Vice Presidential debate. Your thoughts?

I will be watching the Titans play the Steelers.....politics should never conflict with a Titans game....that's just the way it is!!!.....thanks for asking tho!

Joe Biden will develop a serious case of foot-in-mouth syndrome,which should provide some pretty funny soundbites from Fox News.Paul Ryan will most likely trip over the conservative stance on every subject from abortion to same-sex marriage.In all,maybe a comic relief from the other two simpletons who happen to be running for the posistion of President.God save this country,please.....

They're both Catholic, and to my knowledge, neither have any family history of polygamy so maybe that won't be an issue on this thread.

I thought Biden did much better on substance than the President, but I don't know that it will be a game changer. I found Biden's behavior throughout the debate to be rude and condescending. He interrupted Ryan constantly. I don't know if he was being excessively obnoxious to make up for Obama's sleepy performance or what. I'm not sure I buy his Libya answers either. I think Ryan did fine but did not challenge Biden enough on some of his more outrageous claims. Towards the end Biden looked liked a bitter old man the way he was yelling at the moderator. While I agree more with Ryan, I'm not sure I'd award either a definitive win. To me, Biden's behavior was more a negative for him in my opinion.

I was expecting a much stronger attack from Biden and was a bit taken back by things he found humorous. Was he trying to belittle what Ryan was saying or did I miss something humorous?

It wasn't the slam dunk Republicans might have hoped for either, so ..... maybe the Titans game was a viable alternative.

It was kinda like watching a debate between Albert Einstein and Eddie Haskell.

He might of been off his meds or maybe he'd dipped into someone else's meds or maybe the moderator was making funny faces at him.

Yeah Biden did come off a lttle Haskell-esh.

I think Ryan reminds me of a cross between Eddie Haskell and Eddie Munster, very creepy guy. But what's worse, is that much like Sarah Palin, Ryan has shown that he's in way over his head and is in no way ready to be a heartbeat away from being President. Joe Biden, on the other hand, shows why he would be totally qualified to be President. The Romney/Ryan ticket is looking like a joke.

The two performances so far (with one to go) only resemble actual "debate" in the loosest sense of the word. WHile it would be nice to see an actual debate, these are as close as we will get to having an opportunity to evaluste the candidates' plans for their administrations. Partisan declarations of winners and losers in these "debates" predictably dovetail with their partisan stances. Here is what I have seen so far, theatrical considerations aside.

Both sides recognize the budget deficit as a problem.

Both have actually declared that their intent is to increase the amount of taxes paid by the wealthy. The Democrats' plan is to do this by increasing the tax rate on the top earners. The Republican method is by reducing the tax rate and eliminating deductions which apply primarily to the wealthy. The problem is that these "deductions" to be eliminated remain a closely guarded secret. Stretching credulioty even further, they will supposedly be arrived at by bipartisan agreement. Anyone who believes that the tax breaks for the wealthy would be reduced by even a single party congress is living in a fantasy world. So the only part of either plan likely to pass congress is the reduction in tax rates, reducing revenues. Reducing revenues is seldom the answer for a business losing money, likewise it will not reduce our budget deficit. So score a slight edge to the Democrats for living in the real world. For those trumpeting the idea that somehow lower taxes will stimulate spending, let me remind you of the effectiveness of the stimulus cash gifts... the only spending they stimulated was larger bonuses for the top executives in the largest corporations. Business is pragmatic, and the only thing that stimulates business spending is the opportunity to make more money. Our economy will follow the world economy, just like everyone else's.

When it comes to cutting spending, both sides are living in a fantasy world. The Democrats' talk of applying the "savings" from disengaging from combat opperations in the Middle East is ridiculous. Reducing an expenditure is not the same thing as receiving revenue, especially when that expenditure was being paid for with debt to begin with. The Republican proposal to defund PBS was insulting. The money involved is so insignificant that it would require a similar sut to be discovered every 2 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to reduce the deficit. It is akin to trying to save a failing business by reducing the use of paper clips. Any CEO in a similar situation who even wasted his time discussing paper clips would be fired. On the Democrats side we have Obamacare. Partisan predictions as to its effect are, well.. partisan. It remains to be seen how it will work out in reality. At least there was an attempt to address a real issue. The Republican medicare "plan" is a sick joke. So many people have told me it is the "only plan that will save medicare." That is ridiculous. It is no plan at all. Essentially this administration will do nothing. Cuts are planned not for the winners of this election to make, nor for the winners of the next election, but for the late stages of the admninistration elected in the election after that. All this "plan" shows is their estimation that people under 55 are not close enough to medicare to really care. I will give them credit for this much, I think they nailed that part. But when those people are closer to 65, do you honestly think they will stand by and have medicare changed? If the Republican plan for medicare is good enough for my children, it ought to be good enough for me, and promising to make changes during an administration still 3 election cycles removed is intellectully dishonest. If it werent for the comments on "war savings" I would give the Democrats a slight edge again. But the truth is, neither side seems to have a grasp over how to reduce a deficit.

now i have to go feed the animals. I doubt anyone is interested, but I will finish my analysis later.

