|
 Jeb Bush and other candidates are trying to turn the tide in a
campaign that is dominated so far by provocative rhetoric that has
played to the strengths of Trump, a bombastic reality television
star and developer, and Carson, a soft-spoken surgeon who has been
gaining support in opinion polls.
The two-hour debate, moderated in Boulder, Colorado, by business
network CNBC, will begin at 8 p.m. EDT/0000 GMT Wednesday.
With Trump and Carson holding a firm grip on the race in polls of
likely Republican voters for the November 2016 election, the forum
comes at an increasingly perilous time for lower-ranking candidates.
Former Florida Governor Bush, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly
Fiorina, Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are under pressure
to shake up a race for the party's nomination that so far is tilting
away from them with the first voting to take place in little more
than three months.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio also need
solid performances to build on recent momentum.
Officials from several rival campaigns said they believe the debate
could help make Trump and Carson less popular if they are shown to
lack knowledge of the intricacies of policy.
“If they run this thing well and push people to see if they're smart
on the economy and job creation and how fiscal restraint fits into
that, you could finally start separating the sheep from the goats on
an important issue," said an official in the campaign of one of the
Republicans vying against Trump.
Republican strategist Kevin Madden said the debate could pose a test
for Trump and Carson.
"It requires them to no longer just glide by on attributes like
being new and bold," said Madden, a former top aide to 2012
Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Carson set the table for a debate about the future of sacrosanct
entitlement programs by telling "Fox News Sunday" he would use
health savings accounts as an alternative to popular Medicare and
Medicaid health programs for the poor and elderly.
Trump, suddenly behind Carson in some polls, went on the attack on
MSNBC's "Morning Joe", saying he did not think Carson would get away
with "abolishing Medicare", which Carson denied he would do.
In Westerville, Ohio, on Monday, Kasich signaled he would take a
tougher tone with Trump and Carson.
“I want you to know I’m fed up. I’m sick and tired of listening to
this nonsense and I’m going to have to call it like it is in this
race,” he said.
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A Trump aide said the billionaire would be well-prepared to respond
to attacks at the debate. A Carson spokesman did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
Without mentioning Trump or Carson specifically, the campaign of
Huckabee, who has offered a detailed "fair tax" plan, said the
debate will require candidates to go beyond talking points.
"All of them as a whole are going to have to give more than just the
topline bullet points of their economic policies," said Huckabee
spokeswoman Alice Stewart.
Trump frequently touts the business experience that made him a
billionaire as reason enough why a President Trump would create a
stronger economy.
He released a tax reform plan in September that would lower tax
rates for all Americans and would pay for the loss of tax revenue by
eliminating tax deductions and corporate loopholes.
The non-partisan Tax Foundation said it would reduce tax revenues by
$10.14 trillion over the next decade when accounting for economic
growth from increases in the supply of labor and capital.
Carson has proposed all Americans pay a flat tax of 10 percent on
income based on the biblical notion of tithing. He would eliminate
individual and corporate tax loopholes. He has said his proposal
would be revenue neutral for the federal budget.
Bush has been active in taking on Trump, and an aide said he plans
to do so in Boulder.
Bush may have little choice.
"Jeb is trailing in the polls, he's got nothing to lose," said David
Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at
Southern Illinois University.
For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, “Tales
from the Trail” (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/)
(Additional reporting by Erin McPike; Editing by Caren Bohan and Ken
Wills)
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