Republican presidential contenders squared off in Michigan Wednesday, focusing on the economy in a state battered by the recession and relegating the sexual harassment allegations that have engulfed Herman Cain’s campaign in recent days to a side issue.
Unlike the last GOP forum in Las Vegas, marked by combative confrontations between frontrunner Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the Republican candidates focused on President Obama and a series of big-goverment measures they contend have stymied job growth.
When Cain, a Georgia businessman, was asked about the sexual harassment allegations that threaten his candidacy, he defiantly denied any wrongdoing and accused the media of “character assassination.”
“The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations,” Cain said to thunderous applause. The partisan crowd at Oakland University booed the moderators who brought up the sexual harassment allegations by at least four women.
For the most part, Cain remains largely unscathed by the controversy. His fundraising spiked in the wake of the unwanted media attention, which Cain said suggests that voters are not concerned with the allegations.
And his GOP rivals didn’t take the bait when given the opportunity to weigh in on the controversy. Voters “can make their own assessment,” Romney said.
On a day when the Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 400 points ?– amid concerns that political turmoil in Italy could exacerbate the European debt crisis — candidates focused on U.S. government bailouts, a 9 percent unemployment rate, onerous regulations and a tax code they say remains bloated and excessive.
Despite the focus on economic issues, the most memorable moment of the night was arguably a blunder by Perry, already desperate for a strong debate performance after a series of mishaps that caused many to question his presidential readiness.
After saying he would eliminate three federal agencies as president, Perry couldn’t name them. “I would do away with Education, the – Commerce and, let’s see, I can’t. The third one I can’t,” Perry said. He did no better on a second try.
Later, in response to a different question, he said, “That was the Department of Energy I was reaching for.”
As he has at earlier debates, Romney, the perceived frontrunner for the nomination, avoided dustups with challengers looking to take him down a notch.
Romney faced scrutiny from CNBC debate moderators for his varied positions on the federal bailout of auto manufacturers — a stance that put him at odds with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican who now supports the injection of billions of dollars into the struggling industry.
“Whether it was by President Bush or President Obama, it was the wrong way to go,” Romney said, trying to squash the criticism that his positions are formulated by political expediency rather than personal conviction.
In response to the flip-flopper charge, Romney added, “People understand that I’m a man of steadiness and constancy.”
That line was immediately mocked by the Obama campaign, which said in a statement: “The only thing Mitt Romney is consistent about is saying anything to get elected.”
With the Iowa caucuses less than two months away, candidates are running out of time to win over GOP voters who have yet to coalesce around any one candidate.
The Republican contenders will take to the debate stage again Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C.