It seems to me that the people who will lose the most from the Republican reforms of entitlements (Social Security and Medicare) are those of us in the younger generations that actually prepare for our own retirement. Most plans to save these programs put forth by conservatives hinge on means testing the benefits. If I do not benefit from my contributions to these programs due to my own careful planning, doesn't that in effect make my contributions a tax and would that not make these programs an alternate way of taxing the wealthy?

Neither candidate won this debate but at least Ryan is good with numbers while Biden gives us "malarkey" and "stuff". I will take the nerd with the pocket protector (Ryan) over the village idiot (Biden) any day.

Please.............Lord save us from ourselves. The actuality of the debate shows us again what our present president, vice president and government does not know, or what they do not want us to know. Either to me is very scary when you are face to face with terrorism that can not only kill us abroad; and does and is not recognized or admitted / it can walk right in our door. "Uncle Joe" showed us his lack of control with his stupid and idiotic facial expressions / timeing off immensely / and just how much of a bully he is. I feel strongly Ryan respectfully had more restraint and control over his emotions. Biden is a hot head and his son Beau certainly did not help Biden's cause. Beau's response was rehearsed and staged way ahead of the opportunity being given to him to comment after the debate. Romney / Ryan in November. Let's really change this time.

Last night we saw a man and a boy on stage.Biden gave Ryan a spanking.Ryan is not ready to be president. Ryan is no match against Bidens knowledge and experience.Ryan has admitted that the Romney/Ryan tickets faith will affect their policys.I hoped every women in America saw how he will rule on womens health.They will take women back to the 1940s.AS for their views on foreign policys, if they win and start another costly war,they need to send billionairs sons and daughters first as well as his own.Most of the talk about Libya is political, did Bush see 911 coming. It was not only 4 americans killed it was 3,000.And speaking about the deficit, Ryan voted for all deficit spending under Bush.The deficit didnt matter then.Now lets talk about medicare.Under Romney you will get a little voucher to take to a insurance company and buy a plan.How much will it cost a 70 year old with pre-existing conditions?Seniors will be paying as much as $6,400 more out of pocket a year.And thats only if they can find a company that will insure them.

lets be real .... you take great notes, almost word from word what most of the commentators had to say. The real facts are in the truth, not a planned, rehearsed mock debate before it hits the stage. What improvements can you list that Obama can take credit for / and I mean true credit, not someone elses heroism or sacrifice. Biden is even lacking in the acting part. His smiles, grins, chuckles and "can't believe its" was way over the top and rude to say the least. Biden did nothing for himself or his party.

I don't understand why women should be having abortions anyway . . . are they just too stupid or lazy to use contraception or just not have sex until they are ready to have children? Abortion seems like the kind of answer you get for people who don't want to take responsibility for their actions.

It's because their contraceptives weren't covered by insurance jaxspike. Obamacare's gonna fix that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwejQBIyjow

Last time I checked abstinence was free and condoms can also be obtained for free at the health department. This has nothing to do with Obamacare or whatever silly talking point you are trying to get across.

It comes with one's own responsibility and yes, I am a woman [ unless a woman is raped or a victim of incest, she should have control over her own actions with any kind of sexual contact]. The insurance claim may be justified. Life "does" begin at conception / you can't just turn on a switch and say "okay it's time for life to start" GOD had and has a plan for life / it is started only between a man and a woman --- not same sex. Go figure, this opens a whole new arguement from the g/l community. What is right and wrong can be found in The Bible, that is what it is there for. To study. Anyone who takes time to study it and learn from it will realize what an awesome God we have.

I was being facetious. Roe v Wade has weathered multiple Republican administrations and while I appreciate and am in agreement with your perspective jaxspike, I don't see abortion as being a deciding issue for non-committed voters this time around. Obamacare is according to Biden "a big effing deal" and in my mind a more immediate issue. I favor repeal and replace. Sorry if I gave offense.

Rep.Ryan was collected, level headed, articulate and sharp.Biden was rude, interrupting and laughing so crazy, he must have been off his med's, hands flying up in the air, and yelling....He was shameful ...

