Fourth Presidential debate asks the hard questions

'It's not an adult argument'

The fourth Republican presidential debate took place at the Milwaukee Theater Tuesday night. Candidates were asked the big questions ranging from how they felt about protester demands for a $15 minimum wage to the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - There were several good answers from most of the candidates concerning the minimum wage, job creation, vetting candidates, immigration and more. 

When the topic of immigration came up, Trump stood his ground and defended his plan to build a wall along the Mexican border. He said, "I will tell you, we are a country of laws. We need borders. We will have a wall. The wall will be built. The wall will be successful. And if you think walls don't work, all you have to do is ask Israel. The wall works, believe me. Properly done. Believe me."

FOX moderator Maria Bartiromo asked Trump, "Can we just send 5 million people back with no effect on [the] economy?" To which he responded, "Maria, we're a country of laws. We either have a country or we don't have a country. We are a country of laws ... But we have no choice if we're going to run our country properly and if we're going to be a country."

John Kasich commented on Trump's response and cited Ronald Reagan, saying the formor president "said the people who were here, if they were law-abiding, could stay ... But 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. 

"So, you know what the answer really is? If they have been law-abiding, they pay a penalty. They get to stay. We protect the wall. Anybody else comes over, they go back. But for the 11 million people, come on, folks ... It's a silly argument. It is not an adult argument. It makes no sense."

In response to Kasich's Reagan quote, Trump cooly cited former president Dwight D. Eisenhower: "'I like Ike,' right? The expression. 'I like Ike' moved a 1.5 million illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border. They came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn't like it. Moved them way south. They never came back ... You don't get nicer; you don't get friendlier ... We have no choice. We have no choice."

Following several voices clashing together, Kasich took the floor, saying: "...Ohio is diversified. And little false little things, sir, they really don't work when it comes to the truth. So the fact is, all I'm suggesting, we can't ship 11 million people out of this country. Children would be terrified, and itwill not work."

Rather than responding to how he plans on enacting the plan to ship the 11 million illegals out of the United States, Trump responded that he "built an unbelievable company worth billions and billions of dollars," adding, "I don't have to hear from this man, believe me. I don't have to hear from him."

Jeb Bush took the opportunity to finally step in and thanked Trump for allowing him to finally speak during the debate, which was met with applause. He then specified just how much it would cost to ship illegal immigrants back to their home countries. "$500,000 a month, is just not - not possible. And it's not embracing American values. And it would tear communities apart. And it would send a signal that we're not the kind of country that I know America is.

"And even having this conversation sends a powerful signal - they're doing high-fives in the Clinton campaign right now when they hear this. That's the problem with this. We have to win the presidency. And the way you win the presidency is to have practical plans. Lay them out there. 

"What we need to do is allow people to earn legal status where they pay a fine, where they work, where they don't commit crimes, where they learn English, and over an extended period of time, they earn legal status. That's the path - a proper path."

Though Bush's response seemed sound, Trump immediately claimed it was "Very, very unfair to the people that want to come into [the] country legally. They've gone through the process. They're on line. They're waiting. Very, very unfair to them. That I can tell you."

The debate continued, addressing the American economy, retirement ages, benefits and more. The Republican party's 14-person-strong candidates scrambled to stand out during the Milwaukee debate. Currently Trump and Carson are at the top of the polls and some of the candidates attempted to distinguish themselves simply by speaking about their plans more aggressively regardless of their vague mentions and lack of specifics.

Many of the candidates struggled with accusations concerning their past, with Carson claiming "we should vet all candidates." He added, "I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about."

In a surprising move, several candidates turned the heat from their opponents and aimed their sights on Hillary Clinton, with Bush saying her "approach ... [is] more regulation, more taxes, more government, and it will destroy our economy."

One of the loudest ovations of the night came when Marco Rubio responded to Rand Paul's jab at his conservatism and proposal for a higher military spending allowance. "Marco, how is it conservative to add a trillion-dollar expenditure for the government that you're not paying for?"

Rubio called Paul "a committed isolationist" before saying, "I know that the world is a safer and better place when America is the strongest military power in the world."

As applause broke out, Paul responded, "I don't think we're any safer from bankruptcy court," and asked Rubio how he could be "a conservative and be liberal on military spending."

Though she was a strong contender in September, Carly Fiorina has slipped in the polls and attempted to revive her campaign by expressing concern for her children's future. She proposed fiscal overhauls and called to upend the political status quo. She earned quite the ovation when she said what was simmering beneath the surface of the debate all night: "We must take our government back."

Ted Cruz also attempted to stand out by repeatedly arguing for big government changes and claimed he would eliminate five major federal agencies, but struggled to name them. "Five major agencies that I would eliminate: the I.R.S., the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, uh, the Department of Commerce and HUD, and then 25 specific programs."

Overall the debate was an exciting event that enabled each presidential hopeful opportunities to stand out. What did you think? Who made the best point? Let us know in the comments below!

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