The first Presidential debate is Wednesday night. I hope we get them talking TO each other instead of talking ABOUT each other. We’ve heard plenty of low-down nasty accusations on television. Whether there’s an inkling of truth in ‘em doesn’t seem to matter. Win the election, apologize later if forced to.
The debate lasts 90 minutes. Maybe Romney will have time to explain which deductions and tax breaks he will reduce or eliminate to make up for a lower tax rate. Naturally, his tax proposals can’t go into effect till they got through Congress. And he could talk about what government actions he’ll can take to get businesses to hire 250,000 workers every month.
Maybe President Obama will explain why he blamed the Muslim terrorist attacks on a video. Also, what would he change about his economic plan since it is still a mess. Franklin Roosevelt had some advice that might work for him, “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another.”
You may remember a few weeks ago I “arranged” a debate between former presidents Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Here are two questions you might hear Wed. night, and some answers our 2012 candidates might consider.
Moderator: What is the proper role of religion in America? In our government?
FDR: “I am a Christian and a Democrat, that’s all. Whoever seeks to set one religion against another seeks to destroy all religion… Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force. ”
Coolidge: “Our government rests upon religion. It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberality, and for the rights of mankind. Unless the people believe in these principles they cannot believe in our government.”
Moderator: What about the national debt? To reduce trillion dollar deficits, do you favor more taxes on the wealthy?
Coolidge: “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong… Wealth comes from industry and from the hard experience of human toil. To dissipate it in waste and extravagance is disloyalty to humanity… There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means.”
FDR: “Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay…The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.”
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“They have both called each other everything in the world they can think of.” DT #1948, Nov. 1, 1932
“Both sides just spent the whole summer hunting up things to cuss the other side on. That the other side might be right in a lot of things never entered their head, in fact they wouldn’t let it enter it.” WA #514, Oct. 30, 1932