What Went Down In The Second GOP Debate

Before tonight’s debate began (we were all younger then), I wondered whether the Republican candidates would seize on stagnant incomes to criticize President Obama’s stewardship of the economy. For the first 90 minutes, they had few opportunities. Now they’ve been given one, and they’re mostly choosing to focus on taxes and Carly Fiorina’s business record. The one exception is Chris Christie. Right out of the gate tonight, he spoke about Americans’ general sense of stagnation. And as soon as the subject turned to the economy, he addressed the lack of income growth. I’m surprised no one else is jumping on the issue.

The Trump bankruptcy saga is confusing because he repeatedly claims, accurately, that he never filed for bankruptcy. But he means only personal bankruptcy. He is quite familiar with corporate bankruptcy, because four Trump properties in Atlantic City went through Chapter 11. Forbes tells the story in detail here.

It’s always difficult to know how Americans will feel about a changing of our complex tax structure after a vigorous debate. In theory, though, most Republicans (59 percent) were in favor of a flat tax in a May 2015 YouGov survey. Most Americans (61 percent), however, are either opposed to or hold no opinion of the flat tax.