In final New Hampshire debate, candidates go after Romney–very briefly

Republican presidential candidates debate in Concord, New Hampshire. (Getty Images)

CONCORD, N.H. -- They had to be poked, prodded and nudged to do it, but the Republican presidential candidates finally went on the offense against front-runner Mitt Romney during a Sunday morning debate--if only for a few minutes.

Going down the line, NBC News moderator David Gregory gave the candidates an opportunity to explain in front of the former Massachusetts governor why they thought Romney should not be the GOP nominee.

"There's a huge difference between a Reagan conservative and somebody who comes out of a Massachusetts culture with an essentially moderate record," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been on the blunt end of Romney's media attack apparatus for weeks. "I think he'll have a very hard time getting elected."

Visibly frustrated after being slammed by Romney as a "lifetime politician," Gingrich hit back on stage, labeling Romney's claims about being a man of the private sector "pious baloney." (Watch the clip below.)

"You've been running consistently for years and years and years," Gingrich said. "So this idea that suddenly, citizenship showed up in your mind—just level with the American people, you've been running since the 1990s."

The debate began just 10 hours after the ABC/Yahoo! debate ended in Manchester. During that event, candidates largely failed to chip away effectively at Romney's record.

During the "Meet the Press" debate, Romney defended himself as a "solid conservative who brought important change to Massachusetts," and touted his long list of endorsements, including those from several New Hampshire officials. "I'm very proud of the conservative record I have," he said.

That's when Santorum jumped in.

"If his record was so great," he said, turning to Romney, "why didn't you run for re-election?" (Romney served one term as governor of Massachusetts.) Santorum, facing tough re-election odds in 2006, ran anyway and was trounced by double digits. "Why did you bail out?" Santorum said.When asked how conservatives could trust him to promote their agenda, Romney replied: "They've got my record as governor." That answer may come back to haunt him, offering an easy opening for attack over his support for a state-sponsored health care program.

Later in the debate, the focus shifted away from Romney, and moved toward discussions over how the candidates would promote policies that lower heating bills and whether they would champion gay rights. (Watch video of Mitt Romney championing gay rights below.) The banter during this time stayed relatively friendly, but the debate picked up again near the end when  moderators asked about ads run by "super PACs" that support Romney and Gingrich. This election cycle has seen an influx of non-campaign money spent on attack ads that have allowed the campaigns to essentially outsource their mud-slinging to outside groups. When pressed about the content of the ads his Super PAC ran against Gingrich, Romney said that if the ads were wrong or misleading, then they should be taken down.

Interestingly, both candidates said they had not seen the ads produced by the Super PACs that employ many of their former staffers, but then had no trouble listing the specific attacks within them.

"The rhetoric is a little over the top," Romney said of Gingrich's Super PAC ads.

"You think my rhetoric is over the top but your ads are totally reasonable?" Gingrich replied.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• Republican candidates stand by negative ads, fail to knock out Mitt Romney

• Gingrich's latest Romney slam: He taxed the blind

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr.

Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Continue Reading... Labels: After, briefly, candidates, debate, final, Hampshire, Romney–very

Could the 2012 GOP nomination be drawing to a close? Candidates attack Romney, but fail to land lasting blows

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- It is somewhat astonishing, if not unjustified, that although only a small slice of voters have cast ballots in a single state where the winner emerged with an 8-vote margin of victory, the dominant question hanging over the contest for the Republican nomination is, 'Is it over?'

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been the major player here in the Granite State for the cycle so far. His slim victory in Iowa, bolstered by polls showing his opponents barely making a dent here and expanding support for him in South Carolina, makes for a formidable frontrunner status. So formidable, in fact, that it may be impossible to derail.

Naturally, the single biggest question heading into this weekend of back-to-back debates in New Hampshire was: what were Romney's opponents willing to do to alter the trajectory of his campaign?

"Nothing" seemed to be the answer to that question at the ABC/Yahoo debate on Saturday night. Yet by the time the candidates appeared on the NBC debate stage Sunday morning in Concord, the answer had changed.

