US Presidential Election Debate #1

[LisaA]

You will benefit the most from the U.S. government if you are a special category:

~second language speaker (immigrant)
~ethnic minority
~racial minority
~disabled
~low income for any reason

Down the list are the elderly; they get some services, but not nearly as many as the above.
Furthermore, the level of our heterogeneity combined with our laws – especially those regarding “protected classes” of individuals – is extremely expensive in other ways, because it requires armies of regulators, and personnel to carry out those regulations, on many levels – from public attorneys to civilian overseers of those laws to appointed mediators and grievance representatives. No other First World country shares such complexity with us.

Great post. Thanks for connecting the dots between the diverse population and the high cost of accommodating it. The cost of regulations not only for protected HUMANS but protected bugs, fish, and other assorted critters is astronomical. Wish they’d spend half that much on protecting unborn babies as Cardinal Timothy Dolan noted recently.

The second point (bolded) is that for the most part the elderly have paid in something for their benefits. They may not have funded their entire Social Security or Medicare benefit (that’s left to those evil rich people who pay in more), but likely they HAVE paid in a substantial amount.

Contrast with some of the other ‘protected classes’ which haven’t paid taxes or otherwise funded the government benefits received. So often the elderly are pinned as receiving a substantial portion of the government goodies without acknowledging their contribution.

Lisa

 

[_Abyssinia]

Post #debate, @MittRomney also saw volunteers jump 63% Wed night alone

Post #debate @MittRomney raised more than $12 million in less than 48 hours. Night of, more than 2 donations/second

 

[austenbosten]

_Abyssinia:
I gave $3 dollars and I’m gonna buy a cap…but I’m waiting for someone of the Mitt Campaign to call so I can say “Yeah man you put me down for $25 Dollars!!! ”

 

[_Abyssinia]

Dems hope Biden can blunt Romney momentum post-debate

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Dems hope Biden can blunt Romney momentum post-debate

 

[_Abyssinia]

It is funny but do not underestimate Biden in a debate, he can reach out to voters with his style of talking and likely will not make any gaffes

Paul Ryan has brought up the HHS mandate quite a few times, wonder if it is brought up. Hope Ryan mentions that Biden said Obama and Biden would raise taxes $1 trillion. Ryan should say, I agree with you - meaning Biden -, the middle class have been buried last 4 years

 

[jwinch2]

Dems hope Biden can blunt Romney momentum post-debate

Biden can be brilliant or can be a train wreck, or even a bit of both. He has a tendency to get very angry and his rhetoric can get very nasty when he does. The question I always ask myself when watching the VP debates is whether or not I want this person a heartbeat away from the Presidency. In Biden’s case, this is a no-brainer. I don’t trust his competence to be VP, let alone POTUS.

Ryan will be interesting. On domestic policy he should do very well, and may actually have a hard time living up to expectations. The question for him is how he will handle foreign policy. I have rarely heard him speak on those issues. If he is smart, which I think he is, he will have been prepping for this for a long time now. If not, Biden has the potential to make him look out of his depth rather quickly.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Biden can be brilliant or can be a train wreck, or even a bit of both. He has a tendency to get very angry and his rhetoric can get very nasty when he does. The question I always ask myself when watching the VP debates is whether or not I want this person a heartbeat away from the Presidency. In Biden’s case, this is a no-brainer. I don’t trust his competence to be VP, let alone POTUS.

Ryan will be interesting. On domestic policy he should do very well, and may actually have a hard time living up to expectations. The question for him is how he will handle foreign policy. I have rarely heard him speak on those issues. If he is smart, which I think he is, he will have been prepping for this for a long time now. If not, Biden has the potential to make him look out of his depth rather quickly.

Ryan has 14 years experience in congress legislating Middle East issues. He has visited Syria, Mexico, Afghanistan a few times. Ryan said in an interview

I formed the Middle East Caucus in early 2000s. On Ways and Means, which is a trade committee, I was point guy on the MEFTA. This is an arcane idea. We used to like doing trade agreements. And the MEFTA is the Middle East Free Trade Area Initiative, which is to create, we believe – and this was a good idea back in the Bush Administration. Get free trade agreements with these moderate Muslim countries, to integrate our economies. You have to require rule of law, women’s rights, you know, enforceable contracts. Yeah, but it’s been languishing, so I worked on the Moroccan Agreement, the Jordanian Agreement, the Omani Agreement, the Bahraini Agreement. I negotiated all the implementing legislation on that with the Democrats.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Paul Ryan has brought up the HHS mandate quite a few times, wonder if it is brought up. Hope Ryan mentions that Biden said Obama and Biden would raise taxes $1 trillion. Ryan should say, I agree with you - meaning Biden -, the middle class have been buried last 4 years

Agreed. And Ryan has the advantage of actually knowing the numbers.

