together. >> get a job and get out of my life. stuart: my time is up. lou dobbs is in milwaukee. the sir, the time is now yours. lou: thank you very much, stuart. you have everybody arguing from the final second. good evening, everybody, i'm lou dobbs. we're coming to you live from the milwaukee theater in milwaukee, wisconsin. forgive me for yelling but the theater is filling with excited members of the debate audience. we have less than an hour to go until the first of two republican presidential debates. here tonight on the fox business network. fox business network's sandra smith, trish regan and "wall street journal's" gerry seib, will be moderating the festivities for republican -- four republican candidates in the first debate. new jersey governor chris christie. louisiana governor, bobby

jindal, former arkansas governor mike huckabee and former senator rick santorum. both of tonight's debates will focus on issues that matter most to middle-class americans, our economy, creating jobs, candidates plans to assure the american dream for all americans. among my guests here tonight as we count down minutes to that first debate, republican national committee chairman reince priebus joins us. republican strategist karl rove. political analyst ed rollins. and it is a big night for the republican party and the republican presidential candidates who have to find a way to stand out from one another. fox news's chief political correspondent carl cameron is here. carl. reporter: hi, lou. exciting not not just for fbn but for candidates and voters. we're very much at beginning. there is incredible sense of anticipation and almost hyper hyperventilation for campaigns

thinking one could break out. 1/3 of debates will completed after tonight's debate. two thirds more to come. a lot of room to go. donald trump no longer in the frontrunner with a lot to deal with. he has been throwing very, very sharp elbows against ben carson on personal history. questioning mr. carson's honesty, but trum is growing aggressively against marco rubio for his finances. in both cases rubio and carson have been able to push back, that trump is mistaken on some of the facts. nonetheless, trump, who is obviously the billionaire mogul should do well in economic and jobs focused debate. how hostile he gets towards his rivals will be something everybody is watching. ben carson has taken awful lot of criticism in the last week or some he criticized the media for what he says amounts essentially lies trying to question his book, "gifted hands."

he talked about ability to overcome a violent youth and number of stories that lend to his very specific and unique american story, part of his big appeal. in the polls ben carson is far above the rest of the pack in terms of favorability and yet they are coming at him very hard. there is also going to be big dynamic between jeb bush and marco rubio. bush has been struggling in the polls. marco rubio has been aggressively competing for third place, leaving jeb bush down in single digits. rubio had a bit of a bounce out of last debate. he has been the flavor these last several weeks. having said that ted cruz is also very well-organized. he hasn't been aggressively advertising or mixing it up with other candidates but somebody that is definitely beginning to build up steam. cruz, rubio, carson, trump, jeb bush all of those, really ones to watch in the upper card. in the debate that starts in a little while folks are very eager to see how exactly

chris christie deals with second-tier. he says it hasn't gotten under his skin. when he gets miffed it is pretty easy to see. people will see how he performs in the under card and hopes to get back to the top of the stage which is still six weeks away. lou: carl, as you say the first debate has potential for some surprises. carl, thank you very much. i want to turn now to some of our guests. they will tell us what we can expect from tonight's debates and debaters. fox news digital politics editor chris stirewalt joins us, fox business senior correspondent charlie gasparino, host of "risk & reward" on fox business network, deirdre bolton. let me turn to you first, as carl laid it out this first debate as interesting personalities on it. what do you see from the potential of first debate less than an hour away? >> high expectations for

chris christie he needs to do very well. irony, christie had a great debate performance before he got demoted. that was a blow to his momentum. it also means he has to deliver on this stage. here's the challenge. how do you fight people who are either your peers in the polls or below you? one flashpoint will be between him and mike huckabee over entitlement reform. they disagree sharply on subject. that i think will be avenue christie looks to demonstrate he has got the fight in him. lou: chris christie, charlie, a man who can often find disagreement with just about everybody. >> he is a good fighter to throw an elbow instead after punch. he would have been the non-establishment candidate if donald didn't suck all the wind out of the room. it will be interesting. i will say this, someone on "varney"'s show says the candidates have to appeal to democrats. i fell off my chair laughing. lou: charlie must have fallen off his chair.

