“Bless his heart, I have respect for Mitt Romney, but I do not have respect for what he has done through this debt increase debate. He did this. He waited until it was a done deal that we would increase the debt ceiling, and more money would be spent, more money borrowed and then spent on bigger government. And then he came out and he made a statement, that he didn't like the deal after all. You know, you can't defer an issue and assume that the problem is going to be then avoided.” HeartMadeDoneProblemGovernmentWould BeDealsIssuesRepublicanBiggerIncreaseAssumingDebtDebateStatementsBlessMore MoneyAvoidedRomneyCeilingsBorrowedDebt Ceiling Author:Sarah Palin
“The candidates at the Republican debate looked like a town council that was outlawing dancing. They looked like a board of directors that was lying about poisoning a river.” LyingRepublicanDirectorsRiversTownsDancingDebateBoardsCandidatesCouncilPoisoningBoard Of Directors Author:David Letterman
“The Republican debate got pretty heated. They spent most of their time arguing over who God called first.” FirstsRepublicanArguingDebate Author:Jay Leno
“There is a limitation on debate, which is unlike other bills, for 20 hours, but there is no limitation on amendments. In other words, Republicans if they wanted to, and I suspect they do, could offer literally thousands of amendments and keep Senate in session for weeks and months.” IfsWantedHoursWeekMonthsRepublicanOffersBillsDebateLimitationSuspectsSenateAmendmentsSession Author:Rick Santorum
“I can't wait for the Republican debates to start and there's literally 65 guys on one stage.” I CanGuyWaitingStageRepublicanDebate Author:Conan O'Brien
“The national debate on health-care reform wildly misses the mark, with Democrats and Republicans alike arguing about who's going to pay rather than about what would actually make people healthy.” PeopleCarePayMissingHealthyRepublicanMarkDemocratArguingDebateReformHealth CareHealth Care Reform Author:T. Colin Campbell
“Big news from last night's Republican debate, you guys. It turns out George Bush was actually the smart Texas governor.” BigsLastsNightGuyTurnsRepublicanNewsSmartDebateTexasGovernorsLast NightBig News Author:Jimmy Fallon
“Tonight the Republican presidential candidates had a big debate, 10 candidates. The last time that many rich white guys got together, I think Exxon merged with Mobil.” ThinkingBigsTogetherLastsGuyWhiteRichRepublicanDebatePresidentialCandidatesTonightLast TimePresidential CandidateWhite Guys Author:Jay Leno
“During last night's Republican debate, Mike Huckabee got a big laugh when he said that Congress has been spending money like John Edwards at a beauty salon. Then Huckabee got an even bigger laugh when he said he's running for president” Has BeensSaidBigsRunningLastsNightPresidentLaughingRepublicanBiggerCongressSpendingDebateLast NightMikeSpending MoneySalonsBeauty Salon Author:Conan O'Brien
“I think we'll have a bigger conversation first within the Republican Party, then with the American people about what's the proper role of the federal government, i do hope that Common Core will be one more, one more reason for us to have this bigger debate, this bigger conversation about the proper role of the federal government in local education.” PeopleThinkingFirstsReasonGovernmentPartyCommonEducationRolesRepublicanConversationBiggerDebateCoreLocalsFederal GovernmentRepublican PartyCommon Core Author:Bobby Jindal
“If you are feeling overly optimistic the Republican Candidates Debate is on.” IfsFeelingsHumorFunnyRepublicanDebateOptimisticCandidates Author:Kristen Schaal
“Earlier tonight the second Republican debate took place here in California. With 10 men and only one woman, everyone thought they were watching 'The Bachelorette.'” MenRepublicanDebateCaliforniaTonightOne WomanBachelorette Author:Conan O'Brien
“Jim Gilmore was the only GOP candidate not invited to the Republican debates tonight, but I saw that he actually planned to live-tweet it. When he heard that, Jeb Bush was like 'Can I do that? I don't want to be here!'” WantSawsHeardRepublicanDebateCandidatesTonightInvitedTweetGop Author:Jimmy Fallon
