>> stand up next to her and see who is the taller of the two. >> you have a very good self-image. >> but you got to hike this morning? >> did i what? >> i didn't have a suit to wear but the suit finally made it. >> we are looking forward to it. go get them. break a leg. we'll see you later. >> thank you so much. our live coverage of the republican presidential debate starts now. >> if we do not get our fiscal house in order, we're going to have a gigantic collapse. >> we'll pass tax reform adopting a sim pal flat tax. >> my plan works whether you are on main street or wall street. >> our illegal immigration system has been broken for decades. >> i eliminated taxes that crush mall business. >> when government tries to pick jobs they often get it wrong. >> we have a tax code that makes

it amongst the most expensive places to tart a business or expand a existing one. >> i've had it with these people. >> we have an opportunity to apply our conservative principal. >> we've created 195,000 jobs in the last few years. >> i've tired of sending money overseas to those who buy oil who hate us. >> i will be the greatest jobs president that god ever created. >> let them in their own congressional pensions, not your social security. and welcome to our special coverage of the republican presidential debate, live from the university of colorado at boulder. i'm joe kernen. >> and i'm kelly evans. tonight 14 republican presidential candidates will take the stage to answer questions about the economy, and

your money. 14 candidates will try to win your support and prove they have what it takes to be president of the united states. >> and we just are an hour away, 60 minutes from the first face-off which will include lindsey graham. bobby jindal, former governor of new york, george pataki and former senator rick santorum. then of course at 8:00 p.m., the ten candidates with the highest rankings in the national poll will take the stage to debate jobs, minimum wage and healthcare and we'll have full team coverage as only cnbc can do over the next couple of hours. eamon javers is inside of the arena and john wells is monitoring the candidates arrives and let's start with eamon. >> the stage is set here. we have four lecterns on the stage here behind me so each candidate will get more time to talkment that is something that the candidates appreciate. over here is where the moderators will be during the debate tonight.

and the crowd has started to fill in over the last couple of minutes. we were outside earlier talking to the folks here who were in line. a lot of people have been waiting half an hour in the cold. it has been really chilly out here in boulder, colorado, today, so folks are coming in here to warm up and get ready for this debate tonight. >> thank you. we want to let viewers now you can let your voice be heard. log on to cnbc.com/vote and participate in ongoing debates tonight. this is a live way to poll exactly where people stand on the issues. kind of fun to follow along with. >> and can you follow along on twitter and every waking thought that every person in the country has will be registered there as well. >> of course. >> now to jane wells outside of the arena, she is watching the candidates arrive. hey, jane. >> hey, guys. bobby jindal just arrived. this is the area where they walk in and go through security, and the long walk into the green rooms an on to the stanley cup. some have been here today and

left and now they are returning. but even before they were here, before the debates began, they've already been out campaigning. for example we caught up earlier with rand paul who had lunch with students on campus at the university of colorado. he asked a -- he answered questions from everything from tax policy to legalization of marijuana and also of course, tuition, close to their hearts. he supports the extension of online education to create more competition and drive down costs. now again, the candidates have been coming here throughout the day to prepare. after the coldest night of the year in a long time, the day has turned into your classic california -- excuse me, colorado afternoon. >> how did the hike do for snu. >> fantastic. it is buhl. it is grouse. >> [ inaudible question ]. >> we have one coming out. it will be in tomorrow's pain. >> and what will it be about? >> laying out my tax plan. >> and what is the biggest priority? >> well, economic growth,

improving the conditions of working men and women all across this country. it is a simple flat tax and we're rolling out the detail this is afternoon. >> i'm very, very concerned that this country could be turned over to somebody that doesn't know how to run it. >> any specific thing that you have looked to? >> just be myself. that is the key. don't try to be anybody else. >> reporter: all right. you should be looking at a second camera. we have a live picture of what is called business field. this is the designated free speech zone across from the coors event center. anybody can come in there. but they can't have loudspeakers, so they are going to compensate in other ways as they let people in. we hear they have blow-ups dolls of ted cruz xs and we'll see if that comes to pass. there is refrl police agencies here and campus security is taking the lead. so far it has been low-key but i don't expect it to be low-key at

