The Biden v. Ryan Debate Thread

Mods, rename as inclined, I'm dry on clever thread titles right now

Dunno if I'm even up for watching this live. My nerves, etc.

never forget:

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n68/sexegesis/dztob9.gif

"Mind If I Call You Paul? I've Got Some Good Zingers Where I Call You Paul"

Haha TERRIBLE

Obama Presidency hangs in the balance!

Joe Biden: he fixes things.

http://images.movieplayer.it/2003/02/24/harvey-keitel-in-una-scena-di-pulp-fiction-5504.jpg

http://foxystale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/biden-ice-cream.jpg

is this tonight

thursday

i heard ryan was going to pwn biden so hard that obama was going to lose another 4 points

i heard andrew sullivan was gonna die over this debate

cool debate

Somebody ought to mock up a Tarantino style movie poster for this

If Biden uses the term "WHAMBULANCE" at any time during the debate I will buy all of ILX ice cream

sadface paul ryan is going to be a key aspect of this. like it is gonna be like paul mccartney plaintively raising his eyebrows at the camera while he sings yesterday, forehead etched with feelings.

fiddle while Amerika burns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcjet2MwUR0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewP01X5x9Nw

^^ Ha, there's the face Schlump was talking about.

biden should get all what happened to you why r u so sad its ok you are amongst friends here

Like a therapist or bartender

ha yes then pour him a low carb beer and pat him on the back

Fuck! I wish I could find that Steve Martin/Tim Meadows SNL sketch where Martin is pushing meadows to explain why he is bummed and then Meadows is like "I'm depressed because this is the only sketch I'm I'm tonight"

"You have to understand, this ideology was a wedding gift from Uncle Grover."
"Is your Uncle Grover a millionaire?"
"No...."
"Well, your Uncle Barack is THE PRESIDENT"

Biden email today sounded pretty scrappy - "gets fact-checked by his own campaign on his health care plan, thinks Sesame Street deserves tougher treatment than Wall Street, and wrote off half of the country when he thought no one was listening."

"when he literally literally LITERALLY -- listen, folks -- NO ONE was listening."

we should just script this thing already - there's time

I think Ryan came off surprisingly well, but Biden more than held his own, for an old guy. It was almost as if Ryan felt constrained by his future prospects, you know? Like, he didn't even rise to Biden's bait when Joe brought up that high speed rail thing. If there were two more debates I imagine Ryan would have been more aggressive, but I have to give this one to Biden. Whether it gives a bump to Obama is another matter.

fiddle while Amerika burns

― cancer, kizz my hairy irish azz (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, October 9, 2012 10:22 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

as opposed to...whatever it is you're up to on this and every other thread?

Amerika Amerika is killing its youf

So Rove's tactic of challenging Lehrer's suitability to moderate (with PBS having a conflict of interest) served the GOP very well in last week's debate. Now Drudge leads with the story that Obama attended the wedding of tomorrow's moderator, which gives the GOP another win-win: cobbling the moderator's credibility, so thatnthey either win the debate or lose an "unfair" debate, with no counter-story either way. Not looking good for O-B.

no amat, as opposed to not wasting 90 mins on 2 flim-flam men who a re assassination insurance.

So Rove's tactic of challenging Lehrer's suitability to moderate (with PBS having a conflict of interest) served the GOP very well in last week's debate.

I thought Romney kicking Obama's ass served the GOP very well. I don't 'remember complaints about Lehrer's "conflict" after the debate.

Bunch of articles like this (again featured on Drudge the 48 hours leading up to last week's debate):
http://www.ibtimes.com/2012-presidential-debates-jim-lehrer-too-liberal-be-fair-799625

right but it didn't matter afterwards

There weren't complaints after the last debate, but if Romney had performed weakly there sure would've been. That's what makes this strategy win-win for the GOP: win a fair debate or lose an unfair one.

http://m.gawker.com/5950583/the-ryan+biden-debate-lets-talk-powerpoints-vs-im-gonna-fuck-you-up-chief

Deep down, probably all of us secretly wish that The Onion's version of Vice President Joe Biden were real. Perhaps it's all those gaffes talking—the combined weight of decades of gives-no-fuck moments leading to the suspicion that maybe this is a dude who would be willing to race you for the vice presidency because, face it, your IROC-Z is bullshit. The idea that any iteration of that dude might show up is what makes tomorrow night's vice presidential debate so potentially exciting.

I really don't understand the thinking behind picking "Mobutu Sese Seko" as your nom de plume

Is this foreign policy, or just whatever comes up? The Libyan Embassy stories today are bad.

Just another day in Obama's repulsive foreign policy in the Middle East.

This isn't aiming drones at American citizens or killing bystanders in Pakistan; this looks like rank incompetence motivated by a need to avoid American "footprints" in North Africa. But Americans aren't listening anyway.

Incompetence that gets an ambassador killed vs. incompetence that gets thousands of soldiers and several times that in civilians killed.

I think Ryan came off surprisingly well, but Biden more than held his own, for an old guy. It was almost as if Ryan felt constrained by his future prospects, you know? Like, he didn't even rise to Biden's bait when Joe brought up that high speed rail thing. If there were two more debates I imagine Ryan would have been more aggressive, but I have to give this one to Biden. Whether it gives a bump to Obama is another matter.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, October 10, 2012 4:50 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Wait, what, are you posting from the future?

we should just script this thing already - there's time

― Raymond Cummings, Wednesday, October 10, 2012 1:48 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

biden killed. some of the homophobic jabs were a bit odd and i know it won't play well with the democratic base but, hey. according to twitter, biden had jeff ross sit in on a few writing sessions. not sure which lines were directly from him, though. didn't even know ross was a democrat-- he did visit occupy l.a. though, right? best line of the night was the twisted sister/ayn rand/abortion thing.

uncomfortable close ups of ryan's facial expressions during the debate remixed with badalamenti score creeping people out.

biden had an obvious erection on the walkup to the podium. nothing to be ashamed of.

Wait, what, are you posting from the future?

Ha, just seeing if anyone was paying attention (Also: yes)

I've got an uneasy feeling about this, too. If Biden does well, I don't think it'll mean much; if he doesn't, I can see where that could become a big deal. (If Ryan were to have a disastrous night, that would probably be a story.)

http://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/when-keeping-it-relatable-goes-wrong-for-national-politicians

uncomfortable close ups of ryan's facial expressions during the debate remixed with badalamenti score creeping people out.

― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 11 October 2012 03:11 (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hahahahahahaha

i am gonna watch this w/a keyboard organ

Keep an eye out for JOLTIN Joe's knockout punch

What was Palin really saying in that "My pussy's so hot" gif?