In the opening moments of the debate, moderated by NBC's David Gregory, both Sen. Santorum and Speaker Gingrich seized  opportunities to chip away at Romney as a moderate, weak, unprincipled, and untruthful candidate for president.

Gingrich called himself a "bold Reagan conservative" in contrast to the "timid Massachusetts moderate" label he ascribed to Romney. Gingrich would not go as far to say that Romney is unelectable, but he made the case that Romney will have a tough time defeating President Obama because he doesn't provide as big, bold, and clear a contrast as Gingrich believes is required.

"I think he will have a very hard time getting elected," Gingrich said.

"He ran from Ronald Reagan and he said he was gonna be to the left just like Kennedy on gay rights and abortion, a whole host of other issues," Santorum said in reference to Romney's 1994 run for the US Senate in the Massachusetts.  "We want someone when the time gets tough--and it will in this election.  We want someone who's gonna stand up and fight for the conservative principles," he added.

Romney attempted to push back on the attacks coming his way by painting his competitors as life long politicians with no understanding of the real world economy because they lack his private sector business experience.

But Romney's argument was revealing in terms of how much he is willing to stretch to appear as an outsider to the political process. Romney claimed he didn't run for reelection in Massachusetts in 2006 because he had accomplished his goal of improving the state and that he decided to return to private business.

Yet, as Newt Gingrich quickly pointed out, Romney launched his presidential campaign almost immediately upon leaving the governor's office.

"Can we drop a little bit of the pious baloney?," Gingrich asked. "Just level with the American people," he added.

Ultimately, the Santorum and Gingrich attacks against Romney, and to a lesser extent the barbs that came his way from Huntsman, Perry, and Paul, were sharp but not sustained and may not have done the lasting damage they seek in order to upend the race.

These strong attacks go fundamentally after Romney's character, but they aren't particularly new. Nor have they had success  sticking to Romney over the course of the last year. Surprisingly, there is still a lack of substantial and sustained television advertising aimed at tearing down Romney along these lines; without more of it, it will be much harder for his opponents to gain traction.

Still, the candidates not named Romney may have the political press corps on their side.  There is always a desire among the press for a protracted race. That, of course, is in direct tension with the other strong desire: to be the first to declare the race over. As Romney's opponents attempt to rewrite the current narrative about his inevitability, they'll seek to exploit that tension.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• In final New Hampshire debate, candidates go after Romney--very briefly

• Republican candidates stand by negative ads, fail to knock out Mitt Romney

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr.

Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Continue Reading... Labels: attack, blows, candidates, close?, could, drawing, lasting, nomination, Romney

Republican candidates stand by negative ads, fail to knock out Romney

(AP)

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- With the pressure on just three days before the first primary contest in the nation, the Republican presidential candidates had their arsenals ready for tonight's debate--but left front runner Mitt Romney largely untouched.

Romney is polling at around 40 percent in the state, several points in front of the closest runner-up. Tonight, his competitors failed to effectively take him on in a way that could chip away at his lead in the state. If Saturday night's performance is any indicator, he will head into next week's primaries still looking strong.

The candidates have ramped up attacks on each other, both in campaign stump speeches and in ads running in early primary states over the past few weeks. On Saturday, each candidate was asked to stand by their accusations and repeat them, face-to-face.

On the trail, former Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum has said that executive experience in the private sector  is not enough to qualify a candidate for the presidency. Elaborating on that accusation, Santorum found himself at the center of attention for the first time at this debate.

"Of course I was talking about Governor Romney," Santorum said. "Well, business experience doesn't necessarily match up with being the commander-in-chief of this country."

Romney defended himself, charging that his opponent was a lifetime politician who lacked the understanding of the economy.

"I think people who spend their life in Washington don't understand what happens out in the real economy," Romney said. "They think that people who start businesses are just managers. The commander-in-chief of this country isn't a CEO."