all on stage when the debates begin. back to you. >> all right, jane. thank you. now let's check in with tonight's moderators, carl quintanil quintanilla, becky quick. it wasn't cold here. >> it is dry. >> we rrnt use to this. >> i was chilly. >> you've gotten soft back there. >> and it is also the altitude. i climbed a flight of stairs -- out. >> i dw have to -- i did have to carry my bags. i did have to give it to someone caulking with me. >> i was think being that, a lot of the candidates come in late and we've been here for a couple of days but it is tough to acclimate to this altitude and make sure you are drinking enough water. >> and endurance is an issue here, when it comes to the structure of the debates and how long they can handle questions over a long period of time. >> i'm confident we'll not have candidates gasping on the stage. >> that would be awful if you

speak long and losing your breath and -- a lot of times people look at the appearance and not the subject matter. >> i think we'll get our drama elsewhere, from the inherent dynamics -- >> that is up to you guys. >> i guess you don't want to tell us your exact questions. could you give me a couple. >> we actually have -- >> you didn't bring those down. >> here is debate one. >> i get a lot of hairpiece questions. i'll be trump. ask me a question. >> i'm not going to model the debate. i will tug on your hair, if you want. not the first time, that is for sure. >> is this the kind of debate, becky, you will have the candidates kind of facing off against one another or is it because we are having a chance -- >> i think inevitably when you deal with so many people on the stage and breaking out to make a name for themselves, people see this as the turning point, the point in the race where you start to shake things out. if that is the case, there are candidates that want to get their points across. so i'm guessing, we've heard from a lot of the campaigns,

that these guys are going to be champing at the bit, and i said champing, not chomping, for you joe, and we anticipate that. and we want to hear what they think about the positions. >> and there are 14 different narratives to each one. and people have been handicapping exactly what each candidate needs to do this time around and it is different for carly fiorina, different for jeb bush and donald trump. and i'm sure the questions are customized for that. >> well i'm also struck by how the news flow is funneling for debate of just this kind, right. ryan, debt ceiling, fed today. even walgreens this week is theoretically fair game. it is like the gods knew we were planning this. >> i think this time is a little different too. because normally if you are looking at a democratic or republican campaign, you with look at everyone on the stage and figure they are not that different when they come to their opinions but this time around for both parties i think you have some pretty strict

differences between them and you can shake them out a little bit. we just heard huckabee talking about how he's all in favor of making sure that -- he's taken some populous stances and that is different than what you hear from other people. >> rand paul is ready to go back to d.c. to filibuster this debt deal. did you see that today, john. >> yes. and i expect everybody on that stage is going to be against this deal. >> every person? >> we heard lindsey graham say he is on balance going to support it but that is not a very popular deal. an it is interesting because paul ryan the new speaker said he will support the deal but criticizing the process and saying it stinks. he is trying to play both sides. i don't think anybody on this stage is trying to take both sid sides. >> it was that a lot of entitlement reform is the devil in the details is good for republicans. and they said the only thing worse in the deal is to not do

this deal. and the journal isn't necessarily right down the middle, most of the time. >> and the entitlement issue, have we gotten there yet. this brings up the question of problems in the next couple of years. but the interesting thing about the entitlement debate is we haven't really had it yet. we had a few candidates come out -- chris christie especially talking about wanting to do something. and then the others quickly, and i was struck by john kasich saying there is no chance we'll change the major popular programs. >> the third rail is still electrified in this country. that is fair. maybe the voltage has come out of it a couple of watts. but it is interesting tonight to see if they are willing to get closer to touching that in any way. >> it is not the red meat that they want, not necessarily whether we want to get deal into the weeds. i'm sure we can find some stuff that i know you guys -- i know you will find some stuff to talk about third rails, but it might

not be entitlements, right? can you give me any clue, any hint. >> that was -- >> becky, she is going right in there. >> i'm nervous about it. >> well you gave me some good questions to prep ahead of time. >> one good question. you might have -- i rethought that. maybe that is not -- do you know which one. >> i do. >> we can't talk about it on tv. >> this is more serious out here than maybe -- but we have a squawk alley and a "squawk on the street." there is a lot of squawking and squawking tonight which is good to see. >> what about the first debate, john. what do you think is the most likely tactic the candidates will use to try to make whatever headlines, use of the attention they have for the hour and drown out whoever will follow later on? >> every candidate who we hear from tonight, except for ben carson and donald trump, who have commanded double-digit support, more than 20% in the polls, has got to find a way to grab the audience by the lapels and say pay attention to me. elevate me. there are so many choices voters

