Colorado debate: Highlights from Republicans' third faceoff

Luke Skywalker · Oct 29, 2015

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[h=4]Colorado debate: Highlights from Republicans' third faceoff[/h]BOULDER, Colo. — Ten candidates met*in Boulder, Colo., on Wednesday night for the third Republican debate.

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Here are the best attack moments from Republican presidential candidates who threw jabs at each other and the media during the GOP debate hosted by CNBC. VPC

The stage is prepared for the CNBC Republican presidential debate in Boulder, Colo.(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)

BOULDER, Colo. — Ten candidates met*in Boulder, Colo., on Wednesday night for the third Republican debate.
Sponsored by CNBC, the economy-focused*debate featured Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Rand Paul.
We live blogged all of the action here.*All times are Eastern.
10:22 p.m.: We're done. Some initial thoughts:
• Trump did not attack Carson, the new leader in many polls. In fact at one point, Trump actually praised Carson for helping reduce the debate to two hours.
• Trump and Carson both took hits from other opponents, particularly a notably aggressive John Kasich.
•*Bush attacked Rubio for his missed votes in the Senate; Rubio said Bush did it because his polls numbers are now so slow. Keep an eye on these Florida rivals.
•*A lot of complaints from the candidates — and some booing from the audience — about the tone of the questions from the CNBC debate.
10:20*p.m.: Final statements.
Paul: Government is too big, I will cut it.
Christie: Government spends too much, and I will change its culture
Cruz: I have actually stood up to Washington, including Republicans.
Fiorina: I am a leader who will actually get results in Washington, and I'm "Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare."
Carson: Thanks opponents for being "civil" and says people are "waking up" to the idea that government is too powerful.
Trump: "Our country doesn't win any more." Notes that he got this debate cut to two hours — and had Carson's help — so that "we can get the hell out of here."
Rubio: I have lived the American Dream, but that is now slipping away for millions of Americans; we can expand it.
Bush: I have a conservative record in Florida, and can change Washington in a way that can bring people together.
Huckabee: This isn't a game, but all Republicans want to fight for America and get "this country back on track."
Kasich: People can still change the world; we need to rebuild families and the nation from the bottom up; "and the bottom up is us."
10:08 p.m.: Carson also says Medicare needs to be changed. Christie says Republicans have better ideas on*entitlements, while Democrats only want to offer "free" things that will wind up costing taxpayers.
Rubio says Republicans are talking about reform of entitlements, but Democrats will no doubt "demagogue" the proposals.

Donald Trump pauses during the CNBC Republican presidential debate.*(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)

10:05 p.m.: Trump says he will create "dynamic economy" by bringing back jobs from overseas. Bush says there will have to be adjustments to Social Security and Medicare. Kasich says Medicaid reforms can be applied to Medicare. Paul says "you can't do nothing" about rising entitlement cuts.
10:03 p.m.: Huckabee says better health practices are the key to helping Medicare.
9:58 p.m.: Paul says Medicare and Social Security are going broke*and need fixes that include increasing the eligibility ages.
9:55 p.m.: Bush says these new fantasy sports markets should be looked at for anti-gambling regulation, drawing a rebuke from Christie who also knocks the question as a whole.
The U.S. faces all these economic and national security challenges, "and*we're talking about fantasy football?" Christie says. "Who cares?"
Bush, by the way, says his own fantasy football team is 7-0.
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9:53 p.m.: By the way: Aides are already in the spin room, talking about how well their candidate did.
9:51 p.m. Fiorina*again objects to government involvement in private business; says it only makes things worse. "The federal government should not be involved in a lot of things," she says.
9:48 p.m.: The crowd boos when a moderator asks Huckabee whether Trump has "the moral authority" to be president.
Huckabee says he won't discuss it because he doesn't want to give Trump more time in the debate; he does call Trump a "good man" who would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump's response: "Such a nasty question."
9:45 p.m.:*A moderator documents how Trump once expressed opposition to special visas for skilled workers. Trump responds: "I'm in favor of people coming into this country legally."
Trump is also asked about gun control; says he wouldn't mind employees carrying guns to work, as long as it's legal. The businessman also attacks the idea of "gun-free zones," calling them "target practice for the sickos."
9:38 p.m.: We're in Colorado, so naturally there's a question of marijuana legalization. Kasich says he opposes it because it is wrong to send "mixed signals to kids about drugs."
9:36 p.m.:*Paul interjects into Rubio's discussion of his tax plan; Paul also protests the time distribution of the debate.
Then Cruz jumps in; lots of*arguments with moderators tonight on equal time.
9:34*p.m.: Bush talks up his tax-cut plan, saying it will benefit the middle class; Democrats say it will benefit the wealthy.
9:32 p.m.: Huckabee says he's not "anti-Wall Street," but it also doesn't need so much government help.
9:30 p.m.: Carson calls for ending all government subsidies, saying government efforts to pick winners and losers are "a bunch of crap." Would this include subsidies that benefit the middle class?
9:29 p.m.*Cruz and Paul both call for reform of the Federal Reserve, saying they have contributed to many economic problems.