Because I hope Ryan says the same thing.

hahahaha

She was saying "my pussy's so hot," iirc.

So anyway

http://gawker.com/5950879/paul-ryan-has-already-lost-the-debate-based-on-these-workout-photos

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/565042_10151859586687137_830724633_n.jpg

Did Ayn Rand do body crunches with a backwards baseball cap?

those pictures are amazing

Did Ayn Rand do body crunches

in a manner of speaking, if you know her biography

I am in disbelief over them being from last year, they are so 90s.

There's gotta be an iphone pic of his penis floating around out there. Maybe him and Anthony Wiener jousting or something.

Hope you all enjoyed that mental image as much as I did!

"We have crossed swords, not shields."

There's absolutely a Ryan dickpic somewhere out there. Dude's a body-obsessed egomaniac. I'll bet he jerks off in front of a mirror.

This is really that one guy from "The State", right?

http://timethemoment.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/time_paulryan_20111205_04021.jpg

They look like promo photos for a terrible, terrible sitcom.

The GOP moving from Dick Cheney to sexy Paul Palin's was completely unexpected.

Paul Ryan's new sitcom, Working it Out

Speaking of sitcoms:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3751_10151438103293368_650751246_n.jpg

omg

Here he is playing in the woods.

http://www.yourprops.com/movieprops/default/yp_504a453a4fe5d9.40596297/Tom-Dobbs-Robin-Williams-Hat.jpg

What Ezra Klein learned about Paul Ryan.

I expect this debate to be mostly inconsequential but also pretty hilarious

The chances that Ryan, by looking good and sounding smart, can help his ticket are much higher than the chances that Biden will bring Obama a single vote.This debate only works against Romney-Ryan if Biden scores direct hits against Romney (hits against Ryan don't count for much), or if Ryan spouts off on policy in such a way that it scares people on a personal level (such as Social Security privatization) and it was so plainspoken that it can't be spun away or denied later.

if Ryan spouts more blatant lies like he did at the convention and Romney did at the last debate, it will not be good for them. I dunno if Biden will be quick enough to catch/exploit them but who knows

It's true that politicians sometimes have their favorite little facts that illustrate their point, and it turns out to be some urban myth. Ryan may not have had all these beaten out of him by his handlers, yet.

curious whether Ryan will take the same tack as Romney and run away from or obfuscate their most unpopular & controversial campaign positions, or let it all hang out

*zip* "Here ya go."

whoa there

http://timethemoment.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/time_paulryan_20111205_04021.jpg

lol

Ryan's instinct is to let it all hang out and trust that he can outargue you, bcz he is a true believer and a smart guy. This is a common Achillean Heel of many smart people (as I know from personal experience).

Surely he's hamstrung by the Romney plans versus his own in that regard

Figured it out -- Ryan was saying "Don't touch my junk" in that photo.

Ryan's instinct is to let it all hang out and trust that he can outargue you, bcz he is a true believer and a smart guy.

yeah this is what I was alluding to (and hoping for)

but I'm sure the campaign doesn't want him to do that

women's reproductive rights HAS to come up in this debate right? with a guy up there at the podium who has co-sponsored bills with Akin and said that his position and Romney's are identical on that issue?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbqo4r75qI1qza0tpo1_500.jpg

I'd be surprised if Biden doesn't bring it up

xp

http://www.theonion.com/articles/bidens-handlers-suggesting-he-forget-the-words-pin,29870/

Yeah, I'm really surprised the Onion guys haven't fallen all over themselves to put out articles, but I'm guessing they're holding them to do twitter jokes tonight

The Biden persona is too familiar, but I like where they're going with Ryan's:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/naked-tiedup-paul-ryan-tells-staff-he-cant-prepare,29872/

http://media.salon.com/2012/10/rand_ryan_cover2.jpg

would happily ban all ppl who use 'amerika,' 'amerikan,' and all variations thereof from ever talking about politics ever again.

what about amerikkka

what about kafka

the picture in that biden article is what made it work for me.

i'd be fine with letting kafka handle all political discussions from now on

With failing eyes he could still see his hospital bill immediately before him, figure leaning against figure, watching the final act. "Like Big Bird!" he said; it was as if the shame of it must outlive him.

Dear Joe Biden, Please preface your opening remarks by humming a few bars of the "Sesame Street" theme ok thx bye

Everyone's staking waaaaay too many chips on tonight

hear hear

Wait, are you saying you don't remember how the entire election was decided after the '08 VP debate?

is there a drinking game for this?

O'Douls in honor of the veep.

There was no conceivable way that Sarah Palin was ever going to be VP, let alone Pres. Even if Ryan does not become VP, which is likely, there is a not insignificant chance of him running for pres somewhere down the line, and, at least given what little we have to work with now, winning (why the hell not? he's uncontested!). But if he tanks, he not only slows the Mittmentum, but handicaps himself when it comes to future national stage endeavors. So, yeah, there's more hinging on this one than usual, maybe not when it comes to the current race, but when it comes to the broader narrative.

In other words, there better be a drinking game. The one I'm playing is having a few drinks before the debate even starts. Everyone's a winner!

Alfred: Just curious--what does matter in determining this election? Tonight's debate doesn't matter, the Libyan embassy doesn't matter, this gaffe doesn't matter, that controversy doesn't matter, the media doesn't matter, the polls don't matter, etc. What does matter?

What matters is how well the incumbent persuades the relatively small number of indies that their medical health and economic security are best left under his care. The rest keeps David Gregory employed.

Fair enough. At least I got you on the record.

A VP debate shouldn't mean anything but a tedious presidential debate with no major moments shouldn't have turned the race upside down.

With a female moderator i'm hoping she brings up women's issues.

Martha Raddatz seems like a badass.

Martha Rad-ass.

ryan looks like jay cutler in that workout pic

No bad ass would ever be allowed several leagues within hosting one of these debates

Raddatz is a hack who repeats whatever the DoD and NSA tell her btw

Some asshole complained so they switched the bar tv from The Electric Company(in HD, no less) to fuckin' CNN.

I don't want to see Wolf Blitzer or Erin Burnett ever again when I'm not forced to in an airport.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/biden-puts-on-lucky-debate-suit,29881

Biden Puts On Lucky Debate Suit

http://o.onionstatic.com/images/18/18371/original/600.jpg?5884

wooooo Gwen tear it up

hope David Brooks is drunk

Paul Ryan might actually just be Ryan Stiles with some hair dye.

we did that image macro already didn't we?

