Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain and rival candidate Newt
Gingrich (Ga.) engaged in a one-on-one debate Saturday organized by the Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC as a
“Lincoln-Douglas-style” debate focused on detailed policy discussions.
Although
the event was modeled on the legendary debates between Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen Douglas in the 1858 Illinois Senate campaign, it lacked any
of the passionate disagreements that characterized that race. Cain and the former House Speaker (R-Ga.) were in sync on nearly every issue and went out of their way to
praise each other.
At the beginning of the event, both men said
they would make a great team to take on President Obama. "We both think
you just saw the ticket, but we disagree about which of us has which
job," Gingrich said.
They also argued for the need to overhaul the country's tax code and entitlement programs.
"I
believe as Speaker Gingrich believes, that we can't reshuffle Medicare,
Medicaid or Social Security," Cain said. "We must restructure."
Gingrich said that both candidates would implement private-sector-style reforms in government.
“We are the two most radical candidates,” Gingrich said.