have. you have the outsider candidates and senators and governors and former senators and former governors. everybody has to find a way to distingui distinguish their message from others and display the energy and command to make people think they can act on it. >> you have the number -- 71% of voters say they haven't made their mind up yet which is why we have no idea at this point. it is single-digit -- the difference between first, second and third and the rest of the candidates is very -- >> probably within a margin of error. >> that is why you see so many people hanging in on this race to see what happens. because if anybody drops out, it is ape huge shaking point. >> and that is why debates have become so powerful with this cycle, right? they've always been popular but this one, they seem super-charged because they've demonstrated it gives you a boost it. doesn't last forever. but at least it is something. so jeb bush has $100 million and a super-pac. does he he need -- is this like a moment of truth for him or lay

back and not look too desperate. >> i don't think he can afford to do that. he slashed his payroll last week. he made an appearance over the weekend which he said i've got better things to do than sit around and be demonized by people. >> that was not a joyful turtle remark there. that was not good. >> right. and he has to show people he is full-on staying in this race and can claim some of the alpha male role that we expected him to have which he hasn't gotten so far. >> and i think i saw a tweet from carly fiorina not long ago was the premise of zero budget -- zero budgeting -- >> zero based budgeting. >> which is what corporations do. >> there was the ge approach. jack welch said every agency every year has to justify every dollar we give them and is this a sense of tonight's debate. >> it is something the corporate world has been watching so far. 3-g, the company that has made so many strides, has other

people sitting up and taking notice and it would be a different way of doing business if they applied to that government. >> i mention the scrum following carly, and it was all moving at the same time. you see why some people do like -- i'm not saying carly, but some people do like to run for president. it is fun. it's fun. >> usually the one in the room that everybody wants to talk to. >> no doubt about that. >> you mean me? >> yes, you. >> joe, is there a run in your future here? you like what you see? >> i'm looking at how much fun it is. >> if you watch kudlow and see how that shakes out. >> if you run, i'm moderating that debate. i'll tell you that. >> you know too much. >> you know where all this is -- where the skeletons are. >> coming up we'll talk to larry kudlow about what he would like to hear tonight. and george w. bush weighs in. and be sure to keep the conversation going on twitter. use the hashtag cnbc debate.

we'll have more when we come back.

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>> it is my hope that we return to the free market principals that produce a ry-- a vibrant economy. >> i built a tremendous company. >> that is -- what is it again. >> economic growth is a key topic in tonight's debate. we are joining by sara factan and senior contributor larry kudlow out here in boulder. welcome to you both. >> thank you. >> sara, where do you think the

candidates will go to hit the right cord tonight. >> i think they are going to try to get to the big audiences. you have just not the cnbc audience but every day americans tuning into the debate and they'll have to put a human face on the complex issues to try to break through. >> and larry? >> i think that this is a really important debate for jeb bush. i think this is really important debate for john kasich and they must have clear growth messages. taxes, spending, regulations. clear growth message. you wan to improve middle class wages, grow the economy, cut the taxes. >> but will that resonate the way sara was going to say they have to. because some of the words sound like buzzwords tossed around. how do they really sell it. >> i think people have to show everyone that they know the subject, they have a plan, and they know the details of the

plan. and i think they have to say, we can do this. we can go from 2% growth to 4% growth. >> from what hillary clinton is saying tonight. >> one key point. she is worried about the inequality and taxing people. and the republican party should be for economic growth, contrast. joe is absolutely right. go out there and make the contrast. >> and you mentioned john kasich. this is a very good topic for him. he does a very good job of putting a human face on these economic issues. he has a very humble story. a very humble upbringing. he can humanize these economic issues. and it is important for him. because he needs a break-out moment in this debate or certainly in one of the next debates or he's not going to be around much longer. >> will it work, larry, for them to show a sharp contrast from hillary clinton because she has

coalesced at the democrat candidate just waiting to be chosen but it is almost so attractive to go after the other guy, especially the trump or the carson proposal, they have more to gain by doing that than going after her. >> i agree with that in large part. they have to show their stuff. they have to show some optimism. and say 2% growth, the country is cranky, nobody is happy. we have to raise wages and increase jobs. grow, grow, grow. i would also like to see a conversation about regulations, which are killing small business. >> carly fiorina's piece in the journal a couple of days ago. >> i did see it. >> you look at small banks and small businesses where two-thirds of the job creation comes from small business and these guys aren't able to deal with the crony capitalists. >> licensing is so expensive, you can't start a beauty parlor in your own home. >> if they do stuff like that, will that resonate.