Biden half-answers question in 15 seconds, jumps into buldogging for O

yeah, that was a quick transition

Biden bein' crisp

Sweet, brought up OBL pretty much right away.

A cell w/ arms
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zfYxuvZsH5c/TaQhjqFq_II/AAAAAAAAB-U/09Yl0xk-ZtM/s1600/flagella-2.jpg

Yeah, we're into it a lot quicker this time

Joe has a great smile, Ryan has good puppy dog eyes.

Joe's manic smile is A+ XP

Biden trying REAL hard not to laugh

oh there he goes

YES! MALARKEY! DRINK!

JOE

Bideeeeeeeen

Joe not having it

this guy joe biden

Just don't start laughing out loud, JB.

Ryan looks like he wants to bite Joe's head off

wow these are some great facial expressions

Ryan's shook, doesn't want to talk about foreign policy for one more second

wow -- this guy does not CARE for foreign policy

I'm convinced. Let's invade Libya.

i'm on my way out to the gym, but apparently we're following someone into hell now?

so how much of the basic science from the Manhattan project is totally classified? How much of it was figured out by civilians afterwards? (Not expecting answers, just the question arises when Iran is refining uranium at the rate of 1 bomb per year, I guess it's hard to do.)

Chuckles

The most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions, period, period.

man that laughing <3

loving the biden @ camera moments

Ryan gettin' in the head of the ayatollahs

"Martha, let's look at the history of ayatollahs. Let's look at my own party."

Joe's a bit fumbly with words, but Ryan's sharp widow's peak isn't helped by his haircut shelf

lol dude "spinning the centrifuges faster" will screw everything up

Nuclear war, coming March 2013!

The Onion's Joe Biden's is twittering commentary

https://twitter.com/OnionPolitics

BIBI
BIBI

"This is a bunch of stuff"

"This is a bunch of STUFF!"

weeks of training to keep him from saying "pile of shit" on live tv

^^^ yes

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Joe Biden utterly and without reservation

"FACTS MATTER"

this is a bunch of STUFF lol

xpost

wow, the contrast bet/w this and the '04 Veep debate....

Love this shit

O should start walking around in wizard robes, flanked by Joe and Bubba oiled up and wearing loincloths

Ryan/Romney pretty loose with the Russia as Great Evil talk.

i love how Biden is basically laughing in Randroid Boy's face.

biden doesn't even need to talk in this debate, ryan should talk for the whole time while biden shakes his head

Biden is this close to throwing his beercan at Ryan.

Biden doing great.

47 PERCENT

oh goodie the economy ... this will be even more amusing.

Every time Biden says "my friend" Ryan throws up a little in his mouth

Oh snap! 47%!

joe biden shreds

FUCK YEAH

"Joe and I are from similar towns"

Biden is drawing dicks

lol adjust seasonally you douche

i just tuned in about 2 minute ago - if biden's been doing this the whole time FUCK YEAH

damn this is awesome ...

boy is Ryan stiff

haha, hell yeah, this is getting good

How can something grow in the wrong direction?

nick kroll ‏@nickkroll
Paul Ryan looks like if Eddie Munster fucked Howdy Doody. #vpdebate

6:16 PM - 11 Oct 12

Matt Besser ‏@MattBesser
Wait, they call us the Great Satan?!!!! Let's go to war!!!!!!!!! #VPDebate

6:23 PM - 11 Oct 12

PBS director is A+ bringing in frequent two-shots

YES

i've been watching with the sound off and this is v awesome and hilarious

I have the tv on behind me while I work, so I'm not getting any visuals...just from the talk-talk, Biden's energy level jumped when they switched to domestic/economy.

oh shit, a personal story...

PBS director is A+ bringing in frequent two-shots

so is ABC

i need a feed of just biden's reactions

lol at all the networks realizing that all biden reactions must be on camera

There has to be a supercut of Biden laughing.

snl sketch is writing itself

DanFosterNRO Car accident story poor choice by Ryan

"Get out of the way, you fucking children"

wtf, I can't believe ryan brought up a car crash

"Get Out of the Way and Show Me Something" t-shirts, now

Ryan had a dick in his mouth on live TV

the expression on Ryan's face suggested he knew he fucked up on that car accident anecdote

cspan is on permanent splitscreen, only way to get the full joltin joe xperience

fuck is this some fun drama

u guys

mmm green pork

biden is such a joy

I WISH HE WOULD JUST TELL THE -- be a little more candid.

watching baseball, is biden killing it as much as tumblr is telling me

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT GOING BROKE, YOU LYING HACK

he is killing it

Martha trying not to laugh when asking the next question

So so so glad Biden's calling him out on all his malarky.

I do like Ryan's tie

@LaughingJoeBiden lol

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Congressman Ryan
Joe Biden

holy shit Sarah Palin mentioned

What is this "soshcurity" thing Ryan's talking about?

Odd that people thought Biden would hammer Ryan on foreign policy, but not much came of that. But Biden pounding on the domestic front.

Biden figured out how to hit the mark and look in the camera, taking major advantage

pointing at the seniors!!

He pointed at me! He pointed at me!

They are openly interrupting each other, this is more fun.

lol ryan getting pissy

ha ha

Biden: 'FOLKS! Follow your instincts on this one!'

horrible mod

Malarky!

Just wanted to say that.

"which he no longer supports"

"which he disavows"

Dr. Jill Biden ‏@JillBidenVeep
I can't believe I'm missing #ProjectRunway for this. #VPDebate

Paul F. Tompkins ‏@PFTompkins
"Joe, I burned you pretty good with my zinger about gaffes. Also, I worship Ayn Rand and my hair is made of tar."

Patton Oswalt ‏@pattonoswalt
I want Obama to watch this debate, CLOCKWORK ORANGE-style. #debate

Ryan even looks like he's lying. He's got that stifled smile my kids get.

<3 Biden right now

Both of these guys are enjoying themselves way more than Obama and Romney

Rembert Browne
‏@rembert
Biden wrote "Ether" and "Takeover"

Sully getting hard again:

9.39 pm. The Onion's Biden is absent. This is a calm, strong forensic refusal to accept any of the bullshit being delivered by the congressman.

Straight talkin' to the seniors.

Joe gunna run out of debate paper quick

brb, going to my mailbox to buy something

hope it's a healthcare

Ryan looks like the sort of dude who had a gawky, geeky "before" that forced him down the road to his beefier "after."

Ryan's puppy dog eyes really are pretty amazing

Charles Atlas shrugged.

