The Slatest

Best Lines of the ABC News GOP Debate

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The GOP candidates at the ABC News New Hampshire debate

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

With Tuesday’s caucus results delivering a dose of momentum to Marco Rubio and demonstrating Donald Trump’s vulnerability, Saturday’s GOP debate is certainly not one to ignore. Will Trump’s bravado be tempered by some humility? Or will he see it as an opportunity to reclaim his position? Will other candidates approach the podium with a new sense of authority and conviction? In any case we’re collecting the best lines of tonight’s debate right here.

Christie on Rubio’s lack of experience

You have not be involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable. You just simply haven’t. And the fact is—when you talk about Hezbollah sanctions act that you list as one of your accomplishments, youweren’t even there to vote for it. That’s not leadership. That’s truancy. The fact is that what we need to do, what we need to do in this country is not to make the same mistake we made eight years ago.

Kasich on immigration

I couldn’t even imagine how we would even begin to think about taking a mom or a dad out of a house when they have not committed a crime since they’ve been here, leaving their children in the house? I mean, that is not, in my opinion, the kind of values that we believe in. And secondly, I think at the end of the day, that Americans would support a plan like this. I think Congress would pass a plan, to finish the border, guest worker, pay a fine, a path to legalization, and not citizenship. And we’ve got to get this done.

 Cruz on why he will repeal Obamacare

We’re going to ration end of life care. We’re right now heading into a medical system with about a 90,000-doctor shortage in America and socialized medicine, whether proposed by the Democrats or proposed by a Republican would hurt the people of this country. What should we do on health care? If I’m elected president, we will repeal every word of Obama care.

Bush response to Trump’s support of eminent domain

The difference between eminent domain for public purpose, roads and pipelines, that’s for public purpose. What Donald Trump did was use eminent domain to try to take the property of an elderly woman on the strip in Atlantic City. That is not public purpose. That is down right wrong.

Rubio on fighting ISIS

Sunni cities and villages can only truly be liberated and held by Sunnis themselves. If they are held by shias, will start sectarian violence. Kurds do not want to liberate and hold Sunni villages and towns. It will take Sunni fighters toe take those villages and cities and to avoid the sectarian violence that follows in the past. And why that is important is because if Sunnis are not able to govern themselves in these areas, you are going to have a successor group to ISIS.

Christie on Bush’s suggestion to raise taxes on millionaires

After New Jersey raised taxes on millionaires, we lost, in the next four years, $70 billion in wealth, it left our state, to go where it would be treated more kindly. If the United States raises taxes any further, that money will leave the United States, as well. We won’t have better jobs. Let New Jersey be the canary in the coal mine. It is a failed idea and a failed policy, it’s class warfare. It happened in my state. I’ve stopped it from happening again. But we cannot do it.

Trump on his willingness to bring back waterboarding

Well, I’ll tell you what. In the Middle East, we have people chopping the heads off Christians. We have people chopping the heads off many other people. We have things that we have never seen before, as a group, we have never seen before, what’s happening right now. The medieval times, I mean, we studied medieval times, not since medieval times have people seen what’s going on. I would bring back waterboarding and I would bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.

Christie on supporting heroin treatment programs

And I’m pro life, not just for the nine months in the womb, when they get out and it’s a lot more complicated. 16-year-old heroin-addicted drug girl on the floor of a county lockup, the 42-year-old who his own family.

Kasich on his first 100 days

if I get elected president, head out tomorrow and buy a seat belt, because there’s going to be so much happening in the first 100 days, it’s going to make your head spin. We’re going to move America forward. I promise you. We’re going to move us forward.

Christie on gender equality in Secret Service registration

The fact is, we need to be a party and a people that makes sure that our women in this country understand anything they can dream, anything that they want to aspire to, they can do. That’s the way we raise our daughters. That’s what we should aspire to.

Ben Carson on the Super Bowl

With 100 percent certainty, I will predict the winner, it will either be Denver or Carolina.