>> you don't want thex to do that. you have want them to do something else. and this is what the country needs. but if you think about where jeb bush sits in this race for example, he has done everything right. he has put out the most sub tifs proposals on almost every topic tonight and has the most endorsements and raised him the most money and hasn't bought him votes in this contest so far. >> that is interesting. >> and that is why i say if they can't put a human face in the core of the voters all of the regulation talk won't matter. >> it will be interesting to me to see, on the immigration issue, there is obviously a clear divide in the republican party. there are reformers who think a good plan is pro-growth and then there are immigration limiters who think you can't have a good plan. that is going to be tricky tonight. and i also want to see, john kasich has been slamming trump and carson in the last 24 hours. i want to see if he thinks that is the path to his prosperity.

i'm not sure it is. >> what is the path to prosperity? >> free capitalism. >> that is right. >> i always forget that. i forget that. all right. don't leave. >> we're here. >> we need you throughout the evening. >> you promise. >> we're here. >> it is very blue. did you think about that -- >> i coordinated with you. >> you did. thank you. breaking news out of washington this morning -- this afternoon. let's get to hampton pearson. he has the story. >> joe, by a vote of 266 to 166, the house has passed the bipartisan budget act of 2015. we had 79 republicans joining the 187 plus democrats to pass that two nif year budget deal. it means no government shut down or defall or big spike in medicare premiums for millions of americans and loosens the spending for the pentagon and domestic programs by an additional $80 billion over the next two years. suspends the debt ceiling of 18

trillion plus until march of 2017. basically putting that off until after the election. among the more interesting list of revenue-raisers that would be of interest to our audience, auctioning off more than $4 billion worth of broadband spectrum, selling 58 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve to raise $6.5 billion. and it is supposedly going to be easier for the irs to audit large partnerships, including hedge funds, that could potentially raise about $11 billion. of course, this buys time for incoming house speaker paul ryan, fulfilling john boehner's desire to, in his words, clean out the barn for his successor. and now it is on to the senate, guys. >> thank you, hampton. appreciate that. i'm looking over at larry and i don't know if i'm disappointed but you think the journal's take in the only thing not worse than doing this deal is not doing this deal.

what do you want to do? do you want to work for a clean deal or more threats of government shutdown? >> the best thing for republicans in the last couple years is cap spending and it is good for the economy. and i like ryan's argument. what is the process here. >> but he's backing it. he said it is backing it. >> i don't like that part well. you can't have it both ways. >> you can't assume the speaker should [ inaudible ]. >> they have kept spending down beautifully. if they are letting it ramp up, $80 million. >> isn't it likely that will be a one-time re-set for the spending level, larry? >> no. i don't believe it. >> and there was money left on the table because they wanted more of a purist deal than the one that was originally offered. >> everybody says we're going back to the caps in five years or seven years. >> they are not. of course they are not. i've worked there. i've dop this before. they will not. i mean, here is the case where

the republican party has a messaging problem. okay. they have a huge messaging problem. why didn't they -- okay, just for argument's sake, why don't they give us a down payment on a corporate tax cut which would be the most powerful thing. >> that is not happening right now. >> give me a down payment. >> there is good entitlement stuff in here, pulling back. >> a little bit, i'll buy that. >> are you a bonafide member of the freedom caucus now. >> free market capitalism, it works time and time again. >> and you have to work within -- >> where do they work. >> you do have to work within the limits of power. but the reality is, there is no leader of the republican party right now. and that is the biggest challenge the republican party faces. that is why we're here tonight. >> you're the leader. >> sara is making a key point. the presidential candidates, that is who we have to look for. >> we need a nominee who can make those arguments and rally the congress. and what is good about the deal,

is that assuming it passes, we're going to end up with run room through 2017. >> what is good about this deal is i will continue to protest it. >> okay. >> sorry. i'm sorry. >> but you know it is going through. >> i know. i get that. >> so you are just a voice in a wilderness. >> the republicans have the majority in the house and senate, right. >> right. >> but this bill will go through with democratic votes. so what is wrong with that picture? >> it will make the base more angry and it makes it more likely that one of the outsider candidates wins the republican nomination. so this is good and bad in this deal. >> cut the corporate tax. >> all right. thank you. we'll see you soon. throughout both sessions of tonight's -- i'm always on in the morning -- it is tonight's debate. we'll check out everything that the candidates say usek our -- using our cnbc fact patrol. scott cohn is at the headquarters to show us how it works. >> you can see everybody is in place. our fact patrol is a team of

