NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBATES

	January 27, 2000
	There were back-to-back debates in New Hampshire last night, and we have extended excerpts from both. First, the Republicans. Click here for excerpts from the Democratic debates.

QUESTIONER: Governor Bush, if you could write a two-sentence amendment to the United States Constitution on abortion, what would it be? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: It would be that every child, born and unborn, should be protected in the law, and every child should be welcomed in life. I believe it's important for our party to maintain our pro-life position. I believe it's important for the next president to recognize good people can disagree on this issue, and so the next president must elevate the issue of life to convince people of the preciousness of life, not only for the young, but for the elderly as well. QUESTIONER: So will the Republican Party platform plank on abortion be your bible? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: I'm a pro-life candidate, and I have been a pro-life governor. I have set the tone in my state to bring people together. QUESTIONER: Thank you. We're now going to move to a round where candidates are allowed to question each other. By draw, Mr. Keyes, you get the first question. ALAN KEYES: Thank you very much. Well, Senator McCain, you had been asked a question about what you would say if your daughter was ever in a position where she might need an abortion. And you said that at first, that as I understand it, that the choice would be up to her, and then that you'd have a family conference. I've got to admit I think that that displayed a profound lack of understanding of the basic issue of principle involved in abortion. After all, if your daughter came to you and said she was contemplating killing her grandmother for the inheritance, you wouldn't say, "let's have a family conference." You'd look at her and say... Just say no, because that is morally wrong. SEN. JOHN McCAIN: I am proud of my pro-life record in public life. I'm the only one here who has gone to the floor of the Senate and voted in the preservation of the life of the unborn. I have worked very hard for the ban of partial-birth abortion. I have sought for approval and legislation requiring parental consent and parental notification. I am proud of that pro-life record, and I will continue to maintain it. I will not draw my children into this discussion. ALAN KEYES: Meaning no offense, Senator, the question wasn't about your record; it was about your understanding. If we take a position on this issue and are then nominated by this party, we will have to go forward to defend that position in a field where Bill Bradley and Al Gore aren't going to take your record as an answer. They'll need a persuasive justification before the American people as to why that position is consonant with our principles and our heritage. And the answer you gave today does not display that kind of understanding. How can we trust you to move forward and defend our position on this issue? SEN. JOHN McCAIN: Because unlike you, I have a 17-year voting record and record of service to this country, including doing everything that I can to preserve the rights of the unborn. QUESTIONER: Mr. Forbes, you get the next question. STEVE FORBES: I'll ask it of Governor Bush. Under your leadership, spending has gone up 36%, almost twice the rate of the Clinton/Gore administration. On your so-called tax cut, your own budget director said that six out of ten Texans did not get a tax cut in this last round. And on education, you've dumbed down the standards to the point where in Texas, your SAT ranking has gone from 40th in the nation to 46th in the nation. What can you tell the people of New Hampshire and of America that you won't do in Washington what you've done in Texas? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: So many half-stories, so little time. I... Let's start with education. People who have looked at the state of Texas have consistently said that because we've set high standards, abolished social promotion, have got a vibrant charter school movement, have got a public school choice movement, that we're making the best progress in the nation for improvement amongst minority students. In terms of the budget, I've slowed the rate of growth down, and when you take out population growth and inflation, it's by far the slowest rate of growth ever in my state's history. In terms of tax cuts, I not only led our state to a billion-dollar tax cut in '97, I led our state to a $2 billion tax cut in 1999-- real, meaningful tax cuts. But I guess the way to answer your question is, you know, the people of Texas took a look at my record-- the second biggest state in the union, a mighty important electoral state for any Republican running for President-- and they said, "Mr. Governor, we accept your record," and they overwhelmingly voted me back into office. I nearly got 70% of the vote. QUESTIONER: Gary Bauer, six loyal and six capable republicans dropped out of this race for your party's nomination. A prime reason: The front-loaded campaign calendar, not to mention money. Is it time to change the process? GARY BAUER: Boy, Bernie, I don't know, but I have to tell you I would rather not answer process questions. You know, we can have those debates in college universities and on TV talk shows, I guess, but I don't think Americans are sitting around worried about the process of electing a President. I think they are worried about real problems that are affecting real families. QUESTIONER: If it becomes clear that you would not win your party's presidential nomination, when would you drop out? GARY BAUER: There you go again, Bernie. Look, you know, process questions may be great for "inside politics," when you have got about ten minutes and you have got a few seconds with a