Palmetto Freedom Forum (South Carolina GOP debate forum)

www.ustream.tv...

This is a one-by-one question and answer forum, attending are:
Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney.

And in typical fashion, Rick Perry is missing-how long can he dodge the limelight?



Ron Paul currently speaking for those that want to know exactly what he is all about.


Something Ron Paul just said that I really enjoyed hearing a POLITICIAN say:
"We shouldn't have a hundred thousand buraeucrats carrying guns! the people should be carrying guns! not the buraeucrats!"

reply to post by eLPresidente


I started watching just as Dr. Paul was finishing up. Now Romney is talking and it's like hearing nails scratch on a chalk board. His lies are nonstop!

Glad you posted it. There is another event coming up in two days:

September 7th GOP debate

Air Date: Wednesday, September 7th at 8pm EST on MSNBC

Rick Perry is suppose to be there. I can't wait to watch him crash and burn. They all look stupid compared to Dr. Paul though. "MORE WAR! MORE TAXES! MORE FEAR MONGERING!!!!!!"

The debate can be watched starting from here:

For those that did not watch I'll summarize.

Bachmann - Started with a lecture on the Constitution - the modern view (elastic and able to be twisted) versus the classical view.

Q: What would you downsize? A: Based on Constitution, most obvious was Obamacare, appointment of Czars, Dept. of Education.

Q: Jobs are an issue, economy is stalled, what would you do? A: Her answer was confusing (for me). Basically earnings made overseas be brought back in to the US with a 0% rate because 1.3 trillion USD is staying overseas to avoid a repatriation fee and then change the corporate tax rate to 20% or lower and put a moratorium on Obamacare.

Q: What is your position on unionization of government workers and a right work law? A: She supports a national right to work law.

Q: Are we still the shining city on the hill? A: Yes and she elaborated quite well but did not say anything of true substance but the question did not have much in substance either.

Q: What acts of leadership would you use to take us to that next level? A: She would make the case why the Constitution must be observed using Obama as a case (requirement to purchase a product as condition for citizenship and the dictatorial consequence). She says its a moral issue for the government to be spending double what their are taking in.

Q: Choose between taxing consumption and production. A: Consumption.

Q: List for us the pillars of American exceptionalism. A: She says they are contained in the Declaration of Independence.

Q: Are they also included in the Bill of Rights? A: Yes, the core is reflected in the Bill of Rights.

Q: Free enterprise capitalism? A: Yes

Q: Rule of Law? A: Yes

Q: America's global role in the future? A: It is important that the United States remain the #1 economic and military powerhouse in the world.

Q: Would you put forward legislation to protect human life in all stages? A: Yes, I would put forward an amendment.

Q: Follow-up - shouldn't Congress use its power to act to protect life and not have to rely on an amendment? A: Yes plus some follow-up.

Q: Will your VP share your views on life and marriage? A: Yes.

Q: Should the Federal government subsidize states that discriminate against Catholic and other religious adoption agencies? A: She believes in equal protection under the law.

Q: If a state legislature refuses to make funding available on equal terms, should federal protection come in and protect them? A: Yes, I do because I believe that is a right that is guaranteed.

Q: You argued that a state mandate on Healthcare is unconstitutional? A: Yes, I did say that as a condition of citizenship it is not constitutional.

Q: Do you believe the Constitution forbids states from doing that? A: Yes, I believe its inherent.

Bachmann was eloquent and did well. It seemed highly polished and I was not sold on her true belief. I think the last questions proved she was willing to bend the Constitution to void laws in the states that she did not like. Herman Cain and Newt - I'm skipping them. They have no chance. If someone else wants to summarize then by all means.



Ron Paul starts at 13:11 in the above video.

Paul started talking about the Constitution - that its whole purpose was to limit what the government could DO to the people and not the other way around. That the General Welfare and the Interstate Commerce clauses have been grossly abused.



Q: The federal government has a lot of control over all of the institutions, what would you downsize? A: Difficult question, because its a long list. Give me a list of what we should keep. We need sound money and enforcement of contracts, and defense. We weren't supposed to have a 100,000 bureaucrats that carry guns. People were supposed to carry guns, not them! With the economy in shambles we're in much bigger trouble than people realize.

Q: You and I worked on an audit of the Federal Reserve, what is the solution? A: The President has a limit as to what he can do. It can be constrained or eliminated by the Congress. People need to understand the business and money cycle. I don't say close it down in one day. Why can't we have competing currency using Gold. Today you can go to prison for that and the counterfeiters are over there printing money. We found out the Federal Reserve was passing out $15,000,000,000,000 with one-third going overseas. Jefferson and Jackson got rid of it, and when the people can vote on it they always choose sound money.

Q: What would be your jobs plan? A: We have to do a lot, we have to repatriate our capital, our USD go out and buy goods and services and our jobs go with it. I want to get rid of the capital gains and income taxes and shrink the size of government. Its not easy because half the people like receiving your money. We have to change our foreign policy.

Q: Give us your perspective of your foreign policy? A: I would take the advice of the founders and George Bush when he started - no nation building. Don't go be the policeman of the world. We should stay out of entangling alliances of NATO and the UN. Look at the mess we're in in Libya. We should defend THIS country but we'd have to bring the troops home. We're paying to defend Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

Q: What conditions would you support in a balanced budget amendment? A: I don't want any chance that they raise taxes for it. We have to cut the concept of big government. Jefferson wanted to do it and they rejected him. The Federal Reserve spent more than Congress so you have to deal with that as well. There isn't enough restriction in what is proposed. GDP is not a good measure of economic growth. I don't like that approach because its deceptive.

