tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post8790852432175824773..comments2024-01-23T17:14:04.067-05:00Comments on Jaltcoh: The first debate of the 2012 general electionJohn Althouse Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-92075165056897607732012-10-04T23:28:05.091-04:002012-10-04T23:28:05.091-04:00It is not an implausible promise, but the whole pr...<i>It is not an implausible promise, but the whole premise of his tax changes. His rule is he will lower rates, but only if there are enough repeal of deductions to make it revenue and bracket neutral. . . . I think the 2 rules he laid out tonight, make it clear he will, no rate cut without ofsetting deductions.</i><br /><br />I said, and I still say, that it's implausible for him to claim that none of his tax cuts will affect the deficit. I assume that any tax cut he enacts will increase the deficit. (I realize that it's theoretically possible for a tax cut not to increase the deficit, but I don't consider that likely.) If he also repeals some tax deductions on the same day, and if this shrinks the deficit at least as much as the tax cut increased it, that might all be just fine. But it still wouldn't be accurate to say that the <i>tax cut</i> didn't affect the deficit. Even if he does both things on the same day, they're still two different amendments to the law, which should each be judged on their own merits. It's misleading to declare that one thing you're doing has no effect, when you actually know it will have an effect and you just mean that you're also going to do something else that you <i>hope</i> will have an effect in the opposite direction. (Anyway, I find it implausible that he's going to get rid of a slew of politically popular tax deductions.)John Althouse Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-87908286047129233552012-10-04T23:15:53.504-04:002012-10-04T23:15:53.504-04:00What do you mean by a vertical debate? I don;t thi...<i>What do you mean by a vertical debate? I don;t think I have ever heard the phrase.</i><br /><br />Look again at my first four updates. Everyone's proposals were either top-down, bottom-up, trickle-down, or race-to-the-top. Hence, vertical.John Althouse Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-25625807639509698602012-10-04T10:42:13.524-04:002012-10-04T10:42:13.524-04:00"Romney makes the implausible promise to make..."Romney makes the implausible promise to make "no tax cut that adds to the deficit""<br /><br />It is not an implausible promise, but the whole premise of his tax changes. His rule is he will lower rates, but only if there are enough repeal of deductions to make it revenue and bracket neutral. The only real question is if romney can't get congress to agree on enough deductions to repeal, will he give up on lowering rates. I think the 2 rules he laid out tonight, make it clear he will, no rate cut without ofsetting deductions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18268431913030605631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-54508299791819902842012-10-04T01:04:59.143-04:002012-10-04T01:04:59.143-04:00[Jim] said... "OK, now for a stupid question....[Jim] said... <i>"OK, now for a stupid question. What do you mean by a vertical debate? I don;t think I have ever heard the phrase."</i> <br /><br />I think he was commenting on the metaphors being tossed around: "top-down", "bottom-up", etc.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08749459207189576328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-39941871782858430542012-10-03T23:47:39.747-04:002012-10-03T23:47:39.747-04:00OK, now for a stupid question. What do you mean by...OK, now for a stupid question. What do you mean by a vertical debate? I don;t think I have ever heard the phrase. Thanks for the live blogging! There is no way I could keep up with the points flying through the debate.<br />JimUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03899288302125777358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-64902756644973158352012-10-03T23:00:51.057-04:002012-10-03T23:00:51.057-04:00lol, Obama believes the polls, thinks he can rope-...lol, Obama believes the polls, thinks he can rope-a-dope and filibuster into another term.... too bad poll samples are at least +4 dem and possibly +8 dem over what turnout will be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-37310989066394423072012-10-03T22:59:10.882-04:002012-10-03T22:59:10.882-04:00Also, i felt(emotionally)that- Obama was not the A...Also, i felt(emotionally)that- Obama was not the Alpha male out there tonight- just read a comment from Ann about who would be more handsome, and i got the feeling that Obama was sorta lost and Romney came across as particularly paternal(i can fix this-- this is where you went wrong and how...)and i wonder how Obama felt about that because he didn't seem too overly defensive(this debate around)- he'd be a different man if he had grown w/a dad he could look up to and lean on. <br /><br />This comment is sorta in response to all of your Mom's posts on ~Dreams of My father~, etc.<br /><br />Just random thoughts...karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-89694363208387754002012-10-03T22:50:55.046-04:002012-10-03T22:50:55.046-04:00So-- Obama talked slow as hell and Romney was on f...So-- Obama talked slow as hell and Romney was on fire. <br /><br />I thought Romney did quite well-- and Obama, not so much. <br /><br />CBS(the only station we get)(nope- no access to cable and too cheap for a dish)- played some clip that had Obama praising Romneycare as the model for Obamacare and then saying crazy stuff like Romney doesn't explain how he'll change Obamacare- and pre-exisitng conditions are allowed in Romneycare/or not?... idk, it made no sense and actually proved Romney correct w/Romneycare.<br /><br />"10:18 - Romney says that federal funding should "follow the child" — that is, let the child and their parents decide where to go to school." <br /><br />If wishes were horses... the cost of a Catholic school for our 2 girls is so modest compared to the public cost of education, plus we get a value system based on- well, the 10 Commandments w/an author- yet, the expense is scary every yr. Plus, a son in college- and a daughter, but she goes to a state college, so cheaper and more aid- just saying, it sure would be nice if every kid got ~their fair share~ and the freedom to exercise this voucher where it was best suited.<br /><br />Thanks for the play by play, John:0).karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-12286062005481757922012-10-03T22:06:43.963-04:002012-10-03T22:06:43.963-04:00Yeah, I had the same problem with all the other fe...Yeah, I had the same problem with all the other feeds (I was listening to NPR at one point). You're Welcome.q12345q6789https://www.blogger.com/profile/05153852362572869394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-27067046931839650512012-10-03T21:58:53.620-04:002012-10-03T21:58:53.620-04:00The C-SPAN link works much better. Thanks again.The C-SPAN link works much better. Thanks again.John Althouse Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-12279865476674102722012-10-03T21:51:38.554-04:002012-10-03T21:51:38.554-04:00Thanks, I'll try that link.Thanks, I'll try that link.John Althouse Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-20560464919252181302012-10-03T21:49:04.484-04:002012-10-03T21:49:04.484-04:00CSPAN ( http://www.c-span.org/Debates/ ) is workin...CSPAN ( http://www.c-span.org/Debates/ ) is working for me.q12345q6789https://www.blogger.com/profile/05153852362572869394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-31304626862096774372012-10-03T21:47:38.055-04:002012-10-03T21:47:38.055-04:00Bummer, I came over here when your mom quit livebl...Bummer, I came over here when your mom quit liveblogging it, and then you quit too. And I'm stuck proctoring a math test in Polacca,,,<br />Eli Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.com