No casual affair: Monday’s GOP Forum takeaways

MANCHESTER, N.H. - This was no casual affair, judging by the night-on-the-town attire of those who attended the two-hour Voters First Forum in Manchester, N.H., Monday.

Although the temperature was about 90 degrees when the forum kicked off, many of the men were in suits and ties and women were well-dressed.

Immigration

The top two questions submitted to the New Hampshire Union Leader by readers and viewers of the sponsoring media, which included The Gazette and KCRG-TV9, dealt with immigration and the economy.

Diana Lachance of Derry, N.H., said she is looking for a candidate who will not give amnesty to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country. That included most of the 14 GOP hopefuls on the stage. Rick Perry not only wanted to 'staunch the flow,” but like Rick Santorum, Jeb Bush and others, he called for reducing the number of immigrants arriving legally who, they said, depress the labor market.

GOVERNORS RULE

GOP voters traditionally have shown a preference for nominating governors. The governors on the stage took every opportunity to point out that they have done more than talk about conservative principles - a not-so-subtle shot at current and former senators in the pack.

John Kasich was quick to point out that he spent years cutting taxes and his state's economy is growing. The second-term governor of Ohio, a must-win state for a GOP presidential candidate, talked about balancing the state budget and creating jobs. Bush and Perry teased each other over who was the better job creator in Florida and Texas, respectively, and Bush frequently talked about cutting taxes 19 times and reducing the state payroll.

Seizing the moment of the evening, Bobby Jindal talked about his decision to end Louisiana's Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood as a result of an undercover investigation of the nation's largest abortion provider that purportedly shows officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts.

That was in stark contrast with the failure of Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to get the 60 votes they needed to bring a Senate floor vote on their plan to defund Planned Parenthood.

rapid-fire questions

The rapid-fire interviews by New England radio talk show host Jack Heath were jarring at first, but Heath kept the forum moving along. While the candidates quickly fell back on snippets from their stump speeches - Jindal's 'we're not hyphenated Americans” riff, for example - it seemed to prevent the discussion from becoming a series of one-liners for social media and news shows.

LOW POINT

Did the president of St. Anselm's College, where the forum was held, intend to disparage Iowans - including co-sponsors of the forum? In his opening remarks, he repeated the John Sununu put-down: 'In Iowa they pick corn. In New Hampshire we pick presidents.”

This from the state that gave us Presidents Pat Buchanan, Henry Cabot Lodge and Harold Stassen.

Pot. Kettle.