"This is OUR Country!"

Words.

"We've now seen three full-dress debates among the Republican politicians who want to be the next president of the United States, and here's what we've learned:

They all believe taxes are too high, even though federal taxes are lower as a percentage of the U.S. economy than any time in the last 60 years. They all believe onerous environmental regulations are preventing economic recovery, though few economists would agree. They believe President Obama's healthcare law is getting in the way of recovery, though most of its provisions don't really take effect until 2014. And they believe, correctly, that Social Security and Medicare are heading into fiscal crises — but in most cases, they haven't offered specific solutions.

In other words, on the issues Americans are most worried about — reviving the economy, creating jobs and reducing the federal deficit — there's not much of a debate inside the GOP. There's a robust argument about just how much of the federal government to dismantle — Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry say they'd get rid of most of it, Mitt Romney only some of it — but to most voters, that's a narrow, sectarian divide. This year's Republican Party starts roughly where Ronald Reagan was in 1980 and extends rightward from there. It's a party with no discernible moderate wing.

Yes, there are disagreements within the party on foreign policy (between hawks who want to stay in Afghanistan and budget-cutters who want to get out) and on immigration (not so much a debate as an opportunity to beat up Perry, who suffers under the handicap of actually having had to deal with the problem as governor of Texas). But those aren't the issues that will decide next year's election.

That's what we've learned. What haven't we learned?

Last week's debate in Florida lasted two full hours, but none of the nine would-be presidents found time to mention the global economic crisis, the swooning financial markets or the decline in the incomes of most Americans.

...What would Presidents Romney, Perry or Bachmann do about healthcare after they repeal the Obama law? Not much, apparently, beyond kicking the issue back to the states.

...Of course, a debate can't be expected to cover every subject, even when it lasts two hours. And the television networks that run the events naturally try to focus the candidates on issues that might spark telegenic exchanges, such as the clash between Perry and others over immunization against the human papillomavirus.

Still, there's nothing to stop the candidates from changing the subject to something they'd rather talk about; politicians do that all the time..."

LOS ANGELES TIMES: The GOP's hard-right tilt