BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Live Blog: The Republican Presidential Debates (November 10)

Following
This article is more than 8 years old.

Tonight, Republican presidential candidates will have another opportunity to make their case to the American people in the party's fourth debate. The debate will take place at the Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

At 7 p.m., the so-called "undercard" candidates took the stage to debate. Those candidates, Gov. Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Gov. Bobby Jindal, are those who are trending at the low end of the polls.

At 9 p.m., those candidates polling higher will take the main stage. Those candidates are Donald J. Trump, Ben Carson, Senator Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Senator Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Gov. John R. Kasich and Senator Rand Paul.

The debate will be hosted by the Fox Business Network and The Wall Street Journal and will be aired on the Fox Business Network. The moderators will be Neil Cavuto, Maria Bartiromo, and Gerard Baker (Editor-In-Chief, WSJ).

As we get started, here are a few things to watch for:

  • How will Carson address media reports about alleged inaccuracies in his personal story?
  • After the last debate, Rubio's star is on the rise. Can he continue to gain momentum?
  • Can Trump make voters believe he can be presidential?
  • Will tonight be Bush's break out night? He's been criticized as being too staid and dispassionate in earlier performances. Will tonight - without Christie around - be the night he shows more personality?
  • Will anyone remember that Cruz, Kasich and Paul are in attendance? Despite early praise for Kasich, this trio of candidates appeared quiet for much of the last debate.
  • Which Fiorina will show up? After impressing many voters at the first debate with her candor, Fiorina's last performance felt practiced and scattered.
  • Will 90 seconds prove to be too much for some of the candidates? Sound bites have been popular in prior debates but 90 seconds will demand more scrutiny.
  • How many times will candidates be asked about or invoke voluntarily the name of Hillary Clinton?
  • Will every candidate suggest doing away with Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?

(Who won the debate? Check back at the end of the debate to vote in our poll.)

As before, I'll live blog the debate, latest news first. I know it can be hard to read after the fact but it’s easier for those following along contemporaneously (if you're playing catch up, you can start at the bottom).

11:18 p.m. We're done. What did you think? Here's what Twitter thought.

11:16 p.m. Trump reminds us that he's self-funding the campaign. He also invokes Clinton, says we can't let Hillary win the election. He also says we can make the country "better than ever."

11:15 p.m. Math! Admit it: you've been waiting for more math from Carson. He cites stats about drug related deaths and abortions and says that we can be a great country.

11:15 p.m. Rubio says this election is about expanding the American dream. He says that he is ready to move the country forward in the 21st century.

11:13 p.m. Cruz reminds us of his father's flight from Cuba (no, we haven't forgotten). Says we are in crisis. He does a throwback to Reagan, says the 2016 election should be like the 1980 election.

11:13 p.m. Bush says we don't need an "Agitator in Chief" but a Commander In Chief. Says that it is what he would be.

11:12 p.m. Fiorina also starts off by naming Hillary (spends a lot of her time bashing Hillary). Says she will take the government back as President.

11:11 p.m. Kasich immediately names Hillary, says if she wins the election, it would be a shame. Says our greatest days are ahead, we must win the election.

11:10 p.m. Paul offers closing statement. Asks whether you can be a fiscal conservative if you promote spending? Says he's the only true fiscal conservative on stage.

CLOSING STATEMENTS UP NEXT.

11:06 p.m. Bush interjects to say that an economy which grows from the energy sector would provide the funds to protect the environment.

11:04 p.m. Paul is asked about climate change. Specifically, he's asked about whether you can balance the environment with the economy. Paul says you can. He says we can have an "all of the above" policy which would include solar and wind alongside coal.

11:02 p.m. Trump is asked about the provision in his tax plan for repatriating offshore funds. He answers by saying that we need to talk about conversions. He says that we should bring offshore money back by lowering the corporate tax rate to 10% and "let's make America great again.

11:01 p.m. Cruz tacks on that everything that Hillary has touched has ended badly. He says she embodies crony capitalism.

10:59 p.m. An entire Hillary question! Rubio is up first. He's asked why voters should not support her when she has more experience than most of the GOP candidates. Rubio calls it a good question. He says the election is about the future, not about the past. He says the election should be about turning the page. (It's a really nicely presented answer.)

DURING THE BREAK:

The WSJ has an overview of the candidates' tax plans here.

10:53 p.m. Fiorina tries to return the debate to Dodd-Frank. She says that it's an example of how socialism starts. Big gets bigger, so we create more government. "We must take our government back," she says.