>> i caught him before he was falling. what they have to do i think is put some meat on the bones in terms of their economic policies. listen, they all agree on some basic things, lower taxes. they all agree getting rid of some tax loopholes for hedge fund twice. we want to see more. what exactly does donald trump want to do with the economy? i think you get some of that tonight. i think it is really important they differentiate themselves on economic matters. i think if rubio does that in a very positive way, i can tell you, his people are telling me, they think they're going to tko jeb tonight as the establishment candidate. lou: uh-oh. >> they will take him out. he will not recover on that. lou: deirdre, your thoughts what we should expect and what do you expect? >> certainly i have three predictions for you, lou, it basically folds in a lot of what your other guests are saying. i think there will be a lot of fireworks from the underdogs or chris christie in particular. that is going to happen. trump will definitely going to go for dr. ben carson.

remember in the last three debates, he sort of choose as candidate to go after. i think tonight will be trump versus carson for sure. here's a wildcard for you, lou. what if senator cruz and jeb bush team up together to try to attack rubio? meaning you have the tea party on one side, more establishment candidate on other. both are competitor of course to cruz, rather to rubio. that is actually one think could happen. lou: you know, deirdre, i believe it was senator ted cruz who said on the previous debate, that this isn't a cage match. you know -- >> he tried to stay polite. i know what you're saying, lou. he has tried to stay polite but at some point that has to end. but you're right. of course everybody including those in the audience of that last debate really applauded when senator cruz took on the moderators. >> i wonder if cruz goes after trump a little bit.

reality is, cruz needs momentum. listen, he is very strong candidate. he gets a lot of money from small donations. he gets some establishment types in texas. he bridges religious conservatives and tea party guys but he has to go after donald. donald, isn't that part of his base? lou: these folks surprised us throughout. this is the fourth gop presidential candidate. i don't think anyone correctly forecast what actually ensued in any one of these. so i look tonight to be a lot of surprise, as donald trump would say, i suspect there would be a lot of energy involved. >> it will be high energy because remember 35 days shall pass before there is another debate. this will be, will have a long hangover. what you get to christmastime, get towards the end of the year. people start to tune out for a minute before they tune back in in january. this will set the frame. if you're a candidate like jeb bush who is flailing you

have to do something to change the narrative and desperation sets in. >> i don't think donald will take any cheap shots tonight. i'm just kidding. [laughter] lou: we have about, we have about 50, 51 minutes to wait to find out what everyone does do. be sure, as chris and charlie were suggesting, call your friends, this will be a long time after tonight before they have this opportunity again of the chris stirewalt, charlie gasparino, deirdre bolton, thank you you all. we look forward to seeing you throughout the evening. >> you bet. lou: something republicans will seize upon in tonight's debate. new reports that the fbi is ramping up investigation into the security of hillary clinton's i mail system and her aides communications as well. that has led a former fbi official to surmise that the investigation is now a quote, full-blown investigation as he put it. trump is already blasting the former secretary of state.

he did so at a rally last night in springfield, illinois. >> people are in jail right now for doing 5% of what she did, and democrats will not prosecute her and it is frankly a disgrace, and you know it, so do i, so do these people right here. they know it. lou: well, we are waiting to see what happens tonight. it is very clear that it's going to be a night of great energy, great enthusiasm, and great substance. so be sure to stay with us throughout the evening. the fight over the president's plan to shield as many as five million illegal immigrants from deportation could be headed to the supreme court after yesterday's appellate court decision. the justice department today announcing it will seek the supreme court's review of that appellate court ruling upholding

an injunction against the obama amnesty fiat. that decision sets up another high-stakes legal contest over the, fate of one of the president's signature domestic goal. it will be no double play in the 2016 election cycle. up next, donald trump says he will not go out of his way to attack ben carson. how much trouble will he go to? what will the other candidates do? we're reviewing, previewing all of the night's festivities. we're less than an hour from the first first of two debates. it's a big night here. as we are in the milwaukee theater. i'm telling you, as you look around here. we have, looks like about 1,000 of tonight's anticipated 4,000 members of the audience all sorts volunteers. more than a handful of security. it is going to be a great night. stay with us. we're coming right back.