Perhaps the most aggressive offensive of the night came from Texas Rep. Ron Paul as he aimed at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who he recently accused of being a "chickenhawk" for not serving in the Vietnam War. Gingrich, whose step-father spent his career in the army, took personal offense to the comment.

You can watch video of the exchange below:

"Dr. Paul has a long history of saying things that are inaccurate and false," Gingrich said. "The fact is, I never asked for deferment. I was married with a child. It was never a question. My father was, in fact, serving in Vietnam in the Mekong Delta at the time he's referring to. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it's like as a family to worry about your father getting killed. And I personally resent the kind of comments and aspersions he routinely makes without accurate information and then just slurs people with."

But Paul fired back, saying he too had children during the war, "and I went."

The debate, however, took a turn when ABC News moderators George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer brought up social issues: gay marriage and federal control over contraception.

You can watch video of Romney discussing contraception below:

When the candidates were asked to defend their opposition to gay marriage, they deliberately charged that the topic had only been made an issue by what Gingrich called "bias" media.

You can watch video of Gingrich below:

The candidates are set to debate again Sunday morning at a forum hosted by NBC News. Don't be surprised to see them turn up the heat on Romney.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• In New Hampshire, Romney follows Obama's '08 trail

• Gingrich's latest Romney slam: He taxed the blind

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr.

Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Continue Reading... Labels: candidates, knock, Negative, Republican, Romney, Stand

Republican Candidates Ready to Rumble in Key New Hampshire Debate

CHICAGO - With the race for the Republican presidential nomination at its most critical moment to date, only days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, the six candidates will square off Saturday night in Manchester at an ABC News/Yahoo! News/WMUR debate that has the potential to be the most explosive one yet.

The debate, the only broadcast network debate in prime-time before the primary, will air from 9-11 p.m. ET from Saint Anselm College, where it will be moderated by ABC News' Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos, as well as WMUR-TV anchor Josh McElveen.

For every candidate, there is a lot at stake.

Fresh off his narrow eight-vote victory in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney is the favorite to win the nation's first primary on Tuesday. A resounding win in New Hampshire would leave Romney poised to run away with his party's nomination with the primary season only just begun. The former Massachusetts governor has held massive leads in New Hampshire polls throughout the past six months, and he also sits atop the polls in South Carolina, where the race heads next. Convincing wins in both states would make Romney almost unstoppable before the race has even hit Florida in late January.

That only increases the odds that Romney will face a slew of attacks from his rivals at the debate.

Rick Santorum, riding a wave of momentum after his virtual tie with Romney in Iowa, comes into the debate with much to prove. The former Pennsylvania senator was almost an afterthought for much of last year, buried in the polls, but he surged to the forefront in Iowa.

Now the question is whether or not Santorum can survive in the spotlight and avoid the same fates that have befallen the other candidates who have attempted to emerge as the chief alternative to Romney. Just ask Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich. All three enjoyed stints atop the polls only to then plunge back into the pack.

With a bare-bones campaign organization and a meager war chest, the little-known Santorum is out to prove that he has staying power. In Iowa, Santorum rode a wave of social conservative support, but those voters are in comparatively short supply in New Hampshire. Expect Santorum at the debate to try to draw clear contrasts with Romney, such as emphasizing his blue-collar roots.

Santorum this week has already struggled to duplicate his Iowa magic in New Hampshire. He gave long-winded answers at numerous campaign stops and on Thursday came in for a frosty reception from a college crowd. At an event with students in Concord, Santorum was even booed after denouncing same-sex marriage, which is legal in New Hampshire.

"[For] 230 years marriage has been between one man and woman. So if you want to change the law … you have to make the positive argument about why," he said, prompting several members of the audience to voice their disagreement with his stance.

