Sound of Ideas Looks Ahead to Debate

Friday, September 26, 2008
Topics: Economy, Politics
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There was no shortage of opinions from 90.3 listeners this morning as The Sound of Ideas discussed whether John McCain's decision to forego tonight's scheduled presidential debate was a political stunt or an example of leadership.

Additional Audio

Caller Comments - John from Cleveland; Wheeler from South Euclid

There was no shortage of opinions from 90.3 listeners this morning as The Sound of Ideas discussed whether John McCain’s decision to forego tonight’s scheduled presidential debate was a political stunt or an example of leadership.  McCain said Wednesday he was suspending his campaign so he could give full attention to finding a solution to the nation’s financial crisis.  One caller - John, from Cleveland’s west side - challenged THAT claim. 

John:  “He appeared on network television, his surrogates appeared on network television.  His campaign commercials ran at least in Ohio, I thought.  His fundraising activities kept going on, he made a speech, he met with supporters, he did at fundraisers - how is that a suspension of the campaign?”

Another caller, Wheeler from South Euclid, said he was at one time leaning toward McCain but is now in favor of Obama.  Nevertheless, he said he would ask this question to the democrat during tonight’s debate. 

Wheeler:  “I would ask do you honestly believe that you can implement everything that your saying?  Even though I think Barack has the better plan, but 700 billion dollars… you’re not going to be able to implement those things in the first term.”

Other listeners emailed with their ideas about what should be covered tonight.  Here are a couple:

Penny from Parma Heights: “The Bush administration used the “war on terror” to fundamentally alter the rights of Americans, disregard the Geneva Convention, and usurp power from the courts and the congress. What will you do to restore our rights, the way we treat prisoners and return the government to the checks and balances written into the Constitution?”

Rosalyn Cromwell, who works at MetroHeath: “Both candidates have plans to reform healthcare access but neither plan addresses the reality that healthcare is a finite resource and if you don’t have revenue returned for the services then you don’t have new research, new treatments, new equipment etc.  Why not work within the present system, give a tax rebate to companies -dollar for dollar-for health care benefits provided. This would not only reach people already receiving benefits but low income workers that presently don’t have healthcare benefits. This also then reaches their families, decreases the roles in Medicaid for low income families and children. But it also reduces production costs-over head which should then provide incentive to produce in the US and not to send production out of state or out of the country.  It doesn’t reach everyone but as the system is accessed, more people will work, more people will pay taxes, more people will pay into social security and as they system becomes more and more accessible, the only ones who would need Medicaid or similar systems are the disabled, the elderly and the mentally retarded.  It will take a little time but the system would work and make things better for most and continue to provide revenue that is needed to keep the healthcare system up to date. We are foolish to believe that this large insurance industry would just lay down and let the government make them none existent.”

You can find the entire Sound of Ideas program on our website, wcpn.org.  Senator McCain’s campaign has since announced he WILL attend tonight’s debate.  90.3 will broadcast the event, which begins at 9 pm