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The Moment of Truth in the VP Debate
Last night’s debate confirmed the many differences between Obama/Biden and Romney/Ryan on policy, reaffirmed the differences in character. The debate also told us a lot about the alleged liberal media.
When, CNN declares that the debate was a tie, one wonders if their pundits were watching the same debate. Simply put, Joe Biden exposed Ryan’s lies and had a great time doing it. What Ryan lacked in substance he made up for in smirks, between drinking lots and lots of water.
While pundits like to argue that style prevails over substance to us little people, the fact remains that Biden schooled Ryan in both areas.
Joe Biden was himself, compared while Ryan was more was more akin to a wind up Koch doll, parroting the same old failed ideas, with a twist of contemporary lies and spin.
If there was a single exchange that defined the winner of this debate, it was the 47% exchange.
Ryan gave the opening when he poured some classic Republican projection about how Mitt Romney is misquoted. Of course, it was the perfect opportunity for Joe Biden to remind us of Mitt Romney’s own words as captured on video.
The exchanged reminded us whose presidency would, in reality, work for the 100%.
While Ryan was busy talking up Mitt Romney’s tax deductible charitable donations, Joe Biden defended the 47% percent who were maligned by Romney. He said it all when he said that talk is cheap show us the policy.
Rather than showing us the policy, Ryan chose to respond with the tired Republican lie that Democrats had control of Congress for two years.
This exchanged showed differences in priorities. Ryan’s reference to Romney’s charitable donations reinforces the very point of Mitt Romney’s 47% comments. In their eyes, the 47% are takers. There’s no need for policies that would improve their job opportunities, access to education, or yes, access to healthcare. The Romney/Ryan “solution” for the 47% is a reliance on the tax-deductible generosity of the privileged.
Ryan missed an opportunity to explain what, if any, policies the Romney/Ryan ticket has to convert, in their language, the 47% takers into makers. In doing so, he reinforced Romney’s dismissal of the 47%. He reminded everyone who was watching, who a Romney Presidency would really work for.
When he did discuss policy, Ryan dodged and weaved his way through justifications of the voucher program he and Ryan want as a poor substitute for Medicare. He avoided specifics on tax deductions and avoided the math whenever possible. When it came to Medicare Ryan was more interested in repeating the debunked lie of cuts to Medicare to pay for Obamacare. This is despite the fact that the President of the AARP went on the record talking about the benefits of Obamacare to people on Medicare.
The insurance companies by the affordable care act will be prevented from throwing people off once they are on it and have a serious illness. You can keep your child up until 26 on your insurance. It closes the donut hole which are those very expensive prescription drugs, if it’s very significant. And it extends the life of the Medicare trust fund another 8 years.
Ryan also dodged the fact that he calls for cuts to Medicare.
In direct contrast, Joe Biden took every available opportunity to talk about policies that would benefit everyone.
We also saw a contrast in two men. Ryan dodged and weaved, while the Vice President responded to questions with direct answers. Ryan kept his mask on, while Joe Biden told true, personal stories.
Video:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Transcript: Courtesy of ABC
RYAN: He talks about Detroit. Mitt Romney’s a car guy. They keep misquoting him, but let me tell you about the Mitt Romney I know. This is a guy who I was talking to a family in Northborough, Massachusetts the other day, Sheryl and Mark Nixon. Their kids were hit in a car crash, four of them. Two of them, Rob and Reed, were paralyzed. The Romneys didn’t know them. They went to the same church; they never met before.
Mitt asked if he could come over on Christmas. He brought his boys, his wife, and gifts. Later on, he said, “I know you’re struggling, Mark. Don’t worry about their college. I’ll pay for it.”
When Mark told me this story, because, you know what, Mitt Romney doesn’t tell these stories. The Nixons told this story. When he told me this story, he said it wasn’t the help, the cash help. It’s that he gave his time, and he has consistently.
This is a man who gave 30 percent of his income to charity, more than the two of us combined. Mitt Romney’s a good man. He cares about 100 percent of Americans in this country. And with respect to that quote, I think the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don’t come out of your mouth the right way.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: But I always say what I mean. And so does Romney.
