Debate Illustrated Major Contrasts Between the Candidates
- Print print this page
- Discuss 11 comments, Blog about
Advertisement
Whether forced or not, one of the best things about presidential debates is that they are conducted with an air of civility by the candidates.
And this debate format, though far from perfect, gave us the chance to hear generally more thoughtful answers on the broader themes we are all worried about, with the result that we finally got some meat to chew on in this election.
That former Gov. Mitt Romney steamrolled President Barack Obama in their first debate last Wednesday is a blinding glimpse of the obvious, but the manner in which he did it has made me shake my head repeatedly. While we were all puzzled by Clint Eastwood’s shtick, talking to an empty chair at the Republican National Convention in August, I think that perhaps the chair would have given Gov. Romney a tougher match.
And though Jim Lehrer struggled to manage the open-question format, there is just not enough of the bully in him to rein in the most powerful man and the pugilist seeking his ring when they have the floor in front of more than 40 million people. It was refreshing not to be bombarded with sound bites, induced applause, or cheers. The debate reminded me that we tend forget that we generally agree on most things; the two candidates were almost shy in their repeated acknowledgements of the things they agree about. It gave me pause.
One of the frequent challenges thrown at Romney has been the lack of specificity in his plans for economic turnaround, for what kind of tax cuts is he really talking about. For — well, for everything he proposes — we hear “where are the details?” Or as Obama said, in one of his few telling exchanges, “At some point, you have to ask, is he keeping all these plans to replace [programs] secret because they’re too good?” And adding, “Families are going benefit too much from them?”
Of course the main reason we want — and especially political opponents and journalists want — a detailed plan is so we can pick it apart to find the self-satisfying “gotcha” that drives the news cycle and twitterverse, and that renders moot all the good thinking and ideas that may also have been there.
That exchange highlighted a real contrast in leadership philosophy. Simplistically stated, Obama thinks it crucially important that we know where he stands and know exactly what he wants, so he outlines a detailed plan and presents it for approval. Romney thinks he should identify a problem and outline what would constitute a successful outcome, and work with legislators to accomplish it.
We also saw a fairly clear articulation of the differences in taxing philosophy. The president has been focused on raising certain tax rates and lowering taxes on most small businesses, as integral to raising the revenue that is essential in fixing our persistent deficit problems. Romney, in perhaps his clearest position, argues that the best approach to taxation is adjusting rates to maximize job and economic growth, and letting an expanding economy deliver higher government revenue.
The debate on Obamacare (I use the odious term reservedly because the president said he embraces it) also provided fodder for thought. For what seems like the first time, Romney did not run away from his record as governor of Massachusetts, embracing the state’s health care plan that is the model for the Affordable Care Act.
The contrast of his state-centric approach to the president’s plan is interesting, but only if Romney recognizes that the actual elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions is one of the plans most appealing features.
And finally, the president was rescued from his lousy debate performance by heartening news on the unemployment front, with the Bureau of Labor statistics release of a decline to 7.8 percent. Though he rightly seized on the slightly improved numbers, we all know that there are “lies, damn lies, and statistics.”
The jobless rate improved, and there was a positive adjustment in job creation, but there are also too many other statistics that remind us how persistently slow the recovery has been. The percentage of people working declined to 45.1 percent in September from 45.3 percent in August, according to Gallup News, though it remains a point higher than last September.
I am sure we’ll witness less civility and more sound and fury in the next debates, though I doubt more illumination. I think we’ll also see pundits declaring President Obama a winner in the remaining debates — especially given, as one twitter pundit posted, “Obama’s clear ‘ropa dopa’ tactics.”
Frank Daniels III, part owner of The Pilot and cousin of Pilot Publisher David Woronoff, is the community engagement editor of The Nashville Tennessean. Contact him at fdanielsiii@tennessean.com.
More like this story
Advertisement
Comments
The_AnonymusProfit 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Please Please Please explain to me how obama could win a foreign policy debate?
packwilleat 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Simple solution, vote libertarian. Continuing to vote R or D only proves the defintion of insanity. What we are delt these days are two sides of the same coin. Both parties are for more spending, more goverment, more fiscal restraint, more wars, more taxes and on and on. When will the American voters truly wake up and realize that both sides are playing them for fools.
skylinefirepest 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Hey Frank, the term "obamacare" is not odious....what is totally odious is obamacare!!
Hembloche 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@AP - As far as i'm concerned, they're both bumbling idiots when it comes to foreign policy. I'm with pack, though I don't agree with everything in the Libertarian platform, they're a hell of a lot closer to what I believe most Americans want than either of the "mainstream" parties.
The_AnonymusProfit 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@Hembloche I will vote libertarian as soon as the libertarian party can come up with someone who can win an election, Ron Paul aint it.
PS> I vote libertarian for almost every state and local office.
packwilleat 7 months, 2 weeks ago
AP ~ Ron Paul isn't on the Libertarian ticket.
Hembloche 7 months, 2 weeks ago
What pack said ^ The situation we're in now isn't the fault of democrats or republicans. It's the fault of democrats AND republicans. I think (hope) that we'll find more and more people, completely sick of both parties bs and lies, turning to alternatives in the years to come. The most logical and viable (imo) is the Libertarian Party.
MikeNC 7 months, 2 weeks ago
A. Frank: Gallup Poll based on how many more Democrats were sampled compared to Republicans based on 2008 election turn out.
B. Frank: The "wow" numbers on the unemployment rate, magically lowering, Almost over night, have some people scratching their heads, "Wha happened"? Then there is that nasty word the following week, called "revised". Not to mention California forgot to add their two cents this week.
C. I do agree with you, the Liberal Pundits, will see to it that Obama (and Biden) deliver, even if it means they have to hold their breathe and swallow it.
D. As for civility: Obama and his senior re election staff, threw that out along with the baby and bath water a long time ago. Diane
fatboy 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Hey Frank, I think you made some mistakes in your article, but the most blatent one was where you said "the pugalist seeking to take his ring". You should have said that "the most powerful man will be taking the ring from the failed leader". That would be more believable. Also, the decrease in the unemployment rate is due to the fact that California failed to report. They have the highest per capita unemployment in the country. The problem with main stream media is that they only want to publicise what they want the masses to hear. (or read)
Middleman522 7 months, 1 week ago
One thing was very obvious during the Presidential debate and that was conviction. You saw one man very uncomfortable because most of his great ideas had already been tried and had not worked, unless you leave out a couple of state's numbers... The other man has seen his approach work in creating jobs, keeping us at the top of the food chain in civility making aggressive troublemakers worry about the consequences of killing people, and raising tax dollars to pay down debt without raises taxes. You saw a control freak totally without any control of this country or anything else, and another man that understands how great a nation can be when people are left alone enough to excell. You saw one man that voted "Present" in the IL swamp 130 times, to hide how radical he was, and a man telling us what his vision is and just why the other man's vision was blurred. 67 million American saw the man that the media had been lying about for 5 years and were a little mad they were mislead. This happened again with the attack in Libya that they and us were lied to about again. There is one thing the ego maniacs in the lame stream media don't like and that's Egg on the pretty Faces, and Oblaima has covered them well of late. I can see this love affair fading as well.
packwilleat 7 months, 1 week ago
"It is a travesty of the democratic process that Libertarians were required to endure such a drawn-out, expensive and unnecessary attack on their right to be on the ballot, voters in every state deserve real choices in this election, and it is clear that the Republican Party, not only in Pennsylvania, but in key states across the country, will go to any lengths to keep liberty, nonintervention and smaller government off the ballot."
~ Gary Johnson