For more on Dodd-Frank:

10:52 p.m. Kasich says he disagrees with Cruz on bank bailouts and depositors. He says you can't have "on the job training" as President. An argument ensues between Cruz and Kasich over the treatment of deposits and banks: Kasich says you can't turn a blind eye.

10:47 p.m. Cruz says he would not bail out the banks. Now he's talking about Loving v. Commissioner and the "dead horse" statute...

For more on Loving v. Commissioner, see:

10:46 p.m. Kasich says that Wall Street needs an ethics lesson "on a regular basis."

10:45 p.m. Rubio adds that he agrees that the banks are an issue and says we should repeal Dodd-Frank.

10:42 p.m. Carson is also asked about the banking crisis and regulations. He says that regulations are creating an "abnormal situation." He says that regulations cost money for individuals, including the poor and middle class who feel it more. He says that Sanders (first mention of the night) and Clinton are adding to the problem. He does not favor breaking banks apart but believes that we could fix the problems that lead to the crisis.

10:40 p.m. Bush is asked about whether he would support another bank bailout if we have an economic crisis. He says that we shouldn't have another economic crisis. He says having assets concentrated in big banks is not good policy.

10:33 p.m. Kasich is asked about cyber attacks and the Chinese. He says we need to make it clear that we will destroy the mechanism for cyber attacks. He says he will lead on international issues.

10:32 p.m. Rubio calls Putin a "gangster" and likens him to an organized crime figure who controls a large economy and seeks geo-political power. Says it would be a mistake to allow him to get bigger.

For more about a no fly zone in Syria, see this article from NY Times:

10:30 p.m. Paul says he would not arm our enemies, or ISIS. He also disagrees with the no fly zone because, he notes, Russia has already been granted license to fly in Syria. He says if we tell them no, we would have to shoot them down and that would result in a war.

10:28 p.m. Paul is asked about including Iranians in talks on Syria. Asks to respond first about Putin. Says that the ideas being expressed now are similar to those held by Hillary. Paul is interrupted by Fiorina. Trump asks why she keeps interrupting...

10:26 p.m. Fiorina interjects to say that she would not negotiate with Putin if not in a position of strength. Like Trump, she says, she has met Putin "not in a green room for a show but in a private meeting." She agrees with Bush that we should have a no-fly zone in Syria. Fiorina says that we need to show leadership and resolve.

10:25 p.m. Trump says "Assad is a bad guy" but that we don't know enough about the rebels.

10:24 p.m. Bush says Trump is wrong on this. He says that if we leave, we leave holes. He says we have to lead.

10:22 p.m. Trump is asked about Russia and his relationship with Putin. He says we don't talk about North Korea and their nuclear weapons. He also says that China is a problem. He says the Iran deal is "the worst." He says that it's a good idea for Putin to be in Syria. He says that we can't continue to be the policemen of the world. He says we should start investing money in our country.

10:20 p.m. Bush is asked what the biggest threat is that we are facing today. He said Islamic terrorism. He says we need to create safe zones in Syria rather than accommodate refugees. He calls it "tragic" that the Middle East is now talking to Russia, saying Russia had no power before. Invokes Hillary's name again.

10:18 p.m. Switching to security. Carson is up first. He is asked about not putting troops on the ground in Afghanistan. He is asked if he supports President Obama's plan to put more troops in nations where terrorism is increasing. Carson thinks the best option is to destroy the enemy before they destroy us.

DURING THE BREAK: 

Curious about the trade deal? Here's commentary from the WSJ:

10:12 p.m. Paul interjects to say we should point out that China isn't part of the deal. Chuckles all around. He says, in fact, that China would prefer we not sign the trade deal because it allows us to deal with their competition. He says that we should negotiate on strength.

10:09 p.m. Trump is asked why he would reverse 50 years of U.S. trade policy. He says it was designed for China to come in "as they always do" and take advantage of everyone. He says we need to make individual plans with each country rather than have a consolidated trade plan. His conclusion: "I'm a free trader, 100%, but we need smart people making the deals." When asked again about the plan, he says that China ("the #1 abuser of this country") and India and other countries are given an advantage under the new tax deal.

10:08 p.m. Trump says we need a bigger, better, stronger military. He says that while each of the candidates has a different tax plan, it's all better than what we have now.

10:07 p.m. Fiorina jumps in to say we need to combine zero-based budgeting with tax reform. She says we need to ask how is it possible to get more money and yet never has enough money to do important things? She says we need to go to a three page Tax Code.