“If Abe Lincoln took part in the Republican debates, he would look out of place with his intelligence, compassion and gaping head wound.” IfsLooksCompassionRepublicanWoundsDebateAbe Author:Dana Gould
“In my view, republican primary debates ought to be moderated by people who would vote in a primary.” PeopleViewsOughtRepublicanVoteDebatePrimaries Author:Ted Cruz
“A Green Party candidate would be very different from a Democrat or Republican and should be heard. I was the candidate first time a Green or any progressive third party has ever been in a national televised debate. I was in five of them. And the response from the public was overwhelming.” ShouldFirstsDifferentWould BePartyFiveHeardRepublicanFirst TimeThirdsGreenDemocratResponseDebateCandidatesProgressiveOverwhelmingThird PartiesGreen Party Author:Peter Camejo
“If you are a minority or an interest group, the Democrats will hold the debate at your house. Whereas Republicans take a slightly different approach: they have a big tent - you're just not allowed in it.” IfsDifferentBigsHouseInterestGroupsRepublicanApproachDemocratDebateMinoritiesTentsInterest GroupsDifferent Approach Author:Jon Stewart
“A republican form of government requires four standards: It demands a highly educated population manifesting critical thinking that participates in the affairs of the nation. It requires that citizens invest in a similar moral code. It insists on a mutual ethical system abided by all. It must engender a single language whereby all citizens can discuss, debate, come to resolution and initiate mutual beneficial action for their society.” ThinkingGovernmentActionFormLanguageNationsMoralFourCitizensRepublicanDemandStandardsAffairPopulationCriticalDebateEducatedCodeMutualResolutionEthicalManifestBeneficialCritical ThinkingForms Of GovernmentInitiateMoral Code Author:Frosty Wooldridge
“Well, I think the way to go is civil unions. But I do think when you talk about the Republican Party and the debates that are going on within the Republican Party on a number of issues, what I'm hoping is that they will get to a point where they will work with us on moving forward with this economy.” ThinkingWayWellsMovingPartyNumbersEconomyIssuesRepublicanUnionsDebateMoving ForwardRepublican Party Author:Amy Klobuchar
“As soon as a Democrat or a liberal organization opens their mouth and says "We want to see this," it's going to go over the heads. And same way on the abortion debate, if they want to make a change, it is not going to come from a Republican, it's going to have to come from a Democrat.” IfsWayWantRepublicanMouthsOrganizationDemocratDebateAbortionMaking Changes Author:Chuck Todd
“I watched the Republican debate. At one point, the candidates said there are no classes in America, a point then hotly debated by all six rich white guys that were there.” SaidAmericaGuyWhiteClassRichRepublicanSixDebateCandidatesWhite Guys Author:Craig Ferguson
“Every decision, every debate, no matter how important it is, with the same question: 'What does this mean for the next election? What does it mean for your poll numbers? Is this good for the Democrats or good for the Republicans? Who won the news cycle?' That's just how Washington is. They can't help it. They're obsessed with the sport of politics.” MeanDoeImportantMatterHelpingNextSportsDecisionNumbersRepublicanNewsElectionDemocratDebateObsessedCyclesPolls Author:Barack Obama
“A critical component of White House Scandal Defense 101 is rallying the partisan base. This keeps approval ratings in territory where the wheels don't start falling off. The way to achieve this goal is you go negative and you don't let up. If you're always attacking your accusers, the debate becomes one of Democrat vs. Republican, rather than right vs. wrong. Anyone who questions the legality of the decision to wiretap thousands of Americans unlawfully is attacked, as either an enabler of terrorists or a bitter partisan trying to distract a president at war.” IfsWayTryingWarFallHouseGoalPresidentWhiteDecisionAchieveRepublicanNegativeDemocratCriticalDefenseDebateTerroristBitterWheelsWhite HouseTerritoryApprovalComponentsScandalAttackingRatingPartisansFalling OffLegalityAccusersRallyingApproval RatingEnablers Author:Bob Barr
