It’s easy to point the finger regarding the current nadir of the nation. Obama and McCain faced off Tuesday night covering tax reform, new energy, oil dependence, and foreign affairs.
McCain is aware that many blame the Republicans for America’s recent problems and stated numerous times that he differed from many of the decisions that led to the recent problems. Obama on the other hand blamed Washington for the “worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” which he feels, McCain supported along with Bush.
So to be brief, McCain says don't blame me while Obama says blame the Republicans. This is politics and neither will accept the blame no matter how wrong their senator stances were in the past.
However, both also agree that reducing “energy dependence” will help reduce the effects of the recession, but the two seem to differ on most of the remaining issues at hand.
McCain feels drilling offshore and nuclear power are the solutions to the oil crisis while Obama stated that clean coal production and increased production of fuel-efficient cars within the U.S. are the solution. Both didn’t give many details on exactly how this was going to work, but the implied stimulus is MONEY.
All the problems mentioned eventually boil down to money. McCain wants to eliminate the “greed and excess” in the economy’s top-tier businesses by deregulating the system. Obama feels that deregulation is the cause of the problem and that we must have “strong oversight” and “crack down on CEOs” in order to revive the economy.
In order to put money in the hands of the consumers, McCain wants the treasury to buy up unaffordable mortgages and renegotiate them with the people. According to McCain, the “most innovative workers in the world” can benefit from an increase in tax exemption from $3,000 to $7,000 per child a year.
The majority of America is made of the middle class and both candidates made them a priority. McCain stated that walk-in clinics and a $5,000 refundable tax credit would help make health care more affordable.
Obama countered McCain’s solution and said he preferred to use a “scalpel” opposed to a “hatchet” to cut taxes to only those who really need it. Obama said that McCain’s proposed $300 billion tax cut would benefit the big companies the most and not trickle down to those who actually need help. Obama was more direct on the tax cut concentration stating that Americans making less than $200,000 will receive the most tax refunds in his plan.
Both acknowledged the failure in Iraq and McCain wanted to return troops in “victory, not defeat” while Obama wanted to shift the military’s concentration to Pakistan where terrorism is now a more major issue. Both stressed that establishing strong allies is essential for the foreign problems.
Stylewise, McCain was more aggressive against Obama than Obama was against McCain and his McCain's replies were more of attacks than disagreements at times. McCain referred to Obama as "that one" and would slip in little remarks to undermine Obama’s debate. Obama appeared more mature and defensive instead of offensive.
Obama's stance was more professional since it mainly focused on the changes to be made instead of defeating the opponent. The election isn't about a title bout, but instead of choosing the right leader for the country.
McCain stressed that his "record" would make him a better president while Obama would be in “on-the-job training” if elected. McCain may have had more involvement with government, but that can also be a negative thing especially with the recent mess the government is in.
The main premise I found is that McCain attempted to escape the blame placed on Bush’s unpopular tenure while Obama stressed that change is what will bring America back to a better position in many aspects as it was when Bill left.
1 comment:
The writer did a fairly complete job of wrapping up the give-and-take of the debate.
Good quotes were included too, and seem very accurate.
The give and take, however, needs more critical analysis by the writer to give the column some life as something other than a news account of a debate watched by millions.
The writer started to do that in the last few paragraphs, perhaps the strongest of the piece.
"The main premise I found is that McCain attempted to escape the blame placed on Bush’s unpopular tenure while Obama stressed that change is what will bring America back to a better position in many aspects as it was when Bill left."
Bill? Is that Chelsea's dad?
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