10:06 p.m. It's another free for all! Cruz says there's a middle ground. He also says, "If you think defending this country is expensive, try not defending it."

10:04 p.m. Rubio says that it is their money - not welfare - because it's a credit against the income tax and payroll tax. He zings Paul on being isolationist in response to Rubio's plan to increase military spending. He says we can't have an economy if we're not safe. The world is a better and safer place when America is the strongest military power in the world. Paul says that economic debt makes us unsafe. He calls Rubio's plan liberal, not conservative.

10:03 p.m. Paul asks whether it's truly conservative to have a trillion dollar tax credit. Noting that it's refundable, he calls it welfare.

10:01 p.m. Rubio is asked about expansion of child tax credits and whether entitlement will cost more. Says the most important job he will ever have - anyone will ever have - is as a parent. He says that tax reform should be pro family. He says that child care is more expensive than college in some states. Proud of pro-family Tax Code, will strengthen the family.

9:59 p.m. Bush is asked how important tax reform is to his domestic plan. He says it's the priority in his plan. He says that he doesn't believe that 2% is the new normal (invokes Hillary again). He says that we need to jumpstart the economy again. He says that a tax cut puts money back in the pockets of taxpayers. He says it would grow the economy. Invokes Hillary again, says her approach will destroy our economy.

9:55 p.m. Cruz is asked how we can cut taxes as much as he proposes without bankrupting the country. He explains that he has an exemption and then, above that, everyone should pay "a flat, fair tax" of 10%. Corporate rates would be 16%. He's the first to call for abolishing the IRS this evening (no, I can't believe that it took an hour either). He calls for it a second time, would also cut Department of Commerce, HUD and Department of Energy.

For more on fair tax v. flat tax v. our current system, click here.

9:53 p.m. Now asking Paul about taxes. He says that he wants a government that is really, really small. He says his tax plan is the only plan that would balance the budget. He wants to cut 1% in spending across the board. He also wants to eliminate payroll tax - that gives everyone a tax cut. 14.5% tax rate, no payroll tax but keep two deductions (home mortgage and charity).

9:50 p.m. Moving to taxes. Carson up first. He is asking about his "tithing" plan. He wants to clarify that it's not 10% that makes it a tithe but the proportionality (everyone paying the same). He says that the criticisms about removing the deductions are unfounded: people had homes before 1913 (when the Tax Code started) and people gave money to charity and church before 1913. He says that is sympathetic to the poor and that's why he offers a rebate at the end.

DURING THE BREAK:

Taxes are up next. For a comparison of the candidates' tax proposals as prepared by the Tax Foundation, click here. For a downloadable pdf of the plan comparison (also prepared by the Tax Foundation), click here.

9:43 p.m. Fiorina is asked what specific ways she would relieve pressure on small business. She says she would repeal Obamacare, calling it crony capitalism. She says we should try the free market for health care. She also says the government should ensure that health care providers post costs and outcomes (a nod towards transparency). "The secret sauce of America is innovation and entrepreneurship." She says regulations and the Tax Code are crushing small businesses. She says the alternative to Obamacare is to allow states to manage high risk pools (notes her own battle with cancer), again cites free market for health care.

9:40 p.m. Cruz is asked about entitlement reform. He is asked how his plan would be received, noting that previous Social Security reform has been portrayed as "pushing granny off a cliff." He quickly switches back to immigration. He says that every sovereign nation secures its borders, calls it an economic issue. Suggests it would be a different result if the press were losing wages (first real zinger at the press if you don't count Carson's earlier softball).

9:37 p.m. Suddenly switching gears to talk about the change in the economy. Rubio says we are losing the competition between countries because of our corporate tax, regulations, an oppressive health care system and an inefficient higher education system. He sounds much more presidential this go round.

9:36 p.m. Bush finally speaks (after sarcastically thanking Trump for allowing him to speak). He says we need a real plan, one that won't tear apart communities. He also says that the Clinton campaign is giving each other high-fives when candidates don't offer real proposals.

9:35 p.m. It's a free for all! Kasich finally gets the floor. Trump takes it back and sends a zinger to Kasich, noting his wealth, and saying that he doesn't need to hear from Kasich.

9:35 p.m. Trump says Eisenhower did it (shipped back illegal immigrants), and we can do it.

