Debates don't display
leadership skillsWednesday marked the 52nd anniversary of the first televised presidential candidate debate, between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. It's a dubious distinction. Although there's every indication that debates matter in voter selection of a candidate, such rhetorical confrontations are poor indicators of future leadership. By any reasonable standard, debates are won on form and rarely on substance. ...The situation becomes more serious in presidential debates, as reflected by polls that suggest likeability and good acting, and egregious slips of the tongue, matter to voters in deciding the winner. Of course, the real litmus test of leadership has little to do with such traits and gaffes. Leadership, whether in private or public activities, includes negotiating skills, having a vision and the ability to carry it out, and other characteristics that result in a record that can be evaluated. ...-- Thomas V. DiBacco, in the Los Angeles TimesRead moreImmigration reformwill take both parties... The Republican Party is divided on immigration and has been for decades. What's changed in recent years is the fault line that separates the party's immigration hawks from its immigration doves. ...What's significant about Romney's recent appearances is that he came down firmly and passionately with the second group: in favor of expanded legal immigration and unequivocally repudiating the party's restrictionist wing. ...Romney's outreach to Latinos was an important step in the right direction for the GOP, but it was also more than that. Passing immigration reform -- even piecemeal, incremental immigration reform -- will be an uphill climb next year, no matter who is president. It will take both parties to fix the system and, over the long haul, to keep the door open to immigrants. ...-- Tamar Jacoby, in the Los Angeles TimesRead moreSome definitely haveentitlement mentalityMitt Romney's been assailed for his ugly comments about the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay income tax. And rightfully so: That group includes hardworking people, retirees, disabled military veterans and students. They don't have an entitlement mentality.Romney shouldn't have made the statement at a fundraiser, or even alone in the bathroom, pretending his comb was a microphone. ...That being said, there are some people in that 47 percent with an entitlement mentality, who squeeze the nation for every penny and benny, and will never be productive. That will be so whether we elect Barack Obama, Mitt Romney or Mitt's new crush, Snooki.Let's think about how such people come to be, and how they're going to keep on coming to be. ...-- Lane Filler, NewsdayRead moreThe rich get soaked?They're hardly dampThe president denounces the tax code as "an outrage, one riddled through with special privileges and inequities, that violates our most fundamental American values of justice and fair play."His Treasury secretary agrees that the tax system is "too complicated, it's grotesquely unfair and it's a drag on the economy because it discourages competition."Sound familiar? Those words were uttered by President Ronald Reagan and his Treasury secretary, Donald Regan. Similar sentiments have been repeated since the first modern income tax became law in 1916. ...-- Maury Klein, on Bloomberg NewsRead moreHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
