Thread: Demand Answers From The Next Presidential Debates!

Dear Friend,
In the first presidential debate last week, moderator Jim Lehrer asked the candidates, "If I hear the two of you correctly, neither one of you is suggesting any major changes in what you want to do as president as a result of the financial bailout? Is that what you're saying?"

Neither Senator McCain nor Senator Obama had substantive answers.

Click here to demand answers at the next debates. Sign our petition today and we will forward your responses to Tom Brokaw, moderator of the upcoming debate on October 7.

When our leaders don't take steps to fix serious and undeniable problems, all Americans pay the price. As disruptive and damaging as today's mortgage sub-prime crisis is, we're looking at a "super sub-prime" crisis that, if left unaddressed, will hurt many more Americans - and hurt much worse.

Our politicians promise neat solutions, but these are convenient myths. The truth is,

We cannot grow our way out of these problems. To do so, our economy would have to grow by double digits in real terms for decades. Even during the relative prosperity of the 1990s, the economy grew at an average rate of 3.2% per year.

We cannot solve the problem simply by eliminating earmarks and pork-barrel spending, cancelling the Bush tax cuts, and ending the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Combined, these actions would get us only 15% of the way to solvency.


With two debates left, McCain and Obama must answer real, hard questions about our financial future.

Here's what you can do: Act now to demand answers at the next debates. Our suggested questions are attached below, but feel free to add your questions when you sign the petition.

Here are our suggested questions for the upcoming debates:
1. How will you make fiscal responsibility and intergenerational equity a priority?

2. How will you slow the rate of growth in health care costs that threaten to bankrupt America?

3. How will you encourage the country to save more and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign lenders?

4. Will you put everything on the table - statutory budget controls, entitlement reform, and current tax policies - to encourage bipartisan action?

5. Will you support the creation of a bipartisan commission to review everything on the table and make recommendations with a guaranteed up-or-down vote by the next Congress?

We need a President who will tackle these critical issues, help educate the public, and lead a bipartisan effort to make meaningful reforms a reality. Join 150,000 of your fellow Americans who have expressed their concern at www.pgpf.org. Tough choices and shared sacrifices will be required, but solutions exist. Together, we can bail out America - and the time to start is now.

For our future,

Dave Walker, President and CEO
Peter G Peterson Foundation

I wish the MSM hacks would ask this question:

*During this time of economic crisis wherein millions of hard working Americans are losing their jobs, seeing their wages and benefits cut, taxes increased, and their home values plummet, why do you insist on granting amnesty to over 20 largely impoverished illegal aliens -- who would continue to burden American taxpayers, workers, and our children for decades? Shouldn't we take of our OWN citizens (citizens of all backgrounds) first?

How can either with a straight face claim to "represent" working men and women when both of you eagerly support open border/cheap labor policies that are devastating to the very same citizens you claim to represent?

Why don't you demand that Mexico and other countries get their own acts together and get rid of their corruption?

There was a way to submit a question but I wasn't paying attention and missed posting it.

Tom Brokaw, which is the host for the debate tomorrow in TN, mentioned immigraiton as an issue after the Palin / Biden debate. I have a feeling, Tom is going to bring it up.

Dixie