Republicans applauded Romney when he was a rude bully in the firsr debate.Biden just tangled Ryan up in his own lies and didnt let him get away with it.Ryan is a hippocrate. He complained about the stimulus but asked for stimulus money for his state.Ryan gave no details on taxes or tell the full truth about his medicare plan.Romney stated that thanks to hospitals americans who lack insurance dont have it so bad and people dont die in thier apartments because of no insurance. Mr Romney yes they do.I am in the medical field and I see lots of people come into the hospital for strokes from unable to buy blood pressure medication with no insurance or having long stays for things that could have been prevented avoided by having insurance for doctor visits.Romney does not care for the middle class. Obama has passed fair wages for women, taken out more terrorist than any other president, passed healthcare,given lots of middle class tax breaks,need I go on. I take home more since he has been in office.Abortions is not the only issue for women . Romney will cut planned parenthood. That means no cancer screening for millions of women without insurance.But he doesnt care since they are in the 47%.

Romney was never rude in the first debate - just asking what has been accomplished in the lst 4 yrs hit a nerve / Obama just didn't show up!

The next Obama/Romney debate should be "extra" interesting, given the first one. Sounds like a new topic to explore. (with a new post, not here)

It is actually sort of amusing to see the various interpretations of the "debates," which really reflect nothing except the personal preferences of the writers. Out of the four, between Romney's sometimes bizarre expressions, Obama's disconnected participation, and Biden's theatrics, Ryan actually presented the best comportment. However, in content Ryan was the most disappointing. Advertised as a "policy wonk" and practically a "human calculator," I was expecting to hear some meaningful detail. Obviously he had embraced and mastered the strategy of dealing in vague generalities and BS numbers.

In the discussion of foreign policy, the Republicans gave me the uncomfortable impression that they intend to return to the schoolyard bully "diplomacy" of the lesser bush era. This is the approach which left us entangled in two ground wars, with very few friends in the world. Admittedly, you will never have many real "friends" in the world, as every nation is primarily concerned with their own interests, but at least someone with a grasp of nuanced diplomacy could leave us with friendly allies. Blustering and threatening will not persuade our "enemies" to disarm, it will rather add urgency to their desire to be able to defend themselves from an aggressive bully. Teddy Roosevelt once said we should "Speak softly and carry a big stick." We have the big stick and everyone knows it. The speak softly part is sometimes forgotten. We might be the most powerful nation on the planet, but we have not the resources to project our might on every inch of the globe. It is a big world. The current administration does not have a perfect record in foreign affairs (none ever will) but they have done a lot to restore respect for America around the world. I would hate to see us go back to the self-defeating approach of the lesser bush. Score this one a big edge to the Democrats.

Wrong - of course that's my opinion and you have yours. Bowing down surely does not show respect. It shows weakness.

Walmart has many blood pressure medications available in generic for $4 a month or $10 for 90 days. If you can't treat someone's high blood pressure using the medications on that list, you aren't worth your salt as a practitioner. Many people would sooner buy cigarettes than buy their own blood pressure medications. What is the function of the health departments that are in practically every city if not to serve the poor?

http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/genericdruglist.pdf

The middle class has seen their income drop by about $2500 while at the same time paying more for fuel, food and health care. Jobs and economic growth are what will help the middle class. Our economic growth rate of 1.3% won't cut it. Biden stated last night that he always says what he means. From his mouth to God's ears, he has said that the middle class has been buried the past 4 years. That part he was honest about at least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvqqNG4hr8

As far as Ryan requesting Stimulus funds goes, if Wisconsin is to be on the hook to pay back this great load of waste, why should they not get some of the money?

There is nothing wrong with getting stimulus money . Tennessee has gotten some. But dont stand up and lie about it as Ryan did.Obama did not know which Romney would show up.He has many faces.How can you get a perscription with out regular doctor visits. Without insurance doctors will not see you unless you pay cash first.One visit is around $200 or more.

Try this place if you can't afford a Dr. visit or talk to your local health department.

http://www.shelbyvilleclinic.org/home/about_us

or this place if you live in Murfreesboro.

http://www.hopeclnc.org/

Always remember, they are one heartbeat away.

Wrong - of course that's my opinion and you have yours. Bowing down surely does not show respect. It shows weakness.

-- Posted by decorate1956 on Fri, Oct 12, 2012, at 4:27 PM

Who did we bow down to? Who has attacked American soil since 2008? Wasn't the original purpose of going to Afghanistan to get the person responsible? Wasn't that done? How many top ranking member of Al Qaeda were killed in the last 4 years?

