Bobby Kaltenbach

News Editor

     In September, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry emerged as the strong favorites in the Republican primaries, and the two have wasted no time in using the three nationally televised debates to attack each other at every opportunity.

     The first debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on September 8, set the tone for what was to come. Soon after the start of the debates, Romney attacked Perry for stating that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme,” and that keeping it in its current form is a “monstrous lie.” The other candidates also put Perry on the defensive, challenging his positions on issues ranging from equal tuition for illegal immigrants to the causes of climate change.

     The second debate, held on September 12 in Tampa, Florida, unfolded in a similar fashion, with Romney wasting no time in criticizing Gov. Perry. When challenged as to whether Gov. Perry deserved credit for job creation in Texas, he replied sharply, “Just because you’re dealt four aces doesn’t mean you’re a good poker player.”

     Perry attempted a more offensive approach during the third debate, which took place ten days later in Orlando. He accused Romney of being sympathetic to President Obama’s healthcare plan, citing similarities between the national plan and the system that Romney had helped establish in Massachusetts.

     These aggressive exchanges between the two leading candidates have helped Perry and Romney emerge as the two frontrunners. However, some claim that the mutual attacks are more destructive than constructive. According to fellow candidate John Huntsman, “You know, I’m tempted to say that, when all is said and done, the two guys standing in the middle here, Romney and Perry, aren’t going to be around, because they’re going to bludgeon each other to death.”