Republican Debate, Las Vegas Nevada

The Republican Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday exhibited the candidates policies regarding hot topics such as immigration, “ObamaCare,” and the much disputed “9-9-9” plan laid out by candidate Herman Cain.
Early in Tuesday’s debate, as expected, Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” plan quickly became a controversial topic of debate. The opposing candidates boldly outlined their standpoints in relation to the plan and expressed their interpretations of a more appropriate tax code plan. The candidates believed Cain’s plan to be a far too simplistic approach to correcting a complex and intricate dilemma. Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby of CNN Newsroom recorded several of the candidate’s retorts,

“Herman's well-meaning, and I love his boldness’, said former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. ‘I give him credit for -- for starting a debate, but it's not good for families.’

"Herman, I love you, brother, but let me tell you something, you don't need to have a big analysis to figure this thing out. Go to New Hampshire, where they don't have a sales tax, and you're fixing to give them one," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry. "Herman. It's not going to fly." said Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

"It's very, very dangerous. And it will raise more revenues," said Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

“The analysis I did, person by person, return by return, is that middle-income people see higher taxes under your plan," said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Cain responded to these claims by claiming that “lobbyists, accountants, and politicians” favor the current tax code and are averted to implementing a “simple and fair” tax code (Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby). 

Later in the debate, Gov. Mitt Romney became the subject of scrutiny regarding his health plan, “RomneyCare,” that was passed in Massachusetts during his term. Upon Romney’s assertion that, if elected, he would repeal the nation’s current “ObamaCare” plan, former Senator Rick Santorum called into question Romney’s credibility concerning the national healthcare issue. Santorum vehemently sought to discredit Romney as a hypocrite based on his implementation of “RomneyCare,” which has been regarded by Republicans as the basis of “ObamaCare.” Both candidates became entangled in an unprofessional back-and-forth,


"You can't change the facts," shouted Santorum.
"Rick, you had your chance. Let me speak," fired back Romney.
"You're out of time. You're out of time," responded Santorum (Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby).


Mitt Romney also butted heads with Texas Governor Rick Perry in regards to his immigration policy. Romney, for a second time, was referred to as a hypocrite after stating that his administration would strongly stand against illegal immigration. However, Perry rebutted this statement by exclaiming that Romney had hired illegal aliens to work in his home. Romney quickly explained that upon the discovery of these workers as illegal’s they were immediately disbanded. Soon after, a shouting match ensued and Romney stated, "This has been a tough couple of debates for Rick, and I understand that. And so you're going to get testy" (Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby).
Works Cited: Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby. http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/politics/five-things-learned-gop-debate/index.html