Love the sneery way Biden keeps saying "These guys..."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/AmericasBestComics3036.jpg/200px-AmericasBestComics3036.jpg

"all they want to do is scare you from voting for someone" from the guy who runs for a party that essentially has pushed for four years that the president is a communist who wasn't born in America.

"$800 million billion" not quite the right number

'i gave ya a simple answer, he's raising the cost of medicare'

yeah, joe gettin' fumbly again

it's kind of weird that ryan gets all this press as a health nut because i bet most viewers of this debate (who are over 55) look at ryan and immediately think, this man is way too skinny! why isn't he taking care of himself?

Ryan big upping Canada!

Ryan's joke made it sound like he's from Canada.

Watch Joe's reaction shot when his eye defocus as he waits to respond

Fortunately, Ryan's mastery of economics makes him impossible to follow.

Biden, bidin' his time ...

"20% across the board tax cut" sounds like a policy someone made up out of desperation

loving biden's facial interjections.

wow at that question.

isn't the biggest "loophole and deduction" the child tax credit

Reagan and Tip O'Neill sitting under a tree feeding each other grapes.

Blah blah billions blah loophole blah

"You guarantee this math will add up?"

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/full/670613555.gif?key=500280&Expires=1350007572&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=Fe1dLSk6XYbupPyr4OWXOSjGIN2sPN9g47HGIAO7UDr8i3w-Fu8eIZcF4z~utCW2gwAFhozDZ06ODaX8HpMd5lKHNLfnjLxkIsD2v8uVc0U04D4egIae7xAK-6zYYr92VxNfBVyAR9hLfDpwdutx5GTO7J3AOGMvMMLxZfgdBx0_

"Do you personally guarantee this isn't bullshit?"

It's math. Either it works or doesn't. Trust should play no role.

LOL @ "Can i translate?"

"I guarantee it is not not not not not not bullshit. Quick, look over there!"

The only thing I can say at this point with 100% certainty is that Paul Ryan will never, ever be president of the US.

cannot unsee

http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20101011/300.ButchPatrick.EddieMunster.tg.111110.jpg

"Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy!"

A+++++++

If I pay less than 20% in taxes, and they lower my taxes 20%, does that mean they'll pay me?

Holy shit @ "oh now you're jack kennedy"

haha omg biden just does not give a shit

OMG

ClassicBeatz ‏@IamClassicBeatz
After the debate Biden needs to drop the mic and yell "Sexual chocolate!"

Daniel Foster ‏@DanFosterNRO
What does Joe Biden have to do to put you in a certified, pre-owned Acura tonight?

kevinbiegel ‏@kbiegel
Oh man, who wrote Ryan's "overseas" joke? You go to joke jail forever.

James Urbaniak ‏@JamesUrbaniak
Well, Ryan is certainly staying hydrated.

Matt Besser ‏@MattBesser
Oh shit! Dandruff flake on Ryan's left shoulder. I know who I'm not voting for! #VPDebate #lakenotsosuperior

Diamond Joe ‏@OnionPolitics
Hey @BarackObama, that’s how you make a fucking point #debates

Does not give a malarky, you mean.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbran1IxfT1qz581wo1_500.gif

he should bust out "¿Por qué no te calles?"

Ryan's pussy is so wet.

Ryan wandered into the math trap

Charlie Savage ‏@charlie_savage
Jack Kennedy (really LBJ)'s tax bill cut the top marginal rate from 91% to 70%.

Martha RAddatz proving she's a hack by interjecting re military cuts "Nobody wants that"

we don't need a Navy, you dick

I don't know about you, but I don't like looking weak.

well, we'll see how this plays out politically, but for better or worse this is EXACTLY what i was hoping biden would do

we need like, what, three aircraft carriers?

i think biden's benevolent incredulity face is my favourite.

Alex Pareene ‏@pareene
do u guys think chris matthews is enjoying this

Chelsea Peretti ‏@ChelseaVPeretti
This debate is like the last episode of LOST I don't get anything that's happening but sense it's about good and evil

Dead soldiers not funny, move on, Martha.

i love how joe and martha are sharing all these 'can you believe this fuckin guy?' moments

It is a nice tie, though.

Martha RAddatz proving she's a hack by interjecting re military cuts "Nobody wants that"

― the ones that I'm near most: fellow outcasts and ilxors (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, October 12, 2012 1:55 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

she was referring to the sequestration, which is there because nobody wants it.

"So,what about Afghanistan?" / "well I love the troops"

they're not going to talk about women's health, are they

"That was on purpose" a good response to military action.

"My friend" is the key rhetorical flourish here. Did he call Palin "hon"?

$800b of savings from not fighting a war for the next decade a bit specious

"I want my gym spotter home"

put it in a lockbox

Ryan had a line there about problems abroad/jobs at home, and he totally stepped on it. Weeks of rehearsal shot.

i'd like to see a Biden vs. Obama debate

"Martha that's a bizarre statement"

I'm putting us leaving Afghanistan in my calendar right now. Just because, well, you know.

Ryan's starting to unravel a bit, can't get his prepared lines out w/o jumbling them up.XP

$800b of savings from not fighting a war for the next decade a bit specious

― www.toilet-guru.com (silby), Thursday, October 11, 2012 10:00 PM (3 minutes ago)

silby, tough on both sides

STEP UP STEP UP

fellas! we're leavin! step up!

wow -- the right knows it's losing

charlescwcooke People who are secure in their thoughts don't browbeat the opposition, @ElisaMinneci. Sorry, but Biden's a morally vain emotional bully.

Ryan schooling us all now.

i'm worried that joe is turning off the ladeez....a little too much edge when he talks to Raddatz

Sorry, but Biden's a morally vain emotional bully.

true + irrelevant

xpost Nah, that was hot.

biden hasn't taken one drink of water

"The calendar works the same every year"

"It DOES work the same every year!"

‏@JenKirkman
Jan Hooks would have impersonated this moderator in the 90's.

Ryan got lost in the weeds

u guys paul ryan knows names of weird towns in afghanistan he's so smart <3

if the right's best response to this is "BIDEN IS MEAN!" they just got slaughtered

If I were Afghan, I would not vote for Biden.

AFGHAN TROOPS

AFGHAAAANS to do the job

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRT_0GbtrcF3WXo_UObOG6GtbgXT0eOy3YulzmPQ_DCex9FM9zdVQ

AFGHAAAANS TO DO THE JOB!!

AFGHAAAAAAAAANS TO DO THE JOOOOB!!

GOD DAMMIT

THIS MODERATOR IS DETECTIVE EAMES FROM LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT

JOOOOOE

Raddatz
By Mona Charen
October 11, 2012 9:52 P.M.
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When Biden isn’t interrupting Ryan, Raddatz is! This is the worst moderated debate I’ve ever seen. Biden is being a jerk, and Raddatz is coming down on Ryan.

