With Florida's primary looming next Tuesday, the four leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination clashed in an acrimonious debate Monday night at the University of South Florida in Tampa, bringing up old charges against each other and introducing some new ones as they tried to influence Republican voters in the week they have left.
Riding a wave of momentum after his win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is leading in the polls of the Sunshine State, brushing past former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts who rocketed to the top after his win in the New Hampshire primary.
At the start of the debate, the 18th of the election cycle, Gingrich and Romney took off the gloves, often engaging in personal attacks as moderator Brian Williams of NBC News often focused on them -- with former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas in the background.
Williams started the debate by asking Gingrich about attacks coming from Romney and his camp, insisting that the former congressional leader was unelectable. Citing Ronald Reagans election in 1980, Gingrich brushed off the attacks and pointed to the economic prosperity the country enjoyed during his tenure as speaker in the mid-1990s.
Romney also insisted he was electable and pointed to his leadership record and attacked how Gingrich left Congress.
He had to resign in disgrace, Romney said before attacking Gingrichs record after leaving office. Hes been working as an influence peddler in Washington.
This is the worst kind of trivial politics, Gingrich responded, noting that Romney was attacked by his Republican primary opponents during the 2008 election cycle.
Asked about his attacks after pledging to stay positive, Romney noted that he had learned a lesson after his loss in South Carolina and that he would not be idle when he drew the heat from the other candidates.
Calling himself a strong conservative," Santorum, who scored a narrow victory over Romney in Iowa, weighed in, noting he had a path to victory and attempted to contrast himself with President Barack Obama. Pointing to his record in Pennsylvania, Santorum insisted that he could win Reagan Democrats and beat Obama in the general election. Asked by Williams about his loss in 2006, Santorum noted that Republicans from across the Keystone State went down to defeat that year.
Theres one thing worse than losing an election and thats not standing up for the principles you hold, Santorum said.
Paul jumped in, attacking Gingrichs record in Congress, though he praised the former congressional leader for taking on the Federal Reserve. Asked about whether he would run as a third-party candidate -- as he did in 1988 -- Paul shot down the idea.
I have no plans on doing that, Paul said.
Gingrich responded with praise for Pauls record on monetary policy and in challenging the Fed.
Asked about his taxes, Romney noted he would release some of his records on Tuesday before turning the topic to public policy, calling for lowering taxes.
Ive paid all my taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more, Romney said. Id like to see our tax rate come down and focus on growing the country.
Gingrich noted that the tradition of presidential candidates releasing their taxes started in 1967 -- with then-Gov. George Romney of Michigan, Mitts father. Romney responded that he would release two years of taxes and not the 12 years his father released when he sought the Republican nomination in the 1968 election cycle.
Romney followed it up with a defense of his wealth, insisting he had helped people around the country during his years in the private sector.
Polling behind the two leading candidates in the Sunshine State, Santorum attacked destructive capitalism and noted that Gingrich and Romney backed the bailout of Wall Street though he avoided taking aim at their records in the private sector.
Asked about Romneys attacks about being an influence peddler, Gingrich defended his record.
I have never ever done any lobbying, Gingrich said.
Romney ripped into Gingrichs claim that he was hired as a historian by Freddie Mac. Gingrich fired back, pointing to Romneys record at Bain Capital, and defended his time at Freddie Mac. The two continued to spar, leveling accusations about their records while the other candidates stood on the sidelines.
The debate then turned to issues -- starting with the housing market -- and the infighting between Gingrich and Romney died down. Pointing to the large number of mortgages underwater, Santorum and Paul called for free-market solutions and for the government to stand out of the way. Williams gave Romney and Gingrich a chance to respond and the two candidates called for the repeal of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act.
Williams turned the debate to foreign policy, namely communist Cuba. Romney and Gingrich attacked the Obama administrations policies in regard to that communist nation. This president has taken a very dangerous course in regard to Cuba, Romney said.
Paul said he would do pretty much the opposite. Insisting that sanctions helped prop up Castro, Paul took aim at American isolation of Cuba. Its not 1962 anymore, Paul said. I just dont think its going to work.
