GOP hopefuls hit Planned Parenthood, illegal immigration, Clinton

Sharpest jab at a Republican (without naming anyone): “Some of the folks in this race for president were unwilling to take her on directly.”

Rick Perry quick hits

Biggest applause line: “It is time to stand with our great friend Israel and never let light show between us again.”

Sharpest jab at a Democrat: “We’ve had 6 1/2 years of a pretty good talker. A young, inexperienced United States senator that has America in the ditch now economically, foreign policy wise.”

Sharpest jab at a Republican (without naming one in particular): “Both this administration and the Republicans in Washington, D.C., have failed us when it comes to funding our military.”

Republican presidential hopefuls took aim at Planned Parenthood, illegal immigration and Hillary Clinton on Friday during the first day of the RedState Gathering at the Intercontinental Buckhead.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former tech CEO Carly Fiorina, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal kicked off the event, which will transform Atlanta into the epicenter of GOP politics over the next two days.

The crowded GOP race for president moved to Atlanta just hours after the major Republican candidates went head to head in Cleveland on Thursday night in the first nationally televised debate, which was watched by millions. Ten of the 17 Republican candidates will be in Atlanta for the RedState Gathering: Christie, Perry, Jindal, Fiorina, Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, U.S. Sen. Ted. Cruz of Texas, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and business mogul Donald Trump. Trump will appear at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the RedState Tailgate event in downtown Atlanta.

Rubio offered some specific proposals for higher education reform during his late afternoon speech. He called for "flexible programs" that allow people who have to work full-time to acquire the learning they need for a better paying job.

“The private sector’s already doing this,” Rubio said. “We need to do more of it as a nation by opening up financial aid outside of the monopoly of higher education to allow people to learn in alternative ways”

Rubio also hinted at a coming showdown over the funding of Planned Parenthood that could lead to a government shutdown. He later expanded on those comments in an interview with reporters.

“It’s not us who’s going to shut down the government,” he said. “It’s the Democrats. In essence, the choice is theirs to make. Are they saying that they’re willing to shut down the government over funding Planned Parenthood?

Fiorina's sharp performance at Thursday night's second-tier debate propelled her to the national spotlight. And she came to Atlanta Friday intent on capitalizing on her momentum.

The former Hewlett-Packard chief executive impressed conservatives at the debate with her sharp attacks on Democrats - and GOP developer Donald Trump. She was greeted with a sustained standing ovation at the RedState Gathering before she took the stage Friday afternoon, one of the loudest greetings the conservative crowd showered upon any of the presidential candidates.

“2016 is going to be a fight - a real fight - between conservatism and the progressivism that has completely dominated the Democratic Party. It’s not only undermining the country, it’s crushing the country’s engine of economic growth,” she said. “And in order to win, we have to have a nominee that throws every punch - who will not pull her punches.”

Fiorina, who has long been among the loudest critics of Hillary Clinton, kept up her assault on the Democratic front-runner.

“I know more world leaders on the stage today than anybody running. Although I didn’t do photo opps, like Mrs. Clinton did,” she said, adding she would make two immediate phone calls upon election. The first would be to Israel’s prime minister with a pledge for support. The second would be to Iran’s leader with a warning not to cross the U.S.

“We need an unmistakable signal that America is back in the leadership business,” she said.

Christie was the first presidential candidate to appear at the Atlanta Gathering , and the New Jersey governor delivered an alternately funny and poignant message.

In introducing himself to the 700 conservative activists in the Intercontinental ballroom, Christie said he stood up to Democrats in the Garden State’s General Assembly to overcome an $11 billion budget deficit. When those lawmakers shut down the government over Christie’s refusal to raise taxes, Christie said he had a simple message for them.

“I said, ‘I’m going back to the Governor’s Mansion. … I’m going to order a pizza, drink a beer and watch the Mets,’ ” he said to laughter. “I said, ‘I’m watching the Mets. Talk about shared sacrifice.’ ”

But it wasn’t all stand-up. Christie turned serious when discussing Planned Parenthood.

“I’m outraged by the videos we’ve all seen,” he said. “Disgusted. As a father of four, but also as a public servant.”

Christie used the topic to pivot to likely Democratic nominee Clinton.

“I was just as disgusted by the video put out by Hillary Clinton,” Christie said. “She’s playing the old game everybody plays, and we better be ready for it. She said Republicans are against women’s health care.”

But, he said, “the No. 1 killer of women in this country is heart disease. The No. 2 killer of women in this country is breast cancer. Nothing she’s talking about has anything to do with that.”

Before Christie even arrived in Atlanta he was targeted by a gun rights group unhappy with his past positions on the Second Amendment. But the response from the RedState crowd was overwhelmingly positive. More than a quarter of the audience stood to applaud when he arrived, and more joined when he was done.

After a short speech, Christie answered questions from RedState host Erick Erickson and from audience members. Christie, in response to a question about how he would make sure he appointed true conservatives to the Supreme Court, said his favorite justice is “Sam” Alito and that he would focus on what prospective nominees have written in the past rather than what they say now.

“Knowing you can always be fooled,” Christie said, “let’s not go by what they say. Let’s go by what they’ve written.”

Perry opened his address to the Atlanta gathering by acknowledging his current place in the race for the GOP nomination.

“I was up late last night,” Perry said. “Not as late as I wanted to be.”

That quip, of course, was a reference to his standing in the polls and his being relegated to the “kid’s table” debate Thursday night in Cleveland. But, judging by the reaction of the audience Friday in Atlanta, Perry sounded like a front-runner.

“I don’t believe the answer to this Democratic divider is to have a Republican divider,” Perry said. “It’s time for leadership that narrows the breach.

“We do not have to settle for a world in chaos or an America that shrinks from its responsibilities. We don’t have to apologize for American exceptionalism or western values.”

In a speech that pivoted from immigration to the economy to foreign policy, Perry focused his ire at President Barack Obama, rather than Clinton or his Republican opponents.

On immigration, Perry recounted how he confronted Obama in Texas.

“I met the president on the ramp in Dallas and I looked him in the eye and I said, ‘Mr. President, if you won’t secure the border, Texas will.’ And we did,” he said.

Perry touted Texas’ economic growth during his administration and said he could bring that performance to Washington.

Jindal was the first speaker after lunch, and he wasted no time going after Hillary Clinton, linking the Democratic hopeful to Obama. He said both want to make Americans “more and more of us dependent on government.”

“It’s all about redistribution,” Jindal said. “You have to give Bernie Sanders credit. At least he calls himself a socialist.”

Jindal also went after Bush, who will be at the event Saturday.

“Jeb Bush says that we need to be willing to lose the primary in order to win the general election,” Jindal said. “I disagree with that, and let me translate that for you.

“That is the establishment saying we need to hide our conservative beliefs and try to get the left and the media to like us. I’m here to tell you if we try to do that again we will lose again, and we will deserve to lose again.”

But Jindal would not take on the race's other polling front-runner. Asked during a session with reporters aboutDonald Trump leaving the door open for a third-party bid:

“I think that the party donors, the party leaders need to take a deep breath. Put down the strong products, get away from the window ledges. Reality is this: the voters will decide who the nominee is and they’ll decide who the president is.”

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