More Russia!

Romney talk to Russia.

"Biden is being a jerk"

looooool eat shit

lol the Teabags are being such pussies about this debate = A GOOD THING.

debating foreign policy between an incumbent and a challenger is a bit weird because one side has all the data and all the state dept. agents and the other side is sorta stuck making stuff up

Mary Kay Zuravleff ‏@mkzur
Just looked up unemployment in Janesville, WI: 2009 15%; now, 9.2%. #vpdebate

"Qatari" is a fun word

Eh, Ryan and Romney get the same briefs now, don't they?

lol did he just call Russia's UNSC veto "us giving Russia veto power" over something?

uh oh, Martha gettin' pissed now

England and France also have veto power iirc

yes I was confused about that then I remembered that Paul Ryan would prob withdraw from the UN if he had the power to do so XP

putting american troops on the mbumbbm

'bortion coming!

Herrrrrrre we go

jesus what a shitty final q

Alex Pareene ‏@pareene
no seriously did the debate commission make everyone promise "no gross social issue stuff"

xp spoke too soon, here we go

FAITH

BEAN BABY HEARTBEAT

please shaaaaare

Ryan's such a jackass

you know who else was nicknamed Bean?

I hope Ryan cries and then someone gives him a vaginal probe against his will.

you know who else was nicknamed Bean?

Cobain's child?

War on Christmas!

of course, the only important position that Catholics have is on abortion = more tilting the debate to the right.

a deformed psychopath in a Mormon homophobe's fascist jerk-off fantasy that's who

save the human beans

so was the science and reason... the ultrasound? of the bean?

once a bean always a bean

Biden bringing the gravitas

Joe about to hit a homer

Yeah this feels like a big thing coming

whoa joe switched up to the eastwood voice

MY FRIEND

a practicing catholic

i refuse to impose [my views] on others unlike my friend here the congressman

RAPE

Oh shit

Shit is about to get real

joe called him a fake catholic under his breath

ROBERT BORK

O rly

hearting this "social doctrine" stuff

Biden's got the inside scoop on SCOTUS retirements

joe and the beans talk

it does seem like it xp

She should make Ryan pledge to make his kids enlist.

"Someday your children may serve" not likely

Biden turns question about attack ads into an attack ad. No surrender!

Joe winding up to his answer

biden rocks the trickster smile like a honky totoro

I'm so damn proud of Biden

Ryan and Biden literally debating for a single vote now.

just got back from seeing looper. can someone catch me up?

Last question was terrible.

Good for Biden pointing out that veterans are in the 47% Romney has written off.

They should bring the decorated soldier out now, reality show style.

Paul Ryan is the Rainmaker xxxp

feel like Biden's "Planned Paren...i mean, abortion" was tactical.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/shadow101679/tags/totoro_smile.gif

should i see looper

Old Paul came back and closed Young Paul's loop live on TV

They should bring the decorated soldier out now, reality show style.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, October 12, 2012 2:24 AM (5 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh just wait for the "town hall" debate. God knows what awaits us.

yes you should see looper

looper was great! is this?

"What do u think about attack ads?" -- "well the president totally sucks so"

this got really boring

yes!

Ryan's main lines tonight are "My opponent is bad. He uses fear. He wants to divide people."

They can't let Ryan close on this blather.

I swear, this is the last debate I watch this election season

"i would thank the hero for his service, and then i would tell him well the president totally sucks so"

"Obama only knows how to attack our side. Now listen to me bash everything he has done."

xpost You're going to miss out when the big twist is revealed.

It turns out we've all been dead the whole time.

Did both assholes live through this?

Hey, welcome to the party, pal.

Dumb question

wtf how is there another closing question

Closing arguments from Morbs.

there was already a closing question

What would you do for America AS A MAN?

Closing argument do-over.

Paul Ryan didn't bite out Biden's jugular if that's what you mean Doc

as a MAN

lord but ryan seemed so petulant through this whole thing

not sure the former Senator from MBNA wants to allude to credit cards...

preparing for the inevitable mention of the 11 inch penis

i will bring my manly 11 inch penis to america

"my friend"

My wife just got home, caught just a couple minutes on the radio and declared "man, Biden is sucking!" I had to tell her he was actually pretty good.

Joe taking it personal, knocking it out

you can tell biden had a really great and dirty answer to that question that they wouldn't let him give

xp haha ZS!

So glad Ryan has repeatedly pointed out how Republicans only want to work with Democrats, who have just been meanies to them the past few years.

has Biden done Gridiron?

Ryan to America: "vote for me in 2016"

So glad Ryan has repeatedly pointed out how Republicans only want to work with Democrats, who have just been meanies to them the past few years.

i wish Biden would attack directly on this point ... and righty whining about "meanie Democrats" would be laughable if these people didn't really believe this.

what a douuuuuche!

yes he has selfxp

what a limp fucking closing statement

So what else are people saying on twitter

lord but ryan seemed so petulant through this whole thing

This. So smarmy.

ryan is the guy who leaves the party first, and immediately after he leaves someone opens a bottle of whiskey and shit gets crazy fun

Eddie Munster/Eddie Haskell

Joe opens that bottle of whiskey

So what else are people saying on twitter

― Raymond Cummings, Thursday, October 11, 2012 7:32 PM (19 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Republicans complaining about how the moderator was a big ol meany and Biden was being just cruel. So Biden won basically.

i wonder if obama will be at this second presidential debate i keep hearing about

Chris Matthews called it for Biden

My wife just noticed that all the women on stage have the same hemline.

God Is Real ‏@grifteezy
for closing arguments biden procures a pair of paul ryan's mother's panties and staple-guns them to the debate set like a hunting trophy

David Brooks calls it for Biden, election over.

possible Onion headline: Obama seriously considers putting Biden in blackface for second presidential debate

Z S I'm not watching that one, I'll just read the thread the next day

I thought Raddatz was good in this.

I find the part at the end of the debate when the candidates' families come forward to embrace them to be so creepy

She was, all debate mods should be like that

All debate mods should embrace the candidates' families.

Watching BBC and argh Katty Kay go work for Fox like the other bitey blondes OK?

i think debate mods should receive the token sacrifice of a candidate's child, to be devoured onstage before the main event

fuck, i just want to see lehrer bite into the longpork you know has been denied to him

Predictably, Matthew Dowd sez Biden did as well as Cheney against Edwards in 2004: stopped the bleeding, energized The Base, and so on, blah.

