GOP Leaders Sit Out "Values Voters" Debate

Seven Candidates Appear At Forum Notable For Empty Lecterns And Unanswered Questions

(AP)  Self-described "values voters" gathered here Monday to grill Republican presidential candidates, but the forum was most notable for its empty lecterns and its unanswered questions.

The biggest GOP names - Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson - sat out the Values Voter Presidential Debate, citing scheduling conflicts. That didn't stop questioners from addressing the front-runners who didn't attend.

Giuliani, Romney and McCain were all asked questions about abortion and gay rights. All, of course, went unanswered.

"They will regret the decision," said Jan Folger, president of Faith2Action and a member of the debate host committee. "Because they snubbed us, they will not win, because we will not follow their lead."

In attendance were former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Chicago businessman John Cox, Maryland conservative Alan Keyes and Reps. Ron Paul of Texas, Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter of California.

The debate was marked more by the candidates' agreement than anything else, illustrated in a round in which they were asked a string of yes-or-no questions.

All seven participants said they would work to keep federal funding away from organizations that perform or promote abortions; to revive an attempt to reform Social Security by offering personal retirement accounts; and to oppose a government-run universal health insurance system.

They all vowed to increase funding for abstinence education, to veto hate crimes legislation and to oppose embryonic stem cell research. They all agreed multiculturalism "weakens and divides" the country.

Candidates were asked about combating radical Islam and their positions on free trade and open borders between Mexico and Canada.

"This country can never, ever ever yield its sovereignty to any other country," Huckabee said. "We do not answer to international law. We answer to our Constitution."

Paul called for an end to U.S. involvement with the United Nations. Hunter derided free-trade agreements as one-sided and not beneficial to the U.S. Brownback defended the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays.

Though all four front-runners cited scheduling conflicts with the debate, Giuliani was in Fort Lauderdale just hours before the debate and Thompson was in Florida over the weekend and is due back Tuesday.

[kansas1946]

"They will regret the decision," said Jan Folger, president of Faith2Action and a member of the debate host committee. "Because they snubbed us, they will not win, because we will not follow their lead."
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Jan, they weren''t going to win in any case. The Republicans have made a mess of things, they had their chance and they blew it, so it is time for a change.

[toldyouso21]

Uh oh....in that picture, those lips look like the kind that put themselves on stuff they should not...especially if they are a Republican values voter--or is it that all of them do--but profess not to? it is hard to remember the true Republican line on this....LOL

[toldyouso21]

They weren''t avoiding the forum for any reason than the attention that could be drawn to their own lack of values--I mean, surely Guiliani and McCain did not want questions about infidelity and mistreating their wives and surely Romney did not want questions about his lack in judgement of who champions his campaign and why so many sexual deviants are on it--as for Thompson, who wants to answer what he was doing in bed with Libyan terrorists or how his views change and morph or almost all of them did not want to defend their stand on an illegal immigration policies that seemed to be lived on way and changed for voter consumption at other times. This was an action of sheer preservation. That group can say they will regret it--but no answer is better than a confrontation in which they could have given no good answer. Their handlers are right--any meeting with that group could have seriously hampered any of there prospects which already are near slim to none--just for being Republican.

[kansas1946]

They all vowed to increase funding for abstinence education, to veto hate crimes legislation and to oppose embryonic stem cell research.
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Gosh, really sounds like the American mainstream. I wonder if they would be so hot to veto hate crime legislation if Christains were being targeted and beat up just because they are Christian. These folks are a joke.

[pastdue1]

They all vowed to increase funding for abstinence education, to veto hate crimes legislation and to oppose embryonic stem cell research. They all agreed multiculturalism "weakens and divides" the country.
.Faith2Action , values voters.
and....these are the values important to the religious right.
And Huckabee, who has never been in Washington DC, showed his childlike naitivity concerning the GOP
" Huckabee said. "We do not answer to international law. We answer to our Constitution."

[kansas1946]

I truly believe with a democratic win in the Congress and the WH, there will be no stopping this party from gutting our Constitution and creating a vastly different America from the one we know and love.
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Nah, the Republicans have already done a pretty good job of that.

[kansas1946]

(AP) Self-described "values voters" gathered here Monday to grill Republican presidential candidates, but the forum was most notable for its empty lecterns and its unanswered questions.
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LOL. The Republicans probably couldn''t find anyone qualified to attend a "values" debate. What would they debate, who messed around on their wife less, who was least in the closet, who changed their mind the fewest times on abortion...what.

