What do you want to see happen in the Presidential debates?

[Boots]

There's one question that Obama *needs* to ask Romney.

"How many jobs will you--that is, you, Mr. Romney, personally--create with the tax break the Ryan plan will give you?"

It's too bad these "debates" are anything but.  Candidates should be able to address questions to each other, and moderators should have the balls to tell a candidate "sir/ma'am, you did not actually answer the question . . ."

[Nick]

As many times as Romney has been on one side or another of issues I would think Obama would be able to destroy any line he comes up with.

Also, as poorly as Romney did in the primary debates I think Obama will walk circles around him.  But FOX will have Romney winning by 94% as they did with McCain.

[LoriPinkAngel]

I would like to see a reincarnation of Richard Pryor appear and convince everybody to vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE in every election in the country until there are some people in office who actually give a crap.

[screwtape]

I'd like romney to have a disastrous case of food poisoning come over him as the debate begins.  Half way through, he does a wet number two in his pants.  That is my dream debate 2012.

[Quesi]

I would like to see corporate welfare addressed along with tax breaks for the rich.  I think that it is time to dismantle this "job creator" myth.

I would also like someone to talk about the fact that in a nation with a declining birth rate (which is a good thing on a global level) there is not going to be a strong enough base to support my generation's social security unless all of the people who live and work here (including the undocumented) are contributing to the system.  I would also like to see the wealthy pay the same percentage of their income towards FICA as someone who earns minimum wage. 

I would also like to see Obama take credit for some of the federal regulations that he changed using his executive privilege.  He closed down prisons in which entire families (including children) were incarcerated.  For profit prisons, in the US, which incarcerated children.  Why is no one talking about this? 

I really hope Obama doesn't cave in on energy issues.  If I hear him say "safe clean coal" one more time I'm going to throw something breakable at my TV. 

And perhaps, when the "are you better off than you were 4 years ago" issue comes up, Obama will have the nerve to point out that one of the reasons that people are suffering is because our Republican leaders, who believe in smaller government, have cut funding to public schools, to Pell grants, to libraries, to homeless shelters, to programs serving homebound seniors, to fire departments, to infrastructure support, ranging from bridge repair to sanitation.  Perhaps he will talk about how these cuts have impacted on the lives of the people who have lost services. 

[jaimehlers]

What's this about prisons for incarcerating families?  I've never heard of such a thing in the USA...and it's very disturbing, a little too close to the old debtor's prisons.

[Willie]

I'd like to see a moderator hold the candidates' feet to the fire when they try to evade questions. You can't force them to give straight answers, of course, but it would be good to make any evasion attempts obvious to the audience and uncomfortable for the candidates.

[Quesi]

What's this about prisons for incarcerating families?  I've never heard of such a thing in the USA...and it's very disturbing, a little too close to the old debtor's prisons.

The Obama administration shut this place down.  I think we should be setting off fireworks and celebrating.

[jaimehlers]

I still don't completely understand.  These were not people who tried to sneak across the border or otherwise break immigration laws?  They were refugees seeking to immigrate, and they were put inside a prison?  A for-profit prison run by a corporation?

[Quesi]

I still don't completely understand.  These were not people who tried to sneak across the border or otherwise break immigration laws?  They were refugees seeking to immigrate, and they were put inside a prison?  A for-profit prison run by a corporation?

The vast majority of these folks are seeking political asylum.  The difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker is that refugee status is granted before your enter the US, so you enter with a refugee visa.  Asylee status is granted to people already in the US.  Some asylum seekers enter the US legally, either with tourist visas or student visas or work visas, and then petition for asylum.  Other asylum seekers enter without inspection, or enter with false documents.  Those are the folks who generally end up in detention. 

[Quesi]

And yes.  Most prisons in the US are run by for-profit, publicly traded corporations, who make money for their shareholders not by making things or selling things, but by imprisoning people, and getting reimbursed by the federal government to do so.  In other words, your tax dollars are footing the bill for these CEO's and shareholders who want to make a profit in the free market. 

And they have lobbyists who push for immigration laws and procedures that will enable the corporations to imprison as many undocumented immigrants as possible, for as long as possible, in order to increase profits.  Arresting entire families is a great way to make a profit.  So while the families are hoping to document the ways in which various family members have been tortured or kidnapped or systematically raped or how their homes were burned down or whatever circumstances lead them to run away from their country and try to cross a series of foreign borders in hopes of reaching safety, the shareholders get to benefit. 

[flapdoodle64]

I'd like to see Obama promise to eliminate drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and all the other places he's expanded Bush's War on Terror. I'd like to see Obama promise to stop assassinating US citizens without charging them of crimes and giving them a trial first. I'd like to see Obama release Bradley Manning.  I'd like to see Obama close Gitmo and I'd like to see him promise to stop the practice of "Extraordinary Rendition." I'd like to see Obama get the US out, really out, of Afghanistan.  I'd like him to promise to quit threatening Iran with nukes, and to promise to keep us out of Syria.  I'd like to see him promise to quit taking money from AIPAC. 

I'd like to see Obama promise a jobs program, and to propose Medicare For All.

I'd like to see him promise not to fuck with Social Security. 

[Mr. Blackwell]

@flapdoodle64

Well, since we're all into wishful thinking

I'd like to see Obama keep those promises.