cnbc journalists with a mission to verify everything all 14 candidates say using primary sources. and you know what, we're already on the case. like the other day, when donald trump tried to claim credit for ford moving jobs from mexico to ohio. in this case, the cfo of ford did some of our work for us. >> i heard last night that ford is moving back to the united states. they may not do that deal. i get credit for that. >> the facts are that there is no change in our plans and no discussions with mr. trump. he has mistweeted. >> and in fact the move to ohio was part of a uaw agreement four years ago. and ben carson talked about the fight of poverty. >> what has been the result of that. ten times more people on food stamps. more welfare, more poverty, more incarceration, out of wedlock births. >> there is no question that we

have at least ten times as many people on food stamps as we did at the beginning of the war on pover poverty. and we have more people period. the latest rate. 14.8% is 3% points or 14% below the rate in 1965. in part one of tonight's debate expect bobby jindal to talk about his budget cuts. >> nobody else running for president has done that. i'm the only candidate -- i've cut my state budget 26%. >> he doesn't say that the entire cut is made up of federal hurricane aid that has since run out. or that louisiana had a $1.6 billion budget gap this year. there is a lot more. we want your help. tweet your hashtag during the debate. we have a big patrol here but we'll take all of the reinforcements we can get. joe. >> you are such a nitpicker, scott. we're looking forward to that. that sounds -- you think they are not totally forthcoming.

>> with you tweeting yet, jill? >> i read tweets. i'm afraid to tweet. i'm afraid. we're just been it is not my thing. it is your thing. millennials. any way. we have to go. >> corporate tax cuts. >> trade. >> free market prosperity. >> free trade. pro-growth. the whole republican party is split on trade. they are going to have to resolve that and so it will come up tonight. trade. reagan lowers tariffs, clinton lowers tariffs. it created jobs. people disagree with me. i understand that. i think it is important. >> i thought he were anti-free trade now. >> no. >> you're an enigma for me. i like that. >> we'll see how much donald trump defends his position. he sounds like back-sesanders. >> i'm on the radio. he has good corporate tax. very good. now if we're 15 and china is at

25, we win. the capital comes here. we don't have to have trade barriers that will hurt consumers. i would like to see him say that. just say that. >> but why make such a big reversal? >> i don't know. >> how did z that make him look as a candidate. this is an issue that has appealed to a lot of people who feel they are being stolen from. >> you create almost 15 million new jobs with the passage of nafta and other trade deals on the republicans and democrats in the '80s and '90s. i have said this. i haven't sold them. i said go to 15%. you got that right. so far below china. the money will flow back into the united states assuming the dollar is strong. >> you know what -- >> they said we're about half an hour away, but with you there, they shouldn't put that. it should be 25 minutes. i should be able to ad lib how far we are away because we are never on time for anything. >> 28 and a half minutes. >> larry.

stick around. up next week talk to former economic advisers from mitt romney's presidential campaign and find out what not to do. and more live coverage from the university of colorado. >> freedom caucus.

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i did not see that coming. don't deal with disruptions. get better internet installed on your schedule. comcast business. built for business. the minimum wage is likely to be a key top nick tonight's debate. joining us with more on that is the ceo of cke restaurants, andy kessner and a former romney campaign adviser. and welcome, andy, you've been on "squawk box" many times. >> good to be here. >> and you have given a litany of free market entrepreneurial remedies to things. and i just don't know if we hear a lot of that at these debates. there is also an idea that if you are not sort of pandering or

at least moving a little bit to the center on some of the issues, you don't get any traction. do you think you'll hear the kind of things you want to hear tonight. i imagine you don't think necessarily a minimum wage of $15 is the best way to go? >> no, i don't. number one, i sure hope i'm going to hear what i like to hear tonight. i became a republican because i was poor and i have sympathy for people that are poor. i want to know what we are going to do to decrease poverty and increase opportunity. obviously that requires economic growth. i want to know what we're going to do to get taxes under control. i think jeb bush and marco rubio have put forth fairly detailed plans. donald trump put forth a plan not as detailed. i would like to hear from the others and know what they think. we have to reduce regulatory burden on american businesses which is really holding back economic growth. again bush and rubio have come forward with plans.

