DE BATE, NEW HAMPSHIRE —BobZaguy All seven of the first round of Republicans met recently to spout extremist sentiments, presumably pandering to the fringes of the Tea Party, and we were lucky enough to witness the event first hand on tape-delayed television.
While two hours is a long time to have to sit and watch, we have on offer a shorter distillation of what each person said relative to questions that were asked, even Tweeted, by a number of mostly anonymous people, John King included. This is intended for those who tried to stay awake for the whole time, but couldn’t. It’s also OK for anyone who didn’t watch at all to go through this and get a fix on what went down.
Newt Gingrich, author, movie star, GA
This is the fourth in our 7-part series on this topic. Each day this week we’re covering one of the seven also-ran candidates in wait, who chose to appear.
I’m Newt Gingrich, your next American Idol, and we need a new president to end the Obama depression. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, we ought to let the states learn from each other.
Why do you want to be at California’s unemployment level when you can be at Texas’s employment level? Or North Dakota’s? I’m a big fan of going into space, but I think it’s a tragedy that what we’ve had there is failure after failure.
Younger Americans ought to have the excitement of thinking that they, too, could be part of reaching out to a new frontier. NASA ought to be getting out and encouraging the private sector. You’ve mischaracterised me. I didn’t say end the space program. I’m not getting rid of the space program; now I’m for getting a real private-funded space program that works.
First, if you can’t convince the American people it’s a good idea, maybe it’s not a good idea. Why? Those words were taken totally out of context. Second, there are certain things I would do different on Medicaid, and I think it could be done. I’m just not going to say what that is. Number one is “Stop Paying the Crooks.”
Two examples – B.) I just want to go out on a limb here. We have got to have the guts to stand up and say no. Repealing DADT isn’t working, it is way too dangerous. I’ve met with the commanders who think their own lives are at risk, and they said to me “it isn’t working, it is dangerous.”
We are determined among our political elites to draw up catastrophic immigration alternatives. You either have to ship 20 million people out of America or legalize all of them. That’s nonsense. No serious citizen who’s concerned about solving this problem should get trapped into a yes/no answer in which you’re either for totally selling out protecting America or you’re for totally kicking out 20 million people in a heartless way. I won’t be trapped into a yes/no answer on this or any other topic either.
They should either be here or be shipped home. That’s my answer. Any direct quote of what I say is immensely wrong. Sure. I’m the one who’s always known that the price tag of war is always a factor. As General Eisenhower, once he was president, pointed out; and as Abraham Lincoln understood; as even George Washington understood; war’s price is always going to be a factor in the decision.
Let’s get out, bring ’em home and then we had better find new and very different strategies because this is too big a problem for us to deal with anymore. Please let me finish my thought here. We need to locate regions where the locals stay in their place and don’t change places, changing clothes and such. Just stay and fight like a man, like it’s always been in the movies. I’d like to nominate the people of New Hampshire for Vice President, as their questions are so good.
For more on the other candidates, check yesterday, tomorrow and each day of the week.
More on the other debating candidates:
– Debate Summary: Mitt Romney (1 of 7)
– Debate Summary: Tim Pawlenty (2 of 7)
– Debate Summary: Herman Caen (3 of 7)
– Debate Summary: Newt Gingrich (4 of 7)