Still having our serious discussion (hahahaha) about the economy with the frontrunning Republican presidential candidates. They would be, in order:
Donald Trump
Ben Carson
Marco Rubio
Carly Fiorina
Jeb Bush
Ted Cruz
Mike Huckabee
John Kasich
Rand Paul
Chris Christie
Unfortunately, unless you have a cable subscription including CNBC, you can't watch live. If you do have that subscription and want to subject yourself to this, here's where to go.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:35 PM PT: Ted Cruz pimping his new tax plan, 10 percent flat tax, 16 percent for corporations. And the moderators try desperately to get away from him. And Fiorina jumps in with crazy eyes and crazy numbers that the fact checkers are going to have a ball with.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:37 PM PT (Kerry Eleveld): Carly: Makes clear she knows how many pages the tax code is. Wow! 73,000 pages. She says we've been talking about reforming forever. We need a real leader who can get it done. Her. Obvi.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:40 PM PT: Rubio asked why he doesn't actually do the job he's in and get it down then run for president. He says that's the establishment line and then he continues on with his opening statement pretending like he's a foreign policy expert. Asked about the Sun Sentinel editorial that said he should resign, he attacks the paper and the crowd goes wild. Jeb! scolds him because, as a constituent who voted for Rubio, he wants a senator. Rubio says that he's just like John McCain and Jeb! is just attacking him because somebody said it would help him.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:44 PM PT: Fiorina asked why she was such a disaster at HP? She says it wasn't her fault. NASDAQ tanked, recession, horrible stuff and then all the excuses for why she tanked at HP and was fired. Then whines about how she had to answer all the questions that a CEO is responsible for. Also, too "Tom Perkins thinks I'd be a great president. I don't agree with Tom Perkins." That was awkward.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:48 PM PT (Kerry Eleveld): Question to Cruz: Are you not a problem solver? Cruz: The questions so far show why people don't trust Washington. How about talking about substantive issues, he says (cuz Cruz is all substance). He basically deflects the entire question by lecturing the moderators on what questions they should be asking. Time expires. The moderators cut him off.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:49 PM PT: Paul asked about why he doesn't support the budget deal when it cuts Social Security Disability and Medicare like he wants it to. He says its still too much spending and by the way, the debt limit should be used as a tool to leverage reform. He's more worried about bankrupting the American people than keeping the government open.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 5:55 PM PT: Christie defends his horrible Social Security/Medicare plans. The old, tired line about how the old people are bankrupting the country and its government's fault so now we have to punish the old people. Also completely misrepresents Democrats' plan to increase payroll taxes—says it will hurt the barely making it landscaper, when it's actually increasing taxes on the wealthy—income over $120Kish. Huckabee talks about how that's BS and you can't beat up on the old people. Wants to keep it. Cruz says lets do privatization, because both Huckabee and Christie are right, so lets give their money to Wall Street.
Wed Oct 28, 2015 at 6:01 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): New thread here.