These Republican Candidates Pushed Back On Extreme Anti-Immigration Rhetoric

Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio want you to know that everything’s cool. And they sparred with Kentucky Sen. Kasich and Trump fought over illegal immigration policy, Rubio went on the defensive by calling Paul a “committed isolationist”, and Kasich argued for a chance to answer someone else’s question. That was presumably in response to Republican complaints that the moderators of the previous debate, on CNBC on October 28, were contentious and unfair. Rick Santorum. Christie tried to cast himself as well-prepared for a general election, focusing more on Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton than fellow Republicans. “I thought everybody had a good moment here and there”, Gohmert said. When pressed on how he could carry out the deportation of millions, Trump said “you’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely”.

That plan was another flashpoint at the debate.

Donald Trump insisted on his plan to round up and deport the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in America, whatever the social and economic cost. “But if people think that we are going to ship 11 million people who are law-abiding, who are in this country, and somehow pick them up at their house, and ship them out… to Mexico?”

“We are a country of laws”, he said.

Other candidates including Fiorina, Gov. Kasich and Trump spoke in favor of beefing up the military.

But Jeb Bush took the opportunity to jump in and back up Kasich, saying Trump’s plan would “tear communities apart”.

The sharpest performance was delivered by Ted Cruz, along with Rubio the chief challenger at this point to the Carson-Trump outsider duo.

A sprawling argument over the size and objective of the US military developed later on in the night. “But we sure as heck better be the world’s leader”, Bush said.

While it’s was safe to say this debate was the best night Jeb Bush has seen in a few time, it might be too late.

Carly Fiorina is a good debater.

So he interrupted his way into the debate – a strategy that worked to get him more talking time in the first GOP event.

Unlike the most recent debate, where candidates sparred frequently with the moderators, the candidates on Tuesday mostly stuck to policy issues.

Missing from the lineup were New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

There were disputes regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, and interventionism around the world, and whether the president should talk to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and whether to bail out big banks on the verge of failing.

This debate was headlined as a discussion about the economy, and it provided the framework for much of the interplay.

Bush called for repealing “every rule” the administration has in progress.