ROBYN BECK
Welcome to the Republican race, Rick Perry! The candidate tried to make up for his absence in the previous debates by creating a number of soundbites Wednesday night. When questioned about his assertion in his book, Fed Up!, that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme,” Perry defended his claim, saying, “We’ve got to focus on how we’re going to change this program.” He also tried to defend his position that climate change may not be man-made, giving a long-winded answer that ended with the claim that climate change is “based on science that’s not settled yet … Galileo got outvoted for a spell.” At the end of the debate, though, Perry received applause when he vigorously defended the death penalty and the 234 executions he oversaw in his 10 years as governor.