Health Care
The Corner on National Review Online — Thursday, October 02, 2008 [image] Health Care [Ramesh Ponnuru] From the transcript : BIDEN : Now, with regard to the to the health care plan, you know, it's with one hand you giveth, the other you take it. You know how Barack Obama excuse me, do you know how John McCain pays for his $5,000 tax credit you're going to get, a family will get? He taxes as income every one of you out there, every one of you listening who has a health care plan through your employer. That's how he raises $3.6 trillion, on your taxing your health care benefit to give you a $5,000 plan, which ...

"There Ya Go Again."
Brilliant at Breakfast — ... House. But, in the end, a muzzled Biden made the debate's outcome look even closer than it ever should've been and it didn't help any that, like Palin, he lied on some key issues (like his unwavering support of clean coal) and his status as the ultimate Beltway insider made Palin look more like a maverick than she has a right to claim. As proof, here's USA Today's fact check, which actually keeps both Biden and Palin honest. The transcript of the debate can be found here on CNN's website.

Debate Cheat Sheet
Ace of Spades HQ — ... see to it that the other one had an opportunity to do that to keep it even. The following table goes according the questions Ifill asked. Occasionally one or both candidates would get off topic or return to a previous topic. Also, a number of times the candidates would exchange words more than once on a topic. I've included the most precise summation I could muster; you'll note that their answers aren't always responsive to the question asked. A rush transcript of the debate is at CNN ; watch out, it sometimes gets the name of the party speaking wrong.

The McCain Campaign Does Not Understand The Constitution
Oliver Willis — I don’t do these fact check things because the campaign hires a big staff with far more time and resources and expertise than I have to do so, which you can see here. But this one was such a whiff I thought it was worth noting. This is basic stuff, the kind we who are a product of the much derided public school system learn at an early age. Basic stuff. On Thursday night, Sen. Biden said this: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history. The ...

Early Morning Swim
Firedoglake — ... I don't know about you, but I hit Palin bingo about 3 minutes in. Biden wins. Biden wins, pt. 2. Here's one reason why. General CW now is that Palin held her own. But will that hold? Palin unwittingly ends with, um, strange Reagan quote. Number of times Palin said "maverick" or "mavericks": 6. Number of times Palin mentioned Preznit Bush:1. Sully's got good debate reax as usual. Before debate, Palin says Cheney's ...

Grace under pressure
Power Line — Ernest Hemingway famously defined courage as grace under pressure. I thought Joe Biden did well for those who might have been unaware of his liberties with the truth. But last night Sarah Palin last night provided a good example of the kind of grace of which Hemingway spoke. Reviewing the transcript of the debate this morning confirms my impression of last night. I thought that one of Governor Palin's strongest moments came in talking about foreign policy when she addressed Biden: [I]t's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider. And someone just not used to the way you guys ...

Sarah " how long have I been at this, like five weeks?" Palin
culturekitchen - fresh dissent served daily — ... "playing political footsie". Whenever she didn't have any substantive to say she'd go all cutesy, wink to the camera, bob her head or tear into a cheerleader cheer for her "boss". Cute for TV but not for actual government. Especially from a woman who allegedly said yesterday that her favorite vice-president was George H. Bush because he eventually went on to becoming President of the United States. Honey, I don't want this woman near the White House, ESPECIALLY after this infamous moment : ...

Liar Watch: Biden on Obama Meeting with Ahmadinejad
Patterico's Pontifications — Joe Biden in last night’s debate: Can I clarify this? This is simply not true about Barack Obama. He did not say sit down with Ahmadinejad. The New York Times, May 29, 2008: “Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?” asked Stephen Sixta, a video ...

It’s Official: GOP Ticket Now “Winky and Wrinkly”
Firedoglake — ... She looked directly into the camera and delivered one canned line after another with nary an "um" or an "uh," but her complete inability to do anything other than insert prepared speeches into more or less appropriate places became clear when Gwen Ifil asked the candidates about their personal limitations: ...

POLITICS: Palin's Night
Baseball Crank — Q&A; on last night's highly-anticipated Vice Presidential debate: (1) Is Sarah Palin a Blithering Moron? Why no, in fact; amazingly, it turns out that a politician who has won six elections, served in public office for 13 years, participated in more than a dozen debates for statewide office two years ago and is the most popular Governor in the nation is actually perfectly capable of handling herself on her feet. But thanks anyway to those of you who worked so hard to make that the question everyone was asking and to reset expectations to ...

The Only Thing Missing Are Nikes, Black Sweatsuits, and a Comet
Balloon Juice — ... I have to say, though, aside from her consistently lying about Obama’s votes to fund the troops that the highlight of the night for me was this little hunk of red meat for the Red State fanbois and the 101st Chairborne: ...

Keeping Up With Biden
The Corner on National Review Online — ... : Diplomacy: Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions . [Note: Ahmadinejad is the president of Iran.] Biden at last night ...

