Review of the second presidential debate

The second debate proved to be lively, with sharp exchanges between the candidates, dispelling the myth that the town hall format required candidates to tread gingerly, since being aggressive might turn off voters. I never bought that argument, which infantilizes voters and sees them as delicate flowers who wilt at seeing spirited debate. People who tune in to a political debate when they have so many other options are people who don’t need smelling salts at the first sign of disagreement. [Read more…]

Clever

Are you curious about how the Romney-Ryan tax plan is able to achieve the seemingly impossible goal of cutting tax rates that reduce revenues by $5 trillion without raising taxes on the middle class or increasing the deficit? Then see here.

The Romney tax ‘plan’ and election strategy

During the campaign and the debates, whenever the Romney-Ryan camp has been repeatedly told that there is no way that they can find ways to balance the budget if they give an across-the-board cut in the marginal tax rates by 20%, unless they raise taxes on the middle class in other ways, such as eliminating the deductions that benefit that group more. They have countered that six studies have shown that it can be done. [Read more…]