>> do you sense any more of a pragmatic view in finding an electable candidate versus someone who aligns with the views of the voters? are they more open to find somebody who seems to be more electoral? >> you hear it a lot. i hear a lot of people said, anybody but obama. that comes more from democrats and independents. people come up to me last seen me on tv. they say, i do not care who you nominate. i just want to beat obama. maybe that is more important when there is the other side in the white house, which is probably the truth. i do not think many people are total terrorist -- total purist. the rest of us are fallible and we are going to fall short. i can i get my wife and now my kids to agree with me every day. we will not find anybody who lines up perfectly. there is a real sentiment of, we have got to beat obama. our country cannot survive four more years of out of control socialist spending and runaway government spending and regulation. jim demint says this may be our last chance. this guy has done such a takeover job of america and a lot of the ideas we hold dear are going down the drain. we have to make sure we beat this guy come fall. >> chad connelly is the chairman of the south carolina republican party. their party -- primary is on january 20. >> can wait to see you in south carolina. >> what did you hear from the chairman? >> south carolina is going to be the states that the time is the whole ball game. what we have seen in the last few cycles is that iowa, new hampshire, south carolina is the preseason. it's the real goal is to amass the number of delegates you need to a secure the -- if the real goal is to amass the number of delegates you need to secure the nomination, you only get 28 in south carolina. there are 50 in florida. south carolina is the last chance for any candidate to seize the momentum for the regular season. >> jeff? >> just the questions of governor romney's faith opens the window into what i expect governor romney will try to do. he has gone through this process without giving any type of a speech about his fate for his religion. the chairman was interested in saying religion doesn't matter specifically. it matters what your relationship is and what you believe. also a pragmatic sense. the voters i have talked to in south carolina say there is more of a pragmatic stance. -- pragmatic sense. he is suggesting there is an open field for everyone. newt gingrich has as much of a chance as anyone. he was hinting around the edges. the top concern of voters is it electability. it will be interesting to see how these candidates come out of new hampshire in position. it is a head-to-head race, it is going to be fascinating to watch. it is the last band and the chairman come from that. >> 10 days between new hampshire and south carolina. that is a lifetime in politics. >> i think it is a lifetime in politics. it is not long enough to reverse the trajectory of the race so far. it is definitely going to propel whoever the winner is out of north carolina. it is going to allow some people one last shot. the direction of the contest is not going to be able to be reversed entirely. it is one of the reasons you do not see senator santorum advertising a lot in new hampshire. south carolina is the new new hampshire. it will be fascinating to watch. >> there are four regions in south carolina that will be important. we heard chad connelly talk about the upstate, the low lands and the midlands and myrtle beach. they are more likely to be people are native south carolians. they are more culturally liberal. i should not say culturally liberal, but not as conservative as folks upstate. that is where mitt romney will do best. the key is for romney to make as many inroads as he can and to gin up turnout in the places he will do the best. >> he did not talk about the role of bob jones university. >> we have not seen candidates go to a lot of these religious universities. none of them have played the same role that they have in elections past, except for oral roberts law school, who granted to michele bachmann. this year, none of the candidates have given a speech at bob jones university. that tells you a little bit about the changing face of the republican party. even the evangelical voters that played such a pivotal role in iowa may not need you to check that box anymore. they might want to hear a speech about your beliefs on social policy. >> jeff, final thoughts? >> he is right about that. this election is about the economy. the republicans are trying to unseat the democrat in the white house. the biggest question is, how much money do people have come in and out of new hampshire's going into south carolina? some will not be able to compete there as aggressively as they would like. it is mitt romney's to lose at this point. some republicans hope that is the place to slow his path to keep these other issues allies. we will see of that will happen. >> gentlemen, this has been "newsmakers." [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i am pleased we are seeing the kinds of crowds we are seeing. >> go to town halls, campaign rallies. >> it is a pleasure to have a listening ear. >> you talk about bringing manufacturing back to the united states. are you planning on taxing some of these big companies? >> what are new hampshire primary coverage on c-span television and on our website. >> the major candidates from the republican presidential nomination gathered this morning for their final debate before the nation's first primary next tuesday in new hampshire. the event was hosted by nbc news, facebook, and then -- and the new hampshire union leader. >> a small state that will have a big impact on the race. live free or die. the issue, jobs and the economy. which of these candidates is best suited to take on president obama? this morning, our debate in partnership with facebook, the world's number one social platform, and the new hampshire union leader. the candidates, the issues, and your questions. >> this is the nbc news facebook republican candidates debate. the moderator, david gregory. [applause] >> good morning and welcome to this special edition of "meet the press." all six candidates are here. before we began, you know the drill. each candidate will have one minute, 60 seconds, to make their statement to respond to questions, and 30 seconds for follow ups or bottles. we're on a pretty tight schedule so i will ask the candidates will speak to this -- to stay within their allotted time. we partnered with facebook. some of the questions will come from me and some will come from you. we encourage