In an interview with the Financial Times, Chuck Hagel, the former Republican Senator from Nebraska, said he was “disgusted” by the Republican Party:

The irresponsible actions of my party, the Republican Party over this were astounding. I'd never seen anything like this in my lifetime. I was very disappointed, I was very disgusted in how this played out in Washington, this debt ceiling debate. It was an astounding lack of responsible leadership by many in the Republican Party, and I say that as a Republican.

Watch Hagel’s full interview here.

To:         Interested Parties
From:    Brad Woodhouse, DNC Communications Director
Re:        Debt Ceiling Debate Leaves GOP at Lowest Approval Since Impeachment…Actually, Even Lower
Date:     August 10, 2011

Its party lost seats in the House.  Its Speaker was forced to resign amid the poor showing and intraparty turmoil.  Its popularity sank to near historic lows.

It was 1998 and the Republican Party and its leaders, most notably Newt Gingrich, received a rude awakening in November as the American people cast a harsh judgment on the circus of impeachment and the GOP’s failure to lead.  Almost never in history had the Republican Party’s brand been so tarnished, battered and beaten.   It was hard to imagine then that anything could make the Republican Party more unpopular than the spectacle they created around impeachment.  Until now.

It may be hard to believe, but the Republican Party’s conduct in the debt ceiling debate, and that conduct leading to the recent downgrade in our credit rating, has resulted in among the Republican Party’s lowest approval ratings in history – lower even than it was during impeachment.  According to a recently released CNN Poll, the Tea Party Republican downgrade of our credit rating and the GOP manufactured debt debate debacle has the Republican Party brand lower today than it was when the Republicans impeached President Clinton in 1998.  According to the survey, 59% of voters have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party today, in the aftermath of the debt ceiling debate, while 57% had an unfavorable view of the GOP in December 1998 when the Republican Majority in the House voted to impeach President Clinton.

The verdict of the public on the GOP’s unpopularity is well founded.  By any objective measure, Republicans are seen as responsible for the crisis atmosphere and dysfunction that gripped Washington during the debt ceiling debate.  GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell himself bragged about the standoff saying that our nation’s economy was a hostage “worth ransoming” for the GOP to get its way.  GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said that such standoffs over the debt ceiling – a standoff that had the U.S. on the brink of default – would now  become the norm if the GOP has its way.  GOP presidential candidates eager to appeal to Tea Party partisans either cheered the crisis on or ducked any leadership on the issue at all.  And, in the announcement of the credit ratings downgrade, S&P’s analysis of the political realities that went into their decision cited “brinkmanship,” political gridlock and a failure to consider revenues that all lay squarely at the feet of the GOP and its intransigence and refusal to compromise.

The same CNN Poll, according to Politico, found that the “The debt ceiling debate hurt Americans’ view of Republicans, bolstered their opinion of Democrats, and drove the tea party’s favorable ratings to a new low, a poll on Tuesday found.”  As Politico points out, the CNN survey made clear that it was during the period of the debt ceiling debate that the GOP’s popularity took a hit while the same period saw the popularity of Democrats rise: “Just 33 percent of Americans approve of the Republican Party, while 59 percent disapprove in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday. That’s a net negative 10-percentage-point shift from less than a month ago, when 41 percent of those surveyed by CNN said they had a favorable view of the GOP while 55 percent had an unfavorable one. At the same time, Democrats’ numbers have improved slightly, with approval and disapproval each at 47 percent. In July, 45 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved, a net 4-point positive change.”

In addition, Public Policy Polling in recent state-based surveys found just how dire things are for the GOP with voters as a result of the debt deal debate.  PPP concludes from surveys in Colorado and North Carolina that among voters who supported the final bill President Obama gets the credit for the deal while among those who oppose the deal Republicans get the blame.  From PPP: “Among voters who support the deal, they're more prone to give Obama the credit than Congressional Republicans. And among voters who oppose the deal, they're more inclined to blame the GOP than the President. In Colorado 51% of voters who support it say Obama was more responsible to only 18% who say Congressional Republicans. In North Carolina it's a closer spread but 33% of supporters credit Obama to 30% for the GOP.  When it comes to the blame game among voters displeased with the compromise 33% in Colorado fault Congressional Republicans more to 23% for Obama and in North Carolina 35% say the GOP is more at fault to 21% who lay it more on the President.” [Public Policy Polling, 8/9/11]

And, an IPSOS Public Affairs poll conducted between August 4^th and the 8^th found even more trouble for Republicans.  When voters were asked if they feel more or less positive towards the political parties and the President as a result of the debt deal, only 24 percent said they felt somewhat or strongly positive towards the GOP while 49 percent said they strongly or somewhat negative towards the GOP – a whopping 25 point net negative rating for Republicans.  Worse still, only 8 percent of voters felt strongly positive towards Republicans as a result of the debt deal while 30 percent felt strongly negative.    