Two Other Quick Thoughts…
Shakesville — …about the debate. 1. I had hoped Gwen Ifill had asked a question about abortion last night—and it's not because Biden would have done well with his answer; his answer would have been almost exactly as disappointingly incomplete as his answer on same-sex marriage. It's because Palin's position on abortion (against abortion even in cases of rape and incest) is extreme to the point of newsworthiness. Perhaps Ifill was hoping Palin would volunteer the information when she was asked what policy differences she has with McCain, but of course she did not, instead spouting ...

Joe Biden's best moments during the VP debate
culturekitchen - fresh dissent served daily — ... no mistake though, it wasn't because he was against someone who was because he was against someone with less experience or intellect. Sarah Palin proved she could hold her own against Biden. Biden had only one major opponent last night and that was himself. He needed to beat the image people had of him as being a bit of a bumbling idiot and it's for that matter that he totally knocked it out of the park. It really was a great night for the boy from Scranton. Biden was focused : Now, with regard to the -- to the health care plan, you ...

Biden's Iran Blunder
Weekly Standard Blog — ... So articulate, in fact, I think Biden covered up at least one gaffe. After Palin mentioned Obama's pledge to meet with Ahmadinejad, Biden said: ...

Keeping Up With Biden II -- Does Anyone Remember When We "Kicked Hezbollah Out of Lebanon"?
The Corner on National Review Online — ... ] At the debate last night, Sen. Biden argued that (a) that we had "kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon"and (b) he and Obama had suggested sending NATO troops to Lebanon to "fill the vacuum": Biden at Last Night ...

Another Lie: Palin Falsely Claimed Biden Supported McCain's Iraq Policies Until This Campaign
TPM Election Central — ... One of Sarah Palin's key claims at the debate last night -- one that has gone largely unremarked on --was her assertion that Joe Biden strongly supported John McCain's Iraq policies, and opposed those of Barack Obama, until this campaign got underway. ...

Jane Hamsher: It's Official: GOP Ticket Now "Winky and Wrinkly"
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... She looked directly into the camera and delivered one canned line after another with nary an "um" or an "uh," but her complete inability to do anything other than insert prepared speeches into more or less appropriate places became clear when Gwen Ifil asked the candidates about their personal limitations: ...

Does the VP Have A Legislative Role?
The Volokh Conspiracy — One of the most bizarre (to use Sen. Biden's term) episodes during the debate was Biden's response to the question of whether the Vice-President has a legislative role. His response : IFILL: Vice President Cheney's interpretation of the vice presidency? BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. ...

Please, Mr. Lender, Exploit Me Some More
Hit & Run — ... In last night's vice presidential debate, Sarah Palin attacked "predator lenders," which made it sound like she was opposed to the sharing of lions and tigers among zoos. Judging from the context, I'm pretty sure she meant "predatory lenders": ...

Sarah Palin–Reaganesque
GayPatriot — ... It was classy of her to acknowledge as much, “And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I’m going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also.“  Sounds a lot like Ronald Reagan, more concerned with the American people than the Washington talking heads. ...

Fact-Checking Biden’s Debate Statements
Patterico's Pontifications — ... Biden claimed that VP Cheney “doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States. That’s the executive. He works in the executive branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.” Except, oops, Article I sets out the role of Congress and the vice president’s position as president of the Senate. Article II does all that executive branch stuff.” Here’s the debate transcript. Any links proving or disproving these claims are welcome. – DRJ

Palin Says She Will Seek Some Authority Over Legislative And Judicial Branches
Think Progress — ... that there is “a lot of flexibility” in the Office of the Vice President and that she was “thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president.” Watch it: ...

The New York Post is offended by Biden's debate lies.
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... In Thursday night’s vice presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin, Biden said the strangest and most ill-informed thing I have ever heard about Lebanon in my life. “When we kicked — along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, “Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don’t know — if you don’t, Hezbollah will control it.” Now what’s happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.” [Emphasis added.] ...

Palinism of the Day
The Stump — ... I didn't really focus on this answer when I heard it Thursday night, partly because Palin's language was so eye-glazingly incoherent. But it really is a piece of work: ...

Ifill: Palin ‘blew me off’ during the debate.
Think Progress — ... During the vice presidential debate on Thursday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she “may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear.” In fact, “ ...

Perverse Priorities in a World of Lies
Once Upon a Time... — ... actual human being. But for a decadent, murderous Empire entering what is likely to be an especially violent phase (both abroad and at home) as the fabric of day-to-day life shreds and tears apart, actual human beings are a hindrance to be avoided. Now we depend on form without meaning, symbolism drained of all content, vacant gestures designed to assure us that our world is not descending into bloody insanity. Just for the hell of it, let's compare two passages from the vice presidential debate. Here is Palin: Oh, yeah, it's so obvious I'm a ...

Jerry Weissman: Sarah's Sentences
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... of Sarah Palin's rhetoric was Tina Fey, whose impressions of the Alaska Governor on NBC's Saturday Night Live have become almost, if not more popular than the candidate herself. In a sketch that lampooned the debate, Fey portrayed Palin as she had in two previous outings - lampooning the interview with CBS's Katie Couric, and an imaginary joint press conference with Hillary Clinton - as a sentence-mangler of the first order. See the actual debate. Read the transcript - without her undeniably effective visual image - and you'll find that Sarah Palin cannot ...