i what like to hear we are we are going to reform obama care and reform banks so they can start lending. there is topics that address kplik growth and job creation -- we have to create entry level jobs for our youth. excuse me -- the labor participation rate for our youth is higher than it has ever been and the reason is with increasing the minimum wage destroy the entry level jobs. we can increase the minimum wage but don't increase it to point where it kills job. so we should talk about that. we should talk about any of the different aspects of how we create economic growth so we can lift people from the working class to the middle class. the middle class can't thrive at 2% gdp growth. so we need to generate that kind of growth. kelly. >> on your point about the minimum wage tonight, obviously there is a lot of debate, there is a lot of different evidence on this.

a lot of which on both sides of the aisle has come down to people thinking maybe it is a net route ral when all it said and done. why do you think candidates need to go after the minimum wage, which just sounds like a mean-spirited thing to do, to say get rid of it and it hurts people more than it helps them. there are folks listening who probably just aren't going to buy that. >> there are a lot of things can you talk about with the minimum wage. we should increase it but to a point where this doesn't destroy jobs. not everybody can go to wharton school of business or harvard or washington university. some people have to learn the skills to get ahead in life by having an entry level job. so let's increase the minimum wage to a point where we are not killing jobs and then we need to do something with the welfare system. because even in states where we raised the minimum wage like california, we have employees coming to the general managers

in our irans and say i need my hours reduced because if i work this many hours at the higher wage, i lose my food stamps, my snap benefits, my section eight housing and medicaid. people should be able to move up the ladder of opportunity and we have a welfare system holding them down. and another thing we can do -- >> andy, i have to stop you. i have to stop you, because that is -- because that is of a half measure that i think gets candidates -- that is what i was referring to. when you have hillary clinton and the democrats wanting to -- to feel so virtuous on the front end of the programs that by all evidence is counter productive to what they are trying to accomplish. and you have republicans afraid to say, look, a wage control is a wage price control. it is not set by the market. and it is going to displace people that already have jobs. you saw the cbo study for every person that makes a little more, 500,000 people -- but even you,

are willing to say, okay, let's race it but to the perfect level as if there is a perfect level we can figure out, andy. why not just say let the market dictate? >> i would be perfectly happy with the market dictating what the minimum wage. >> but you are saying what all of the guys are going to do. no one is saying what needs to be said. >> well nobody is going to go out and say we should eliminate the minimum wage. and if they do say that, they will set themselves up to lose the general election. and i've become a one issue voter. we can't afford to lose it. and if we are going to lose it over minimum wage, we can't lose it because we are the anti-immigrant or anti-woman party. you talked with mitt romney about what not to do. don't talk about the 47% or the support -- >> but to some extent, to some extent, that was -- not saying it is the truth about the 47%,

i'm just saying tu will find it easier to get elected in this country if you are not appealing -- it is tough to say we need to cut taxes for corporations and bring down all tax rates because you'll immediately hear from hillary clinton that you are cutting taxes for rich people. that is what we need to do and we need to tell the american people we need to do that and not move over and say the things on the front end so you sound compassionate, right? >> you are absolutely right on taxes. we shouldn't raise taxes on anybodiment we should cut taxes to create jobs but we do have flexibility on minimum wage. nobody has come out more aggressively against a $15 an hour wage than i have. >> if you are a compassionate person, thon john kasich was -- then john kasich was right about medicaid. even if it some day breaks the bank and many more people come in than what we were expected with obama care, we should say we can't repeal obama care

because that would be a hard-hearted person if republicans were to say that. >> obama care, 97% of the people that were insured and uninsured according to the heritage foundation, they got medicaid insurance. if we were going to give people, basically free or highly subsidized insurance, we didn't need this massive government program, this very unpopular that puts jobs -- >> can you say that -- you would be afraid to say that though. >> i'm not afraid to say that. >> but this is an example of what i'm saying. if you are going to make sure that you don't say anything that could be construed as hard-hearted, that won't get us anywhere because you can't make a case against the other side, against hillary clinton. >> i think all of the candidates have come out against obama care. rubio wrote a editorial on how we should get rid of it. and medicaid needs to be