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lou: we're coming to you tonight from the milwaukee theater in milwaukee, wisconsin. i'm yelling a bit, forgive me

for that but, this room is filling with hundreds what will be thousands of people in the audience tonight for the two debates. the fourth round of those gop presidential debates here at the milwaukee theater. so as, as i get my voice in correct volume, donald trump says he won't be going out of his way to attack rival ben carson tonight but in an interview this morning, donald trump also made a point to mention reports calling into question carson's biography. >> i tried to figure out what is going on over here. you hit somebody face with a lock. you go after your mother with a hammer. you do all of these things and you're trying to justify, yes, you did them and that is supposed to make you credible. >> we heard -- >> and it's a very strange situation. lou: joining us now, columnist, fox news contributor jedediah bila. good to have you here.

"washington free beacon" reporter, lock lan. >> thank you. lou: former reagan white house political director, fox news analyst, ed rollins. i hope you hear me in new york. i am yelling over quite a crowd here. >> i can hear you. milwaukee buck was like that kind after crowd. lou: i ask you what you're expecting from these candidates? some suggesting it will be banking accounts and, you know, balancing everything out. >> i think they will mix it up. i think the economy is the chief issue people are concerned about right now. so i think this is a huge opportunity for people like donald trump. he has a great business record. for someone like marco rubio, who has a great story. they have been talking a lot about his debt. he has the kind of story that can resonate with a lot of people. opportunity for someone like ben carson. people think he might not be a economic genius. he has not been in business for years. he has regular guy air about

him. can he be specific about policies with respect to the economy to make people believe he is the right man for the job. also jeb bush, this is make it or break it situation for him. he sits on a decent record. he has a decent economic background. can he take the record and pull it forward and make people think, despite the fact i'm not most charismatic guy in the ring i can get the job done. he needs to make it happen tonight or it will never happen for him. lou: do you agree? >> i am waiting for what ted cruz has in store. he will lay out broad principles people in the crowd get it, when you get into economic policies in the weeds you get wonky. i'm curious whether he can break it down and defend his policies on smaller levels. lou: you're right on that. obviously ted cruz has most detailed, complicated proposal. it is rational one but also a radical plan. ed, you, jedediah basically

intimated whatever happens here in the terms of wonk side of it has to appeal to voters or connect with voters or it is a waste of everyone's time. what are your thoughts? >> having watched a lot of these over the years two or three people will come out of this making favorable impressions. obviously cruz did last time and rubio has in each of the debates. trump obviously first debate. didn't do as well last time. there is a lot of people here with a lot at stake tonight. for simple reason fox deliberately and i think correctly bounced a couple heavyweights off the stage. i don't mean physical, but they are heavyweights, christie and huckabee. the warning is if you don't do well in this debate, kind of an him nation. it is survival contest so people like obviously jeb bush has to do well. but my sense is, three or four people will come out of this making impressions. the rest may get left by the wayside. lou: as we're looking on the screen there, as you were

talking, ed, the theater is filling up. lots of folks starting to build. i want to explain to the audience again. we are surrounded by folks in motion and you can hear the excitement in their voices even if it comes across as a modest roar. the idea that trump is going to be talking about business, i mean he has stepped square into the controversy over starbucks. said basically, he is throwing them out of one of his properties because they're coming with a red cup. if he elected you're going to be able to say merry christmas again. now that is arguably one heck of a business story but it's so much more and it does, i think, represent the opportunity that's available to each of these candidates with imagination and some, as trump would say, energy to go after. what do you think? >> yeah i think, you know, as moderators give them a chance to hit that, maybe he will.

easy issue to hit. popular with republican voters. i want to see candidates get deeper than that and talk more about their concrete plans, policies. that is what voters want to hear. we didn't hear much of it in the last debate. i think a lot of people are very dis.ed. lou: i understand what lachlan is saying here. i agree with you to certain extent but at the same time i don't think many people can tell you what barack obama's tax plan was. i don't think many people can tell you what mitt romney's was or certainly, you know, john mccain's. >> yeah. lou: you have to go back aways. >> lachlan is a bit of a policy wonk. lou: sure. >> not everyone in the audience thinks like that. the way candidates get elected voters have to in them. voters have to listen to what they say hear some policy specifics for sure but that candidate gets them a better job and put more money on their table for them and their families and do what barack obama has not about able to do so far.

