My Take on Debate #1

Yesterday was practically a dream come true for me, since the first presidential debate essentially kicks off the intensity of the political season. Here are some of my thoughts on the debate:

point #1: Obama is presidential. He's a better debater, speaks directly, looks more like a president, and pretty much seems like a nice guy. The type of guy I'd want to be friends with. Unfortunately, his ideas lack substance and his plans are allarmingly socialist. AAAAAAHHHH!

On the other hand, I don't really care for McCain all that much. He's cocky, less attractive, and frankly, was a bit of a Debbie Downer last night. Also, his constant arm gestures irritate me even though I know that's really mean to say since he got his injuries as a POW. Plus, he was really a jerk to my man, Mitt. Anyway, as much as I wouldn't want to hang out with John McCain, he's the man for the job. Why? You'll find out as you read on.

Point #2: McCain has it on national defense. Pointing out Obama's lack of knowledge and experience in military strategy and his failure to visit Afghanistan despite the fact that he chairs a committee overseeing NATO in that country was a good move. McCain also pointed out all the senate votes he has made over the years that have turned out to be the right choices in hindsight.

Point #3: Obama is a big spender. Not that I mind spending money to help people in need. However, his solution is to "provide" healthcare, computers, access to education (nevermind the fact that it's already pretty easy to get money for college if you need it), etc. for everyone with tax dollars. Why not let people keep their tax dollars and spend them how they want?

Point #4: Capitalism drives America, and it should. It's what works. Robin Hooding his way around and turning this into a socialist society is not going to make Obama the best president ever. Look at Russia's super successful economy, for example. The middle class in a socialist society is worse off than the poor in a capitalist one. Obama kept talking about the fact that businesses and the "wealthy" don't need or deserve tax breaks. The fact is, 70% of all tax revenue comes from 10% of the population (the weathiest 10% paid about 48% of all taxes in 1981). I'm not suggesting that these people pay less taxes than everyone else, but I think it's poor policy to make them pay so much more. Obama talked a lot about tax cuts for the poor, which he would fund by increasing taxes on the already overburdened rich. The reality is that many of the poor already don't pay any taxes. About 30% of American wage-earners pay no taxes at all. He says "put money back in the pockets of the middle class." What? There's no "back." What he means is, "take money out of a rich man's pocket and put it in a poor man's pocket." Here's why it's good for everyone if the wealthy get tax breaks too. If you give a tax cut to a poor or middle class citizen, what does that do? It allows them to keep another few hundred dollars or maybe even a thousand a year to use as they see fit. Most likely, they'll pay bills or buy a tv or something. On the other hand, what happens if you give a tax cut to the wealthy too? You allow tons of money to stay in the hands of those who will grow the economy. They'll spread that money around in the food and travel industry, they'll invest, allowing other businesses to grow) and they might even hire a few people to do some things. They'll create jobs, which puts way more money in the pocket of a poor person than a couple of hundred dollars in their tax return would do. Same thing for businesses. America has the second highest business taxes in the world. We're at about 35%. Think of all the jobs that would be created if they could keep some of that money and expand some of their businesses. Think of all the money that would come into the US from other countries if this was a good place to start a business. Hmmm... Well, enough about money for now. Obama is NOT the Messiah. As inspiring as he is, there's no way he can rearrange things in a way that will ensure that everyone has everything they want, simply by virtue of the fact that they exist and live in the US. It can't work, and it shouldn't be done. That's it for point #4.

Most awkward Moment of the debate: Obama's statement "I have a bracelet, too." Well. Awesome for him. I think he even worked up a little quiver in his voice.

Most irritating thing about the debate: The way Obama always called McCain "John" even though McCain always called Obama "Senator Obama."

Funniest line: When Obama announced that he would consider attacking Pakistan, and McCain said "You don't do that. You don't say that out loud!"

Overall, I think Obama came across as more presidential, but McCain came across as the candidate who would actually make a better president. Hope you enjoyed my rant and I haven't alienated any of my friends too badly. You can count on more opinions from me in the days to come.