Thursday, October 16, 2008

Debate Compendium   [Ramesh Ponnuru]

Here's what I would have posted during the debate, in the order I would have posted it.

A McCain Consultant Emails

“Obama looks bored and annoyed. Can’t he just be president already?” I see that too; not sure other people do.

 

Corporate Taxes

Jonathan Chait, citing Paul Krugman, says that McCain is being misleading: Our statutory tax rate may be high but loopholes mean that we don’t collect much money from corporations. This is an argument for the status quo? A high marginal rate can have negative economic effects even if loopholes keep it from raising much money.

 

Colombia’s Labor Leaders

Obama is at best misinformed.

 

McCain’s Health Plan

He shows no sign of knowing much about it.

 

Ledbetter

Wouldn’t have faced the statute-of-limitations problem if she had filed suit under a different law.

 

Born-Alive Act

Obama is wrong many times over here. Illinois law did not protect all infants; he opposed protection for all infants on principle; and the Supreme Court has never held, nor have pro-abortion groups gone to court to get it to hold, that protecting all infants would violate Roe.

 

Abortion

McCain should have mentioned taxpayer funding. It’s actually a better issue for him than the born-alive act, because 1) you have to explain that act and 2) the first reaction of people is not to believe the charge against Obama is true, even though it is.

 

Education

The most right-wing question of the night! Schieffer asks a question that includes the info that we spend more per capita on education than our peers.

 

Does McCain Think

That Trig Palin is autistic?

 

Michelle Rhee on Vouchers

McCain seems to be right in saying that she supports them.

 

Since the Site Has Crashed

I’m going to go back to watching the first season of Lost. Probably good preparation for next year.

10/16 12:39 AMShare