“I think that you have a situation where one political party, in specific, if you watched the Republican debate, it's all about terrorism.” IfsThinkingPoliticalPartySituationRepublicanTerrorismDebatePolitical Parties Author:Juan Williams
“Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, bypassed the debate before the Iowa caucuses because he objected to the participation of moderator Megyn Kelly as well a press release defending her.Beyond the Trump tantrum, we wondered if this had something bigger to say about the state of the media and politics and how politics is practiced today.” IfsWellsStatesTodayMediaTrumpRepublicanBiggerPressesDebateReleaseParticipationIowaTantrumsCaucusPress Release Author:Michel Martin
“Pope Francis said the use of contraception could be justified in regions hit by the Zika virus; a stance that could reignite a debate over the church's prohibition of the use of condoms to stop the spread of the AIDS virus. The pope also criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as 'not Christian' for his immigration stance, and broke with his predecessors by suggesting that Catholic lawmakers are free to vote for same-sex marriage and civil unions if they want to.” IfsWantSaidUseChristianSexChurchTrumpRepublicanVoteCatholicUnionsSpreadAidsDebateImmigrationBrokePresidentialCandidatesRegionsPopeJustifiedVirusesProhibitionStanceSuggestingPredecessorsCondomPresidential CandidateContraceptionLawmakers Author:Rush Limbaugh
“The Republican candidates clashed on terrorism, immigration and foreign policy in their fifth debate.They all said President [Barack] Obama and Hillary Clinton have not kept America safe.” SaidAmericaPresidentPolicyRepublicanSafeClintonTerrorismDebateImmigrationBarackCandidatesForeign PolicyFifthPresident Barack Obama Author:Renee Montagne
“Donald Trump tried to set up this debate where it was going to be globalists vs. nationalists, and the Republicans were going to be the nationalists. But, if anything, the Democrats looked more patriotic and more nationalist at the end of these two.” IfsTwoEndsTrumpRepublicanDemocratDebatePatriotic Author:David Brooks
“The Republicans want to take us forward to the dark ages again ... when women were property that you could easily control, even trade if you wanted to. It's appalling we are having this debate in the 21st century.” IfsWantAgeWantedDarkCenturyRepublicanTradePropertyDebate21st CenturyDark Ages Author:Frank Lautenberg
“In the primary debates for the 2016 election, every single Republican candidate was a climate change denier, with one exception, John Kasich - the "rational moderate" - who said it may be happening but we shouldn't do anything about it. For a long time, the media have downplayed the issue.” MayLongSaidIssuesMediaRepublicanLong TimeHappeningsElectionClimateClimate ChangeDebateRationalPrimariesCandidatesExceptionModeratesClimate Change Deniers Author:Noam Chomsky
“Why should the Democratic and Republican parties be in charge of the debates, especially at a time when the largest block of voters has repudiated the Democratic and Republican parties? Why are they still in charge?” ShouldStillsPartyRepublicanDemocraticDebateBlockVotersRepublican Party Author:Jill Stein
“If the [Republican] party wants to have an ideological debate, it's never going to win anything in a major way.” IfsWayWantWinningPartyRepublicanMajorsDebateRepublican PartyIdeological Author:John Kasich
“Eisenhower provided the first break in the Cold War, by bringing Khrushchev to the United States, in humanizing the Soviets; and then Nixon, by making the opening to China; and then Reagan, even meeting in Reykjavik with Gorbachev and acknowledging that nuclear weapons are a horror. So I won't accept that Republicans just escalate. Republicans, at least when they were more moderate, they were maybe even more isolationist, they sometimes brought sanity to the debate. We don't have that now. We have - all these Republicans have gone off the neoconservative deep end.” FirstsWarEndsSometimesStatesUnitedAcceptingBreakUnited StatesGoneColdRepublicanHorrorWeaponsMeetingsChinaNuclearDebateOpeningSanityNuclear WeaponsCold WarModeratesGorbachevReykjavik Author:Robert Scheer