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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe massive policy gap between Obama and Romney
The massive policy gap between Obama and Romney
Posted by Ezra Klein
The central difficulty of covering this presidential campaign which is to say, of explaining Barack Obama and Mitt Romneys disparate plans for the country is the continued existence of what we might call the policy gap. The policy gap, put simply, is this: Obama has proposed policies. Mitt Romney hasnt.
It is important to say that this exists separately from any judgments about the quality of either mans policies. You can believe every idea Obama has proposed is a socialist horror inspired by Kenyan revenge fantasies. This would, I think, be a strange judgment to reach about plans to invest in infrastructure, temporarily double the size of the payroll tax cuts and raise the marginal tax rate on income over $250,000 by 4.5 percentage points. Nevertheless, Obamas policy proposals are sufficiently detailed that they can be fully assessed and conclusions even odd ones confidently drawn. Romneys policies are not.
Romneys offerings are more like simulacra of policy proposals. They look, from far away, like policy proposals. They exist on his Web site, under the heading of Issues, with subheads like Tax and Health care. But read closely, they are not policy proposals. They do not include the details necessary to judge Romneys policy ideas. In many cases, they dont contain any details at all.
<...>
Whether you think its a good idea or a bad idea to raise taxes on the rich, Obama has told you exactly what he wants to do. Conversely, whether you think its a good idea or a bad idea to cut marginal tax rates by broadening the base, Romney hasnt actually told you what he wants to do.
- more -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/06/the-massive-policy-gap-between-obama-and-romney/
Posted by Ezra Klein
The central difficulty of covering this presidential campaign which is to say, of explaining Barack Obama and Mitt Romneys disparate plans for the country is the continued existence of what we might call the policy gap. The policy gap, put simply, is this: Obama has proposed policies. Mitt Romney hasnt.
It is important to say that this exists separately from any judgments about the quality of either mans policies. You can believe every idea Obama has proposed is a socialist horror inspired by Kenyan revenge fantasies. This would, I think, be a strange judgment to reach about plans to invest in infrastructure, temporarily double the size of the payroll tax cuts and raise the marginal tax rate on income over $250,000 by 4.5 percentage points. Nevertheless, Obamas policy proposals are sufficiently detailed that they can be fully assessed and conclusions even odd ones confidently drawn. Romneys policies are not.
Romneys offerings are more like simulacra of policy proposals. They look, from far away, like policy proposals. They exist on his Web site, under the heading of Issues, with subheads like Tax and Health care. But read closely, they are not policy proposals. They do not include the details necessary to judge Romneys policy ideas. In many cases, they dont contain any details at all.
<...>
Whether you think its a good idea or a bad idea to raise taxes on the rich, Obama has told you exactly what he wants to do. Conversely, whether you think its a good idea or a bad idea to cut marginal tax rates by broadening the base, Romney hasnt actually told you what he wants to do.
- more -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/06/the-massive-policy-gap-between-obama-and-romney/
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The massive policy gap between Obama and Romney (Original Post)
ProSense
Aug 2012
OP
Yet there will be dozens of "progressives" on DU in the next 3 months that claim they are the same
scheming daemons
Aug 2012
#3
ananda
(28,873 posts)1. Sometimes I think Roms himself is a simulacra.
Response to ProSense (Original post)
Post removed
scheming daemons
(25,487 posts)3. Yet there will be dozens of "progressives" on DU in the next 3 months that claim they are the same
... and that we should all vote "green".