Q: 72 means tested welfare programs have been identified, how would you address it? A: Its going to be difficult without changing the attitude. We have a 3rd or 4th generation that has been taught that entitlements are a right. Liberty and rights have nothing to do with entitlements. Entitlements mean you can take other peoples money and the government is there to redistribute it. When we think of entitlements we think about food stamps, the big entitlements go to corporations. The whole idea has to be challenged. Any program you can chisel away at it you need to do it. The inflation tax is coming next summer and its going to get worse.

Q: 47% of households don't pay income tax. If you fix the Federal Reserve is that a problem? A: When you say 47% I think we're half way there. If Congress runs up debts everyone knows that the Federal Reserve is the lender of last resort.

Q: What does the globe look like as you pull back the troops, is there anywhere you would leave troops overseas. A: No, I would bring them all home.

Q: Would you project power anywhere else in the world with the Navy or Airforce? A: No, you want to be able to defend our country. In 2003 there were 3 suicide attacks per year and by 2007 there were 700 per year. There was a miscalculation. We never asked what the motivation was for 9/11 and as a result the attacks will continue to grow and grow and we'll be more vulnerable and besides we are bankrupt. I believe we'd have a stronger national defense.

Q: After the Civil War the Constitution was amended 3 times, and the 5th section of the 14th amendment gave the government the power to enforce equal protection, would you propose legislation to protect life or would you wait for a Constitutional Amendment to overrule Roe vs Wade? A: I wouldn't wait for an amendment, but I would remove the jurisdiction from the Federal Courts so that the states could immediately do what they want.

Ron Paul

A: When you imply the 14th amendment overrides the 9th and 10th, I don't read it that way. The 14th has been used to increase the size of the government.

Q: It says "no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law or deny to any person the equal protection of the law". A: If that were the case then no states would be involved in cases of murder, robbery, so you cannot pick out just one.

Q: If the state withdraws it protection from a race or group of people then couldn't it be used for the unborn? A: I can understand your argument but I think it rejects the notion that the states were part of this Republic that we created and then through gradualism the Federal government will take on more and more responsibilities that should be left to the states. I think you are asking for more policemen at the Federal level and all you needed to do was return the jurisdiction back to the states. You could have done it with a majority vote with the President signing it.

Q: Poverty is a reality, and past efforts have not been effective, does that mean there is no role in the national government fighting it? A: It should be a state issue. There is an environment that the national government has created : unsound money, over-regulation, taxes which can destroy jobs. At the national level you end up giving food stamps to the wealthy.

Time up. Ron looked uncomfortable but actually spoke of substance and understand how the shadow government creates many of the problems that no one ever talks about.

Romney - starts at 6:04 in the same video:

Romney looks comfortable by contrast and starts by giving a history lesson focusing on states having the rights to solve problems and compete against each other but that now its Washington (the sovereign) knowing better than the states (the people) and that we need to reign back government and encouraging the states and private enterprise. The words were right but I have no idea who wrote it or put them in his mouth.

Q: Would you repeal Dodd-Frank? A: He said yes, that the regulation of the mortgage industry was out of date. It was appropriate for a 10-20 page bill but not a 3000 page bill. It created such uncertainty that instead of creating loans that they pulled back. Dodd and Frank were more responsible than any two other people for the housing collapse.

Q: Would you incrementally privatize Fannie and Freddie? A: Yes, how it got to what it is I don't know. He talked about liar loans which ended up being more than 50% of the mortgages created.

Q: Would you repeal the Community Reinvestment Act? A: Yes absolutely, it was a disaster. When you make loans to people that don't qualify you are adding risk. Maybe you can do that for 1% of the population but not 50% because the whole enterprise could fall.

Q: Would you repeal Sarbanes-Oxley? A: Its one of the worst examples of what has happened to the middle market of America. Sarbanes made those businesses difficult to get the capital they needed to grow and it starves them out. Big companies can live with it because they have reams of lawyers and they are doing just fine but the middle market is burdened by it. Regulation is necessary but it has to be updated and modern and it has to find the few bad guys and encourage the good guys.

Q: How would you make a tough decision? A: I'm highly analytical, I write it all down and I talk to my wife and I make the decision.

Q: The question above about Section 5 of the 14th amendment and how to overturn Roe v Wade? A: I would appoint justices to the Supreme Court that would not legislate from the bench. Then I would like to see the Supreme Court return the power to the states. Is there a path to have Congress step forward and return the power to the states? That would create a Constitutional crisis that I would not precipitate. We must be a nation of laws but I'm looking to create a crisis.

Q: Will your VP share your convictions? A: I would imagine so. I would expect they'd all be pro-life or pro-traditional marriage.

Q: The question above about states not funding religious adoptions with Federal money? A: I believe we shouldn't force people of faith to do things against their faith. We have to allow people to practice their faith.

Q: Where are you on unions and right to work states? A: If a right to work piece of legislation reached my desk then I would sign it. The 22 right to work states have created 3 million jobs and the union states have lost jobs. When the government has people in unions and the unions collect monies and then have the right to give that to political candidates then it presents a problem, its almost a form of corruption. The power of unions in influencing elections is a real problem and I would address it with legislation saying that funds taken from union members cannot be used to go to political candidates that they did not choose themselves.

Romney Continued:

Q: What would you change about our foreign policy? A: Alot, first I'd have one (to applause). You shouldn't be reactive. Fortunately Obama got Bin Laden and did the troop surge in Afghanistan. 1. Everything we do needs to make America stronger. 2. It must promote our values. 3. It must link arms with our allies.

Q: Obama will say you implemented Obamacare in Mass. How would you compare them? A: It'll be my best asset. I'll tell him to give me credit for what he tried to copy. We didn't raise taxes, we didn't cut Medicare. He did both. If he'd given me a call I would told him what to do. It was unconstitutional, it was bad law, and on day one I'll give every state a waiver for it.