[mudrose-2009]

Apparently they''''re afraid of being asked too many questions at the moment.

Posted by realpatriot1

I don''t think they''re afraid of being asked anything now or later. And when Clinton left office we were in a recession. And that surplus wasn''t by virtue of anything Clinton did either. The Deminowits are mowing along rather nicely with their ideas and plans. Since they have only one Organization to support them MoveOn that is, their propoganda machine will dominate for the moment. True the republicans haven''t been fiscally responsible, but given the options, like Hillary''s $110 billion healthcare cost per year, I''m sure with rescinding the tax cuts, the public will feel real gratitude towards them too once their tax and spend policies trickle down to JOhn Doe.

[realpatriot1]

mudrose,

The record is clear on who has been spending us into oblivion and it''s not the democrats. In 8 years Reagan managed to run up more debt than all of the cumulative debt of the preceding 190 years of our history.

GWB inherited the largest surplus since WW@ and in 8 years has run up 2 more trillion dollars in debt. e''s just as proud as he can be that the deficit is down to an annual rate of $200 billion like that''s an accomplishment to be proud of.

I know what you think of democratic values but when is your party going to live up to its own professed values?

Maybe you should work on that and then you wouldn''t need to whine about democrats constantly.

The republicans are all snubbing forums left and right, not just this one. They''ve all been snubbing black and hispanic-sponsered forums by claiming scheduling conflicts. It''s interesting that Huckabee is one of them when he''s been talking about the need to reach out to minorities.

Apparently they''re afraid of being asked too many questions at the moment.

[mudrose-2009]

Posted by ov442

Yes, the only secular values the dimnowits have is to tax and spend us all into oblivion. It''s their take on Christian values better known as render to Caesar all you''ve got and then some. You''re all a bunch of greedy pigs and you know what happens when you covet someone else''s fortune, nothing. Enjoy your nothing, because when big Nanny Government gets down with the likes of you, that''s what you''ll all have and you still won''t be satisfied because if someone takes a bigger dump then you do, well, they must have had a larger portion of food then you, right?

[urbangop]

Go figure a "values voters" debate and they wouldn''t even allow a values candidate in the debate. The organizers said no to Dr. Hugh Cort. He is an evangelical Christian and a counter-terrorism expert who has adopted General Tom McInerney''s plan to actually win the war in Iraq. Dr. Cort is polar opposite of Congressamn Paul''s views on the war, that alone would have added a spark to the debate. Shame on the organizers for not allowing a fine Christian gentleman like Dr. Cort in this debate.

[socrates392]

Bye, bye, Repugs. Without your nutty base of "value voters," you lose. Hillary wins in 2008.

[ov442]

So social security reform where they use our tax money to Pay Wall street to stuff our SS funds into large mutual funds is a major Christian Value....
So apparently, also is preventing everyone in America from having health coverage of some sort.....
Also, its apparently a Moral Value to Stop severe penalties for Hate Crimes.... apparently to keep Values voters out of jail for ...committing hate crimes??
Also, of course no research on embryonic stem cells from those that are going into the trash anyway, so maybe give ill people a chance at recovery....
And finally, its a moral value to purge our country of anyone thats not White and a hate filled racist.
That one i think they''ll have the most trouble with, since theres about 160 million non whites in this country currently. And of those 140 million whites, is it ok to be Italian, German, Dutch, Irish, British, Russion, slovakian decent? Which one is the top of the food chain to these Values voters?

greeeaaaaat..

[mudrose-2009]

I''m surprised that the leading candidates did not appear. The issues obviously are extremely controversial and perhaps they did not want to address them at this time. I am proud of Brownback and Huckabee. They were strong supporters of PERA, the Public Expression of Relgion Act which made it through the House in the last Congress but unfortunately was not taken up in the Senate because of other commitments. As we get further down the road, however, these issues will have to be addressed and made quite clear. We are in very dangerous territory now -- I truly believe with a democratic win in the Congress and the WH, there will be no stopping this party from gutting our Constitution and creating a vastly different America from the one we know and love.

[bks59]

WOW, what a vote getting platform, it sounds like circa 1950''s "value voters" are clueless about the world.

[star4111]

Paul was awesome at the debate last night and is leading the online polls, he will get my vote. He stood even when his answers were unpopular. We need a president with courage!