RYAN: We want everybody to succeed. We want to get people out of poverty, in the middle class, onto a life of self-sufficiently. We believe in opportunity and upward mobility. That’s what we’re going to push for in a Romney administration.
BIDEN: The idea — if you heard that — that little soliloquy on 47 percent and you think he just made a mistake, then I think you’re — I — I think — I got a bridge to sell you.
Look, I don’t doubt his personal generosity. And I understand what it’s like. When I was a little younger than the congressman, my wife was in an accident, killed my daughter and my wife, and my two sons survived. I have sat in the homes of many people who’ve gone through what I get through, because the one thing you can give people solace is to know if they know you’ve been through it, that they can make it. So I don’t doubt his personal commitment to individuals. But you know what? I know he had no commitment to the automobile industry. He just — he said, let it go bankrupt, period. Let it drop out. All this talk — we saved a million jobs. Two hundred thousand people are working today.
And I’ve never met two guys who’re more down on America across the board. We’re told everything’s going bad. There are 5.2 million new jobs, private-sector jobs. We need more, but 5.2 million — if they’d get out of the way, if they’d get out of the way and let us pass the tax cut for the middle class, make it permanent, if they get out of the way and pass the — pass the jobs bill, if they get out of the way and let us allow 14 million people who are struggling to stay in their homes because their mortgages are upside down, but they never missed a mortgage payment, just get out of the way.
Stop talking about how you care about people. Show me something. Show me a policy. Show me a policy where you take responsibility.
And, by the way, they talk about this Great Recession if it fell out of the sky, like, “Oh, my goodness, where did it come from?” It came from this man voting to put two wars on a credit card, to at the same time put a prescription drug benefit on the credit card, a trillion-dollar tax cut for the very wealthy. I was there. I voted against them. I said, no, we can’t afford that.
And now, all of a sudden, these guys are so seized with the concern about the debt that they created.
RYAN: Let’s not forget that they came in with one-party control. When Barack Obama was elected, his party controlled everything. They had the ability to do everything of their choosing. And look at where we are right now.
They passed the stimulus. The idea that we could borrow $831 billion, spend it on all of these special interest groups, and that it would work out just fine, that unemployment would never get to 8 percent — it went up above 8 percent for 43 months. They said that, right now, if we just passed this stimulus, the economy would grow at 4 percent. It’s growing at 1.3.
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Churchlady
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
Since Mitt is so into charity as the be all and end all of how to deal with problems in people’s lives, I REALLY want to know if there is one single story about Mitt helping ANYONE who is not either rich (Marriott’s yacht tie up) or Mormon. Any story? Anyone? Can you help me here? And in his “charitable donations” is it to any group other than his own church? No? Seriously?
Then all we know for sure is this – if you’re a rich neighbor in NH or a Mormon he knows, you will be fine. If you are ANYONE else – duck and cover baby. Everything you care about is on the chopping block.
Sandra
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
I’ve wondered at that myself. I have heard about how he has helped Mormons and his Church but what about the rest of America. Does he plan to convert all Americans to Mormonism so he can help them too? Based on his history in his private and business life, he has demonstrated that he sure as hell doesn’t care about the non Mormons and the middle class and the poor.
Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
In short the answer is yes. I have read several articles, one from a relative of old Joseph smith hisself that Romneys first allegiance is to the church and the current prophet.
Uncajoe
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Current Prophet plus any and all Profits.
Magdalena
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 11:35 am
All we have to do is look at Freeport, Illinois and the plant that Bain Capitol is closing. Romney owns 51% of the plant that Bain Capitol is moving to China where workers are paid .99/hr for 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. The bottom line is the PROFITS. Those poor people even had to train their Chinese counterparts! What a slap on the face. This clearly shows just how much Romney cares about America.
PoggeB
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
I used to have a lot of Mormon friends when I lived out west-great folks incidentally-and they explained to me that not only do they hope to convert everyone but church doctrine allows them to baptize their dead ancestors and induct them into the fold posthumously. There is a reason Evangelical and Fundamentalist book stores carry volumes about Mormon “cults”. Competition for our souls is fierce my friends and the relentlessly clean cut, well educated, prosperous and yes, slightly creepy Mormon clans are giving them a run for their money. Not that I particularly care. I’m a dedicated Christian and I still think that all three are pretty loopy.
