This debate didn't really show us anything new from the candidates. They looked a little crowded behind that tiny desk, which really reminded us that at the moment the field is crowded and it's going to get a whole lot thinner by the time this thing is done. You can see the whole debate over at http://www.youdecide2008.com/ but I recommend the ABC Facebook debate from yesterday if you want to better know the candidates.Yesterday's praise for Romney has now evaporated again after tonight's forum. I have a lot to say about Mitt Romney, none of it positive, but not a lot of time to say it in, so I'm going to limit myself to one theme of criticism, which revolves around one point in the debate:
Romney/Huckabee confrontation over taxes - I'm sick of Romney's political hackery. He persistently asked Huckabee whether he raised taxes by half a billion dollars, wanting a yes or a no answer as though that would prove whatever he wanted it to. When Huckabee attempted to explain why those taxes had been raised, a court order, a public referendum that showed overwhelming support for some of those tax increases, he called it 'political speak'. Shut up, Romney. If that's political speak, then what the hell was your 'We raised taxes in Mass because they hadn't been raised in decades so we raised them for special services blah blah blah'. Why does just proving you cut taxes make you better able to be President? WHY?!
Surely what America wants is a candidate who can run the best government. They should be able to reduce the financial burden of government on the American people while providing the best possible government services - public schools, social security, Medicare and Medicaid at its most basic level. Cutting taxes is one weapon in an arsenal of economic improvement, NOT the be all and end all. If you're last in education performance in the US, and the court orders you to raise taxes, and you do it, and education improves, isn't that a good thing? And if the people overwhelmingly (80%) support a raise in the gas tax to pay for much-needed road improvements - isn't that a good thing?
And coming to Romney's initial criticism of McCain for voting against the Bush tax cuts - he's pushing selective information and excluding McCain's reasons for voting against, which are well documented. He's trying to paint McCain as against tax cuts, but McCain wasn't against the tax cut - he was against the fact that there were no ensuing spending cuts included in the tax resolution, and that's fair enough. He wants tax cuts, but he doesn't want to increase the deficit so he wants to cut spending. He's not anti-tax. He's anti irresponsibility. Context IS King, Mitt. You hack.
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