The Presidential "Debate"

I don’t think it was a debate – but of course, Romney gave a better performance. 

That’s the key word: performance.

The script was mostly written by former party leaders, who now sit on the Commission on Presidential Debates. Some rules have included: “No props, notes, charts, diagrams, or other writings or other tangible things may be brought into the debate” at least, that was in the 2004 agreement. (You can thank Rose Perot for that - trying to bring visual aids to explain things - how silly) The commission is not releasing this year’s contract... Does that seem a little strange? The rules, the secrecy, the control? 

Here is a 4 minute Reality Check on the topic.

The main topic of the “debate” was the state economy and government spending. Each candidate had a deficit plan and the details of those plans were different. As I recall, the moderator pointed out that there was a “clear difference” between them, then encouraged both candidates to agree that there was a clear difference. Right. Got it. If you want analysis of their “plans”, here is another short Reality Check.

What is more important, is what neither of them mentioned:

1                -The federal reserve bank and the power of Congress to conduct oversight

2                -QE-3 / QE-Infinity –$80 Billion per month of currency creation

3                -Government and FED responsibility for housing crisis.

4                -Dollar losing/lost status as world reserve currency, affect on gas prices (petrodollar)

5                -The drought that has devastated the bread basket of our country.

Most importantly, neither candidate gave any statement of principle. Just repeating vague non-statements that we have already heard. Romney came close at 104:55 when he said: “The private market and individual responsibility always work best.” It sounded great, I agree! Too bad he already said at 47:40 – “You can’t have a free-market work if you don’t have regulation.” Well shoot. Either he does not know what a free market is, or he assumes his voters don’t. 

If you still think it was a debate, I submit as a comparison: a short debate about the national debt and economics that quickly gets to principles. This is a good journalist interviewing a Congressman.This is what a debate looks like.

In case you think this a hit piece - same journalist:

In depth interview with CNBC Economist/Former Economic Advisor Jared Bernstein