Crossover with the 2008 Republican Primary Debates

ANDERSON COOPER: Welcome back to the 2008 Republican Presidential debates. I’m Anderson Cooper. We’re joined tonight by former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, Senator John McCain of Arizona, former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, and Thane of Cawdor Macbeth. The next question is for Governor Romney. Are the people better off after the last eight years under King Duncan?

MITT ROMNEY: Well, if you’re voting for King Duncan, you’d be very interested in knowing the answer to that. If you’re voting for Mitt Romney, you'd like to know, "Are you better off in Massachusetts after four years of my term in office?" And the answer would be decidedly yes.  As governor, I was spectacular. And handsome. My hair alone - it was amazing. Where there were budgets, I balanced them. Where there were shortfalls, I closed them. Everyone in Massachusetts got health insurance, a better job, and a free lunch.

ANDERSON COOPER: Senator McCain, same question.

JOHN MCCAIN: I think you could argue that overall the people are better off, because a lot of good things happened over those eight years. But let’s have some straight talk. People are also worse off. Some of the things that happened, they were bad.

ANDERSON COOPER: It sounds like you’re saying the people are not better off.

JOHN MCCAIN: I think the people are better off overall, but the people are uncertain about their future. What I’m trying to emphasize is that there are a lot of challenges facing the people right now. A lot of them. I think we need to give the people things like tax stimulus relief cut checks, for the uncertainty in the housing subprime economy market bubble. Ronald Reagan.

ANDERSON COOPER: Governor Huckabee, if you can, briefly. Are the people better off?

MIKE HUCKABEE: I don’t think we are. But look, we can’t blame any one person for this. This isn’t King Duncan’s fault. King Duncan, he’s a swell fellow. So we can’t blame him. Instead, we have to blame a lot of people. Specifically, Congress. Or Parliament, or whatever we’ve got. I can’t decide if this crossover is set in the United States or in Scotland. But whoever they are, they aren’t getting anything done. Me, I got a lot of things done. I reduced spending. I cut costs. I streamlined government. I opposed gay marriage. And I lost 110 pounds. 110 pounds, Anderson. 110 pounds.

ANDERSON COOPER: Congressman Paul, are we better off than eight years ago?

RON PAUL: No, we’re not better off. We’re worse off, and it’s partly the administration’s fault, and partly the congress’s fault, because we have this fiscal policy, and also this monetary policy, and also a foreign policy, and Great Birnam wood, which we’re bankrupting, and one trillion dollars, high Dunsinane Hill, and the middle class is on the ropes, and also the monetary policy. Beware MacDuff.

ANDERSON COOPER: And finally, Thane Macbeth.

Macbeth rises slowly out of his chair, his eyes wide with fear and fixed on Congressman Paul. Suddenly, the four Republicans throw off their disguises and reveal themselves to be the three witches and Hecate. Hecate lets out a long, wild laugh, rave music begins to play, the male witch strips naked and puts on the head of a goat, and the witches all begin to dance madly around Macbeth.

ANDERSON COOPER: We're going to pause for a quick commercial break. The debate continues when we return.