Marco Rubio walks onstage at Wednesday's Republican debate.*(Photo: Andrew Burton, Getty Images)

9:26 p.m.: Rubio again launches a broadside against the media, protesting coverage of Hillary Clinton's Benghazi hearing last week. "She has her super PAC helping her — the American mainstream media," Rubio says, drawing cheers from the crowd.
9:24 p.m.: Trump disputes a question about an alleged comment he made regarding immigration. When the moderator asked where she got the information, Trump responded:**"I don't know,*you people write this stuff."
Trump also notes he is self-funding his campaign.
9:22 p.m.: Rubio advocates more vocational training to close the technology gap.
9:17 p.m.:*Carson says attacks on him are due to "myths" and "propaganda."
While he opposes gay marriage, Carson says he is not "homophobic" and "I believe our Constitution protects everybody." He says people who are trying to divide America are the real problem.
When the moderator persists in this line of questioning, the crowd boos. "See," Carson says. "They know."
9:12 p.m.:*Kasich maintains his opposition to the Export-Import Bank, calling it welfare to the rich. And he renews his attacks on Washington spending.
9:10*p.m.: Rubio is again called on to defend his youth and relative lack of experience, and says he is prepared to oversee a $17 trillion economy that is short-changing too many people right now. Says his middle-class background gives him a feel for how average Americans to try and get by.

Carly Fiorina speaks during the CNBC Republican presidential debate.*(Photo: Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images)