Goddess1871
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
I was just bowled over that Ryan had the gall to bring up a story of a family who had been involved in a CAR ACCIDENT. My God, you fool, do you even KNOW Joe Biden’s story???
PoggeB
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Wasn’t that just amazing!
James Threadgill
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Some say Biden was rude. I disagree. Ryan kept repeating the same tired old Right Wing lies. (Trickle down is when the rich piss on your leg and tell you it’s raining.)
Where I grew up there’s nothing wrong with being rude to a lying, selfish, condescending Eddie Munster looking little snot. In fact we’re generally ruder than can be expressed with mere words. Fisticuffs, Bowie knives, and six shooters come to mind We’ve even got town named Cut ‘N Shoot….
Further Joe’s behavior wasn’t nearly as rude as throwing the elderly and poor under a bus so Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers are free to trash the environment and escape paying taxes. Rude is far too kind compared to what he deserves. A good old Texas butt whupping would have been more appropriate.
regressivewatch.org
D. W. Skinner
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Ryan’s words stunk worse than the one john at a red-neck chili-eating festival!
xmaseveeve
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
To Romney, charity is a tax dodge, and payment into his fire insurance. Neither reason is true charity. If ‘God’ existed, He’d see right through it.
Deborah_
Oct. 12th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Ryan got off easy. Vice President Biden called him out on each lie, but never lost his cool. He was not rude, but informative. He laid out President Obama’s plans for our future, and bared romney’s deception. It was wonderful to witness.
Anne
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 12:39 am
As far as Joe Biden’s laughter is concerned, he also laughed at Sarah Palin during their 2008 debate. He strikes me as someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and both Simple Sarah and Lyin’ Ryan are bona fide fools. He thoroughly dominated the debate, doing a masterful job of exposing not only Ryan’s lies but also exposing the dangerous fallacies of Romney-Ryan policies on such things as women’s reproductive rights, the stimulus, taxes, and foreign policies. He did it with a smile, which resulted in a predictable
whinefest from right-wing “pundits.”
clarence swinney
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 8:43 am
MEDICARE $716B
It was not removed to aid obamacare.
It was funding cuts
Reduction in high subsidies to private Medicare Advantage plan.
Many enroll at a higher average cost than traditional Medicare.
Reduction in pay to health care providers like hospitals, nursing homes
and health care agencies.
It is a multi-year program.
The plan is to get more efficiency by providers.
Preventative care is part.
We (70%) have yelled for decades “Cut the costs of that Health Care Sucker”
Romney-Ryan are distorting the plan.
I scream when I get these outrageous charges: two tests find elevated blood pressure
and 8 hours in bed with nitro patch on chest costs $6000. Elevated blood pressure.
Emergency room. Night in bed costs $4400.
Sleep lab. Hooked to monitor. In bed 8 hours. $5500.
A supervisor and two attendants for the night.
Four rooms. $22,000 income for one night?
It showed me why the firm has so many sleep labs throughout the state.
clarence swinney
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Just Thinking
Obama will increase spending 8.6% to Bush 92%-Reagan 80%–why not brag?
1830 to 3510
3510 to 3800
We rank in OECD
Inequality # 4
Least taxed #3–Chile and Mexico lower–Percent of gdp in federal-state-local taxes
Least tax on corporations-#2
I ask pals how much are we taxed as percent of gdp in federal-state-local taxes
No one ever said less than 50%
Number is 27%
50% got 86% individual income paid `12.5% tax rate in 2008
Corp. paid 12.1% in 2011.
Benny Belloes
Oct. 13th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Style over substance only wins when one side of the debate loses. In this case Rep. Lyn Ryan lost. If telling the truth, as it is in a real debate, was the measure of who won or lost President Obama and Vice President Biden won each of the debates. If one is an ignorant and uninformed independent viewed each debates then the lying right won the debates.