candidate. Do you think that a worker here in New Hampshire that is not making enough money to get health insurance, or a mother here who sends her child off to school worried about whether there is going to be a school shooting, or a law-abiding citizen of this state that sees these liberal judges trying to change the law so that men can marry men and women can marry women, do you think they're worried about whether Gary Bauer is going to drop out, stay in or whatever? This campaign shouldn't be about questions like that. It ought to be about the real concerns of these voters in this state. QUESTIONER: Senator McCain, it is your turn now to lead the part of the debate that all of you candidates seem to enjoy most, questioning one another. SEN. JOHN McCAIN: George, strangely enough -- my buddy. We all know Washington spends too much money. In fact, last November, there was an incredible bill passed full of earmarked pork barrel spending. They spent the then-$14 billion surplus that was going to... supposed to be there for this year. And you said you supported that bill and that you would sign it as President of the United States. I voted against it, said as President I would veto it, and saw it as one of the most egregious practices. Tell me, what corporate loopholes would you close and what spending cuts would you make? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: I'll tell you what I'm going to do. If I'm the President and you're a Senator, you can come in my office and you can outline all the different corporate loopholes you think are wrong, and we can pick and choose. But what I'm doing, John, is I'm selling my tax cut plan without claiming I'm going to close some kind of corporate loophole. I believe we've got $4 trillion over ten years, $2 trillion of which will go to save Social Security and pay down debt, $1 trillion available for debt repayment and other programs, and $1 trillion over a ten-year period for a meaningful, substantial real tax cut to the people. Your plan uses so-called corporate loopholes to pay for it. I use cash to pay for it. SEN. JOHN McCAIN: George, you seem to depict the role of the President as a hapless bystander. This President is threatening to shut down the government and vetoing bills to force the Congress to spend more money. An active President of the United States-i.e., me-- will veto bills and threaten to shut down the government to make them spend less money. Look, you have been talking about how you want to increase the military. We don't have unlimited funds. Tell me, is there any military programs that you would reduce spending on? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: Well obviously, John, what's needed to happen is a top-down review of the military so that there's a strategic plan to make sure that we spend properly. But let me also say to you that it's the President's job to make sure Congress doesn't have the money to spend in the first place. It is the President's job to stand up to express the will of the people, advocate, and fight for a meaningful, real tax cut. And that's what I'm going to do. SEN. JOHN McCAIN: And I appreciate your new dedication to reducing... to paying down the debt. It's a great plan, and I could have written it myself. I congratulate you. QUESTIONER: Thank you, Senator. GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: No, no. Al Gore would have written your plan, Mr. Senator. QUESTIONER: Governor Bush, you get to ask the next question. GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: To John. Education has been a top priority of mine, and I've laid out a comprehensive plan to reform our schools. I believe in local control of schools, high standards and accountability. So part of my plan, John, says that schools that receive federal money to help disadvantaged students must measure the results. If the students improve, the schools will be rewarded. If not, the parents will be free to make a different choice for their students... their children. Why don't you think this plan will work? SEN. JOHN McCAIN: Well, first of all, George, if you're saying that I'm like Al Gore, then you're spinning like Bill Clinton, okay? Let's clear that one up. Second of all, I believe that we need choice and competition in schools. The problem with yours is you give too much power to the federal bureaucracy in Washington. I want the states to make those decisions. George, as a governor, you should understand, and I thought you would cherish, the rights and authority of the state rather than handing it over to Washington. QUESTIONER: Steve Forbes, this question for you. If local and network television were to grant presidential candidates five minutes of free air time collectively in prime time nightly, would you forgo using 30-second ads? STEVE FORBES: Bernie, the answer is no, for a very basic reason. You just saw here you violated the rules that you set for this debate. And the American people want to hear from all of the candidates. They want to hear it straight from the candidates. QUESTIONER: Mr. Forbes, I'm confused by part of your answer. At one point you said you broke the rules here. Were you refugee to the way this debate is being conducted? STEVE FORBES: I was referring to the fact that you had a set with George Bush and John McCain, because let's face it, the media thinks that's where the contest is. I want to put it in the hands of the voters, and I'm tired of these debates. BERNARD SHAW: What was agreed to, sir, was that if one of you attacked the other, the person being attacked would have a chance to respond for 30 seconds. STEVE FORBES: Okay. But in these debates, they always seem to try to have the rules, and they make rules, and then they violate those rules. Gary and I could have a real set-to on China. Alan and I could probably do it on that woolly mammoth, WTO. But it should be equal time for the candidates.