you to weigh in on the debate in real time. you can monitor that conversation and we will see some of your feedback during that debate over the course of this debate. candidates, good morning. i want to say on behalf of all americans, i thank you for being willing to debate each other every 10 hours, whether you feel you need it or not. this is an important moment, elections are about choices. they are about distinguishing one from the other. there is a political element to that and it has to do with policy as well. governor romney has won the iowa caucuses. he is up in the polls here in new hampshire. he is up in the polls in south carolina. speaker gingrich, why shouldn't governor romney be the nominee of this party? what about his record concerns you most or makes him disqualified to be the nominee? >> those most likely in the long run to survive against the kind of billion dollar campaign the obama team is going to run? a bolt reagan conservative with a very strong economic plan is a lot more likely to succeed in that campaign than a relatively timid massachusetts moderate who had an economic plan so tenant resembled the obama. massachusetts was fourth from the bottom in job creation under governor romney. we agreed 11 million jobs while i was speaker. there is a huge difference between a reagan conservative that and somebody who comes out of the massachusetts culture with a moderate record. >> you believe governor romney is unelectable? >> against obama as a record, -- against obama's records, and he will have -- the bigger the contrast, the bolder ideas, the clearer the choice. >> speaker, this is your flyer. >> you have a very hard time getting reelected. >> governor? >> david, i am very proud of the record i have. the one thing you cannot fool about is the record of the governor next door. people have watched me over my term as governor and saw that i was a solid conservative. i brought important change to massachusetts. it recognize that i cut taxes 19 times, balance the budget every year i was governor. we had seen job losses in the months leading up to my becoming the governor. we began to finally create jobs. we created more jobs in massachusetts than barack obama has created in the entire country. we also got her state police to -- i am very proud of the conservative record i have. that is why some of the leading conservatives in today's world have gotten behind my campaign. the governor of south carolina, the governor of new jersey. the great senator of new hampshire. these are conservatives to look to my records, looked at my plan. i happen to believe if we want to replace a lifetime politician, like barack obama, you have to choose someone who is not been a lifelong politician. the was not spent his entire career in washington. has proven time and again that he can lead. we have to nominate a leader if we will replace someone who was not a leader. >> senator santorum, you would have been in washington even longer. it would have been 21 years. how do you address this question? why shouldn't governor romney be the nominee? >> if this record was so great as governor of massachusetts, why did not run for reelection? if it was that great, why did you bailout? the bottom line is, i do not -- if that -- if it was that important to the people of massachusetts, make the battle that you did a good job. 71% democratic district. i was in a 71% democratic district. it was a hard thing to do. my district was more democratic than a state of massachusetts. i stood up and fought for the conservative principles. i was running the same year he ran in 1994. i ran against an incumbent. governor romney it lost by almost 20 points. at the end of that campaign, he would not stand up for conservative principles. we want someone, when the time gets tough, we want some money was going to stand up and fight for the conservative principles. >> when you endorsed him for years ago, you said those words but that he would stand up for conservative principles. >> a lot of things are inaccurate. it is unusual, and perhaps understandable, that people do spend a life in politics, when you get in politics, that is all you want to do. i went to massachusetts to make a difference. i did not go there to begin a political career. i made a difference. i put in place of the things i wanted to do. i was about the accomplishments we wanted to pursue. there were 100 things they wanted to do. the route again? that would be about me. i was trying to get the state in the best shape i could possibly. i have the opportunity to use the experience i have. you have is a price look on your face. >> are you going to tell people that you are not going to run for reelection? >> it is still my time. >> governor, take 30 seconds. >> in this, for me, politics is not a career. my career was being in business and starting a business and making it successful. my life's passion has been my family, my faith, and my country. by virtue of the experiences i've had, i am in a good position to make a contribution to washington. instead of people going to washington for 20 or 30 years, i think it stinks. i think we need to have people go to washington and serve washington. the people of the nation and go home. i want to see term limits in washington. i think the president of the united states -- of course, i will fight for a second term. >> senator, take 30 seconds. >> i realize that the red light does not mean anything to you because you are the front- runner. [laughter] can we drop a little bit of the pie is baloney? you ran in 1994 and lost. you had a very bad reelection rating. he dropped out of office. you had been out of state for 200 days. you thought about what to do. you were running for president what you were governor. you're going all over the country. you were out of state consistently. you happen to lose to john mccain. now you are back running. you have been running four years and years and years. this idea, suddenly citizenship showed up in your mind. you have been running since the 1990's. [applause] >> mr. speaker, citizenship has always been on my mind. i happen to see my dad run for governor when he was 54 years old. never did involved in politics if you have to win election to pay a mortgage. if you find yourself in the business you can serve, you have the responsibility to do so. if your kids -- i never thought i would get involved in politics. when i saw ted kennedy running unopposed in 1994, a man i thought had credit permanent underclass in america, i said someone has to run against him. i did not have a ghost of a chance of beating him. this