that is the question. lou: let's go to you for the final word, ed. what do you expect, what do you want? >> i think trump will rise to the occasion. it is his forum because it is about the economy. carson needs to be very careful tonight. this is not the place to defend -- all ben carson should have said i went to yale, i grew up in tough environment. i became a great medical doctor, and brain surgeon. you don't have to be brain surgeon to be president of the united states, to go argue points he will destroy this thing. jeb bush has to rise to the occasion. rubio and cruz will do fine. jeb bush, tonight a big spotlight is on him. if he doesn't do well a lot of his donors will start shifting to other people. lou: all right. ed rollins, jedediah bila, lachlan markey. see you later in the evening. coming up next, marco rubio released a devastating new ad. hear it for yourself here next. then republican national committee chairman reince priebus is here. we'll be talking to him about what he expects certainly.

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can a business be...alive? in panama, which is a city of roughly 2 million people, we are having 5,000 new cars being sold every month. this is a very big problem for us with respect to fast and efficient transportation. it's kind of a losing proposition to keep going this way. we are trying to tackle the problem with several different modes. one of them is the brand new metro. we had a modest forecast: 110,000 passengers per day in the first line. we are already over 200,000. our collaboration with citi has been very important from the very beginning. citi was our biggest supporter and our only private bank. we are not only being efficient in the way we are moving people now, we are also more amicable to the environment. people have more time for the family and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences to hear people saying:

"the metro has really changed my life." lou: the dynamics if i can put it that way between jeb bush and marco rubio heating up a bit ahead of tonight's debate. bush's right to rise pac will spend up to $20 million to show rubio is, unelectable. the rubio campaign fighting back, highlighting jeb's support for rubio just in 2012! >> marco has, i think is, something that the republican party needs to have, which is a hopeful, optimistic message, based on our principles. i'm a huge marco fan. probably the most articulate conservative on the scene today and with the fortitude to be a good president.

so proud of his high voltage energy. so proud of his enthusiasm. i'm so proud of his eloquence. i'm a huge marco fan. lou: until apparently recently. joining us now, the man who presides over all of the rough-and-tumble of the public arena that is designated republican in the presidential campaign, this is the fourth in a series of nine debates. the man making it all, well being possible and putting his wand over all of it is the chairman of the republican national committee, reince priebus. great to have you here. >> i wish i had a magic wand, lou. it would be nice. lou: how else could you possibly create all of the energy coming into this building, the milwaukee theater? we're having to yell, we're about two feet from one another. >> yeah. lou: because there is palpable excitement here. >> people are excited in wisconsin because they have been in the trenches for six years fighting it out. this is a state that is the

epicenter of, you know, political gravity, that we've, that we've never seen before. so these folks are going to enjoy tonight. one of the reasons we want to bring this debate to wisconsin, to reward people here who have been winning race after race. it is battleground state moving forward. lou: election after election. >> yeah. lou: even after they thought the election had been won, referring to scott walker's recall. >> a lot of legislative races. one after the next. lou: it is birthplace of the republican party about 90 miles from here. >> that's right. lou: you're stomping ground. >> that's right. i live in a place south of here, kenosha wisconsin. i have a house there. and it's a great place to be and great place to grow up. lou: i want to congratulate you. you told donald trump to tone it down and i will be doggone if he didn't do just exactly what you said. >> i would like to think it is me. quite frankly all of our candidates have been great.

people get up in arms about jabs and elbows but you're going to have that. even ronald reagan had that. lou: you hope you have that. you have a real debate underway. >> that's right. a lot of narrative out there, you hear people in the news, you particularly, talk about the fact, well, you know, if you have this contested primary, then all of sudden you will have a hard time winning a general but that is not really what history shows. if you look at hillary clinton, barack obama, they about gouged their eyes out. go back to 1992 democrats on that side. who came out of that? bill clinton. beat a sitting president. i think we'll be much better for the wear. lou: i want to compliment you as i ask this last question. the field has never been diverse of those charging ahead for to win the party's nomination. you deserve great credit. the party deserves great credit, to bring this kind of diversity. i'm talking about intellectual diversity, occupation, geographic. >> right. lou: my goodness. what do you expect from tonight's debate on the economy,

on business? >> first of all, you're right, it is a young diverse party. if you compare us to the democrat party there is no comparison. we've got that dynamic going for us. tonight will feature i think difference of opinion on serious issues facing this country. the debt crisis, unfunded liabilities, things people in wisconsin and out in the country want to talk about. how will we make the economy great? how will we put more money in people's pockets? how will we make education more affordable. that is what we care about and that is what tonight should bring. lou: i'm thrilled to the republican party bringing so much attention to the middle class and working family family in this country. great job and great to see you. >> thank you. lou: reince, good to have you here. reince priebus, certainly his night. up next, ben carson under pressure. key details in his biography are under attack.