The debacle this has been for the Republican Party extends beyond the general public’s view of the outcome of the debate to the view of GOP partisans.  In essence, Republicans can’t catch a break when it comes to the fallout from the fight over the debt ceiling.  The GOP’s own partisans aren’t a safe harbor for the Republican Party on the issue and how it ended.  A Gallup poll taken shortly after the deal was reached found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans and conservatives, 64 percent for each, opposed the deal [Huffington Post, 8/3/11] while a CNN Poll around the same time found that 63 percent of Democrats approved of the deal [CNN, 8/2/11].  In the end, the Republican Party’s irresponsible conduct and intransigence during the debate badly damaged its brand with all voters while at the end of the day the deal Republicans did agree to fell flat with its own base.

Conclusion

Today’s Republican Party becoming less popular than during impeachment is no small feat.  After all, impeachment was a year-long circus that divided the country, consumed the news and distracted the Congress and the nation from other priorities.  Of course, that’s exactly what the Tea Party-led Republican Congress just put the country through with a crisis it manufactured – a standoff of months where they put their extreme agenda ahead of the nation’s most urgent priorities.  Newt Gingrich and the GOP-led House overplayed its hand in 1998.  They lost House seats in that year’s elections and their popularity dropped to near all-time lows.  Today’s Republican Party has also overplayed its hand.  They manufactured a crisis for their own political ends – one that put our nation on the brink of default for the first time in history and led directly to a downgrade in our credit rating.  Those who remember the spectacle of impeachment and the damage it brought to the GOP may find it unfathomable that today’s Republican Party is less popular than the one of that era.  But the behavior of Republicans during this debate, and the consequences of their brinkmanship on our economy, undoubtedly make the judgment of the voters justified.

To:         Interested Parties
From:    Brad Woodhouse, DNC Communications Director
Re:        Debt Ceiling Debate Leaves GOP at Lowest Approval Since Impeachment…Actually, Even Lower
Date:     August 10, 2011

Its party lost seats in the House.  Its Speaker was forced to resign amid the poor showing and intraparty turmoil.  Its popularity sank to near historic lows.

It was 1998 and the Republican Party and its leaders, most notably Newt Gingrich, received a rude awakening in November as the American people cast a harsh judgment on the circus of impeachment and the GOP’s failure to lead.  Almost never in history had the Republican Party’s brand been so tarnished, battered and beaten.   It was hard to imagine then that anything could make the Republican Party more unpopular than the spectacle they created around impeachment.  Until now.

It may be hard to believe, but the Republican Party’s conduct in the debt ceiling debate, and that conduct leading to the recent downgrade in our credit rating, has resulted in among the Republican Party’s lowest approval ratings in history – lower even than it was during impeachment.  According to a recently released CNN Poll, the Tea Party Republican downgrade of our credit rating and the GOP manufactured debt debate debacle has the Republican Party brand lower today than it was when the Republicans impeached President Clinton in 1998.  According to the survey, 59% of voters have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party today, in the aftermath of the debt ceiling debate, while 57% had an unfavorable view of the GOP in December 1998 when the Republican Majority in the House voted to impeach President Clinton.

The verdict of the public on the GOP’s unpopularity is well founded.  By any objective measure, Republicans are seen as responsible for the crisis atmosphere and dysfunction that gripped Washington during the debt ceiling debate.  GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell himself bragged about the standoff saying that our nation’s economy was a hostage “worth ransoming” for the GOP to get its way.  GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said that such standoffs over the debt ceiling – a standoff that had the U.S. on the brink of default – would now  become the norm if the GOP has its way.  GOP presidential candidates eager to appeal to Tea Party partisans either cheered the crisis on or ducked any leadership on the issue at all.  And, in the announcement of the credit ratings downgrade, S&P’s analysis of the political realities that went into their decision cited “brinkmanship,” political gridlock and a failure to consider revenues that all lay squarely at the feet of the GOP and its intransigence and refusal to compromise.