Must be true, then.

What do the polls say!?!?!

mitch mcconnell complaining about biden's tendency to interrupt

Fuck that dude.

is MSNBC is any indication Biden did his job of getting the liberals excited

jesus I can't watch television

"Governor Romney, 10 days ago, was asked, you pay 14% [taxes] on $20 million. Someone making $50,000 paid more than that. Do you think that is fair? He said, yes, that is fair,” Biden said. “You think these guys are going to cut those loopholes?”

I'm switching to baseball, but Maddow just zinged the fuck out of Ryan re Afghanistan. Paraphrasing: "He doesn't know enough to realize how badly he messed up. He just knows the answer by studying for the test, he doesn't really understand what he's talking about."

So much more interesting than last week. Biden was fantastic for the first half, especially that one segment where he said "Malarkey." He hectored a little whenever they turned to foreign policy, and I'm not sure how well all his split-screen laughing and eye-rolling will go over. Ryan's got some annoying cadences, and factually, I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I haven't scrolled back, but I don't think you can say he was terrible; he held his own, and had some good moments. (And one really bad one, when he alluded to the closing polls.) I can't see that tonight hurt Romney. Democrats will be happy, ditto Republicans. Raddatz was really good for the most part.

("narrowing," not "closing")

http://www.theonion.com/articles/eloquent-biden-brings-entire-audience-to-tears-in,29887/

i think ryan came off ok provided you forget that he's a randian psycho

"i met a soldier with a banal truism totally unconnected to his profession. what would you say to this american hero?"

Most brilliant debate performance I've ever seen by the veep.

“Go ahead and laugh at Uncle Joe, or call him a fool if you like—I’m not going to stop ya,” Biden continued. “But know that I have a soul, and that my soul bleeds. Hell, I may not always know which way I’m going, or why, but god damn it if I’m not trying the best I can. The everloving best I can.”

Well Biden was so awesome tonight, knocked it out of the park.

this got really boring

see thread title

internet is fast

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrafefpqw1qbiko3o1_250.png

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrbcnxpa81rg2rf7o1_500.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrd8xS2OH1rg2rf7o1_500.gif

really shocked Ryan didn't call Biden out on voting for the Iraq war.

"i met a soldier with a banal truism totally unconnected to his profession. what would you say to this american hero?"

That was her corniest question, yeah--that and "Talk about your religion" (which she saved by linking it to abortion).

omg everybody go to drudge

kinda think biden's catholic answer came off as mealymouthed, but he'd banked at least some goodwill. he's eloquent and well-composed, but i really get the 'smug' thing.

Not to sidetrack, but it's just bizarre to think back to Palin being up there.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrbcnxpa81rg2rf7o1_500.gif

this kinda thing is what i'll remember from this debate. just the general WTF? from biden, and ryan looking all shady in response

drudge drudge drudge now now now

Ryan's fucking Friends haircut is the worst.

hah, that means drudge has got nothin
didn't think i'd ever see that from drudge

srsly, if joe biden is mean and joe biden laughs at me is the best they've got, OUCH

JonahNRO Ok I'm taking more drugs and trying to get some sleep.

biden's laughing and all that seemed perfectly appropriate considering he was dealing with an idiot who he has absolutely no respect for! just being honest.

^^

Not going to Drudge. What he do now?

i liked martha too. she actually followed up on stuff. which i appreciate.

biden's laughing and all that seemed perfectly appropriate considering he was dealing with an idiot who he has absolutely no respect for! just being honest.

^^^^

Ryan's fucking Friends haircut is the worst.

― LaMonte, Thursday, October 11, 2012 10:54 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

more likable if he went with the rachel

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbre88gUvU1qbemigo1_500.jpg

i think to people who realize what a tool ryan is, that's how it comes off (laughter and mocking is appropriate - ryan's arguments are not serious)
and for those that don't realize what a tool ryan is (majority of voting public imo), it comes off as simply ryan is weak. having been the tiny weak kid on the playground for many years, i can confirm that even when people want to side with you and you're a nice guy, when you're getting picked on and laughed at in public and you can't come up with a good response, you look completely weak and feeble. doesn't bode well for someone on the presidential ticket

wow that drudge boy got nothing

large ATLAS SHRUGGED II advert with different blonde from first movie's blonde is funny

Biden's line about Ryan's letter asking for money was pretty awesome.

hannity hilarious rn

focus group is back

That's not just a different blonde, that's Samantha Mathis xposts

the poor dear

I'm not judging Biden's laughter on how justified it was--I'm sure he was genuinely exasperated. I'm just not sure if it'll become a story like Gore's sighing did. Stupid, but that's simply the reality (or surreality) of these things. One thing where he may have really gotten through was when he looked at the camera and addressed seniors.

just popping in here for a second

http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/9/9e/697.gif

It won't become a story because the press is interested in portraying this as Obama campaign rebounds.

Biden being a "laughing meanie" to a dullard isn't news that anyone cares about.

paul ryan reminds me of a cross between jeremy renner and one of the illinois nazis from blues brothers tbh.

clem: Al Gore already dismissed as a loser by Beltway before the first debate; sighing and pink lipstick confirmed it.

http://i48.tinypic.com/jhrigx.png
http://i48.tinypic.com/jhrigx.png
http://i48.tinypic.com/jhrigx.png

the sighing thing played as an actual evasive and passive aggro thing, biden came right out and said shit and laughed while doing so basically.

Biden being a "laughing meanie" to a dullard isn't news that anyone cares about.

I hope you're right, but I think your reading of "anyone" may be a little narrow.

like gore couldn't come out and say he thought he was "superior" to the guy, so he sighed as a hint to his constituency. that's how i think it came off as to a lot of people.

don't know why but I've singing Joe Biden to the tune of KISS's Black Diamond all night

"out on the streets for a livin'... whooooo JOE BI-DEN"

CNN went big on the condescension angle post-debate

CNN was amazingly stupid, btw, like amazingly

they're gonna sound like a bunch of whiny, hypocritical pussies if they push the "joe biden was SO MEAN!!" line. i don't really see indie voters reacting well to the GOP complaining like that.

you folx really dropped the ball on the thread title btw

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_OR_WHEN_did_the_phrase_not_worth_a_bucket_of_warm_spit_originate

but Garner was an unusually useful veep for the first four to six years of FDR's terms.

oh look here's David Gergen.

Romney watching debate looking pretty nervous.

i think the abortion thing was kinda huge. i have no idea who is still undecided but flat out saying that you will work against legal abortion has gotta get a lot of people moving against you.