9:33 p.m. Kasich asks to respond. He says we need to control our border (invokes the memory of Ronald Reagan). He says the idea of shipping back 11 million law-abiding people is incredible. He calls the argument "silly" and says we need to have an adult argument about immigration.

9:31 p.m. Trump is asked about the court decision which revokes Obama's Executive Order on immigration. He calls the decision "unbelievable" and "terrific." He says that we are a country of laws, that we need borders and we need a wall. "Ask Israel, the wall works." He does believe that we have "no choice" but to send illegal immigrants back.

9:29 p.m. Carson is asked about the potential inaccuracies in his personal story. He says that he doesn't like being lied about. He also thinks that is being treated differently than the opposition, including Hillary Clinton (reference to Benghazi). He believes in vetting candidates and says that he is an honest person.

DURING THE BREAK:

Bush mentioned that the WSJ had a positive reaction to his tax proposal. There have been a number of articles written about the proposal. Here are a couple:

If you're looking for the candidates' web sites, here they are:

9:23 p.m. Paul is asked about economic inequality. He says we should look to cities, states and (currently) countries run by Democrats. He also thinks the Federal Reserve is to blame by keeping interest rates artificially low. He wants to look at root causes of inequality but reiterates that moving to a city or state with a Republican leader would help.

9:21 p.m. Fiorina is asked how she would grow the economy. She says that she recently met a mother who is going to bed afraid for her children's future. She says there are five things that need to happen to change this. Zero-based budgeting. Three page Tax Code. Top to bottom review of every single regulation on the books. Hold government officials responsible for their business.  (Did I miss one or did she...?)

9:18 p.m. Bush is asked about economic growth: he says that a 4% growth proposal is realistic. On the regulatory side, he would repeal every single regulation that Obama has put in place and start over. He would repeal the rules because the economic impact outweighs the social benefit. He invokes Hillary's name second when talking about Obama's policies, noting that she graded the President's policies with an A, saying: "It may be the best that Hillary Clinton can do but it's not the best that America can do."

9:17 p.m. Bush attempts to speak but Kasich cuts him off, wants to talk about a value-added tax (VAT): he's promised that he can talk about it later.

9:15 p.m. Cruz is asked about economic expansion and tax reform and what he proposes to do to get the economy growing. From 2008 to today, he says economy has grown 1.2% per year on average. There are, he says, three levers to get things moving: tax reform (Cruz says 10% flat tax); regulatory reform (pulling back regulations on small businesses) and sound money.

9:14 p.m. Kasich's time is up. Bartimoro asks again if he has specific steps to accomplish the balance budget. He says yes. He offers a list of proposals (nothing in depth).

9:11 p.m. Switching gears to reductions in spending. Kasich is up first. Bartiromo notes that the tax plans from the various candidates will cost between $2 and $12 trillion over the next decade. She asks how Kasich would harness spending and balance the budget. Kasich says that he has the only plan which would actually balance the budget by the end of the second term (he makes the first direct reference to Hillary).

9:09 p.m. Rubio is asked what he would take away rather than give away (referring to the Democratic debate). He says he wants to answer the first question together with this question because it's related. He says that raising the minimum wage will make people more expensive than machines. He would not raise the minimum wage. He questions why we are not focusing on vocational education, saying, "Welders make more money than philosophers." That's a pretty great quote.

9:07 p.m. On to Carson. He is also asked about the minimum wage, as well. He says that folks need to be educated on the minimum wage. He says that when we raise the minimum wage, the jobless rate also goes up. He says that is particularly true in the black community. And... he cites statistics (yes, I expect more math tonight). He also says that he would not raise the minimum wage.

9:05 p.m. First question focuses on raising the minimum wage to $15. Trump is asked if he's sympathetic to those picketing for higher wages. His answer? He says he cannot be because we have to compete with the rest of the world. He says "taxes too high, wages too high." He says to leave the minimum wage alone.

9:04 p.m. Rules: 90 seconds for answers plus additional time for response. A bell will sound for candidates who go over time.

9:03 p.m. The candidates are being introduced. Just on gut, I'd say that loudest applause appears to be for Rubio, Fiorina and Bush.

9:03 p.m. Tonight's focus will be the economy.

8:57 p.m. Color Guard presents, singing of the national anthem.

8:54 p.m. If you're in attendance at the Milwaukee Theatre, you already know that that "StopHillary" is the official Wi-Fi password at the event:

For a recap of the October 28 debate, click here.

For a recap of the August 6 debate (main), click here. For a recap of the August 6 debate (undercard), click here.