By Lennin Reyes
Bronx Journal Reporter
As cars zoom along the Third Avenue Bridge in Mott Haven, Bronxites gathered at a bar underneath it to see what William Russell Moore calls, “the greatest boxing match since Ali.”
The Bruckner Bar and Grill hosted a viewing party for the first of three presidential debates between incumbent Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. “I am here to see what he [Romney] would say after his 47 percent comment,” Michelle Alleyne said. “We are here to witness the future of America’s history being at stake,” Assemblyman Eric Stevenson (D-Morrisania) added.
As Jim Lehrer introduced the two candidates, cheers erupted for the incumbent. The crowd at Bruckner hushed as Lehrer asked the first question, which was on job creation.
“Four years ago, we went through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” President Obama said. “And because of the resilience and the determination of the American people, we’ve begun to fight our way back.”
After pointing out that five million private sector jobs were created over the last two years, Obama mentioned something he would repeat throughout the debate — “America does best when the middle class does best.”
When it came to taxes, the president said that he helped cut taxes for the middle class by $3,600. Gov. Romney replied by saying that the same group’s income went down by $4,300. “This is a tax in and of itself. I’ll call it the economy tax,” Romney said. “Gasoline prices have doubled under the president, electric rates are up, food prices are up, health care costs have gone up by $2,500 a family.”
The governor proposed an $8 trillion plan to reduce the deficit, by way of a $5 trillion tax cut, along with $2 trillion in military spending and an extension of Bush-era tax cuts. To pay the $8 trillion, Romney proposes for loopholes to be closed. However, Obama criticized him for not adding more taxes for the wealthy. “When you add up all the loopholes and deductions that upper income individuals can — are currently taking advantage of — if you take those all away — you don’t come close to paying for $5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in additional military spending,” Obama replied.
“Spain spends 42 percent of their total economy to government,” Romney said, adding that the U.S. was spending the same exact number to its government. Upon hearing that, one woman at the grill said, “Who cares about Spain?”
The crowd at Bruckner agreed with President Obama’s statement that Exxon-Mobil doesn’t need more money when it is paid every time someone fills a pump at its gas stations. They laughed when Romney said he’d liked Big Bird while discussing cutting funding for PBS.
The debate reached its apex when the discussion turned to the Affordable Care and Protection Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Gov. Romney said he would repeal it on the grounds that small businesses find that it costs more. “I want to take that $716 billion you’ve cut and put it back into Medicare,” Romney said.
Gov. Romney pointed out that an Obamacare-like system is best done at the state level, like in his home state of Massachusetts, where the system is in place. He also stated the importance of bipartisanship in this case. “We have to have a president who can reach across the aisle and fashion important legislation with the input from both parties,” Romney said.
President Obama said that he agreed and that Obamacare was bipartisan. “Governor Romney said this has to be done on a bipartisan basis. This was a bipartisan idea,” Obama said. “In fact, it was a Republican idea.”
As time began to run out, both candidates made their final statements. “Four years ago I said that I’m not a perfect man and I wouldn’t be a perfect president,” Obama said. “But I also promised that I’d fight every single day on behalf of the American people and the middle class and all those who are striving to get in the middle class.”
For Romney’s part, he said, “I’m concerned about America. I’m concerned about the direction America has been taking over the last four years. What kind of America do you want to have for yourself and for your children?”
Upon the debate’s conclusion, party host Kenneth Holley said that the Bruckner Bar and Grill agreed to host parties for the other two debates, set for October 16 and October 22. While there was joy in that announcement, there was also mixed feelings about the first debate. “I was frustrated when Romney proposed things, but didn’t describe how he would do them,” Bayo Otiti, 37, said.
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