The same CNN Poll, according to Politico, found that the “The debt ceiling debate hurt Americans’ view of Republicans, bolstered their opinion of Democrats, and drove the tea party’s favorable ratings to a new low, a poll on Tuesday found.”  As Politico points out, the CNN survey made clear that it was during the period of the debt ceiling debate that the GOP’s popularity took a hit while the same period saw the popularity of Democrats rise: “Just 33 percent of Americans approve of the Republican Party, while 59 percent disapprove in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday. That’s a net negative 10-percentage-point shift from less than a month ago, when 41 percent of those surveyed by CNN said they had a favorable view of the GOP while 55 percent had an unfavorable one. At the same time, Democrats’ numbers have improved slightly, with approval and disapproval each at 47 percent. In July, 45 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved, a net 4-point positive change.”

In addition, Public Policy Polling in recent state-based surveys found just how dire things are for the GOP with voters as a result of the debt deal debate.  PPP concludes from surveys in Colorado and North Carolina that among voters who supported the final bill President Obama gets the credit for the deal while among those who oppose the deal Republicans get the blame.  From PPP: “Among voters who support the deal, they're more prone to give Obama the credit than Congressional Republicans. And among voters who oppose the deal, they're more inclined to blame the GOP than the President. In Colorado 51% of voters who support it say Obama was more responsible to only 18% who say Congressional Republicans. In North Carolina it's a closer spread but 33% of supporters credit Obama to 30% for the GOP.  When it comes to the blame game among voters displeased with the compromise 33% in Colorado fault Congressional Republicans more to 23% for Obama and in North Carolina 35% say the GOP is more at fault to 21% who lay it more on the President.” [Public Policy Polling, 8/9/11]

And, an IPSOS Public Affairs poll conducted between August 4^th and the 8^th found even more trouble for Republicans.  When voters were asked if they feel more or less positive towards the political parties and the President as a result of the debt deal, only 24 percent said they felt somewhat or strongly positive towards the GOP while 49 percent said they strongly or somewhat negative towards the GOP – a whopping 25 point net negative rating for Republicans.  Worse still, only 8 percent of voters felt strongly positive towards Republicans as a result of the debt deal while 30 percent felt strongly negative.    

The debacle this has been for the Republican Party extends beyond the general public’s view of the outcome of the debate to the view of GOP partisans.  In essence, Republicans can’t catch a break when it comes to the fallout from the fight over the debt ceiling.  The GOP’s own partisans aren’t a safe harbor for the Republican Party on the issue and how it ended.  A Gallup poll taken shortly after the deal was reached found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans and conservatives, 64 percent for each, opposed the deal [Huffington Post, 8/3/11] while a CNN Poll around the same time found that 63 percent of Democrats approved of the deal [CNN, 8/2/11].  In the end, the Republican Party’s irresponsible conduct and intransigence during the debate badly damaged its brand with all voters while at the end of the day the deal Republicans did agree to fell flat with its own base.

Conclusion

Today’s Republican Party becoming less popular than during impeachment is no small feat.  After all, impeachment was a year-long circus that divided the country, consumed the news and distracted the Congress and the nation from other priorities.  Of course, that’s exactly what the Tea Party-led Republican Congress just put the country through with a crisis it manufactured – a standoff of months where they put their extreme agenda ahead of the nation’s most urgent priorities.  Newt Gingrich and the GOP-led House overplayed its hand in 1998.  They lost House seats in that year’s elections and their popularity dropped to near all-time lows.  Today’s Republican Party has also overplayed its hand.  They manufactured a crisis for their own political ends – one that put our nation on the brink of default for the first time in history and led directly to a downgrade in our credit rating.  Those who remember the spectacle of impeachment and the damage it brought to the GOP may find it unfathomable that today’s Republican Party is less popular than the one of that era.  But the behavior of Republicans during this debate, and the consequences of their brinkmanship on our economy, undoubtedly make the judgment of the voters justified.

