By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Thursday, January 14, the Fox Business Channel held the latest Republican Presidential Candidate Debate. The Greater Birmingham Young Republicans, the Alabama Minority GOP, and Alabama Constitutional Conservatives held a debate watch party at Sidebar in Birmingham.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz said, that this week we saw ten American Marines on their knees with their hands over their heads being held by the Iranians. It was heartbreaking. In a Cruz presidency no service man or service woman will be on their knees and if somebody captures American soldiers or sailors they will feel the full force of the American military.
Cruz said that millionaires and billionaires are doing great; but for the rest of the country it is the lowest percentage of the population working since 1977.
Ohio Governor John Kasich said, “We have to have fiscal discipline to show that we can march to a balanced budget.” Taxes are too high and regulations are smothering people. A Kasich presidency will give confidence to job creators.
New Jersey Governor Christie said that Tuesday I watched story time with Barack Obama. You can not vote for Hillary Clinton and give Barack Obama a third term.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said that Barack Obama is missing the whole point that American leadership is necessary for peace in the world.
Gov. Bush warned that US Military force levels are going to a level that we can’t even project strength. We will rebuild the military.
Bush said that Hillary Clinton would be a national security mess. “Her first 100 days she might be going back and forth between the White House and the Court House.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that under Obama we have betrayed our allies. We gut our military. On the war with ISIS, “This is a war either they win or we win.”
Rubio promised to kill terrorists and if we capture any they will get a one way ticket to Guantanamo Bay Cuba and we will find out everything he knows.
Dr. Ben Carson warned that the terrorists could his us with a electromagnetic pulse weapon, a cyber attack, and a dirty bomb.
New York City Billionaire and reality TV star Donald Trump warned that Syrian refugees could be the great Trojan horse. Trump said that there aren’t a lot of women and children in the refugees. Instead they are, “Strong powerful men. What’s going on?
Trump said, “We owe $19 trillion. Our country is a mess and we can’t let all these people in.”
Sen. Cruz blasted, “That hit piece from the ‘New York Times.’” Cruz said that when he ran for Senate he and his wife did not have a lot of money and that his opponent was a multi-millionaire who wrote a $25 million check to start his campaign. Cruz and his wife borrowed a $million, which they reported to the Senate but failed to report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). “If that is the best they can do they need to go back to the well.”
Referring to his birth in Calgary, Canada Cruz said that the child of an American citizen is a natural born citizen and eligible to run for President and used John McCain who was born in the Panama Canal Zone as an example.
Cruz said that we need to focus on who is best prepared to be commander in chief.
Cruz said that as solicitor general for the state of Texas he argued cases before the US Supreme Court so, “I am not taking legal advice from Donald Trump.”
In response to criticism raised by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) on Tuesday, Trump said, “I will gladly accept the mantle of anger.” “She is right. Yes I am angry, because our country is a mess.” But as President I am going to fix that.
Sen. Rubio said the Pres. Obama is more interested in funding Planned Parenthood than funding our military.
Rubio warned that if we get this election wrong there may be no turning back.
Rubio said, “None of the people on this stage are under investigation,” referring to the ongoing investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified material while Secretary of State.
When Rubio and Cruz were debating a point when Gov. Christie said, “That is the difference between being a Senator and being a Governor.” In the Senate you get to talk and talk and talk and are never held accountable for what you say.
Jeb Bush said, “Everybody on this stage is better than Hillary Clinton.”
Kasich said, “I know Bernie Sanders he is not going to be President of the United States.”
Kasich said, “People are very concerned about their economic future. My dad used to tell me we don’t hate the rich we just want to be the rich.”
Gov. Kasich said that turning the country hard is, “Not that hard. Just know where you want to go and stick to your guns.”
Dr. Carson said, Here is the real issue. Is this America? Do we still have standards? Where did we get all these wars? We have race wars? Gender wars? Religious wars? Age wars? It did nid not come from our Judeo Christian roots I am telling you. There is such a things as right and wrong.
Donald Trump said, “What Jeb said is absolutely correct we have a huge mental health problem in this country.”
Jeb said I had an A+ rating from the NRA and gun violence went down in the state of Florida while I was Governor. In Florida, if you committed a gun crime you went to prison.
Rubio said “We are at war with ISIS. They attacked us in Philadelphia last week and they attacked us in San Bernardino.”
Cruz speaking of Trump warned that not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan
Trump said, “That was a very insulting statement that Ted made.” Trump recounted the NY City 9-11 experience where we were literally breathing death in and out of our noses following the World Trade Center Attack. Trump said that a number of conservatives have come out of New York most notably William F. Buckley.
Bush warned that the US Navy is half what it was at Desert Storm. He said that he supported moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Kasich said that fracking and new technology has given the U.S. energy independence and that gives the United States flexibility.
He said that Saudis have to deal with the radical clerics teaching in madrassas; but that at the end of the day they must be part of our coalition to destroy ISIS
Carson said that Isis is a very serious problem and we need to recognize that the Caliphate gives them legitimacy. We need to talk to our military leaders and ask them what they need to take that away from them.
Trump refused to take back his suggestion that Muslim immigration to the United States be temporarily halted while we try to understand what is happening with terrorism and cited the recent attacks in Indonesia, Turkey, and San Bernardino while attacking political correctness.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and former tech CEO Carly Fiorina were moved off of the main debate stage at Thursday’s Republican primary debate by the Fox Business Network. Paul refused to participate in the undercard debate with Fiorina, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
Alabama Auditor Jim Zeigler, Jefferson County Republican Party Chair Sallie Bryant, Young Republican Federation of Alabama Chair Jackie Curtiss and state Representatives Danny Garret, Tim Wadsworth, and Jim Carnes all attended the event which was hosted by: GBYR Vice Chair Haley Lucido, Alabama Minority GOP Chairman Phillip Brown, and constitutional conservatives leaders Deanna Frankowski and Cindy Monaghan-Holcomb among others. Pizza and cookies were served in abundance.
Rep. Wadsworth said afterwards, “Watching the Republican debate tonight. National Security, immigration and border security are the most important issues on the Federal level. Over the last weeks, there have been numerous individual attacks by ISIS supporters against Americans. This week Senator Shelby at the Rotary Club in Gardendale started talking about National security, immigration and border security. Our Federal leaders must set aside differences and solve our current National Security problems.”
Rep. Wadsworth has endorsed Donald Trump.
A television crew for Swedish TV was taping interviews of Alabamians at the event.
