CNBC Undercard Republican Debate: Live Coverage

Nate, if you’d ask them why they’re polling at under 1 percent, I’d ask this: If recent politicians keep running against government — saying how much it’s broken — why should people vote for establishment candidates at all? That argues for churn. Shouldn’t, then, there be a return to a “Morning in America” rhetorical style?

Lindsey Graham and Rick Santorum are talking about the need to curb or increase legal immigration. More Republicans (42 percent) believe we should decrease legal immigration than increase it (21 percent), according to a May Pew Research survey. Yet, a majority (55 percent) believe it should be kept at present levels or increased.

Lindsey Graham referenced the need to secure the border, and he’s hardly the only candidate to support that position. But as context, here’s a video of smugglers scaling the border fence with packages. And American women scaling the fence in seconds as a test: All of which raises questions about what “securing the border” means in policy and spending terms.