Earlier today, we launched a one-stop resource for the Republican 2012 election cycle, which is chock full of biographic information  and policy specifics about each candidate's views. The page also shows videos detailing the major candidates – such as this video on Mitt Romney:

We launched our newest Twitter feed, @GOPsayWhat, late last night—and we're already receiving a warm welcome from across the social network. Take a look at some of the reaction to @GOPsayWhat so far, and if you haven't already, follow us and tell your friends.

• @DJLips: New favorite Twitter account: @GOPsayWhat. It's funny because it's true...
• @VOTEDEM: Follow @GOPsayWhat for the most extreme, crazy and out of touch quotes from the #GOP. Be sure to RT. Your followers will thank you.
• @vehlan: a #Twitter campaign called @GOPsayWhat ... hosted by @dnc ... Need I say more #tech #politics
• @sarahkako: Best new Twitter feed: @GOPsayWhat
• @spedwybabs: THIS is gonna be fun...go #ff @GOPsayWhat #gaffes #goofs #lulz

Seen any good Repubilcanisms lately? Tweet us the most extreme or straight-up ridiculous quotes you've seen from GOP presidential candidates, members of Congress, or pundits.

Following months of negotiations, press conferences, Democratic and Republican conference meetings, around -the-clock bartering, and a binge of media coverage, Democrats and Republicans have finally reached a bipartisan compromise that averts the first-ever government default. Neither party believes this agreement is perfect, but it appears that calmer, more reasonable voices have prevailed and our country can finally move forward.

Mitt Romney’s response to the agreement that prevents economic ruin: “I personally cannot support this deal."

Here’s why that’s hilarious: Mitt Romney hasn’t done anything since 2006 but run for President. He has already shown a stunning lack of leadership and unwillingness to voice an opinion on anything without immediate political payoffs. But now that leaders from both parties have reached an agreement, Romney is jumping in to register his objections.

Mitt Romney, thanks for finally showing up. Better late than never?

Although Mitt Romney still refuses to take a position on the current debt debate (a flip-flop prevention strategy?), that hasn’t stopped him from making more fact-free claims about the economy. Over the past few days, Romney has made erroneous statements about his economic record as governor of Massachusetts as well as the economy under President Obama.

It’s not surprising that Romney will say anything to score political points, but that won’t stop us from telling voters the truth.

Speaking at an event on July 20^th in California, Romney said:

We're now in a recovery period, the economists tell us, even though it still feels like a recession to a lot of people, and that economy, the Wall Street Journal concluded, is the worst recovery we've had following a recession in America's history.

Factcheck.org points out that Romney was wrong on two fronts. First, the Wall Street Journal article he mentions doesn’t compare the current recession to every other recession in American history. Second, Romney was wrong to claim that the current recovery is the “worst in America’s history”—the current recovery may be slower-moving than most would hope, but it’s certainly not the worst.

Read the rest of Factcheck.org’s latest check on Romney’s economic exaggerations, including his misstatements about his record as Massachusetts governor.

Communications Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement in response to the special interest-funded Republican Party’s letter today to the Department of Justice about the President’s political activity:

This is a disgraceful, desperate and politically-motivated attempt at getting headlines by a Republican Party awash in special interest cash which is fighting to preserve tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires at the expense of seniors. This is also an effort to distract from the fact that the President has run the most open and transparent White House and campaign ever while the GOP and its candidates could not survive without being in the pockets of big oil, insurance companies and other special interests.

Instead of playing political games, the Republican Party and its presidential candidates should come clean and tell the American people who exactly among their special interest backers they are working for to end Medicare, slash student loans and place more burdens on the middle class in exchange for preserving tax breaks for corporate lobbyists, corporate jet owners and hedge fund managers.

Communications Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement in response to the special interest-funded Republican Party’s letter today to the Department of Justice about the President’s political activity:

This is a disgraceful, desperate and politically-motivated attempt at getting headlines by a Republican Party awash in special interest cash which is fighting to preserve tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires at the expense of seniors. This is also an effort to distract from the fact that the President has run the most open and transparent White House and campaign ever while the GOP and its candidates could not survive without being in the pockets of big oil, insurance companies and other special interests.

Instead of playing political games, the Republican Party and its presidential candidates should come clean and tell the American people who exactly among their special interest backers they are working for to end Medicare, slash student loans and place more burdens on the middle class in exchange for preserving tax breaks for corporate lobbyists, corporate jet owners and hedge fund managers.