carson says he is ready to punch back. he has done well so far. we'll see what happens tonight. the first debate just moments away. debates also live streaming for free on foxbusiness.com. we're coming right back. stay with us. we live in a world of mobile technology,

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lou: well you won't be surprised to hear that ben carson has the highest favorability rating among the candidates going into tonight's debate. you may be surprised that donald trump is very close behind him. according to the latest "abc news/washington post poll," dr. carson's live story has been his biggest appeal to, to this

point, but that biography coming under intense scrutiny or just attack, if you prefer recently. that makes him a even bigger target tonight. so we'll be watching for that as well. joining us now, townhall.com political editor, fox news contributor, guy benson. fox news contributor ebony williams, and "washington examiner" chief political correspondent byron york, also fox news contributor. thanks to you all for being here. guy, let me begin with you. there, just about the time you think trump will back away from an attack he sort of slides into one. do you expect him to continue that? it seems to have worked for him at this point. >> he is never one to shy away from an attack. what's interesting is what he said in the last day or so, which he is not planning to go after dr. carson tonight on the debate stage which he has done over the last couple days on some of these biographical

issues, piling on with the mainstream media, shooting first, asking questions later. carson coming back saying hey, he has shown poor judgment siding with the media against me. we'll see if the fireworks bring into the debate earlier or later tonight. lou: the yale story where dr. scars son attack -- carson attacks savagely by many in the liberal media, he was valeted by his classmates and story and attackers look like fools. that has to give him a boost going on. >> absolutely, lou. dr. carson is winning as you said in favorability. tonight is not the night to litigate the fact he is already looking quite good in the ice of the public. he doesn't have to be defended. he is validated as stuff is coming out. it is semantics. that is plausible defense. he doesn't have to do heavy lifting if anything some news networks made themselves look foolish because they have lodged attacks they can't prove but

maybe dr. carson can't disprove them but they can't prove them. >> all the attacks against dr. carson have been flummoxed how to attack ben carson because he is so popular. trump talking about he is lower energy than jeb bush didn't work. talking about carson being a seventh day ad vet vent activity did not work. -- seventh-day adventist. carson stabbed his friend, he didn't stab his friend, that didn't seem to work either. a lot of campaigns are asking themselves when would it be safe to attack ben carson. lou: i wonder if rubio and bush stumbled on to approach? they're locked up in binary political contest slugging it out between the two of them drawing attention to that. what do you think, guy? >> i'm not sure how that benefits jeb bush because he is looks like he is flailing now. looks like the establishment guy who has all this money. he is now in fourth or fifth

place and he is gunning for his protege when there are bigger fish to fry frankly higher up in the polls. the person loving this dynamic at the moment is ted cruz. while jeb and rubio shrug back and forth and trump and carson are doing their thing, ted is sort of above the fray. he will make points on his actual agenda tonight. that is exactlywer wants to be. >> i will take it a step further, guy. i think jeb bush looks like a hater, bonafide hater. looking at that ad, my goodness, he has his foot in his mouth. he looks ridiculous. you're right, going for rubio because knows he can't play with the big dogs in the process. he is too far behind. lou: i really want to see in the first debate, i want to see governor chris christie and mike huckabee and bobby jindal and rick santorum i want to see them with the room to operate and to really reveal themselves. >> i think fox actually breathed

