Chris Christie, right, makes a point as Mike Huckabee listens during Republican presidential debate at Milwaukee Theatre, Tuesday, November 10, 2015, in Milwaukee.
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The undercard GOP presidential debate in Milwaukee Tuesday kept a tight focus on the economy.
Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie exchanged a few feisty barbs on the state of the USA economy during a Republican under-card debate.
The debate, hosted by the Fox Business Channel, the Wall Street Journal and the Republican National Committee, was the calmest of the four so far, a byproduct of the chaos of the third one in Boulder. The former federal prosecutor used the verb “prosecute” repeatedly when describing how he could debate Clinton in the general election. “For Republicans who want to vote for a candidate because they think he can win, Christie successfully made his case to them tonight”, Angelo said.
The debate ended with candidates focusing on Veterans’ Day, and then turned to an attack on President Obama for not respecting the military and not doing more for veterans once they return from Iraq.
“Believe me, Hillary Clinton is coming for your wallets everybody”.
“I’ll go there, debate, and as soon as I leave the debate I’ll go to Iowa and get back to work”, he said.
The running duel between the two overshadowed the other two candidates on the stage. At the outset, he declined to name a single Democratic senator whom he admired, only to declare in his closing statement that he’s a uniter who would bring the country together.
Huckabee took issue with Jindal’s point that he’s the only governor on stage with a record of cutting spending: “It’s just not accurate”, Huckabee replied.
Huckabee one-upped Christie in his first statement, saying that his tax reform plan would allow him to eliminate the IRS entirely. “You know why they feel that way?” Ted Cruz at 7%. “It’s about actually cutting government spending – not just talking about cutting government spending”. Mr. Jindal lashed out at Mr. Christie and Mr. Huckabee for not living up to the budget-slashing ideals of a real fiscal conservative.
Jindal said he fears the U.S.is “on the path to socialism”.
When he tries to attack Christie though, he isn’t having any of it and doesn’t take the bait.
Christie noted he had won two terms in a blue state as a “pro-life” conservative. Santorum raised his arms in a “Why not me?” gesture, a moment that indicated that he thought he combined both qualities.
While Christie has told the story dozens of times at town hall events, the response to the video underscores Christie’s raw political talent and ability to connect with an audience in ways many of his rivals can not. He said he would make the tax code “fair, flatter, simpler” and get rid of special interest deductions.
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The governor of Louisiana said the GOP has been losing nationally because “we’re trying to be cheaper versions of the Democratic Party”. “Not one thing”, Christie said.
