RECYCLING

Candidates Share Economic-Recovery Plans

At CNN’s Tea Party–sponsored debate.

What would the Republican contenders do to fix the economy? There won’t be any jaw-dropping new ideas from this debate. Jon Huntsman summarized the economic plan he released two weeks ago. Michele Bachmann stuck to her refrain of repealing Obama’s health-reform plan, saying, “It’s easy to turn around the economy. Just have the backbone to do it.” Rick Perry said, falsely, that the 2009 stimulus bill created zero jobs. And Herman Cain returned to the 9-9-9 plan—referring to proposed rates for income tax, corporate tax, and national sales tax—that he discussed in the last debate. The silver lining: another opportunity for Perry and Romney to tangle, with Romney accusing Perry of getting lucky. Ron Paul, meanwhile, returned to his favorite theme: saving money by ending foreign wars.