GOP Hopefuls Clash on Economy, Foreign Policy

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – At their fourth debate this election season, the Republican presidential candidates took on the economy, foreign policy – and each other.

The economy took center stage, however, in the debate, moderated by Fox Business Network and The Wall Street Journal.  Many of the candidates were angered by the hostile tone taken by moderators in the third debate on CNBC.

This time, the political contenders tackled issues like the tax code.

"The current system isn't fair. Washington is fundamentally corrupt. There are more words in the IRS code than there are in the Bible -- and not a one of them is as good," Sen. Ted Cruz said, drawing laughter from the audience.
 
They also addressed the need to build a stronger middle class.

"For the life of me, I don't know why we have stigmatized vocational education. Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers." Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said.

Child Tax Credit

The biggest clash came when Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., questioned Rubio's desire to push for a larger child tax credit in addition to more defense spending. It led to a fight over the true conservative position.

Rubio: "Yes, I have a child tax credit increase, and I'm proud of it." 

Paul: "I'd like to make about the tax credits. We have to decide what is conservative and what isn't conservative. Is it fiscally conservative to have a trillion dollar expenditure?  Add that to Marco's plan for $1 trillion in new military spending, and you get something that looks, to me, not very conservative."

Rubio: "How is that conservative? I know Rand is a committed isolationist. I am not. I believe the world is a stronger and a better place when America is the strongest military power in the world."

Paul: Marco! Marco! How is it conservative to add a $1 trillion expenditure to the federal government."

Clash on Immigration

There were also disagreements on topics like immigration. Business mogul Donald Trump wants to deport all illegal immigrants.

"We're a country of laws. We either have a country or we don't have a country," Trump said. "We are a country of laws. (They're) going to have to go out and they will come back, but they are going to have to go out and hopefully they get back."

But Ohio Gov. John Kasich disputed that point.

"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 of Mexico -- to Mexico, think about the families. Think about the children," he said.

"It's a silly argument," Kasich charged, drawing applause. "It is not an adult argument. It makes no sense."

Foreign Policy

On foreign policy, Trump believes the U.S. should stay out of Syria and let Russian President Vladmir Putin and Russian forces fight over there. That stance led to some conflict.

"We have to get smart. We can't continue to be the policeman of the world," Trump said.

But former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush shot down that notion.

"Donald's wrong on this," he said. "He is absolutely wrong on this. We're not going to be the world's policeman, but we sure as heck better be the world's leader."

"There's a huge difference where without us leading, voids are filled," he continued. "And the idea that it's a good idea for Putin to be in Syria, let ISIS take out Assad, and then Putin will take out ISIS? I mean, that's like a board game; that's like playing Monopoly or something. That's not how the real world works."

"We should have a no fly zone in Syria. There are -- they are barrel bombing the innocents in that country. If you're a Christian, increasingly in Lebanon, or Iraq, or Syria, you're going to be beheaded. And, if you're a moderate Islamist, you're not going to be able to survive either," he said.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina took the opportunity to say how she would show Putin America's muscle.

"One of the reasons I've said I wouldn't be talking to Vladimir Putin right now is because we are speaking to him from a position of weakness brought on by this administration. So, I wouldn't talk to him for a while," she said.

"But, I would do this. I would start rebuilding the Sixth Fleet right under his nose, rebuilding the military -- the missile defense program in Poland right under his nose," she vowed.

"I would conduct very aggressive military exercises in the Baltic States so that he understood we would protect our NATO allies and I might also put in a few more thousand troops into Germany -- not to start a war, but to make sure that Putin understands that the United States of America will stand with our allies," Fiorina said. 

Carson Takes on the Media

As for top tier candidate Dr. Ben Carson, he addressed the swirling controversy over the media vetting process and how they're trying to find any little thing to take him down.

"I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about and then putting that out there as truth," the retired neurosurgeon said.

"But, you know, when I look at somebody like Hillary Clinton, who sits there and tells her daughter and a government official that 'No, this was a terrorist attack,' and then tells everybody else that it was a video. Where I came from, they call that a lie," he charged.

The next GOP debate is slated to take place December 15 in Las Vegas. That gives plenty of time for a lot of twists and turns in a presidential race that in many ways has turned into a soap opera.