live into this undercard debate idea. the last one in boulder, a lot of reporters including me were not paying much attention. now chris christie and mike huckabee, those two have fought hard on social security and other entitlement. you have a lot of new life and controversy. this debate could be interesting in a way they have not been last couple times. lou: if i may say, personalities on one stage, it is bound to get pretty interesting, irrespective of the subject. about 19 minutes away. byron josh, thanks so much for being with us. ebony williams, thank you so much, guy benson and we'll have these folks back here later. still ahead, a make-or-break night for some of these republican candidates as you have just heard. former bush 43 senior advisor karl rove, you know him, he will be here on the high-stakes for these candidates tonight. we're now, as i said, less than 20 minutes away from the first of the night's debates. stay with us. we're coming right back from

milwaukee, wisconsin. ♪ otally blind. otally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. is it keeps the food out. for me before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. super poligrip is part of my life now. jeb bush: leadership means it's not about yappin'.. it's not about talking. it's about doing. i know how to do this because i was privileged to serve in florida for eight years. and we turned the systems upside down that weren't working. 1.3 million new jobs were created. we cut taxes every year. income rose in people's pockets. people were lifted out of poverty. children started to learn. as president of the united states, i pledge to you that i will solve problems. announcer: right to rise usa

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instead of what has become the usual 10. and that will allow more time for each of the can dates to press their case and present their thinking. there will be four candidates in the first debate this evening. they will be taking the stage here in milwaukee in just a few moments. as you may have heard over the loud speaker system here at the milwaukee theater, call for all audience members who have been rushing in and milling about here for better part of an hour, they are now moved at least for the most part to their seats in the debate theater. joining me now the former deputy chief of staff to president george w. bush, republican strategist, fox news political analyst, karl rove. carl, good to see you and welcome. >> thanks, lou. lou: you are, you're making, i know, i would guess book, on your candidates. who do you expect to do best here this evening in the first debate among the four principles?

>> well, you know, i think, one thing we've learned about these debates is to expect the unexpected. i'm not certain who will do the best in the undercard debate but i suspect we'll see what we saw the first time we had one of these, which is, somebody is going to have a really good evening and may have a good enough evening they dominate the first and second debate of the evening like we saw with carly fiorina, who won the undercard debate and i think walked away with the general belief of everybody that she did better than anybody in the adult debate. she took the kiddie debate clearly but also dominated in absentia the adult debate. so i think this will be interesting. lou, i think there are three things that will be really important that are macro issues and how, or macro concerns. how handle those will determine who we think comes out having had a good night. lou: all right. >> one is the vision. do they have a vision how they can go about helping america grow and does middle class, to help the middle class grow, to

help middle class opportunity to increase, to help the economy become more prosperous. in a way, say it in a way people say, you know what, they get it. the second thing, i think will be a function of moderators, unlike the cnbc debate which was snarky questions, we'll have an emphasis on substance. i suspect, it will be fine for people to offer up a sound bite but i wouldn't be surprised to see follow up questions, that say how will you do that, or why are you going to do that? i think both of those will be important. finally voter reaction. i suspect we'll see concrete differences tonight on the issues and on the fluency of people in handling economic issues. and i think both of those will have impact on voters. it will be interesting to see how that plays out. lou: to support your suggestion on vision, and substance here, we are talking for the first time in a presidential campaign, certainly the first time in my memory, we're talking about third rail topics as a matter of

course in these debates. these candidates are taking on tough issues, whether it would be entitlements, proposing tax plans. with some substance. of course it's early and they're incomplete in their frameworks. but reality is, the candidates themselves have taken, it seems to me, far more seriously than any field of candidates, republican or democrat in previous election campaigns. what do you think? >> i agree with you. i think you also touched on another thing which is the differences between these candidates. it will be interesting to see how people sort of emphasize and highlight those differences. for example, both rand paul and ted cruz favor the adoption, replacement of the corporate income tax with some form of a value-added tax. it will be interesting to see if they lay that out as a, one of differences between them and their opponent. it will also be interesting to see if people who are suspicious of a vat tax, a european-style vat tax point out if they're in

favor. entitlements. this will be a big issue. one candidate in the under debate and one candidate in the over debate who basically say we don't want to and we'll not do anything about medicare and social security. it will be interesting to see if that become as point of contention either by questions asked by moderators or points made by the individual candidates. lou: it is interesting we've seen broad support. as you point out, rand paul and ted cruz basically have the same proposal on taxes. vat tax underlying both but, ted cruz getting broad support for his rand paul, not as much. both plans are radical and it will be interesting as you say to see how folks respond. real quick, we have about 15 seconds. your thoughts on the dynamics between rubio and bush tonight? how it will play out? >> well, if jeb hasn't learned lesson from the last debate he

