Mitt Romney Forces Awkward Laugh In Exchange With Rick Perry At GOP Debate (VIDEO)

During an exchange with Texas Gov. Rick Perry on the issue of undocumented immigration during Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney found himself forcing an extended awkward laugh.

The reaction from Romney came after Perry asserted, "The idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you're strong on immigration is, on its face, the height of hypocrisy."

After laughing, Romney said, "Rick, I don't think that I've ever hired an illegal in my life."

HuffPost's Elise Foley reports on how the pack of candidates sharing the spotlight in Nevada generally addressed the immigration issue over the course of the debate.

The candidates threw around the word "illegals" liberally, but softened their tone when a Latino man stood to ask the candidates how they would appeal to Latino voters -- perhaps reminding them that they were in a state with the 12th largest Latino population in the country. Undocumented immigrants, though not exclusively Latinos, make up 7.2 percent of Nevada's population.

Although Latinos do not necessarily support undocumented immigration, a strong majority -- 79 percent -- oppose laws like Arizona's S.B. 1070 that crack down on unauthorized immigration, and even more support paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the country, according to a report from the Pew Hispanic Center.

And in Nevada, Latino voters hold major power in elections, particularly as the state's Latino population grows. Latinos are partially credited with keeping Democratic Sen. Harry Reid from losing his seat in 2010 to Republican immigration hawk Sharron Angle, who released multiple ads featuring menacing photos of Latino men depicted as dangerous criminals.

Perhaps with this in mind, Romney took a "step back" to bring up his support for legal immigration.

"I think it's important for us as Republicans on this stage to say something that hasn't been said, and that's that every person here loves legal immigration," he said. "We respect people who come here legally."

Comments

[allencollinsa]

05:33 PM on 10/19/2011

I would be ashamed to support any of these gop fools.

[pennywell]

10:15 AM on 10/19/2011

i think it is safe, and accurate, to say that most of what mitt says and does is categorically 'awkward.'

[Tikiman]

09:54 AM on 10/19/2011

Okay, I love the HuffPost, but can someone tell me why they need to have 10 different stories on the same subject (the debate)? I mean c'mon, did someone really feel the need to write a whole separate story about a laugh?

[ltyr2002]

09:53 AM on 10/19/2011

"On it's faiths the heithf of hypocrisy!"

Well spoken, Rick!

[NitramNos]

09:43 AM on 10/19/2011

If, as Romney asserts, thee GOP "loves legal immigration", why don't they support a more liberal immigration policy? Oh, I forgot, the root of the right-wing angst about Hispanic immigration is racism pure and simple.

[Tristman]

10:19 AM on 10/19/2011

Boooooo - keep playin that card, it only hurts Obama

[tomtall]

09:25 AM on 10/19/2011

My eighth grade debate classes were much more substantive than what went on in vegas last nite....they are making it easy for obama, who hasnt earned a repeat performance himself.

[TheBostonMike]

08:42 AM on 10/19/2011

It is unfortunate that Romney didn't let Perry finish his thought. It was ACTUALLY going to be an endorsement! Rick was going to say, "Is on it's faith, the Height (th) of hypocracy,.... and THAT is why I will be endorsing YOU to be the REPUBLICAN canidate for President of THESE UNITED STATES! Great Job Mitt and.. Save a Pretzel for the Gas Jets!"

[TheBostonMike]

08:39 AM on 10/19/2011

"on its faiththsth,. the heithlth of hypocisy."

[Patriot86]

08:31 AM on 10/19/2011

I will lay odds Romney has hired illegals.

[LTmemOree]

09:26 AM on 10/19/2011

and fired legals.

[Patriot86]

09:36 PM on 10/19/2011

Good point...that was his specialty ...taking over companies ...either taking all the assets out and dumping the company or sending the jobs overseas...I am going to fan you if I have not.

[Tristman]

10:20 AM on 10/19/2011

A fool like you will part with his $$$$$

[Patriot86]

09:32 PM on 10/19/2011

Wait for it...he hired a cook or a maid or a lawn service...perhaps a nanny...and it will come out. You GOP are so averse to risk these days,,,tsk,tsk...as good old Rushbo used to say to those who take the greatest risks goes the biggest rewards.

[Patriot86]

08:49 AM on 10/20/2011

Good thing you did not take the bet or you would be parting with your $$$$...

"The Globe said Romney, for an entire decade, used a landscaping company that relied on illegal Guatemalan immigrants. Employees at the company, Community Lawn Service with a Heart, said its owner hadn't asked them to provide documents showing their immigration status.

The workers said they were paid $9 to $10 an hour, in cash, for working sometimes 11 hours a day.

The newspaper sent a team of reporters to Guatemala after getting a tip that Romney had hired a landscaping company notorious for using illegal immigrants. They tracked down three former landscapers who claimed to have been in the United States illegally when they worked on Romney's lawn.

One of them, Rene Alvarez Rosales, said he worked for Romney eight years landscaping his lawn, occasionally getting a "buenos dias" from Romney himself. Others told the Globe of casual encounters with Romney over the years, during which he had never inquired about their status.

Romney’s first response to reporters’ questions about the matter: "Aw, geez."

Later, his campaign issued a statement that the governor knew nothing about the immigration status of the landscaping workers, and that his dealings were with owner of the company, a legal immigrant from Colombia. The owner told the Globe that Romney never asked him about the status of the workers."

[paddlerchick]

08:22 AM on 10/19/2011

The word fools comes to mind.

[artist-53]

08:05 AM on 10/19/2011

When can we stop referring to these as debates?

[Hamburger Time]

08:00 AM on 10/19/2011

Lip reading a Rick Perry commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhDhDRvHaGs

[centsable]

08:38 AM on 10/19/2011

That is so funny, but Bachmann's was the best...thanks for the link.

[Hamburger Time]

02:19 PM on 10/19/2011

Ha ha, sweet. I hadn't seen that one.

[losingitbigtime]

07:53 AM on 10/19/2011

Nothing is better than Mitt's laugh in the BLR video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9L9A1IMTQo

[chanook106]

07:52 AM on 10/19/2011

I love how the claws came out on this debate. On an unrelated topic - A lot of pretty innocuous comments I've made haven't been posted lately on HUffpo. Is it my cologne?

[1canview]

07:51 AM on 10/19/2011

The only one who ever makes any sense is Ron Paul and 5 mintues later he commits hari-kari with another comment.
I'm not sure which is more cringe worthy, the people on the stage or the audience?
Romney and Perry have more than exposed themselves as petty people.
Cain has proven that folksy and dumb can happen together. His "I was only joking." is getting tired real fast.
Other than Ron Paul, none of these people are serious.
None of them can explain where their new jobs are going to come from when there is no market or demand.
Or why all of wealth created today comes from monopolies fleecing their captive customers.