 

[ishii]

Biden can be brilliant or can be a train wreck, or even a bit of both. He has a tendency to get very angry and his rhetoric can get very nasty when he does. The question I always ask myself when watching the VP debates is whether or not I want this person a heartbeat away from the Presidency. In Biden’s case, this is a no-brainer. I don’t trust his competence to be VP, let alone POTUS.

Ryan will be interesting. On domestic policy he should do very well, and may actually have a hard time living up to expectations. The question for him is how he will handle foreign policy. I have rarely heard him speak on those issues. If he is smart, which I think he is, he will have been prepping for this for a long time now. If not, Biden has the potential to make him look out of his depth rather quickly.

Good cautionary post. Ryan is smart and Biden is gaffe prone, but that doesn’t mean Ryan has the debate sewn up. Debates and the perception of who won them can turn on one or two exchanges or a clever one-liner. Anybody remember Lloyd Bentsen saying to Dan Quayle, “senator, you’re no John Kennedy.” Bush won the election, but had it been close and had Bush needed a push from the VP debate, he wouldn’t have gotten it. And in 1996 everyone thought Jack Kemp would clean up against Al Gore. Gore won. When Kemp said the proposed Dole tax cuts wouldn’t be a “trickle down” it would be like Niagra Falls" Gore responded, “you’re going to send our economy in a barrel over Niagara Falls.” Kemp had met his match. And of course, the biggest example is Ford’s, " there is no domination of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union" comment which many argue helped cost him the election against Carter.

It makes no sense being overconfident. And I think its possible that for some, Ryan, if he’s not careful, could come across as cocky during the debate which would hurt him. Of course if he’s perceived as shaky on foreign policy, then he’ll lose. I have noticed that he has a tendency to speak at a fast pace. I hope he tones that down.

Ishii

 

[LisaA]

It makes no sense being overconfident. And I think its possible that for some, Ryan, if he’s not careful, could come across as cocky during the debate which would hurt him. Of course if he’s perceived as shaky on foreign policy, then he’ll lose. I have noticed that he has a tendency to speak at a fast pace. I hope he tones that down.

Ishii

I’ve heard Ryan speak “off the cuff” many times on the Bill Bennett show. Bill and Jack Kemp were two of Ryan’s mentors. They worked together at Empower America when Ryan was literally a kid. He is very familiar to me and I was so delighted when Mitt Romney chose him for VP.

Ryan is BRILLIANT, extremely quick on his feet and has facts and figures at hand. You are right he speaks VERY fast as do many smart people who want to get out a boatload of info in a short time. It may be hard to follow him and he can be wonky. But he’s got a great demeanor, very kind face, wide open expression and ready smile. He is absolutely charming.

Biden is simply not very bright. You wonder how the man got through law school (apparently cheating was part of the plan). Further he is so thuggish, obnoxious, with a nasty expression and harsh tone. If you are talking likeability quotient, he doesn’t have a prayer. Further looking back everyone expected him to mop the floor with Sarah Palin but in fact most agreed she won and even her detractors admitted she held her own.

That being said, I totally agree, don’t get overconfident. A lot can turn on the unexpected question, the misstatement, the moderator’s control or lack thereof. I am sure having been burned by the Romney prep they will soon have Biden in an undisclosed location where he will be schooled appropriately.

Lisa

 

[BroomWagon]

I’ve heard Ryan speak “off the cuff” many times on the Bill Bennett show. Bill and Jack Kemp were two of Ryan’s mentors. They worked together at Empower America when Ryan was literally a kid. He is very familiar to me and I was so delighted when Mitt Romney chose him for VP.

Ryan is BRILLIANT, extremely quick on his feet and has facts and figures at hand. You are right he speaks VERY fast as do many smart people who want to get out a boatload of info in a short time. It may be hard to follow him and he can be wonky. But he’s got a great demeanor, very kind face, wide open expression and ready smile. He is absolutely charming.

Biden is simply not very bright. You wonder how the man got through law school (apparently cheating was part of the plan). Further he is so thuggish, obnoxious, with a nasty expression and harsh tone. If you are talking likeability quotient, he doesn’t have a prayer. Further looking back everyone expected him to mop the floor with Sarah Palin but in fact most agreed she won and even her detractors admitted she held her own.

