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Republican field has more to say about the last GOP debate

DES MOINES, Iowa -- It was Halloween, and Democrats were set up to be the bogeymen at this last Republican cattle call before the Iowa caucuses, the Growth and Opportunity party. Who of the ten Republican candidates present would be able to resist panning "ObamaScare" and similarly spooky Democratic ideas?

Instead, several of the candidates were still recovering from the apparent horrors visited upon them by the moderators of Wednesday's Republican debate, hosted by CNBC.

Winners and losers of the third GOP debate 04:48

"How 'bout if we say from now on, if you've never voted in a Republican primary in your life, you don't get to moderate a Republican primary debate?" Ted Cruz proposed. Not that he wants moderators that are "pussycats" -- Cruz suggested Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levin as potential questioners.

Mike Huckabee was similarly frustrated with the debate. "What a delight to be back with people I want to be with -- because the other night I had to be with the anchors of CNBC," Huckabee opined, before joking he's glad that at least the debate had actually "brought Republicans together. So we won't do any more debates on NBC if they run them like that."

Ryan Waskerchea, a Drake University student, gave Ted Cruz the highest marks of the day for his impassioned speech. "There is something about Cruz -- he always has this level of energy that's contagious. You could really see it in the crowd -- it kind of spread like a wildfire....I think he did really good."

Cheering, Republicans in the crowd seemed happy to hear the candidates going after the moderators. Still, not every Republican who took the stage shared the sentiments of Cruz and Huckabee.

Chris Christie didn't care about debate arrangements, saying, "I am not a rule setter in this regard. I am a candidate." Christie asserted that he would rather spend his time talking to voters. "I am not worried about this. Put me on the stage and I will perform," he said.

Jeb Bush also steered clear of debate attacks and reminded the Iowans that he has been here before -- family in tow -- in 1980, 1988 and 2000.

Fiorina steered clear of the debate in her remarks but spoke to reporters after saying; "I think the RNC did the right thing by telling NBC that there are consequences for holding a lousy debate," and added, "[H]onestly, the more opportunity people have to hear real questions and real answers, the more helpful it is."

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