This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/28/republican-debate-cnbc-media-economic-policy

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Republican debate: candidates attack media amid tough economy questions Republican debate: candidates attack media amid tough economy questions
(35 minutes later)
Republican presidential candidates turned fire on the media on Wednesday as their economic policies were put under the spotlight in a tetchy but wide-open presidential debate in Colorado. Republican presidential candidates turned fire on the media on Wednesday as their economic policies were put under the spotlight in an acrimonious but revealing presidential debate in Colorado.
Related: Trump and co spar on gay rights, equal pay, marijuana ... plus Bush's warm kissRelated: Trump and co spar on gay rights, equal pay, marijuana ... plus Bush's warm kiss
Tough questioning from CNBC moderators, who pressed the candidates over the viability of their economic policies, prompted Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Ben Carson and others to unite against the television network, attacking them for bias. Tough questioning from CNBC moderators, who pressed the candidates over the viability of their tax plans, prompted Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Ben Carson and others to unite against the television network, attacking them for bias.“Do you want to answer, or do you want me to answer?” demanded governor Chris Christie, who was among the most vocal in taking on CNBC. “Even in New Jersey what you are doing is called rude.”But the intense focus on the unconventional policies of outsiders - and current frontrunners - Trump and Carson appeared to bolster the hopes of more moderate candidates, particularly Rubio, who used the debate to reinforce his claim to be a strong compromise candidate.Rubio upstaged his former mentor Jeb Bush, who desperately needed a strong performance to rescue his plummeting poll numbers and restore flagging confidence among donors.Instead, a clash between Bush, the former governor of Florida, and Rubio, the state’s senator, was among the most memorable moments of the the night. The pair, once close allies, are now battling over the same home turf, both a rich vein for donors and a key swing state.
“Do you want to answer, or do you want me answer?” demanded New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who was among the most vocal in taking on CNBC. “Even in New Jersey what you are doing is called rude.” When CNBC moderators brought-up a stinging editorial in Florida’s Sun Sentinel newspaper that pointed out Rubio had missed more votes than any other senator, and should consider resigning, Bush pounced.
Trump, who until recently was the clear frontrunner in Republican nationals polls, accused TV executives of seeking to profit from overly-long debates and blasted what he claimed were “nasty and ridiculous” questions – a theme that was quickly picked up on by rightwing commentators in the media spin room. “Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term, and you should be showing up to work,” said Bush. “I mean, literally the Senate, what is it, like a French workweek? You get like three days where you have to show up?”But the younger rival managed to turn difficult questions into an opportunity to boast of his humble background and promise of change.“I am not running against governor Bush I am running for president,” responded Rubio, who appeared among the most polished of the ten candidates in the main debate. Turning to his former mentor, Rubio added: “Someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you. It’s not.”
Carson, who received supportive boos from the crowd after he was questioned on his links to a disgraced pharmaceutical company, concluded his appearance by thanking fellow panelists “for not falling for the traps”.
“The questions that have been asked so far on this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” claimed Cruz in comments that brought some of the biggest cheers of the night from the Colorado crowd.
But despite the heat, there was more light than in previous debates as candidates were held accountable over what many economists view as extreme tax and spending policies as well as conflicting promises on social security.
“Folks, we gotta wake up,” said John Kasich in an opening exchange which hinted at a concerted establishment fight-back against the outsiders. “We cannot elect someone who doesn’t know how to do the job.”