republican from massachusetts was not going to beat ted kennedy. i told the partners in my firm, i will be back in six months. i was happy he had to take a mortgage out on his house to ultimately defeat me. i stood up as a citizen to battle what i felt was best for the nation. we are talking about running for president. i am in this race because i care about the country. >> let me bring dr. paul into this. there is a question about who is the true conservative. governor romney said only nine years ago, during an interview, i think people recognize and i am not a partisan republican. i am someone who is moderate and my views are progressive. do you believe governor romney now when he says he is a man of constancy? >> this discussion has been superficial. you're talking about character. we should deal with the issues. i do not see how we can do well against a bomb that if we have any candidates that -- against obama at that if we have any candidates that endorsed tarp bailouts. i do not see how we can have anybody compete to with obama, who does not challenge this huge empire we have overseas and the overseas spending. this is foundations come down. -- nations come down. we have to talk about three cots, and we have not gotten around to this yet. -- real cuts, and we have not got around to this yet. our history is important. our character is important. in the debate, it is less significant than what we really believe them. >> you read my mind, dr. paul. perry, is governor romney unelectable? who is it a pac -- that can beat obama? i see individuals who have been the big spending republicans in washington, d.c., and let's be honest, the fact of the matter is that obama has thrown gasoline on the fire. the bond fire was burning well before obama got there. it was policy and spending both from wall street and insiders in washington that got us in this problem. we need a candidate that can not only draw that stark contrast between themselves and barack obama, but also stand up and lead the tea party movement. 2010 was about the tea party standing up and understanding that republicans had caused as much of this problem as anything. it was their power that brought together, brought washington, d.c., and the house to republican control. >> i would be remiss if i did not allow you to respond, governor romney. what would you say to conservatives that they trust you would stand up for conservative principles? >> they has my record as governor. i had the occasion after my failed attempt to run for president, a learning experience, to sit down and write a book. i described my view for the country. my view is that the principles i have learned in business and the principles as governor -- it has made me more conservative as time goes on. the right course for america is to have somebody to understand how the economy works, who will get america back on track. >> we will come back to the question of obstacles. this is an age of austerity for this country. a jobs crisis, a spending crisis in washington. what specifically would you do to say to americans, these are cuts i'm going to make in federal spending that will cause pain, that will require sacrifice? >> with respect to governor romney, there are a lot of people were turning in this morning. i am sure they are terribly confused after watching all this political spin. i was criticized last night by governor romney for putting my country first. he criticized me while he was out raising money. for serving my country in china. yes, under a democrat. like my two sons are doing in the united states navy. i want to be very clear to the people here in new hampshire. i will always put my country first. i think that is important. [applause] we serve art -- >> we serve our country first by doing everything in our power to promote an agenda does not include president obama's agenda. i think the decision to work for president obama -- i do not disrespect your decision. the person who should represent our party, running against president obama, is not someone you called him a remarkable leader and went to be his ambassador in china. >> this stage is divided, david, because of attitudes like that. [applause] the american people are tired of the partisan division. there is no trust left among the american people and the institutions of power. we have had enough. we have to change our direction in terms of coming together as americans. let's talk substance. named three areas where americans will feel a real pain in order to balance the budget. >> i would have to say that i agree with the ryan plan. it is a very aggressive approach to taking about $6.20 trillion at of the budget over 10 years. it looks at everything. what i like about it is that it says there will be no sacred cows. medicare will not be a sacred cow. the department of defense will not be a sacred cow. i will stand up and i will say, we are where we are. 24% spending -- >> of three programs that will make americans feel pain, sir. >> i will tell the upper income category in this country that there will be means testing. there a lot of people in this nation -- i will not tight the department of defense spending to 10% of gdp. if we think we can not find efficiencies and cuts in the department of defense budget, we are crazy. >> senator santorum, same question. >> i would agree with jon huntsman. we have to make sure that we are not going to burden future generations with a social security program that is underfunded. we have to take those who have been successful, who are seniors, and we have to reduce benefits. it makes no sense for folks who are struggling right now to pay the payroll tax right now. it makes us uncompetitive. it does not make any sense to me. just like i did on welfare reform. i would do the same thing with medicaid, those three programs. housing programs. send it back to the states. put a time limit. you'd vote -- you do those three things, we will take these programs, which are now dependency programs, and you take them into a transitional programs to help people move out of poverty. >> speaker gingrich, on the issue of medicare, when you were on "meet you talked about what ryan was talking about, as a step too far. as a voucher program -- rick santorum thinks the current seniors should be moved off of that program into a voucher program. do you agree with making current seniors do this -- >> there is the bill that did this recently and incorporates a lot of people to choose and to stay in traditional medicare or the new methods, and i think that this is a substantial improvement. this allows for the transition in