Medicare, health reform hot topics as Romney, Perry spar in GOP presidential debate

GOP hopefuls across-the-board criticized President Obama's policies while Mitt Romney and Rick Perry accused each other of flip-flopping on health care issues.

The Washington Post: Rick Perry, Mitt Romney Spar In Republican Presidential Debate
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tangled over Social Security, health care and other issues here Thursday in a debate in which the Republican presidential candidates sharply criticized the policies of President Obama and joined in an assault on the federal government (Balz and Bacon, 9/22).

The Associated Press/NPR: Romney, Perry Go After Each Other In GOP Debate
Side by side in confrontational debate, Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Perry sarcastically accused each other Thursday night of flip-flopping on Social Security and health care, flashpoints in their intense struggle for the party nomination (9/22).

Los Angeles Times: GOP Debate: Perry Seems To Muff Chance to Hit 'Romneycare'
Mitt Romney knew that questions about his Massachusetts health care plan would keep coming - but again the kill-shot seemed elusive. Rick Perry was given a chance to fire at point-blank range in the Fox News/Google debate Thursday when Romney was asked about Perry's remarks a day earlier that labeled him "Obama-lite" and likened his Massachusetts plan to "socialized medicine" (Oliphant, 9/22).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Analysis: Records Give Govs. Perry, Romney Credibility, But Open Them To Attack In GOP Forums
As governors of Texas and Massachusetts, respectively, Perry and Romney made high-profile decisions about health care, immigration and other issues that many people praised as pragmatic and sensible. But in ideology-driven candidates' forums, they fail the test of conservative orthodoxy (9/23).

Bloomberg: Romney-Perry Sparring At Republican Candidate Debate Shapes Race
Rick Perry and Mitt Romney intensified their attacks on each other during a televised debate last night, sparring over Social Security and health care in the escalating two-man battle dominating the Republican presidential contest. Perry, the Texas governor, and Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, accused the other of retreating from controversial stances as they vied at the nine-candidate faceoff in Florida, a state whose primary could heavily influence the party's nominating race. … In seeking to turn the tables on Romney, Perry charged that his rival had flip-flopped on issues including health care, gun control, abortion rights and education (Davis and Lerer, 9/23).

The Dallas Morning News: Perry and Romney Go Back-And-Forth On Health Care
Rick Perry finally went on the attack against Mitt Romney, trying to corner him on the health care plan he implemented as Massachusetts governor. Perry said the plan was the basis for President Obama's health care plan and that a former Romney adviser said the plan was a bust. The Texas governor even said Romney changed parts of his book to erase a phrase about making the Massachusetts plan national (Benning, 9/22).