Republican Presidential Debate

I am watching the Republican Presidential Candidate Debate on CNBC.
For the most part I like the ideas coming out of this group. I really like some of the things Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are saying. We need less government regulation, we need to cut Federal Government spending and reduce its size.
It seems to me that they, in particular, are not just spouting talking points but are actually using knowledge and experience they have to answer the questions. Cain has some good ideas but seems to be holding tight to sound bites rather than answering the question. I don't really know about any of the accusations brought about him but I hope, for his sake, that they are unfounded.
Perry also seems like he has some good ideas but he is just reciting answers, not answering (does that make sense?). Santorum bugs me a little. He shares much of the same ideologies as the other candidates but he takes every opportunity to distance himself and toot his own horn.
It bugs me when candidates dance around questions or ignore them completely. It also bugs me that some of the questions the moderators ask are about short term fixes for problems that have no short term fixes like medical care, student loans and economic turn-around. For the most part, the big changes that need to happen are going to hurt a while. Just as the rose needs to be pruned, many of the issues facing our country need to be broken down and need to bleed a little before they can heal.
Sometimes Presidential candidates are funny and I like that but much of the time when they try to be funny it falls flat and they look dumb.
OK. Cain is starting to bug me. It may be very true that his 999 plan to grow the economy is step one to many of the changes that need to happen but when they ask a question, instead of just re-iterating his sound bite he needs to take the opportunity to go into some detail or explain how his 999 plan applies to that question.
One of the tweets at the bottom said "can't the candidates come up with a solution that does not involve tax cuts, spending cuts, and deregulation?" I laughed. What domestic economic problem is not connected to these?