On Tuesday night, the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas hosted the eighth Republican presidential debate of the year. Shown by CNN, the debate featured all major Republican presidential hopefuls – Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.
While Mr. Cain’s controversial 9-9-9 tax plan, which his opponents openly attacked, dominated the opening moments of the debate, Mr. Romney took center-stage for the majority of the evening. Throughout the debate, which lasted just short of two hours, the former Massachusetts governor came under intense attack, especially from Mr. Perry and Mr. Santorum.
In what was certainly the most heated debate thus far, the night was characterized by raised voices, personal asides, and catty disregard for the allotted speaking times. Mr. Perry, the current governor of Texas, was quick to go after Mr. Romney:
“Mitt, you lose all of your standing from my perspective because you hired illegals in your home. And you knew for – about it for a year. And the idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you’re strong on immigration is, on its face, the height of hypocrisy.”
Mr. Romney responded with a modest laugh before saying, “Rick, I don’t think I’ve ever hired an illegal in my life. And I’m – I’m looking forward to finding your facts on that.” Mr. Romney, at this point rather provoked by the Texan, also didn’t shy away from personal criticisms, saying, “This has been a tough couple of debates for Rick, and I understand that, and so you’re going to get – you’re going to get testy.”
Things, indeed, ‘got testy.’ As the conversation on immigration continued, Mr. Romney and Mr. Perry – who were positioned directly next to one another – became engaged in a small-scale argument that got heated to the point of schoolroom antics; Referencing Mr. Perry’s tendency to interrupt other candidates, Mr. Romney placed his hand on Mr. Perry’s shoulder and patronizingly said, “I suggest that if you want to become president of the United States, you have got to let both people speak.”
Mr. Romney was not immune from other candidates either. Mr. Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, took issue with the former Massachusetts governor’s healthcare legislation. “Governor Romney, you don’t have credibility when it comes to Obamacare. Your plan was the basis for Obamacare. To say you’re going to repeal it – you have no track record on that that we can trust that you’re going to do that.”
When it came time for his rebuttal, Mr. Romney stressed that in the past, most notably during his 2008 presidential campaign, he had repeatedly said that his Massachusetts plan was not one he would recommend for the entire country. Unconvinced, Mr. Santorum dramatically shook his head before saying “Governor, no, that’s not what you said.” Again, audience members and TV viewers saw two candidates argue over each other until Mr. Romney, visibly agitated, pleaded “I’ll tell you what – why don’t you let me speak?”
The debate, then, was a highly combative contest. However, one relatively quiet participant, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, advised that “maximizing bickering” may not be the best way to reinstall a Republican in the White House.
Be sure to watch the next Republican debate at 8 p.m. ET on CNBC on November 9.