Related: Third Republican debate: nine things we learnedRelated: Third Republican debate: nine things we learned
The veiled attack on Trump produced a typically robust response from the real-estate billionaire who said Kasich’s poll numbers had tanked: “That’s why he’s on the end, and then he got nasty. You can have him.” However it was Rubio and some other candidate’s concerted push back at the TV moderators, who they accused of liberal bias, that proved to be the biggest talking point after the debate.Trump, who has for months been the frontrunner in an average of national polls of Republicans, accused TV executives of seeking to profit from overly-long debates and blasted what he claimed were “nasty and ridiculous” questions.Carson received vocal support from the crowd after he was questioned on his links to a disgraced pharmaceutical company. He concluded his appearance by thanking fellow panellists “for not falling for the traps”.“The questions that have been asked so far on this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” claimed Cruz in comments that brought some of the biggest cheers of the night from the Colorado crowd. The Texan senator even went so far as to stand up for several rival candidates, defending them against CNBC’s moderators. Moments formal complaint was even made by Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, which organises the debates.“While I was proud of our candidates and the way they handled tonight’s debate, the performance by the CNBC moderators was extremely disappointing and did a disservice to their network, our candidates, and voters,” he said in a statement.“CNBC should be ashamed of how this debate was handled”But the aggressive scrutiny was welcomed by Democrats, who used the opportunity of the debate to send out a fund-raising email tosupporters.“I had chills watching the debate tonight -- and not in a good way,” wrote DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We can’t let a single one of them get close to the White House.”There were also rare opportunities to poke holes in policies and statements that rarely receive scrutiny in one-on-one television interviews.One of the most embarrassing moments for Trump came when CNBC moderator Becky Quick asked the real estate mogul about his statement that Marco Rubio was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s “personal senator.” Trump denied it saying “I have not been at all critical of him” and expressed ignorance of where Quick could have found the information: “I don’t know. You people write this stuff,” he said. As Quick pointed out 20 minutes later, it came from the immigration policy paper on Trump’s own websiteDespite the heat, there was also substantially more light than in previous debates as candidates were held to account over what many economists view as extreme tax and spending policies as well as conflicting promises on social security.“Folks we gotta wake up,” said Kasich in an opening exchange which hinted at a concerted establishment fight-back against the outsiders. “We cannot elect someone who doesn’t know how to do the job.”The veiled attack on Trump produced a typically robust response from the real estate billionaire who said Kasich’s poll numbers had tanked: “That’s why he’s on the end, and then he got nasty. You can have him.”CNBC business journalist John Harwood further rattled Trump by asking if his fiscal policy amounted to a “comic book way to run a presidential campaign”.But the difficult questioning was not limited to the outsiders. “Do you have the maturity and the wisdom to lead a $17tn economy?,” Rubio was asked.He responded by accusing the mainstream media of favouring Democrats and failing to hold Hillary Clinton to account in their coverage of the Benghazi hearings.Democrats have the ultimate Superpac it’s called the mainstream media,” said Rubio.Danny Diaz, Bush’s campaign manager, later tried to push back on the narrative that Rubio had gotten the better of his candidate in their exchange and shift the focus back on their respective records.“I think Marco Rubio is an outstanding performer we knew that going in we know that coming out,” he told reporters. “The reality is that he doesn’t have a record of accomplishment. The reality is that he hasn’t demonstrated that he is qualified to be president.”“I think I did very well according to all the online polls,” Trump proclaimed to reporters aftrwards. “I got 80 percent as a win and hundreds of thousands of people are sending their numbers in and according to every single poll that’s a win”His wife Melania, accompanying him for the first time on the trail, agreed. When asked how he did, she responded simply by saying “fantastic.”Mike DuHaime, a top aide to Chris Christie, also claimed a triumph for his candidate. “I think Governor Christie had a great night tonight,” he said, adding “it wasn’t a great night for everybody.” While Bush and other stragglers such as Rand Paul failed to shine, the Republican showdown showed mainly how wide open its primary race remains however compared to a Democratic race increasingly dominated by Hillary Clinton.
CNBC business journalist John Harwood further rattled Trump by asking if his fiscal policy amounted to a “comic book way to run a presidential campaign”.
But the difficult questioning was not limited to the outsiders. “Do you have the maturity and the wisdom to lead a $17tn economy?” Rubio was asked.
He responded by accusing the mainstream media of favouring Democrats and failing to hold Hillary Clinton to account in their coverage of the Benghazi hearings.
It proved a strong night for Rubio, who outshone his closest rival and former Florida mentor Jeb Bush.
Despite Bush accusing Rubio of failing to live up to his commitment to Florida voters by skipping a number of Senate votes, the younger rival managed to turn difficult questions into an opportunity to boast of his humble background and promise of change.
“You should show up – what is this like, a French workweek?” Bush shot back.
“I am not running against Governor Bush, I am running for president,” responded Rubio, who appeared among the most polished of the 10 candidates in the main debate.
Supporters of Bush, whose flagging campaign in desperate need of a boost, are likely to be disappointed he did not manage to use the debate on business and the economy to overcome his poor poll numbers.
The former Florida governor’s most memorable line of the night proved to be a promise to give a “warm kiss” to any Democrats he could find who were in favour of cutting government spending.
In contrast to the potentially decisive showing by Hillary Clinton in the last Democratic debate, the Republican showdown showed mainly how wide open its primary race remains however.