The Wall Street Journal-20080125-Campaign -08- Republicans Set Softer Tone In Debating Economy- War
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Campaign '08: Republicans Set Softer Tone In Debating Economy, War
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The quintet of remaining Republican candidates for president played nice last night, tempering their comments about each other in favor of repackaged stump fare on the economy and the war, peppered with shots at the Democrats.
Uncertainty about the economy dominated the first third of the 90- minute debate, a boon for Mitt Romney, a millionaire investor formerly of Bain Capital. Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, praised the stimulus plan agreed to yesterday by Congress and the White House but urged the administration to take it further.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, who won the primaries of New Hampshire and South Carolina and is in a statistical dead heat with Mr. Romney in the Florida polls, defended his economic credentials. He explained why he voted against the Bush tax cuts -- that spending was out of control -- and said he supported making them permanent.
Messrs. McCain and Romney were joined on stage by Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul for the last standoff before Florida's primary Tuesday. Mr. Huckabee presented his populist message by talking about the "bottom of the economy" and the "people who are handling the bags, the people who are serving the food." Mr. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who has bet his campaign on a win in Florida, turned his remarks to 9/11. Dr. Paul, a congressman from Texas, railed on overspending. "Everyone wants to solve the problem by printing more money," he said.
Polls show a tight contest in Florida, with Mr. McCain leading by less than the margin of error. An average of polls taken Jan. 20-23 reveals a statistical dead heat between Mr. McCain, with 24.5% of support, and Mr. Romney, with 23.5%, according to RealClear Politics, a nonpartisan political news Web site. Mr. Giuliani, who has spent the most time in Florida, and Mr. Huckabee, who hasn't won a contest since the Iowa caucuses, have 18.8% and 15.5%, respectively.
The Republicans took more shots at the Democrats -- and Hillary Clinton -- than they did each other. Mr. McCain attacked the Democrats for overspending, but it was Mr. Romney who made the most memorable jab at the senator from New York. After slamming Mrs. Clinton for taking credit for the recent progress in Iraq, Mr. Romney said he was looking forward to running against her and former President Bill Clinton. "The idea of Bill Clinton back in the White House with nothing to do is something I just can't imagine," he quipped.
The friendly competition continued during the round when the candidates were allowed to ask one question of another candidate. Both their subjects and their targets were proverbial softballs. Mr. Romney asked Mr. Giuliani about how to handle trade with China, and Mr. Giuliani asked Mr. Romney about property insurance in Florida. Mr. McCain posed his question to Mr. Huckabee, inquiring about his support of the Fair Tax plan, though Mr. Huckabee used his time to ask Mr. Romney about the Second Amendment.
When moderator Brian Williams cited harsh words about Mr. Giuliani from an editorial in today's New York Times, Mr. McCain came to his side. "I'm proud of the way he led this country" after 9/11, Mr. McCain said.
The toughest questions came from the moderators. NBC's Tim Russert asked Mr. Romney how much of his own fortune he had contributed to his campaign. Mr. Romney stiffened and refused to disclose the figure. Instead, he took the opportunity to defend his investment. "I'm using that money in a campaign for presidency to try and change this country," he said.
Two of the candidates talked in favor of action on global climate change. Mr. Giuliani called for a global treaty, saying, "We got to solve it as a world problem. You can't solve it just in the United States." Mr. McCain concurred. "Climate change in my opinion is real and can affect states like Florida."
Florida has 57 delegates up for grabs. It is a winner-take-all state, meaning that the victor receives all of the delegates rather than a proportion of them. The Sunshine State, with 18.3 million residents, has the highest population age 65 and over, accounting for nearly 17% of the state's population. About one in five of its residents are Hispanic and 19% are foreign born.