The Iowa Democratic Party today released a video documenting Tim Pawlenty’s record as governor of Minnesota and his stunning record of higher property taxes across the state. His fiscal policies placed the burden on local government and middle-class families – and if Tim Pawlenty can do that in Minnesota, he can do it anywhere.

For weeks now, Mitt Romney’s central campaign message has been that President Obama’s policies, including the Recovery Act, have made the economy “worse.” It’s a claim Romney has repeated over and over – despite its being debunked time and time again.

But now Romney, a serial flip flopper, has outdone even himself. When a reporter confronted Romney about his favorite attack, he denied ever making it:

Wonder what Romney will say tomorrow?

Mitt Romney is running for president in 2012 – something he's being doing since at least 2007.

This time around, however, Romney has made a point to side-step the political process, passing on public appearances and skirting important events that help candidates communicate directly with voters.

It’s behavior that begs the question: What is Mitt Romney scared of?

Let’s look at the facts.

Mitt Romney skipped the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, an event attended by Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and others. He also skipped the South Carolina debate in May. And just last week, Mitt Romney announced he would be skipping a Las Vegas debate in July – however, that event was recently canceled.

Earlier this month, Mitt Romney announced that he would skip the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, an event widely considered “crucial test of organizational strength” and popularity. In 2007, the Romney campaign spent $1 million on it – and came in first – but lost the state's caucus to Mike Huckabee.

Four years ago, here’s what Romney said about importance of Ames:

If you're going to participate in the Iowa process, then you better get in the straw poll.

In isolation, Romney’s decisions aren’t terribly significant. But together, they signal an unwillingness to participate in the same process as other candidates – and seem to indicate a fear of scrutiny.

Public appearances like the ones listed above allow candidates to stand by their records and voters to judge the candidates for themselves.

While there’s no way to know for sure why Mitt Romney is so selective in his public appearances, if I had to wager a guess, I might start here:

Mitt Romney is test-driving a new tactic: repeating an untrue claim over and over again, hoping that people believe it.

The problem here for Romney is that people keep catching him in the act, and debunking his attacks.

The Boston Globe reports:

He did not cause this recession, but he made it worse,” Romney saidduring a visit to the lead presidential primary state, here he has staked much of his campaign. “It will be essential to have a person who understands how the economy works, understands what it takes to create and grow jobs, in the White House.

As Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent points out, there’s much more to this story than just reported in the Boston Globe:

The Globe piece doesn’t tell you this, but Romney’s claim — which is now central to his sales pitch — has been repeatedly knocked down. After Romney made the assertion his announcement speech, fact checkers demolished it.

Read Sargent’s full piece here.

As President Obama traveled to Pittsburgh to highlight the progress of American manufacturers, Mitt Romney and his campaign are turning to distortions and mistruths to attack the President's record of job creation -- and ignoring Romney's history of neglecting the facts and scoffing at the potential of manufacturing to help drive America’s economy.

As a candidate for president, Romney’s dismissal of the manufacturing industry speaks volumes about his lack of confidence in the American workforce.

Here’s what Romney thinks about the manufacturing industry:

President Obama Launched The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, A National Effort To Invest In Technologies That Will Create High Quality Manufacturing Jobs And Enhance Global Competitiveness. [White House Press Release, 6/24/2011]

WSJ: “The Manufacturing Sector Has Been Something Of A Bright Spot” After Decades Of Decline, With Jobs Up 1.4% Since Last Year And Industrial Production On The Rise. [WSJ, 6/24/11]

Manufacturing Industry Added 238,000 Jobs From December 2009 Through May 2011. [U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,6/3/11]

U.S. Manufacturing Production Index Has Grown 13 Percent Since The End Of The Recession.[WSJ, 6/24/2011]

Manufacturing Sector Has Expanded For The 22nd Consecutive Month. “Despite the slowdown, economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the 22nd consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 24th consecutive month.” [ISM.ws, 6/1/2011]

During Mitt Romney’s tenure as governor, the Massachusetts manufacturing industry was devastated and declined by more than twice the national average. He even slashed funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a federal program that helps small firms train workers and improve operations:

Romney’s Budget Cuts To Manufacturing Partnership Hampered Effort To Save Thousands Of Jobs. [Boston Globe, 11/23/06]

• 2006: Romney Vetoed More Than $700,000 In Funding For The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Which Was Then Overridden By The Legislature. [Westboro News, 12/14/06]
• 2006: Romney Vetoed Roughly $557,000 For The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership From A Stimulus Bill.[Boston Business Journal, 6/3/06]
• 2005: Romney Vetoed $850,000 For The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Which Was Overridden By The Legislature.[Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 7/15/05]

During a campaign stop in Colorado today, Mitt Romney was trolling through a restaurant, enjoying some chips and guacamole, when he had yet another awkward encounter with the public.