9:07 p.m.: Fiorina attacks "crony capitalism," and adds that "this is how socialism starts." The problem: overactive government.
9:05 p.m.: Bush also attacks the new budget deal; says the government shouldn't consider tax hikes until Congress gets serious about real budget cuts.
9:03 p.m.*Christie, a former prosecutor, says some Wall Street miscreants should go to prison; says President Obama's Justice Department has engaged in politics in making prosecution decisions.
9:01 p.m.:*Carson says some drug companies have gone overboard on pricing, but government regulation is not the answer — indeed, it contributes to higher prices.
9:00 p.m.: Trump says he's not the only businessman who's used the bankruptcy laws for an advantage*and that most of his enterprises have "thrived."
8:55 p.m.:*Cruz and a moderator try to make up after Cruz's anti-media rant earlier; only moderate success, we would say.
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8:53 p.m.: Christie and Huckabee mix it up over taxes and entitlement spending. Christie says taxes aren't the people's money -- "it got stolen from them." Huckabee says Social Security needs to be protected.
8:52 p.m.: Huckabee finally gets a chance, arguing that taxes are the people's money, and the government is spending too much of it. He also complains about equal time.
8:50 p.m.: As he did earlier in the debate, Christie draws a contrast with a Democratic candidate: Hillary Clinton. Christie says he will address runaway entitlement spending, and Clinton will run up the government debt.
8:48 p.m.:*Paul attacks the new budget deal, and says he will seek to filibuster it. Says the government is "spending us into oblivion."
8:45 p.m.: Cruz is asked about the new budget deal — but he launches into an attack on the media in general and the moderators in particular for their attacking questions. "This is not a cage match," Cruz says, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
8:42 p.m.:*Fiorina is again called on to defend her tenure at Hewlett-Packard, which fired her as CEO. She says board room politics undermined her. She notes that one critical board member has endorsed her presidential bid — though a moderator points out that the backer also believes rich people should have more voting power.
Says Fiorina:*"I will run on my record all day along."
8:41 p.m.:*Bush is asked about his struggling campaign; he says he's going to keep on campaigning, including efforts to rebuild the economy.
8:39*p.m.:*Bush and Rubio — rivals from the same state, Florida — get into a spat over Rubio's Senate record.
Rubio starts by saying*he doesn't mind being a young man in a hurry. "Why wait," the first term senator says. "This country is running out of time." Says the nation needs a new generation of leaders. Rubio disputes a newspaper editorial calling for his resignation from the Senate because of absenteeism — and attacks*the "liberal media," drawing applause from the GOP crowd.
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Bush, meanwhile, attacks Rubio for missing Senate votes.*"What is it,*like a French*workweek?" Bush said.
Rubio says Bush is attacking him because his campaign is struggling.
8:36*p.m.: Fiorina pitches tax reform, saying she can cut 70,000 pages of rules to three — the panel is skeptical.
8:35 p.m.: Cruz jumps into the Kasich-Trump-Carson feud to promote his flat tax plan. He doesn't attack — he wants to inherit Trump and Carson support.
8:30 p.m.: Kasich is very much on the offensive against "crazy" ideas of Trump and Carson, though he doesn't specifically name them.
Trump fires back, saying Kasich got "lucky" because of fracking helped his state— oh, and by the way, he worked on Wall Street. Trump says Kasich is attacking because "his poll numbers tanked, that's why he's on the end" of the stage. "You can have him," Trump says.
Carson doesn't counter-attack Kasich, but only defends his flat tax plan.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during the CNBC Republican presidential debate on Oct. 28, 2015, in Boulder, Colo.*(Photo: Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images)

8:28 p.m.: Carson says his flat tax plan will be closer to 15% — he had suggested 10% based on tithing. Carson disputes moderator's suggestion that he can't cut government enough to make the plan work, drawing an angry rebuke from Kasich.
"This is the fantasy I talked about it in the beginning," Kasich sayd.
8:25 p.m.: Trump angrily rejects the suggestion that his is a "comic book version of a presidential campaign." Stresses that CNBC's Larry Kudlow likes his economic plan.
8:17*p.m.: Finally, the first question to the candidates: What's your biggest weakness?
Kasich ignores the question, launching into an attack on Carson and Trump for their unrealistic plans. Huckabee says his weakness is "I try to live by the rules;" Washington doesn't. Bush says he's impatient and can't "fake anger" like other candidates (Trump, for example?) Rubio says he's optimistic, though that isn't really a weakness.
Trump says his weakness he is "too trusting" of people and doesn't forgive people who let him down. Carson says he doesn't necessarily see himself as president, but his supporters do. Fiorina says she may not smile enough, but talks more about economic problems.
Cruz says his weakness is he's a fighter, and that can be a good thing. Christie doesn't see a lot of weakness on the stage,*it's the Democratic candidates who are weak. Paul ignores the weakness question, talks about the federal debt.
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8:14*p.m.:*The CNBC debate telecast (finally)*starts. One question for tonight: Will — or how*will — Donald Trump go after Ben Carson, who now leads him in several Republican polls?
8:10 p.m.: A very odd delay to the start.
8:05*p.m.: Still waiting for the start.
7:50 p.m.:*Good evening ... More debate fun on the way!

Republican Presidential candidates John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and Rand Paul take the stage before the start of the CNBC Republican presidential debate.* Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

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Colorado debate: Highlights from Republicans' third faceoff

Luke Skywalker

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