will have a bad night. when rubio got asked a question about missing votes in the senate and batted it down and jeb came on in anyway, whatever the legitimacy of issue it didn't come off well. i think both men would be well advised to keep the focus on their vision, the substance and on articulate what they're there for and stay away from taking whacks at each other, particularly jeb. lou: we're going to find out very soon here tonight. karl as you know, great to have you with us. thanks for joining us here. >> appreciate it. lou: on debate night on the fox business network. up next here republican rivals gear up for the debate. it is ten minutes away, a little under that. "washington examiner"'s david drucker and "national review"'s rich lowery what those candidates must do to break through next. stay with us. we're coming right back. ♪

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. lou: joining us now, "washington examiner" senior congressional correspondent david drucker and editor of the "national review" and fox news contributor rich lowry. gentlemen, good to have you with us. >> hi, lou.

lou: david, start with you, if i may, and good evening to you, rich. this is a high-staked proposition for a number of the candidates. who in your judgment has to break through in this first debate? we're just about five minutes away. >> i want to see if chris christie can do in the undercard debate what carly fiorina did in the undercard in cleveland, which is basically win the entire night. christie's poll numbers are turning around, the personal favorable numbers, he can attract more votes. he's been relegated to the kiddie table. can he use the spotlight there? there's only four on the stage to make the case to voters that he deserves to be back in primetime. it's happened once before. can it happen again? lou: rich, your thoughts on the same issue. who has to make it here and how do they do it? >> i think the expectations as david outlines ably are high for chris christie. he got good reviews the last debate.

he turned around his favorable-unfavorable ratings in new hampshire and iowa. the question is can he dominate the upcoming debate to get enough of a bounce out of it? the thing is it's never easy to be on a stage and outshine mike huckabee. we haven't heard a lot about him in the run-up to this debate. she one of the most able communicators in the republican party. obviously can be folksy and compelling, should be fun to watch in the next five minutes here. lou: bobby jindal is a terrific debater as well, and talk about a wonk. i think personally, i think he may be the most wonkish among all of the candidates in the presidential race. i also -- i believe that rick santorum comes very close. you've got four people here, david, who could really fight tooth and nail through this hour. >> unlike a couple of weeks ago, you don't have a bunch of slouches. you have two former republican

governors, association chairman, the last two iowa caucus winners on the republican side. let's see what they make of it. santorum had trouble catching lightning in a bottle twice. it's very hard to do, and huckabee stuck in the middle of the pack. lou: i want to share with our viewers what's happening on stage, on the picture you see there, all the candidates have stepped out onto the stage. they're going through a photo spray. i think they need to work on that name for the taking of all those pictures of this lofty event, but huckabee and christie and jindal and santorum there with the obligatory photo spray as they take their podiums. we're looking at the onset here of what's going to be a terrific evening. rich, very quickly, we've got about 30 seconds. your thoughts as to who will be the actual winner, make it 15.

>> hard to tell, lou, the last debate, the two moments that rose, that made rubio and cruz effectively the winners of the debates were unpredictable. cruz with the spontaneous attack on the moderators and marco rubio with the exchange -- >> i'm going to have to leave with you this -- >> jeb bush better not lose. lou: david drucker and rich lowry, thank you very much. as we're watching the photographers leave the stage, it's going to be a remarkable debate. i believe the four men represent terrific debaters and personalities and they're going to give it their very best. i certainly couldn't predict the winner of this, but we could, david, rich, we would have done so long ago and wouldn't have to have the game as they say. it's going to be spectacular, and i want to remind you all that this is debate night on the fox business network.

we're going to be going through this first debate that begins in just seconds, through 11:00 eastern as we continue with the second debate here on the fox business network. now, the first. [ applause ] . >> good evening, and welcome to the historic milwaukee theatre, you'll hear from 12 republican candidates vying to become the next president of the united states. i'm trish regan along with co-moderators sandra smith and pretty "wall street journal" gerry seib. >> fox business is partnering with the "wall street journal" to bring you the fourth republican presidential deefbt the 2016 campaign. for the next hour, four of the