reformed. it is a good program. we do need to help people that need -- you have a mom with two kids and she's depending on medicaid so you can't eliminate it. but we need to improve it so that people can move up that ladder of opportunity. >> right. no one wants to take away the safety net. just want to take away the permanent -- making a permanent class of people that are dependent on the government because everybody needs the chance to work and be productive and earn their own success and that should be the end result, andy and you can't be afraid to say that. but that's okay. but you worked your way up to ceo. >> i shout out to baskin robbins scooping ice cream. if you are making $9 an hour, that is $18,000 a year. if you are making $15 an hour, that is $31,000 a year for 40 hours a week. you can't make $31,000 -- i don't care how good you get at scooping ice cream, it won't be worth $31,000 a year. so you have to approach things rationally or we'll lose jobs.

>> exactly. >> and we are not approaching it right. >> at least the left isn't approaching it rationally. >> right. it wasn't you i was talking about with the romney campaign either. that is not who i was referring to. >> yeah. you are digging. you are digging. andy, thank you so much. when we come back, jim cramer will join us here on set along with rick and sharon epperson. they are asking questions of the debate tonight. much more live from the coors event here at cu boulder, after this short break.

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from the cnbc debate. let's welcome our panelists, jim cramer, sharon epperson and rick santelli. you are all asking questions during tonight's debate. great to you have here. we want to preview, jim, what are you asking. >> i have to ask about healthcare. i've got to ask about what i would say is -- are job prices

too high. how about something like that. >> that is coming up a lot on twitter. >> because what i keep hearing is the profit earring is perhaps not keeping with what the republicans can handle so i want to find out. >> great question. sharon, what about you. >> what matters to me is what matters to people's wallets an they they will be financially secure when te retire. and i wan to hear how they will reform social security and what re this doing to do it help people afford their financial lives when they retire. >> this question of affordability is key and our partners at vox put together a chart showing the personal savings rate. can you do a lot with that. can you put the money under your mattress and pay down debt and invest for retirement and buy healthcare. it is almost too much for people to handle. how do you prioritize. >> i would like to hear them talk about how they are prioritizing to get people to save more. it will be interesting. because they don't all say the same thing. everybody wants to do something to fix social security.

very few have talked about what kids can do and dr. carson is big on perm responsibility. it is interesting to see what he has to say about getting people to take care of themselves. >> his answer to what to do to too much student loan burden is for people to work harder and pay it down. >> well, listen, i believe in working hard and honoring contracts and commitments. but, whenever you get the government involved in finance, think housing, it usually doesn't turn out very well. so i think that and the shocking news today -- the shocking news that the fed didn't raise rates again. >> but they talked about december. they were explicit about december. you aren't going to ask the candidates about that or are you? >> how many dogs have through seen chewed up to smithereens. >> what is your question. >> i want to dig deep and find out what is going on and what they think about the value of money. >> what about drugs. if medicare could negotiate prices. that was within obama care.

is it the free market or is it the government policies that already were put in that maybe didn't work the way we waned them to work. >> it is a tough call. because i think that we have a great system and we've got to encourage research and development. we cannot make it so that someone doesn't try to spend $5 billion on a drug and then when it comes through they make $5 per pill. because why bother. >> but the drug companies enter into the deal to support obama care knowing that medicare would not be negotiating prices. so whose fault is that. is that the drug companies or is it -- >> until very recently i thought it was a great kind of -- a peace on earth thing. >> who caused the nasty mergers between the insurance companies. did they do it or did obama care cause it? >> i think they felt the landscape had changed so radically they had to get together. i just want competition. we get competition in health care, it is like competition in business. it is good for everything. >> it is hard for businesses to say no to government. especially with the tone of the

kind of governments that we've had the last five to seven -- ten years. >> i was going to say, let's see what governmentent rites still remain if certain people get in the white house. dr. carson doesn't want to see medicare exist at all. he wants to get rid of it. then what will happen. >> he wants to close down three departments. he wants to close down -- oops. that wasn't -- >> can we replay it? >> let's stay with that a little longer. world series of debating. >> don't get me on the world series way. they had a good game. tonight is going to be a total -- >> it is the power. >> no one is talking about baseball. everybody is talking about the economy. >> you don't get two great games in a row. >> thank you so much. we're just 10 minutes away from the first debate here. you can make your voice heard. go to cnbc.com/vote to tell us who you think should win.

right now trump is in the lead. we'll be right back after this short message.