If Santorum is eager to go toe to toe with Romney, then Gingrich is positively chomping at the bit. After Romney's political action committee blasted Gingrich, an attack that played a part in Gingrich's recent slump, the former House speaker is now prepared to take off the gloves and duke it out with Romney, a change of strategy after his initial promise to run a positive campaign. However, Gingrich must strike a delicate balance in Manchester if he is to succeed: go on the offensive against Romney without appearing angry and frustrated. In an interview Friday with George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," Gingrich sought to cast himself as a Reagan conservative while dubbing Romney Moderate Mitt, a line that he repeated later in the day at a campaign stop in the Granite State.

"There's a point when you just have to say to somebody - get real. He's a Massachusetts moderate," Gingrich said in Newport, N.H.

Ron Paul, who came in third in Iowa, has proven that he can get under the skin of Gingrich and Santorum. The Texas congressman is not one to shy away from debate duels. At the last Republican debate in Sioux City, Iowa, he went back and forth with Michele Bachmann in a heated exchange. Now Bachmann is out of the race, leaving Paul free to set his sights on other rivals. With consistent support in most New Hampshire polls, Paul may also feel emboldened to deliver an aggressive performance in Manchester.

While there is a lot on the line for Paul, Gingrich, Santorum and Romney, perhaps no candidates need a good debate more than Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman. The former left Iowa with his campaign in tatters after a disappointing fifth-place finish. Perry said he wanted to return to Austin, Texas, to take time to reassess his struggling campaign, leading many observers to expect him to drop out altogether. But a mere 12 hours later, Perry had settled on soldiering on in the GOP contest, with his sights set firmly on a good finish in South Carolina. Despite his focus on the Palmetto State, Perry desperately needs to put in a strong showing in Manchester to jumpstart his campaign.

Huntsman comes into the debate with the same goal but with a completely different focus: He has staked his entire campaign on New Hampshire. Huntsman's decision not to make a push for Iowa or South Carolina leaves him in dire need of a victory in New Hampshire, something that looks unlikely with his weak poll numbers, despite an endorsement by the Boston Globe. His tenuous position, combined with his tendency to take on Romney at every turn, makes a fiery performance from Huntsman in Manchester nearly a guarantee.

With so many candidates in such desperate positions, it is a safe bet to expect fireworks at the debate, especially involving Romney - the frontrunner is likely to bear the brunt of the attacks in Manchester. How successful the attacks are - and how well Romney responds to them - could go a long way toward determining the fate of the GOP race.

Matthew Jaffe is covering the 2012 campaign for ABC News and Univision.

Also Read

Continue Reading... Labels: candidates, debate, Hampshire, ready, Republican, Rumble

Is this what the Republican candidates need to see in Iowa? Share your pictures.

Submitted by Andrea K. Swank, Stanton, IA

We have asked Yahoo! readers to share their photographs of what the Republican candidates need to see before (or during) the Saturday debate in Des Moines.

Andrea K. Swank sent in this picture of a homecoming parade in Stanton, Iowa. She wrote:

Residents look on, wondering will this be the last school homecoming parade for their town and many other excellent small schools all across Iowa that are facing consolidation or shutting their doors forever due to drastic funding cuts and declining enrollment.

Stanton, a small agricultural town of approximately 700, is the top performing school in their county and is one of the best schools in the state. The graduation rate is 100 percent. Seventy-four percent of graduates score 20+ on the ACT. People live here so their children can get the best education possible. [Schools are being closed] because current funding is based solely on enrollment numbers.

With the overhaul of education in the national spotlight, schools like Stanton's should be studied as a model example of success and not worrying about closing its doors.

What do you think the candidates need to see?

We've set up an Election 2012 Flickr group to collect and share the photos. Please include the city and state where the photo was taken, and a short description of 250 words or less, explaining why the candidates need to know about it. You can also email your photos to showthecandidates@yahoo.com. We will not be able to publish photos without contact information and a description.

Leave your questions in the comments, or send us an email. We can't wait to see what you think our politicians need to witness!

The debate is sponsored by Yahoo!, ABC News, the Des Moines Register, local affiliate WOI-TV and the Republican Party of Iowa.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

Continue Reading... Labels: candidates, Iowa?, pictures., Republican, share