Santorum called for sanctions to continue until the Castro brothers are both dead.
This is an important doctrine, Santorum said, attacking the Castros as tyrants. Santorum added that some Latin American regimes -- including Venezuela and Nicaragua -- are working with jihadists, including the Iranian government.
The debate then turned to Middle Eastern affairs and continuing tensions with Iran. Romney ripped into the Obama administration for reducing the Navy and called for a carrier in the Gulf and a task force in the region. Gingrich also attacked Obamas handling of Iran and called for open sea lanes in the Gulf.
Paul, a longtime critic of American policy in the Middle East, sharply disagreed, insisting that the American people were tired of war in that region.
Its the most foolish thing in the world, Paul said of military conflict with Iran.
After a break, Santorum warned the entire world changes if Iran gets nuclear weapons.
Obamas Iran policy has been a colossal failure, Santorum insisted, comparing the leadership of that nation to al-Qaida. The former senator listed a number of attacks and war-like behavior backed by the Iranian regime.
The debate turned to other issues, including offshore drilling in the Gulf and proposals to make English the country's official language. Santorum insisted that cheaper energy would help revive the economy and backed the Keystone pipeline from Canada. Asked about their use of Spanish ads while calling for English to be established as the national language, Gingrich and Romney defended their positions, maintaining that English helps unite people across the nation. Paul said he backed English as the national language but noted that states should have the right to print ballots in any way they please.
Asked about the DREAM Act, Gingrich said he backed the idea of the children of illegal aliens getting a path to citizenship if they join the military. Romney jumped in and said he agreed with Gingrich on that front.
The debate continued to focus on immigration. Romney backed E-Verify and called for more self-deportation, while also calling for a crackdown on illegal immigration. Noting his familys roots as immigrants, Santorum called for enforcing the current immigration laws.
Asked about sugar subsidies, Gingrich called for free-market solutions but noted that he learned during his years as a congressional leader how hard it is to reform agriculture policies. Romney also backed letting the market work and slammed Obamas handling of the economy, noting that Florida is still struggling badly.
This president has failed the people of Florida, Romney said, noting that the Obama administration is damaging the Space Coast with its handling of NASA. Asked about federal policies in regard to the Everglades, Paul said there are bigger problems facing the nation.
The debate turned to the Terri Schiavo case back in 2005, and Santorum and Gingrich called for judicial reviews of questions of life and death. Paul drew upon his medical background and said the case taught that Americans should set up living wills.
Romney was asked about Obamas space policies and again slammed the presidents handling of NASA as damaging to the Space Coast. He called for larger roles for the private sector, the military and educational institutes in space exploration. Noting that prize money accelerated the early days of flight, Gingrich also backed a larger role for the private sector in space exploration.
Asked about the tax cuts backed by George W. Bush, Gingrich insisted the 9/11 attacks helped damage the economy but the tax cuts ensured it did not get worse. He then called for less federal regulations.
Williams opened the last quarter of the debate by focusing on the big picture, starting with asking Romney what he has done for conservatism. Romney talked about his record in Boston and his family life and record in the private sector. Gingrich noted that he is a longtime conservative, working to help Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan and highlighted his record in building the first Republican majority in Congress in four decades.
Santorum slammed Gingrich for backing individual mandates and cap-and-trade programs and attacking Romney, insisting his health-care law in Massachusetts set the stage for the one signed into law by Obama. Following up by noting both men backed federal bailouts of the private sector, Santorum continued to attack Gingrich and Romney.
They didnt stand for the conservative principles they said they were for, Santorum said. They rejected conservatism when it was hard to stand.
Paul called for the federal government to defend liberty and cut overseas spending. The congressman argued that politicians were not backing the Constitution and should follow its limits.
Noting that he ran against liberal stalwart Teddy Kennedy in 1994, Romney said he never backed taking the health-care law he signed at the national level.
You cannot oppose Obamacare on the states, he said, promising to repeal it.
As the debate closed, Gingrich and Romney weighed in on the challenges facing the next president, noting that the economy remained sluggish. Paul and Santorum -- as they had during most of the night -- remained on the sidelines as the debate ended.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