First CNN poll, Ryan-48, Biden-44. That doesn't surprise me--and again, I thought Biden was excellent for the most part. Maybe the most useful thing he'll have done is rouse Obama.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/bidens-been-munching-animal-crackers-ready-ryan-debate_654233.html

Vice President Joe Biden has been munching on M&Ms and animal crackers to prepare for tonight's debate with Paul Ryan, according to the Obama campaign. He's also been consuming coffee, tea, and Gatorade.

The Obama campaign provides more details. "This afternoon, the Vice President is spending time with family and friends at a private residence outside of Danville owned by local supporters," according to an unnamed campaign official.

Here's more:

- last night for dinner everyone enjoyed lasagna that was prepared with assistance from little Hunter Biden (Beau’s son)

- favorite snacks consumed during prep sessions this week include M&Ms, animal crackers, as well as lots of Gatorade, coffee and tea. Subs were ordered from Wilmington institution Capriotti’s for lunch one of the days

- the group got some chuckles out of the fact that Biden and Van Hollen showed up on Monday wearing the same exact outfit – navy blue blazer/gold buttons, light blue shirt, no tie.

The notes come from the White House pool report.

And the Obama campaign, via the vice president's press pool, adds: "Biden family and friends have fired up the grill for grilled chicken, in addition to spaghetti with marinara sauce and salad for dinner. Dr. Biden should be arriving shortly."

Think Obama should have some of Biden's coffee before the next debate.

did y'all see the ryan kids swinging in the debate chairs post-debate? cnn stayed on it. gotta be worth a few swing votes.

Chucklin' Biden will aggravate Republicans but play great to the Dem base. omar little is right - Biden's gaffe-prone, tripping-over-his-words goofiness really helps him out because no one can read the laughing and interrupting as some calculated signal that some dumb coach thought was a good idea to send a signal to voters that he's more knowledgeable about the issues or something. It just seems like Biden's being who he is. In general I think the tone he struck would play really well to, like, on-the-fence but generally Dem-trending Dads. On the level guy, calling out the bullshit where he sees it, was there in the room in the 80s working on tax reform - that other guy looked like a sweaty debate camp guy out of his league.

(sorry about the Weekly Standard links there, but I didn't see it anywhere else)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A4-CmQRCQAAMvDq.jpg

It was really good when he was able to say "I remember--I was in the room." (xxpost)

i think the abortion thing was kinda huge. i have no idea who is still undecided but flat out saying that you will work against legal abortion has gotta get a lot of people moving against you.

Actual beginning of letter to the editor in our local paper:

Three days. That is how long the Romney/Ryan sign was in my yard before one of our "tolerant" locals took it upon themselves to destroy it. Sadly, it was a couple of days longer than I expected. In the previous national election, saliva and other bodily fluids were repeatedly deposited on my lawn sign — once, staggeringly, by a young American accompanied by a congratulatory adult.

I would never consider interfering with another's right to choice: be it regarding a womb, a marriage or a political ideology, and certainly not a yard sign. How disappointing that my children have to witness the ignoble acts of individuals who brook no such diversity, in a community that appears all too often to sanction such bigotry.

First CNN poll, Ryan-48, Biden-44. That doesn't surprise me--and again, I thought Biden was excellent for the most part. Maybe the most useful thing he'll have done is rouse Obama.

― clemenza, Thursday, October 11, 2012 8:20 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

CBS has it at 50 Biden, 31 Ryan, 19 tie

mentioning CNN seriously in any capacity should be an automatic three-day ban

I first read that as people voting for his tie.

It was a v nice tie

More than the jovial presence, Biden's way of beating back GOP talking points was my most favorite part of this. I know new shows are going to be "Did Biden laugh too much?" 24/7 but I wish they would focus on how he stood up for Obama in a way that was coming from a real place.

news shows

Also the parts where he looked right into the camera and asked seniors how they were doing.

Just remembered one of Biden's best lines: "Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy."

^^^^^^

to put it less colorfully than i did upthread: i really see no upside in the Republicans complaining about Biden's laughter. not that that will stop them, or stop the media from blathering on about it.

Yeah real swift Paul, bringing JFK into a VP DEBATE

I kept expecting Biden to point to Ryan with is thumb and look off to the side and say "Can you believe this fucking guy?"

Yeah real swift Paul, bringing JFK into a VP DEBATE

Never works well in a VP debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-7gpgXNWYI

Joe: "I knew Lloyd Bentsen. Lloyd Bentsen was a friend of mine. And Lloyd Bentsen knew Jack Kennedy. And you, sir, are no Lloyd Ben--no Jack Kennedy."

Biden should probably stay away from anything Kennedy-related

come on who can even remember 1988

I wasn't alive for instance

Neither was Ryan, apparently.

come on who can even remember 1988

*raises hand*

don't think anyone will ever outzing the bentsen zing. the best of the best.

ok so it's not just me.

http://i.imgur.com/iv9Ua.png

smells like bisque

republicans acting butthurt, dems like they've had a colonic, malarkey, jack kennedy, debate definitely a biden win

biden creamed him. he laughed in his face. he basically treated him like a lying joke. and he his a lying joke, so the whole approach worked for me.

Exactly. Nothing like what happened tonight has ever happened in one of these debates before.

fuck Jack Kennedy (if Chris Matthews isnt down in the grave right now)

i think obama should take joe's cue and go over mitt's head in the next debate. just take on the whole spiritually and intellectually bankrupt republican party. bring up dubya A LOT. remind people how shitty these people are. don't take mitt seriously. portray him as just one in a long line of con men.

And if the country is going to endure some debate about the laughing and smiling, maybe people will realize - exactly how ARE you supposed to react to a bunch of crap like this from someone who wants major political power. Is sarcasm a SIN?

Nothing like what happened tonight has ever happened in one of these debates before.

If you mean Biden trounced him--true or not--then it hasn't happened since last week.

No, I mean that no one has ever looked as bad as Ryan did tonight. Not Palin, not Quayle, no one.

What?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G9AePwl1AE

just to begin.

Honestly, I just don't see that. Not taking anything away from Biden, but I can't imagine Ryan doing any better than he did. The only time he seemed to get rattled (as he always does) was when they were trying to pin him down on these phantom loopholes. Palin was much worse...I mean, there's no way to even evaluate her.

