Jan. 24 Republican debate transcript

Williams: Governor, we've got an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll coming out in the morning that says, among a lot of other things, 44 percent of respondents say a Mormon president would have a difficult time uniting the country. And I know you've answered similar questions about what you were able to do with the Catholic vote in Massachusetts, but 44 percent nationally, writ large, is a large number.

Romney: You know, I just don't believe that people in this country are going to choose their candidate based on which church he or she goes to. I just don't believe that. And, you know, polls ask people a lot of questions. And my faith isn't terribly well known around this country. But I don't think for a minute the American people are going to say, you know what, we're not going to vote for this guy for a secular position because of his church. I just don't believe it.

I think when the Constitution and the founders said no religious test shall ever be required for qualification for office or public trust in these United States, that the founders meant just that. And I don't believe for a minute that Republicans or Americans, for that matter, are going to impose a religious test when the founders said it's as un-American as anything you can think of.

I just don't believe it.

I think when the Constitution and the founders said no religious test shall ever be required for qualification for office or public trust in these United States, that the founders meant just that. And I don't believe for a minute that Republicans or Americans, for that matter, are going to impose a religious test when the founders said it's as un-American as anything you can think of.

And so I believe that I'll ultimately get the nomination. I can't be sure of that, but I'm pretty confident. And I believe in a head-to-head with Hillary Clinton.

The differences in our perspectives on how to get America going again and how to get us on the right track are as different as night and day. She takes her inspiration from the Europe of old, big brother, big government, big taxes. I take mine from Republican ideals -- small government, small taxes, individual freedom.

I believe that free American people are the source of America's greatness. And so I don't think you're going to see religion figuring into this race after people have had a chance to get to know all the candidates.

Russert: Dr. Paul -- Congressman Paul, I'd like to talk about Social Security.

The last time you ran for president, a Libertarian Party candidate, you filled out a questionnaire asking about Social Security. And you said, "Abolish it."

There are 3.5 million people in Florida who rely on Social Security payments. Are you still in favor of abolishing Social Security?

Paul: Yes, but not overnight. As a matter of fact, my program is the only one that is going to be able to take care of the elderly.

I'd like to get the young people out -- out of it, just the younger generation, because there's no money there. And they're going to have to pay 50 years and they're not going to get anything. There's no money there.

Now, I'm saying, I'd take care of all the elderly, all those who are -- who are dependent, but I would save the money from this wild spending overseas. We can save hundreds of billions of dollars and still take care of the elderly.

Right now they're getting behind because they're having a 10 to 12 percent inflation rate and we give them a 2 percent increase. So they're really hurting.

I don't want taxes on the Social Security benefits that they receive. I have a bill in that would secure the trust fund, where none of that money could be spent in the -- in the general revenues.

So, in many ways, though the goal would be to get us out of this program that is a failure, it doesn't work, and is going to bankrupt this country, that the only way you can do that is save enough money, tide the people over, let the young people get out. Because they're going to be paying all these years and they're not going to get anything.

So, ironically, I, who defend the position that, you know, the federal government probably should have never been involved, I probably have the only program that would really help the elderly, because the way we're going now, the money is not going to be there. There's no way these cost of living increases are ever going to keep up with their -- you know, their benefits. They're never going to keep up with the cost of living.

They're decreasing. I say my program has a better chance of helping them than any other one.