While looking for change in his wallet, he struggled to find something smaller than a $100 bill. 

According to the Washington Post :

At one table, a boy offered Romney a $1 bill that he had folded origami-style for good luck. The candidate happily accepted it, but then rifled through his wallet looking for money to give the boy in return. Romney had a $100 bill, but evidently did not want to give that away. An aide handed him a $1 bill, but Romney said that wasn’t enough.

Then, deep inside his leather billfold, Romney found a $5 bill. “We’ll give you an Abraham Lincoln back,” he said, handing it to the boy.

Mitt Romney’s prolonged search for a denomination less than $100 tells us something about his ability to connect with American families. You have to wonder about a candidate who tells voters that he's unemployed — even while the examples of his extensive, personal wealth are so obvious.

On a visit today in Tampa, Florida, Mitt Romney sat with a group of unemployed voters and listened to their concerns about the challenges of finding a job. Once they finished, Romney tried to empathize by telling them about his  own predicament:

I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.

But there’s one part of Mr. Romney’s story that wasn’t mentioned: He’s worth more than $200 million.

I suspect that Mitt Romney probably isn’t experiencing the same challenges as many of those who are unemployed. Generally, a $200 million nest egg helps a guy to weather the recession.

On a visit today in Tampa, Florida, Mitt Romney sat with a group of unemployed voters and listened to their concerns about the challenges of finding a job. Once they finished, Romney tried to empathize by telling them about his  own predicament:

I should tell my story. I’m also unemployed.

But there’s one part of Mr. Romney’s story that wasn’t mentioned: He’s worth more than $200 million.

I suspect that Mitt Romney probably isn’t experiencing the same challenges as many of those who are unemployed. Generally, a $200 million nest egg helps a guy to weather the recession.

After Monday’s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney stuck around the next day to campaign at local businesses. But it seems Romney viewed this extended stay as more than just an average campaign stop.

A Manchester Union Leader editorial describes a conversation Mitt Romney had with Brad Benson, a local business owner. According to the paper, Mitt Romney told Mr. Benson:

I will probably be back in four years. Only this time it will be a larger group and I will probably have Secret Service.

The New Hampshire primary is eight months away, and even then it’s unlikely the Republican nomination is decided until other states hold their primaries as well.

It takes special kind of chutzpah to claim victory eight months before America’s first primary, and even more to do it before millions of voters are given the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Maybe Romney was joking – but you have to think that New Hampshire voters won't look kindly on a candidate so quick to make assumptions.

Last night, I had the pleasure of moderating the live chat for our 2012 debate headquarters -- an all-inclusive page that featured live tweeting, fact checks, and chat. Those watching made hundreds of comments, chiming in and offering a lively, spirited, and sometimes funny running commentary on the night’s proceedings. It’s hard to pick favorites, but there were certainly a few that stood out.

Hokeyaddictnus had some strong words for the GOP’s irresponsible budget cuts:

You cannot continue to hammer on the theme of stop spending and produce jobs. Jobs require investment, not continuing budget cuts.

And ProgressiveMuckraker figured that the real winner of the debate might not have even been on stage:

All in all I think President Obama won the debate tonight. Good job Mr. President!

It was animated exchanges like these that made last night so exciting. We assembled the debate page as a means of bringing together a community of individuals to share ideas and discuss the future of our country and to correct Republicans as they misrepresented their records and that of the President. And it was a resounding success.

All told, I think Julie B. captured the mood at the end of the night with her promise:

See you all at the next debate!

I’ll certainly be back—and I hope that you’ll join us next time.

Last night at the CNN Republican Debate at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, the 2012 Republican presidential field discussed the most pressing issues that face our nation, which is still emerging from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. So what did they use their pedestal to address? Education reform? Strengthening a hard-hit middle class?

