-a-hole make economic sense? – It’s part of the plan, even if it doesn’t now. (BRAVO FOXTROT SIERRA!)
16:08 – Same to Thompson – Apologizes to Goober. See Huckabee’s answer (BRAVO FOXTROT SIERRA! Oh, Sean, methinks you need to talk to the boss).
16:10 – Maria to Romney – Will gubmint need to bail out farmers again? – Oh, hell yeah. (BRAVO FOXTROT SIERRA! We can’t be both the breadbasket and play with our food in the gas tanks)
16:11 – Prissy to the group – How do you get the economy issue back) — Paul – We need to be goldbug isolationists. At least he doesn’t like subsidies.
Huckabee – It’s a message issue, and we need to reform taxes.
McCain – Restore trust after failures in Katrina, Iraq and spending. Stop spending like DhimmiRATs.
Romney – By being confident (take that McShame and Paul-nut). Oh, and bring it, Hiliary!
Thompson – Tell the truth that security, economy are on the line. Spend more than 4% of GDP on defense. Accept responsibility, and help people help themselves.
Giuliani – Energy independence, and sell it to Red China and India. Brings up the Hitlery KinderBond and the new Hitlery 401(k).
Hunter – Hammer on the trade deficit, kill the bad trade deals.
Brownback – Optional flat tax (why optional, Sam?). Points out that 40% of the world’s R&D spending is here.
Tancredo – Kill illegal immigration. Stop pandering to special interests.
16:18 – BREAK!
Michelle’s sleeping through this one (her loss), but she points to a few more live-bloggers:
– Vodkapundit
– John Henke at Thompson’s site
– The News Junkie
– Blogging For Michigan
Welcome Pajamas Media readers.
16:22 – Maria to Thompson – Describe the specifics of your touching the third rail of SocSecurity – We need a growing economy, with low taxes and lower discretionary spending, we need to allow some privativization, and we need to index benefits to inflation instead of wages. The last is only a stopgap. (Specifics? What specifics?)
16:24 – Tancredo – “The worst thing I did was vote for FastTrack.”
16:26 – Seib to Romney – P-p-p-please endorse HitleryCare – I want HitleryCare Lite like I foisted upon Taxachusetts. Health care is a Pubbie issue and a ‘Rat fundraising issue.
16:28 – Prissy to the group – Defend unions — Paul – Don’t deny the right to organize, but don’t give them special rights.
Huckabee – I see unions coming back because of the pay inequities (who wrote that one, Hitlery or Karl Marx?)
McCain – They were good once, but there should never be compulsory union membership.
Romney – There’s some good and bad. Can you name the good? Names the carpenters’ union. I won’t name the bad ones (because he doesn’t want to get whacked).
Thompson – I’m a union member, but there shouldn’t be compuslory union membership and the vote should be secret.
Giuliani – Unions got my grandma out of poverty. Sing the Union Label song, Rudy. I’ll pass. There are bad unions as well, and McCain’s right.
Hunter – The steelworkers’ union is a good one.
Brownback – They have been good to my postal-office mother. There are some abuses, and the government has to ensure effective oversight.
Tancredo – Whacks Brownback’s mother. Conflict between unions and management is usually a good thing, but they go off the rails when they go into politics.
16:34 – Maria to McCain – Do you agree that Ford and GM need to produce better products rather than look for bailouts? McCain missed the question the first time. Can you hear me now? Yes, and they have to do it on their own. It’s the job of the feds to create the climate that they can succeed in. Flop back on corn-a-hole, now against it again (HUZZAH!).
16:36 – Maria to Thompson – Should the gubmint step in to stop a pending strike against Chrysler? – Not now because it’s not a national security concern. Not even if they say they’re at a disadvantage? They’re at a disadvantage now, so….
16:38 – Prissy to Giuliani – How do you police the Net? – We should police the ‘Net against child predators, working with the states and locals. Do we need the FCC on the Net? – If what we have doesn’t get a handle on it,… but I’m not big on that.
16:39 – Same to McCain – HELL NO! (funny, you created the current FCC monster).
16:40 – BREAK!
16:43 – Lightning round from Prissy. To Huckabee – Would you have sunk the SCHIP? – The issue wasn’t about children, it was about political posturing. Bush lost the battle. I dunno if I would have vetoed it. (Principles, Mikey)
16:45 – Maria to Romney – How would you change the feelings of Arab-Americans that they’re being shunted? – We welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths.
Maria to Thompson – The dangers of the weak dollar. – The weak dollar helps our exports, but we need to have a strong dollar.
Prissy to Giuliani – How do you handle foreign-held debt? – Trade.
Prissy to Brownback – Who do you trust on economic issues? – Phil Gramm, Alan Greenspan.
Maria to McCain – Has Bernanke cut interest rates enough? – I don’t know, but that’s why he’s there.
Prissy to Paul – Will you support the Pubbie nominee? – Nope unless they run on the Hitlery platform.
To Tancredo – Same – I don’t want to do the “lesser of 2 evils” again.
To Brownback – Same – Yep.
To Hunter – Same – Yep, but I’m going to impress my views on him.
Maria to Giuliani – Will London replace NYC as the financial capital of the world? – HELL NO!
Follow-up on SarBox – Avoids by saying the world’s lowering corporate taxes, but the ‘Rats want to raise it?
To Romney – Same – Nope on London, let’s fix SarBox, and I’ll support the Pubbie nominee.
Thompson – “And to thought I would be the best actor on the stage.”
Prissy to Thompson – Name the Canuck PM, and how would you get along with him? Harper, and we’ll get our act together.
Maria to Huckabee – How do you fix air traffic, and how do you pay for it? – Upgrade the ground equipment, and tell the airlines to stop holding the passengers hostage.
Prissy to McCain – How would you catch bin Laden? – Reconstitute the OSS, and give them cart blanche. Oh, I’ll support me.
Maria to Romney – What is the greatest long-term threat to the economy? – America has to realize that optimism conquers all. We are the envy of the world.
Same to Brownback – Breakdown of the family. Greatest economic threat? Yes.
Prissy to Giuliani – Third-party? – We’ve had them before, but the two-party system is best. Refering to the last question, it’s education. Takes a swipe at HitleryCare, saying that if we adopt it, the Canucks would have nowhere to go for better care.
Maria to Thompson – Did you wait too long? – Nope, it’s just about right.
AND WE’RE OUT!
For some reason, my feed reader didn’t catch Huckleberry Dumbbell’s live-blog. Sorry about that.
