Republican Hopefuls Battle in New Hampshire Debate

MANCHESTER, N.H.--With the New Hampshire primary looming just five days away, the Republican presidential candidates converged in Manchester for a nationally televised debate last night where mudslinging continued despite calls for unity.

"We can't make the kind of change we want to make without a Republican President," said former Gov. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), urging fellow candidates to focus on defeating President Clinton.

But Alexander's message went unheeded as some candidates continued firing shots in a campaign that has become riddled with negative advertising and personal attacks.

"[U.S. Senate Majority leader] Bob Dole (R-Kan.), my friend of thirty years, is calling me an extremist," said conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, who finished only three points behind Dole in Tuesday's Iowa primary. "If I'm an extremist, why are you pirating my ideas, Bob?"

But in this hour and a half debate--broadcast live throughout the nation on the Cable News Network (CNN)--Dole had a few jabs up his sleeve as well.

"Pat's really gotten carried away," said Dole, after being attacked by isolationist Buchanan for failing to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border from Mexico. "Did you have a bad day?"

In this comment, Dole referred to an inauspicious start to Buchanan's New Hampshire campaign. Yesterday, the social conservative was forced to defend the co-chair of his campaign, Larry Pratt, who allegedly has addressed audiences of neo-Nazis in the past and has been labeled a white supremacist by critics.

Despite the emerging controversy, Buchanan was still able to deliver his message and effectively comfort his opponents on the issues, according to fellow conservative commentator Robert Novak, who observed the debate, held at the WMUR television studios.

"Buchanan did very well," said Novak, labeling him the victor in the debate.

While Buchanan portrayed himself as a champion of the low wage worker by supporting limits on immigration and international trade, Dole took a more moderate approach.

The Senate Majority leader, a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), refuted Buchanan's call for trade reduction by referring to the $3 million of American exports sent to Mexico each month. Dole explained that foreign trade is necessary for a healthy domestic economy.

Perhaps the strongest supporter of downsizing the federal government, Alexander explained that the only way to tackle issues like the country's Social Security woes and rising health care costs is to leave the decision-making to the states.

Proclaiming that the field has been narrowed to himself, Buchanan and Dole, and encouraged by his close third-place finish in Iowa, Alexander bragged that his campaign has remained cleaner than those of his opponents.

"My TV ads were positive," he said. "People got sick of Sen. Dole and [publisher Steve] Forbes [Jr.] slamming each other."

Never denying that he ran several negative ads throughout Iowa, Forbes apologized to the public for attacking his opponents so zealously and promised to focus more on the issues in upcoming weeks.

"I made a few mistakes," said Forbes. "The key is learning from them."

In typically acerbic fashion, Dole hammered Forbes at one point in the debate for using less than complimentary photos of the Kansas senator in some ads and presented Forbes with some better shots that he had in his pocket.

After the Debate

In interviews with the media after the contest, the candidates discussed, among other topics, student financial aid.

U.S. Rep. Robert Dornan (R.-Calif.), who finished dead last in Iowa, said the federal government should not be responsible for providing funding to all poor college students.

"Let Harvard help--it's not a federal job," Dornan told The Crimson. He added that students majoring in science and engineering--being better contributors to technological advancement--should receive aid, while those majoring the humanities are "supposed to suffer."

While Dornan plans to eventually withdraw from the race to focus on his congressional re-election campaign, Dole--the frontrunner from the beginning--continues to label himself as the only alternative for a prosperous America.

The debate was held in the Granite State's ABC affiliate. The primary--the nation's traditional first--will be held across the state Tuesday

"Let Harvard help--it's not a federal job," Dornan told The Crimson. He added that students majoring in science and engineering--being better contributors to technological advancement--should receive aid, while those majoring the humanities are "supposed to suffer."

While Dornan plans to eventually withdraw from the race to focus on his congressional re-election campaign, Dole--the frontrunner from the beginning--continues to label himself as the only alternative for a prosperous America.

The debate was held in the Granite State's ABC affiliate. The primary--the nation's traditional first--will be held across the state Tuesday