That being said, I totally agree, don’t get overconfident. A lot can turn on the unexpected question, the misstatement, the moderator’s control or lack thereof. I am sure having been burned by the Romney prep they will soon have Biden in an undisclosed location where he will be schooled appropriately.

Lisa

Despite Biden getting caught on plagiarism in the '80s I believe, in the past he was perceived as being a more dynamic speaker and so I heard some talking heads (and not necessarily the liberal media) say his speech was the best one at the Democrat Convention. So, though Joe Biden has said some very silly things let’s say or even some expletives, he’s had it in himself to at times I suppose to be articulate.

So it is like you say, it’s not a slam dunk.

 

[jwinch2]

Biden has the tendency to be poor when he goes off script and in particular, when the crowd is feeding him with energy. If the room is quiet the way it was the other night, this may take away some of the likelihood of a major gaff by Biden, but not entirely since almost the entire thing will be off script.

 

[Dawnia]

Biden has the tendency to be poor when he goes off script and in particular, when the crowd is feeding him with energy. If the room is quiet the way it was the other night, this may take away some of the likelihood of a major gaff by Biden, but not entirely since almost the entire thing will be off script.

Oh I hope not. “Crazy Uncle Joe” is much more entertaining than “Vindictive Joe” or “Sober Joe”.

Maybe he should start a line of Joe dolls. Barbie would get a run for her money.

 

[kimmielittle]

Oh I hope not. “Crazy Uncle Joe” is much more entertaining than “Vindictive Joe” or “Sober Joe”.

Maybe he should start a line of Joe dolls. Barbie would get a run for her money.

I heard, Mr Biden is taking no chances … He’s been rehearsing AND will be wearing the Big Bird Suit as a prophylactic against Altitude Sickness.

 

[kimmielittle]

Wondering: Did someone read my Dear Whoopi and Company letter here?

westernjournalism.com/big-bird/

 

[qui_est_ce]

I’ve heard Ryan speak “off the cuff” many times on the Bill Bennett show. Bill and Jack Kemp were two of Ryan’s mentors. They worked together at Empower America when Ryan was literally a kid. He is very familiar to me and I was so delighted when Mitt Romney chose him for VP.

Ryan is BRILLIANT, extremely quick on his feet and has facts and figures at hand. You are right he speaks VERY fast as do many smart people who want to get out a boatload of info in a short time. It may be hard to follow him and he can be wonky. But he’s got a great demeanor, very kind face, wide open expression and ready smile. He is absolutely charming.

Biden is simply not very bright. You wonder how the man got through law school (apparently cheating was part of the plan). Further he is so thuggish, obnoxious, with a nasty expression and harsh tone. If you are talking likeability quotient, he doesn’t have a prayer. Further looking back everyone expected him to mop the floor with Sarah Palin but in fact most agreed she won and even her detractors admitted she held her own.

That being said, I totally agree, don’t get overconfident. A lot can turn on the unexpected question, the misstatement, the moderator’s control or lack thereof. I am sure having been burned by the Romney prep they will soon have Biden in an undisclosed location where he will be schooled appropriately.

Lisa

Couldn’t agree more with your assessment of Ryan and Biden. Biden will be full of Democratic talking points, as was Obama, for fear he will say something stupid off the cuff.

Ryan is brilliant, talking off the cuff is his strong point. He is a numbers geek.

I’ve noticed Obama has been repeating his many debate lies on post debate campaign trail , with confidence, now that he has his teleprompters back.

NPR is all over Romney now with their “fact-checkers.” The story is full of, “may not” or “might” or “note necessarily.” That’s the best they can come up with.

 

[qui_est_ce]

Wondering: Did someone read my Dear Whoopi and Company letter here?

westernjournalism.com/big-bird/

I didn’t see anything there. But the Big Bird cartoon was pretty funny. I did see your letter on this thread though. Funny.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Romney Magic Trick Exposed

Democrats are desperate to explain Romney’s debate superiority. This commenator said Romney had brought a ‘cheat list’ with him and then wrote an update that it looked like it was a hankerchief :doh2:

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Couldn’t agree more with your assessment of Ryan and Biden. Biden will be full of Democratic talking points, as was Obama, for fear he will say something stupid off the cuff.

Ryan is brilliant, talking off the cuff is his strong point. He is a numbers geek.

I’ve noticed Obama has been repeating his many debate lies on post debate campaign trail , with confidence, now that he has his teleprompters back.

NPR is all over Romney now with their “fact-checkers.” The story is full of, “may not” or “might” or “note necessarily.” That’s the best they can come up with.

Is NPR fact checking the President, amica mia?