Thursday, May 5, 2011
  Reactions to the First-in-the-South Republican Party Presidential Debate 		BACK

The Democratic National Committee's Rapid Response unit sent out six fact checks/releases on the debate:

9:44 Tim Pawlenty on Health Care
9:53 Pawlenty on Minnesota Budget Deficit
9:57 Flashback: Pawlenty on Criticism of Romneycare
10:14 Santorum on Immigration
10:33 Paul on the Economy
10:50 Cain on Gas Prices

GARY JOHNSON SHOWS LEADERSHIP AND A STRONG RESUME TO SOLVE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
Former Governor of New Mexico pushes for balanced budget now

May 5, 2011, Greenville, SC – Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson tonight participated in the first Republican Presidential Debate, held in Greenville, South Carolina.  Throughout the debate, Governor Johnson reinforced his reputation and credentials as the most fiscally conservative governor in modern times, including his unmatched record of vetoing 750 bills. Johnson, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, formally announced his candidacy for President of the United States in April from the New Hampshire State House.

Speaking from Greenville, Johnson said, “Tonight was a great opportunity to take on the political status quo that has given us trillion dollar deficits and put millions out of work.  Our objective was to inject some common sense into the conversation among Republicans at a time when business-as-usual simply won’t work.” He continued, “It is clear from the reaction to our campaign so far that our message is resonating. I look forward to continuing to take this message to all Americans, and showing them that I can be as successful running the country as I was running the state of New Mexico.”

During his tenure as governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson eliminated that state’s budget deficit and cut the rate of state government growth in half while reducing the state workforce by over 10% without laying off a single qualified state worker. He earned the nickname “Governor Veto” for vetoing 750 pieces of unnecessary legislation, and used the line-item veto to save millions of dollars.

Santorum Delivers Impressive Performance in First Presidential Debate

Santorum: "It's not just checking the boxes.  It's having the courage to lead."


Greenville, SC - At tonight's first Republican presidential debate, former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) demonstrated a strong understanding and clear command of the vast complex issues facing our country while laying out a passionate vision for moving America forward.

 

"At a time when our country faces some of the most serious challenges in generations, Senator Santorum demonstrated his understanding of issues at every level - from national security, to social issues to our economic challenges.  Senator Santorum also reminded viewers that of all the potential candidates, he is the only one with not just a voting record, but also with the arrows in his back to show he has been out there fighting the tough fights on the many controversial issues that others are unwilling to address.  Senator Santorum summarized it best when he said 'Its not just checking the boxes.  Its having the courage to lead,'" said John Brabender, a senior advisor to Senator Santorum.

 

"From his articulation of our foreign policy challenges to discussing why Obamacare must be repealed and to defending the unborn and the traditional family, Senator Santorum delivered an impressive performance about how we can best move our country forward," Brabender concluded. 


May 6, 2011
What They Are Saying:
Governor Pawlenty Stands Tall at First GOP Debate, Not on the Sidelines

Governor Pawlenty demonstrated that he has the record, the temperament, and the vision to go toe-to-toe with President Obama in the battle of ideas; Governor Pawlenty made clear tonight that he’s ready and able to begin the campaign to defeat President Obama.
 
 
“According to the Democratic National Committee, it looks like Mr. Pawlenty is the only one on the stage.
Halfway through the debate, the D.N.C. had already sent out three long ”fact check" e-mails to reporters about the things Mr. Pawlenty said on Thursday night.”
                                                                                    - Michael Shear, New York Times
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/republicans-debate-in-south-carolina/#more-146349
 
“Pawlenty takes a more aggressive tack, saying it's the government's first responsibility to protect Americans. We need to do everything we can, within our values systems and our legal structures, to protect Americans.”
                                                                                    - Ben Smith, Politico
http://www.politico.com/2012-election/perm/0511/050511_debate_liveblog.html
 
“The first winner is Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota…Keep your eye on Tim Pawlenty. I think he is going to go far. People forget he is an evangelical and will relate well in Iowa. People also forget he is a conservative who won twice statewide in Minnesota, where Al Franken is a Senator.”
                                                                                    - Erick Erikson, Red State
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/05/05/the-first-debate-pawlenty-cain-win/
 
“Pawlenty clearly class of the debate so far -- which he should be.”
                                                                                                                - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix
 
Top Notable and Quotable Tweets:
 
@mikememoli: TPaw probably gets points for most prepared, right down to the website plug in closing remarks
 
@EWErickson: Pawlenty looks extremely Presidential
 
@IanWTanner: @timpawlenty cracking jokes during debate. Someone is cool, calm, and collected. #TopTier
 
@ONeillLaura: Thank you for being pro-life! RT @timpawlenty: "I support stem cell research but it should be adult derived stem cell research
 
@kentrod: @timpawlenty would crush #Obama in a debate #GOPdebate
 
@gregmcrc: @timpawlenty #NLRB vs. Boeing scores big not only in #SC but also nationally with #GOP voters...TPAW hammering big govt #tcot
 
@lukehellier: On the road listening Fox News debate on satellite radio. @timpawlenty is proving himself to be conservative choice for 2012
 
@AmandaCarey1: WIN for @timpawlenty to be first to mention NLRB and Boeing #SCGOPdebate
May 6, 2011
 HERMAN CAIN WINS FIRST 2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

It is often said that "if you hear Herman Cain once, you'll never forget him." Apparently, several million Americans agree.

Last night, Herman appeared at the FOX News/ South Carolina GOP presidential debate, the first of its kind for the 2012 presidential election.

Here's just some of the media coverage about his performance at the debate:

Frank Luntz conducted a focus group immediately following the debate, and he was in awe of their response: “I have never had this kind of reaction until tonight,” Luntz said. “Something very special happened this evening.” Clearly, Herman was the winner.

Additionally, the term "Herman Cain" trended worldwide on Twitter and became the #2 most searched term on Google in the past 24 hours. Clearly, it's true: "if you hear Herman Cain once, you'll never forget him."

While he has not yet made a final decision regarding whether or not he should launch a formal campaign, Herman was encouraged by the response to his performance last night, and he inched closer to make a final decision.