Herman Cain talked about keeping sharia law out of U.S. courts…

Tim Pawlenty wants a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage…

Mitt Romney wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, reform of the health insurance industry modeled after the plan he signed as governor of Massachusetts…

And Newt Gingrich wants a space station on the moon…

Given the opportunity to hold a thoughtful debate on issues that matter to middle class families like education or investing in the jobs of the future, Republican candidates instead re-litigated ideological debates that have divided Americans for years.

Following the Republican debate in New Hampshire tonight, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

Tonight’s Republican debate was a reminder that we’ve been down this road of failed economic policies and proposals before. The economic recession in America wasn’t caused by bad luck; it was caused by bad Republican policies. But the Republican candidates are doubling down on the same flawed policies that led to the loss of 3.6 million jobs in the final months of 2008 and gravely affected middle class families across America.

And if those policies weren't bad enough, we heard support tonight for policies as extreme as ending Medicare and privatizing Social Security - policies the American people have rejected over and over again.

The debate tonight put into stark relief the contrast between the Republican presidential candidates and President Obama. Republicans want to roll back the protections President Obama put in place to make sure another financial crisis of the magnitude we saw in 2008 could not happen again. President Obama is making the tough decisions to get our country going in the right direction, has taken our economy from job losses to 15 straight months of job gains, cut taxes 26 times, and focused like a laser on getting the middle class back on its feet while those campaigning to replace him have failed to show they can lead on these issues.

Under Mitt Romney’s leadership Massachusetts was 47th out of 50 states in job creation. And thanks to Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota was left with a $6.2 billion projected deficit. The fact is, when it comes to economic leadership, the Republicans have nothing to brag about. This isn’t what the American people want. They want to see progress that works for them. Tonight we were reminded that Republican candidates have nothing to offer but the failed policies the American people have already rejected.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, the GOP 2012 hopefuls will stand side by side and try to make the case to Republican primary voters why each of them should be their party’s nominee. We're expecting quite a show.

That’s why we’re following along. 

In real time on this page, we’ll be checking facts and setting the record straight. We'll be sharing key pieces of analysis and offering a place for you to chime in with your own reactions. If experience tells us anything, we'll all be plenty busy. 

So eat some dinner, pop some popcorn, and check back here starting at 8:00 p.m. ET to follow along.

Yesterday, Mitt Romney returned to Michigan — no doubt hoping for a warm welcome as an expatriated native. But because of his opposition to federal assistance for the automakers, which saved thousands of jobs in Michigan and millions nationwide, Romney was welcomed by a different sort of crowd: protestors.

Tim Pawlenty says that growing the economy is a top priority. If he’s serious about that claim, the economic proposal he released this week sure isn’t – even the economic experts in his own party dismissed it as a pipe dream, completely detached from reality.

According to Tim Pawlenty, his plan would use more tax cuts for the wealthy to grow the economy by 5 percent a year for ten years and reduce unemployment to below zero. This has never been done before, which might be why Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a top economic adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain, believes the plan is a fantasy:

The trend growth rate is not going to be 5 percent in the United States. The market just doesn't support that. It just doesn't.

Holtz-Eakin isn't alone in dismissing Tim Pawlenty's plan as less than serious. Two other former Republican CBO directors -- Robert Reischauer and Rudolph Penner - are equally skeptical. According to TPM, Reischauer said that the numbers just don't add up:

You get growth because of investment, an increased labor force, a rise in human capital, and innovation. Add all those components together and they don't sum up to 5 percent.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by how unrealistic Tim Pawlenty's plan is - the former governor has a history of economic malpractice. As DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse wrote on the blog this week, "Tim Pawlenty’s legacy for Minnesota is simple: economic and fiscal ruin. When he left office, working- and middle-class families were paying higher taxes, the budget had hit record deficits, and funding for schools had been slashed."

Today, Mitt Romney heads to Michigan to talk to voters about the economy. As part of his welcome package, we’ve put together a short video reminding voters about Mr. Romney’s staunch opposition to automaker assistance, and his failed attempt to try to take credit for their success afterward.

Maybe if Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign doesn’t work out, he could stick around Michigan and get a job with Chrysler – I hear they’re hiring.