Here is my quick reaction to the first Presidential debate.
Mitt Romney was at his best. This was the Romney of the book No Apology:
reasonable, not too conservative (as he acknowledged the importance of
regulations), sensitive to the human and practical impact of policies,
personable, witty, king of the power-point, etc. And I'd say that
Romney was better tonight than he has been in the past, for in tonight's
debate he was passionate and animated. President Barack Obama made
good points, but he looked resigned, or like he was tired or getting
over a cold.
In terms of the points that each side made, I'd say
they were both about even. Romney launched effective grenades against
Dodd-Frank that Obama did not address, and Romney did well to raise the
question of how President Obama can reduce Medicare subsidies to
providers without that impacting patients. Obama made an effective
critique of the Ryan plan for Medicare by arguing that, even if the plan
preserves traditional Medicare, the program under the Ryan plan will
consist predominantly of the sickest people while private insurance
companies win over the healthiest seniors, thereby making Medicare
weaker. And Obama did well to note the strong points of
Obamacare----for example, that it has taken on the health insurance
companies that prioritize profits over health care, and that premiums
have increased at a slower rate than in previous years. And yet, Romney
did better on the jobs issue, as he detailed the perils of the economy
and talked about how taxes would add more burdens.
In terms of tax
policy, I previously thought that Romney's plan was to cut taxes for
everyone and to close loopholes, but what he said tonight was that he
would not cut taxes on the rich, but he wouldn't increase their taxes
either. Romney also offered a few more details on loopholes----he
tossed out the idea of having a limit on them, as the rich receive few
or none of them. (I think I heard that correctly.) Obama is for tax
cuts for the middle class----and, to his credit----he has been faithful
to that stance as President. But he also wants to raise taxes on the
rich. My question is this: Did Romney change his position for tonight's
debate? Did he previously support lowering taxes on the rich? (UPDATE: Check out Joel's post.)
The debate did not change whom I will vote for. I will still vote for
Obama because I like his policies on student loans (I particularly
appreciated what he said about cutting out the costly private-sector
middle-man), and I trust him more on health care. But I thought that
Romney gave off the impression that he had a firmer grasp on the
economy----particularly ways that the government ails it----and Romney
did well to show how his business experience gave him insight on
economic issues.
(UPDATE: One thing that Romney said that was not overly savvy,
economically speaking, was his proposal to reduce government jobs. How
will putting people out of work help the economy? But Obama, rather
than asking that, defended his own support for spending cuts.)
Fell free to comment, but I probably won't debate anyone. I'm resigned and tired, not passionate and animated!