What The Palin Doodle Document Suggests About How She Got Through The V.P. Debate
BAGnewsNotes — ... Like the Ulysses strategy for dealing with sirens, I'm convinced that the safest way to encounter Sarah Palin is by reading the transcript of comments she happens to spontaneously offer in public -- however few and far between.  Based on a couple of interviews, as well as her debate with Joe Biden, the discrepancy between how she comes off on TV as opposed to on paper is, simply put, mind blowing.  In spite of how palatable she was on stage during the V.P debate, the written narrative -- reminiscent of the Couric interview -- careens back-and-forth between ...

Obama Demagoguing Deregulation?
GayPatriot — ... , he used the term nine times.  By contrast, in the vice-presidential debate, Sarah Palin only used the term “maverick” (including its plural form, “mavericks”) six times.  (I wonder if Saturday Night Live will mock the Democrat for this excess when they spoof the exchange.) ...

Gettin' All Mavericky
City Journal Eye on the News and Books and Culture — ... as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that. Let’s grant, for the sake of argument, that this free-association spree is simply the effect of a predatory liberal reporter and does not reflect Palin’s financial ignorance or muddled thinking. But many of Palin’s utterances in her softball debate with Senator Joe Biden were also disjointed and strange. That many on the right (and ...

McCain, Palin split on marriage
Political Animal — ... on gay rights -- he's actually even further to the right than Bush, even opposing state initiatives on civil unions -- but he claims to be a "federalist" on the issue. Sarah Palin, however, is somewhere else. During her debate with Joe Biden a couple of weeks ago, Palin was asked if she would support granting same-sex benefits to couples nationwide, as they do in Alaska. She kinda sorta expressed opposition to the idea, before offering a bizarre, 85-word, run-on sentence about how " tolerant " she is. Palin concluded that a McCain-Palin administration might support civil ...

‘Energy Expert’ Palin Can’t Name Any Man-Made Causes Of Global Warming
Think Progress — ... Regardless, Palin’s cluelessness on global warming is perhaps what led Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) to observe that “[i]f you don’t understand what the cause is, it’s virtually impossible to come up with a solution.” ...

Our critics, Sarah Palin & a federal marriage amendment
GayPatriot — ... All that said, I disagree with Palin’s support of a constitutional amendment defining marriage because, as I’ve said before, the issue doesn’t belong there. But, I wonder at our critics readiness to slight us for not faulting a candidate we support when she takes a stand with which we disagree. Do they so readily condemn their candidate every time he makes an unfortunate or untoward remark or espouses a policy they oppose? *In the vice presidential debate, he said: And the primary role of the vice president of ...

Worst Vitriol against Gay Conservatives in 15 years
GayPatriot — In their blind hatred of the GOP, many gay activists have missed one of the biggest stories impacting gay and lesbian Americans in this election. While the Republican vice presidential nominee did indicate her support of a federal marriage amendment, on at least four occasions in this campaign, she has said we should treat gay and lesbian citizens fairly, not judging us by our difference. At the same time, we’ve learned that when John McCain learns “a friend is gay, he says it doesn’t make any difference.”  The ...

"I Will Be The Guy Honchoing That Policy"
A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days — ... not. Article I of the Constitution is the one on the legislative branch." "Joe's been chairman of the Judiciary Committee, a member of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate for 36 years, teaches constitutional law back in Delaware, and can't keep straight which article of the Constitution provides for the legislature and which provides for the executive. So I think I'd write that off as campaign rhetoric. I don't take it seriously." For the record, this is what Biden said in the debate with Sarah Palin : BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president ...

“I Will Be The Guy Honchoing That Policy”
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... “Joe’s been chairman of the Judiciary Committee, a member of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate for 36 years, teaches constitutional law back in Delaware, and can’t keep straight which article of the Constitution provides for the legislature and which provides for the executive. So I think I’d write that off as campaign rhetoric. I don’t take it seriously.” For the record, this is what Biden said in the debate with Sarah Palin: BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most ...

Flashback: When Asked If She Supported Capping Carbon, Palin Said, ‘I Do’
Think Progress — ... But one other point Palin omitted was that she once supported cap-and-trade not more than a year ago. During the Vice Presidential candidates debate with then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Palin ...

Context matters, even with Reagan
Political Animal — CONTEXT MATTERS, EVEN WITH REAGAN.... During last year's debate for the Vice Presidential candidates, Sarah Palin paraphrased a famous Reagan quote: "It was Ronald Reagan who said that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction.... We have to fight for it and protect it, and then hand it to them so that they shall do the same, or we're going to find ourselves spending our sunset years telling our children and our children's children about a time in America, back in the day, when men and women were free." The problem with the quote was that Reagan was, at the ...

Bob Cesca: Famous for Being Famous: The Sarah Palin Show is On the Air
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... Early in the debate she said, "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also." ...