This is the first debate I caught on TV, because my wife was flipping through the channels and wanted to watch. I only saw part of the debate, but here are my random thoughts.
1) I really like this Gravel guy. I like how he went against the grain and called for a replacement of the income tax with a larger sales tax. Even if you don’t agree, it’s always nice to hear something different.
2) As expected, every other candidate talked about the rich paying their fair share of taxes. I can see their point about capital gains tax being lower than the income tax, and how that doesn’t seem right. My response would be lower the income tax, but I have a feeling they have the opposite solution.
However, I would like both sides to quit talking about what is “fair” and using their subjective opinions to when it comes to arguing for lower/higher taxes. Both sides will just talk past each other. Conservatives do contend that lower taxes produce higher revenues. I would like to see Democrats respond to that.
3) I think every candidate harped on the failure of Katrina. It will be a helpful issue to the Democratic nominee, as they will suggest more spending and programs, but it won’t exactly hurt the Republican nominee, as it will not be Bush running again.
4) Obama may have responded well to the questions, but I think he was upstaged by the more fiery candidates, such as Kucinich and Clinton. Obama is more of a calm, collected sort of guy, which isn’t a good/bad thing necessarily. I just know that he didn’t stick out the most in my mind after the debate was over.
5) Republicans need to come up with a good plan to fix healthcare that will resonate with voters. The universal healthcare approach will have massive appeal to voters, so they need to come up with an alternative quickly.
