Republicans assail Obama in opening big debate

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Breitbart:

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Republican White House hopefuls criticized President Barack Obama's handling of the economy from the opening moments of their first major debate of the campaign season Monday night and pledged emphatically to repeal the administration's year-old health care law.

"When 14 million Americans are out of work we need a new president to end the Obama Depression," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the first among seven contenders on stage to assail the president's economic policies.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, invited as an unannounced contender for the 2012 nomination, used the occasion to announce she had filed papers earlier in the day to run—a disclosure in keeping with a feisty style she has employed since her election to Congress.

Obama was hundreds of miles away, vowing to continue his efforts to create jobs as the Republicans met on a stage at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum accused Obama of pursuing "oppressive policies" that have shackled the economy.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty labeled Obama a "declinist" who views America "as one of equals around the world," rather than a special nation.

"If Brazil can have 5 percent growth, if China can have 5 percent growth, then America can have 5 percent growth," he added, shrugging off criticism that his own economic projections were impossibly rosy.

Businessman Herman Cain, a political novice, called for eliminating the capital gains tax as a way to stimulate job creation.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stressed his experience as a businessman over 25 years as evidence that he can lead the nation out of a lingering recession.

Said Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, the seventh contender on the stage: "As long as we are running a program that deliberately weakens our currency, our jobs will go overseas. And that's what's happening."

Romney was the nominal front-runner. But the public opinion polls that made him so are notoriously unreliable at this point in the campaign, when relatively few voters have begun to familiarize themselves with their choices.
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From what I've seen so far, Romney looks like he's more on the sidelines than anyone else.

[Geee]

This was very aggravating most of the time with all of the interruptions. I also notice that he was selective in his interrupting. Apparently he was not fond of Santorum.

[clearvision]

The CNN setup and constant background noises by the moderator make it hard to follow. Romney seems to not want to take a stand in any way. Cain is not getting much time. Ron Paul always seems to say 50% great stuff and 50% really, really scary stuff.

[Sanguine]

I thought Santorum, Pawlenty, and Gingrich did surprisingly well. I'm a Cain/Bachmann supporter, and I thought the two of them gave some of the best answers of the evening.

 

Mitt and Ron...not so much.

[nickydog]

I, too, thought Cain and Bachman did well.

[Geee]

ANY of them sounded better than the present occupant

[righteousmomma]

ANY of them sounded better than the present occupant

Elmer Fudd would sound better make more sense than the present occupant with or without his teleprompter.