By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Thursday, March 10, the Alabama Constitutional Conservatives held another presidential debate watching party. The Republican candidates for President of the United States gathered for yet another debate, this time in Miami on CNN.
Ohio Governor John Kasich said, “I am for immigration without immigration I would be running for President of Croatia.” Kasich said that he has built a strong economy in Ohio and created 400,000 jobs.
Billionaire businessman, developer and reality television star Donald Trump said that we are leading with people who do not know what they are doing.
US Senator Ted Cruz said that if he is elected, “We are going to build a wall,” on the border with Mexico and he will triple the border patrol.
US Senator Marco Rubio (R from Florida) said that our current immigration system is broken. People get a green card based on their family connections. “We need to move to a merit based system on immigration,” where people with assets or in demand skills get preference.
Donald Trump said that he opposes Common Core and wants local education. Dr. Ben Carson is endorsing me tomorrow and we spoke an hour about education. Trump said that under Common Core in many cases they are more interested in teaching children to take a test.
Gov. John Kasich defended Common Core. “We want high standards.”
Ted Cruz said that Common core ends the day that he is inaugurated. Barack Obama has done a lot to advance and grow federal power. The good part about that is everything done with executive power can be undone with executive power. Cruz support expanding school choice.
Marco Rubio warned that soon 80 percent of federal spending would be “mandatory spending”: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and interest on the debt. Rubio said that he wanted to gradually raise the retirement age.
Trump said that he would get rid of waste, fraud and abuse; but would increase the retirement age.
Trump said that we are the policemen of the world. A maniac from North Korea does something and we send our ships. We are getting virtually nothing for defending the South Koreans. We owe $19 trillion. We can’t afford it anymore.
Cruz said that Social Security is careening towards insolvency. He said that he had a plan to eliminate 25 federal programs and save $500 billion.
Cruz said that people are losing their jobs because of Obamacare
Trump said that Ted was in favor of amnesty and that Senator Jeff Sessions, an incredible man, had endorsed me (Trump).
Kasich said that Ohio was $8 billion in the hole when he became Governor, “Now we are $2 billion in the black.”
Trump said that he has made the Republican Party more inclusive and that all the new primary participants he has brought to the Party is the biggest story of this election.
Trump said that something is happening in this country. I think we have had horrible negotiators horrible trade deals. Our jobs are gone. The bad trade deals are absolutely killing this country. People’s average pay has gone down over the last 12 years.
Cruz said, “Donald is right about the problems on international trade; but his solutions are wrong.” His 45 percent tariff would be a disaster.
Trump said, “I have many manufacturer friends. They can’t get in to China.”
Rubio said, “Presidents can’t say whatever they want.”
Trump said, “I don’t want to be so politically correct.” There is tremendous hate of us in the Muslim world. Women are treated horribly and other things that are happening that are very very bad.
Rubio said, “We are going to have to work with Muslims that are not radical.” We are going to have to work with people in the Muslim faith to defeat ISIS.
Kasich said that “If we are going to defeat ISIS we are going to have to have Muslim countries.” We have to bring the world together.
Trump said that there are large mosques all over the Middle East where they are chanting death to America.
Trump said that we outlaw waterboarding and they put 20 guys in a cage and drown them. We have to be able to fight on a somewhat equal footing. We need to expand our laws or we are suckers and they are laughing at us
Trump said, “Barack Obama is gutting our armed forces.”
Rubio said, “There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinian authority,” and blasted Trump’s policy of welcoming negotiation with the Palestinians.