Finally, for all the deficit hawk Republicans who suddenly claim to have concern about the deficit? Who was the last Republican president to balance a budget? It was neither of the Bush boys, it wasn't Reagen, it wasn't Ford, it wasn't Nixon... you have to go ALL THE WAY BACK to Eisenhower, or 50 years ago. Who was the last Democratic president to balance a budget? You only need to go back 12 years. There is a huge difference in facts and fiction, and for 50 years we have been sold nothing but fiction, and we continue to believe the myths.

How does the party that began two wars, launched a prescription drug program, tripled defense spending, pushed through TARP, and oversaw the beginning of a financial crisis that rocked the entire globe, suddenly feel they have any credibility when it comes to speaking about finances.

Neither party is perfect when it comes to spending, in fact no Democrat believes that. But we also know that facts matter, something Biden consistently pointed out last night, and the moderator also demanded. Something Romney was never confronted with in his debate.

Apparently you've been under a rock the last four years. How would you not know this if you are such a supporter of Obama. The king of Saudi Arabia == the man most linked as the money behind a radical Islam. It should have been a handshake, just as the other world leaders did / but then they are not Barak "Hussein" Obama. It was in poor taste as a representative of our country.

Copied from the web referring to Clinton's endorsement of Obama ---- This says it all ---- [How could a lying, cradle robbing adulterous, thieving (did they get all the stuff back Clinton took when he moved out of the White House) ex-president who was impeached by the House help any campaign? Oh, wait he is campaigning for Obama] -- So now "Uncle Joe" and "Uncle Bill" will help Obama save himself............not!

Technically an American embassy is American soil. So the last terrorist attack on American soil was one month ago by Al Qaeda. I don't know that the whole purpose of being in Afghanistan was to kill Bin Laden. I would not consider the lives of 2000 American young people worth Bin Laden alone if we do not have some other reason for being there. I'm in agreement regarding spending. Republicans constantly champion smaller government, but it inevitably grows under their control. The fact that Democrats are up front in their desire to grow government and raise taxes says something I guess.

The two wars were bipartisan, at least at the beginning. The financial crisis had its origins long before Bush became president as well. It all comes back to blame Bush. Who will Obama blame for the economy he has in 2013 if he wins re-election? Bush, most likely.

http://freebeacon.com/biden-claims-he-voted-against-afghanistan-iraq-wars/

Obama is not the only president to bow to other presidents.Was it in poor taste when Bush bowed to Saudi King Abdulla and kissed him.Was it in poor taste when Nixon bowed to the King. Was Eisenhower in poor taste,he bowed to everyone.To everyone here go to the internet and type in Bush bows to Saudi King.How soon we forget,or is it only in poor taste when Obama did it.Decorate1956 how can you not remember Bush bowing,or were you under a rock.When Obama wins again the economy will continue to get better maybe he will keep giving out all that stimulus money all the republicans asked for behind closed doors and complained about to the public.They used government money to balance budgets in their states. Ryan asked for lots of money more than once.He is caught on tape stating he never asked.Oh and by the way Clinton was not he first or only president to have sex in the whitehouse.And as far as craddle robbing the women was of age and knew exactally what she was doing,and is going to write a book and get money.She was looking ahead.

Hospitals only have to do the minimum needed to stabilize you - know a man who had to have emergency heart surgery - they did it and sent him home, he was not given access to any follow up care - Tenn care turned him down and the doctors wanted 500.00 and a credit report up front to see him . He lost his job because the employer did not want to be responsible for future heart problems. Someone mentioned 4 dollar heart meds well without a doctor to prescribe them they are not available. This mans only health care was ER services, had he been able to afford a doctor he would never had needed the surgery ( he worked at an entry level income no benefit available) - so instead of the expense of a doctor ( we were charges 170 to be seen for an ear ache after insurance imagine a heart specialist) the state ended up getting charged for two life flights and multiple ER visits leading up to emergency surgery, and ER visits afterwards due to instances that would have other wise been addressed in a office call. HE has not been able to return to work , nobody hires a heart patient who is not released from a physician and has panic attacks out of fear of repeat heart issues. He is uninsurable, unemployable, and can not get Tenncare. He is stuck. With health care,his condition could have treated and stabilized before it became the drastic condition it did, thus avoiding the situation he is in now. HE always enjoyed and took pride in working. I am not calling him a victim, reality is what it is. Would you hire him? Would you insure him? ( not personally but a person in his position) In this economy there are more than enough healthy workers nobody want a liability.

When americans cast their vote this november,which idea will influence them more? Having a smart military republican diplomat like Colin Powell endorse your candidate or Donald Trump and Glen Beck.Where have they hid Bush and Cheney?Why are they not along side Romney campaigning?