Debate Wire IV

0914: Clinton campaign sends around William Ayres research, including this quote in red: 2) William Ayers: ‘I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough.’ [Washington Times, 9/12/01]

0913: HRC gives props to Ed Rendell...

0911: A burned Obama seems disconnected even from the policy section here; his answers are OK, but they are standard and wrote; he's not thinking, he's just reciting.

0908: Charlie asks Obama about the capital gains tax and its inverse relationship to revenue. "Why raise it at all?" Obama: "I would look at raising the capital gains tax for the purposes of fairness." So -- doesn't matter if it brings in more money to the Treasury, he's going to raise the tax for reasons of distributive justice?

0904: Would HRC raises taxes for folks earning under 200K? No, she says. Obama agrees.

0859: GS: Iranian attack on Israel is attack on US? Obama says first, Iran should be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons. "An attack on Israel is an attack on our strongest ally in the region, one whose security we consider paramount." Obama considers it "an attack that is unacceptable."

0858: Obama campaign sends out: "WHAT CLINTON DIDN'T MENTION - President Clinton Pardoned Members of the Weather Underground"

0855: HRC: Says she's beginning pulling troops out of Iraq even if it would reverse the "gains" of the Surge.... Charlie asks if she thinks she knows better than the generals... HRC basically says that her vantage point is more expansive than theirs. Obama gives a similar answer.

Comments

Krauthammer must be loving himself, GS just asked if US policy should follow his idiotic Israel nuke crap.

Posted by Bubba | April 16, 2008 9:00 PM

what!? no question so far about Obama's bowling expertise? this debate is a sham

Posted by dcdude | April 16, 2008 9:04 PM

A burned Marc spells "rote" "wrote".

Posted by eraserhead | April 16, 2008 9:14 PM

Correlation is not causation. Decreasing the capital gains tax is not the reason for the run up in the stock market. And the run up in stocks and increased activity on Wall St is the reason for the increase in government revenues.

Posted by Bubba | April 16, 2008 9:14 PM

BREAKING NEWS: Charles Gibson does not want his taxes raised.

Posted by Bubba | April 16, 2008 9:17 PM

Here's something that people may not know: Sean Hannity told Steph to ask the question about Ayers on his show...and Steph actually followed that lead.

Now that's rich...Steph is taking his questions straight from the right wing radio talk show hosts.

I hope everyone realizes this.

Posted by cm | April 16, 2008 9:23 PM

"BREAKING NEWS: Charles Gibson does not want his taxes raised."

Exactly. Can we have a debate where multimillionaires don't get to approve all the questions?

Posted by Helter | April 16, 2008 9:59 PM

"Charlie asks Obama about the capital gains tax and its inverse relationship to revenue. 'Why raise it at all?'"

Charlie Gibson is parroting a Republican talking point that has been debunked. And I say that as someone who prefers McCain's economic policies. Fact is, I've worked as economist and I know that the relationship is not "inverse". Rather, the idea is that tax cuts on income from capital (in particular) PARTLY pay for themselves. Partly is not entirely.

But don't take my word for it, check any economist on the "Laffer curve", like the blog of Greg Mankiw of Harvard (who has worked for Bush), and they'll say it is simply too much to claim that tax cuts pay for themselves.

Posted by Brian Dell | April 17, 2008 5:47 AM