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welcome back. our partners over at aol.com put together a poll to find out what issues are most important to you. here are the resultsm overhauling the tax system is top, larry, with 29% of the vote. coming in in a close second is immigration with 26%. jobs and employment and healthcare rounding out the top five as can you see right there. now in the final countdown to the start of tonight's gop debate. let's bring in aim mon javers. >> kelly, we're getting a big round of applause. the p.a. announcer has been asking folks to take their seats an turn off cell phones. but when you talk about the four people on the stanley cup behind me in just a few minutes, a senator, a former senator, a governor and former governor. all of them could have had a major impact if a different

year. but this is the year of the outsider. and these guys are at the bottom of the polling pack. life is different at the bottom of the that pack. i talked to rick santorum about what it is like. he said people were talking about jeb bush having difficult spending 87% of the money that he raised so far. rick santorum said they are spending 100% of the money they raise as they go along. that is what you have to do to stay in this race. this is a make or break moment likely for one or more of the candidates on the stage in a couple of moments, kelly. say that again. >> thank you. >> no, no. >> joe over here and i were just talking -- >> no, we were just talking about the key issues that everybody has to face. >> very true. >> and not only on substance and the minimum wage and other things, but how do you stand out in the debate that is about to start here, knowing that all of the headlines inevitably will be

about the one to follow? >> well one of the things you do is try to grab the one moment of you tube fame and something that goes viral. an interesting thing to about john harwood was talking about is lindsey graham representing the gop establishment here tonight. he might be the only candidate we see tonight who backs up the budget deal going on in d.c. a lot of folks will treat it like a pinata throughout the night. watch for lindsey graham to distinguish himself as one of the few who might support that deal. but otherwise you look for the moments to stand out. otherwise it could be a lass gasp for one or more of these guys. >> eamon javers near the stage where the candidates will take in a few minutes. >> hold on, hold on. we are minutes away from the debate. joining us now, cnbc contributor sara taggan and jimmy. and senior contributor larry kudlow. you had a show on cnbc.

do you remember something called a hard-out? >> i made the break. >> i'm giving you fair warning. write it down. write it down. 6:05. >> can i give you lindsey graham's talking points. i like him. we said weak at home, weak abroad. strong at home, strong abroad. linds lindsay is a hawk. i agree with what he says about the iranian deal. the way we start to do that is growing the domestic economy. if i was lindsay, that is where we would go. >> we welcome jim to the set here. what do you think we need to hear? >> i went through each of the candidates and tried to figure hout they could -- how they could break out of the back. if i was rick santorum, i would say break up the banks. he is popular. that is my big idea. separate myself from the field. go after wall street. he's already for a higher minimum wage so i would stress that so you are a different kind

of republican. >> sara? >> i think it is very hard for any of them to break out. it is hard for chris christie and john kasich to break out in the debate later tonight. so i think these pre-show debates, we'll see this one tonight and perhaps one more for sure, i think they're going to be a relic quite soon. >> we have a pataki idea. >> oh, really. >> the best think i come up with is mars colonization. i don't know if he'll do it. >> he is a friend of mine and a three-term governor, he did cut taxes in new york but not having a good campaign. by the way, i think we're going to see a whittling down of the other group -- the top group. i think there is whittling down after this debate. >> you mentioned this is the debate jeb bush has to make his case. >> he has to make his case. >> what is the case he's making? >> you know what, he has good policy issues, he he just has to communicate. he has to be lively and have energy. he has to have people believe

him. i don't know if he can pull that off. it is a big debate for kasich and for christie. >> this is a big debate for chris christie. >> the donors are in a bad mood. >> here is the thing. we are getting getting down to crunch time. it's almost november. we have two months before people go to the polls. >> the big piece today the journal and we talked about it earlier, there's still time at this point. >> it's early. >> but people are still thinking sooner or later the republican party comes back to someone who's had some experience. >> no. no. >> and you said "don't assume that will happen with donald trump this time." >> i'm sorry, that is correct. look, i was wrong, a whole lot of people were wrong. i thought the experienced governor would eventually come through. and i thought no more experiments with half a first-term senator. so far the public is saying something could give me an outsider. >> -- but the thrust today is sooner or later they will come back. >> here's the thing.