Both of
them made some mistakes. When raked about slow jobs growth, Obama cited growth
in oil and gas production. It gave Romney an opening to praise private sector
and denigrate the government. Obama should have zeroed in on Republican
obstructionism in Congress when he proposed jobs programs in the last two
years.
Romney was
piling up nonsense, loudly and repeatedly. He offered no coherent plan for anything.
Somehow the pundits didn’t notice it. He offered no specifics, as Obama
correctly (and overly gently) pointed out.
How would
he balance the budget and cut taxes at the same time? He offered the stock
“supply side” answer: It would not be a problem in a growing economy. The same
answer George Bush gave in 2001 —
replied Obama.
Will this
magic work if Romney cuts taxes by $5 trillion, as he was promising in the last
six months? Romney quickly and emphatically denied that he is committed to 5
trillion. His dollar figure will be just right to make it work .Bravo!
Romney
would “close the loopholes”. Which loopholes? Mortgage interest and state tax
deductions for the middle class? Jim Lehrer failed to press him for a straight
answer.
Romney
would repeal Obamacare and introduce a better healthcare reform. Specifically,
can he describe it? Not now, because he would negotiate with both parties. That’s
what the Republican Senate leader Bob Dole promised in 1993 when they buried
Hillary Clinton’s health insurance reform plan.
There you
have it.
Boris Danik
North
Caldwell, New Jersey.