Chait immediately gives up his wrong prediction:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/10/joe-biden-dispenses-with-the-niceties.html

seemed to set the bar for who should pay higher taxes at $1 million a year, not the $250,000 line Obama has labored to align his party behind.

wait how did I get the memo that obama's raised the bar from 250k to 1m a while back and chait's just getting it now

I like how he kept pointing out that 97% of small businesses make LESS than 250k a year. GOP's only hope is to keep the debate on "Was he rude?" cos there was a lot of substance to Joe's debate and it's best for them that it gets ignored in favor of bidenlaughs.gif

Palin was much worse...I mean, there's no way to even evaluate her.

― clemenza, Thursday, October 11, 2012 9:25 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

not to mention admiral stockdale

Watching this right now because I was busy earlier, Biden is handing Ryan's ass to him.

lol david brooks

Ryan hails from a different era, not the era of the 1950s diner, but the era of the workout gym. By Ryan’s time, the national media culture was pervasive. The tone was cool, not hot. The meritocracy had kicked in and ambitious young people had learned to adopt a low friction manner. Ryan emerges from this culture in the same way Barack Obama does.

This is a generation armed with self-awareness. In this generation, you roll your eyes at anyone who is quite so flamboyantly demonstrative as the vice president.

the meritocracy had kicked in

I didn't say his performance was worse. He looked worse. He looked worse because he took a bigger fall.

And he had more invested in it.

Or more people were invested in him.

the meritocracy had kicked in

― a hauntingly unemployed american (difficult listening hour), Friday, October 12, 2012 12:45 AM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha yeah uh brb just gonna check up on some stats here

Hair-reverse Ryan just needs a 1000-foot stare.

http://heat.iwarp.com/cgi-bin/i/Images/sizemore2.jpg

(Tom Sizemore pic from Heat not accepted.)

CNN poll of debate watchers has this close wtf

wonder if they polled anyone besides aged white southerners this time

- the group got some chuckles out of the fact that Biden and Van Hollen showed up on Monday wearing the same exact outfit – navy blue blazer/gold buttons, light blue shirt, no tie.

misread that as Van Halen first time round

"SPECIAL NOTE OF CAUTION #2: The sample of debate-watchers in this poll were 31% Democratic and 33% Republican. That indicates that the sample of debate watchers is about eight points more Republican than an average CNN poll of all Americans, so the respondents were more Republican than the general public."

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-121012-debate-3a.grid-6x2.jpg

Can't say that I remember that moment--was there some kind of a staredown that I missed?

I keep seeing the same two polls over and over, the CNN (basically tied) and the CBS (Biden clear winner), plus a CNBC that seems quite bogus. In any event, Biden said all the things that Obama should have said last week--literally; it was like he had a checklist, and he got every last one of them in--and I think there's great satisfaction among Democrats. He set up Obama well, now it's up to Obama.

Speaking of "Looper," that picture totally makes it seem as if Biden could be future Ryan. No less nutty than J G-L/Bruce WIllis. What you see in the background is the space-time continuum dissolving the human race.

I'd never thought about that--perfect. Calling Z S...

http://0.tqn.com/d/movies/1/0/f/E/Z/looper-willis-levitt.jpg

Ha ha! Good call.

"We are leaving (Afghanistan) in 2014. Period."

As brazen as it gets from the Veep Creep

http://joe-biden.ytmnd.com/

classic

"mitt romney's a car guy."

A MAN'S MAN

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrchgmEHR1qz581wo1_400.gif

hypnotic

lol ryan trying to say romney misspoke when he he said let detroit go bankrupt IN A NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL

That was so absurd.

it was a typo

I'm somewhat amazed Glenn Greenwald deigned to write about the debate. I've never linked to him before, but I think this is pretty accurate in terms of how hard it is to know what the independent/undecided/whatever reaction to Biden last night will be:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/12/vice-president-debate-reaction

wow, kinda shocked he wrote something like that

a C-SPAN caller:

http://pdfob.tumblr.com/post/33408636830/a-caller-on-c-span-after-the-vp-debate-classic

Dying at that.

greenwald finally corrupted by the washington media elite rip

lol ryan trying to say romney misspoke when he he said let detroit go bankrupt IN A NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL

he didn't just say it in a newspaper editorial...that was the title! was disappointed biden didn't jump on that.

not only is it hack political writing, but it's not even particularly good hack political writing!

For years, Paul Ryan has been the shining champion of some really terrible ideas, and of a dystopian vision of the political commonwealth in which the poor starve and the elderly die ghastly, impoverished deaths, while all the essential elements of a permanent American oligarchy were put in place. This has garnered him loving notices from a lot of people who should have known better. The ideas he could explain were bad enough, but the profound ignorance he displayed on Thursday night on a number of important questions, including when and where the United States might wind up going to war next, and his blithe dismissal of any demand that he be specific about where he and his running mate are planning to take the country generally, was so positively terrifying that it calls into question Romney's judgment for putting this unqualified greenhorn on the ticket at all. Joe Biden laughed at him? Of course, he did. The only other option was to hand him a participation ribbon and take him to Burger King for lunch.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/paul-ryan-debate-joe-biden-13626962#ixzz2963FWxlO

some good burnin' in there

http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2012/10/12/the-veep-debate-and-what-commentators-dont-understand-about-who-watched-it/

Here’s some breaking news: the kind of people who choose to watch a vice-presidential debate instead of baseball or football or a cooking show are not sensitive souls who curl up into a ball at the first sign of disagreement between politicians. People who choose to watch political conflict can deal with it. Those who can’t—or just aren’t interested in the first place—are watching something else. Research by political scientists Kevin Arceneaux and Martin Johnson shows this.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbrafefpqw1qbiko3o1_250.png

weirdly my students were kind of psyched to watch this.

lol

I knew Biden won when all Hannity and McConnell could say about the debate was how mean he had been to Eddie Munster

Kevin Arceneaux and Martin Johnson--oh, they're good (to quote John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever).

A second Greenwald post, about Raddatz's typical MSM-journalist assumptions (Soc Sec & Medicare are going broke). I though thes closing grafs were interesting too:

One more note about Raddatz: near the end of the debate, she asked the two Catholic candidates how their religion influences their views on abortion. This was a reasonable question unto itself, but also reflects standard DC assumptions on these issues.

It is often noted that the Catholic Church stridently opposes reproductive rights. But it is almost never noted that the Church just as stridently opposes US militarism and its economic policies that continuously promote corporate cronyism over the poor. Too much emphasis on that latter fact might imperil the bipartisan commitment to those policies, and so discussion of religious belief is typically confined to the safer arena of social issues. That the Church has for decades denounced the US government's military aggression and its subservience to the wealthiest is almost always excluded from establishment journalistic circles, even as its steadfast opposition to abortion and gay rights is endlessly touted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/12/raddatz-debate-objectivity

Martha Raddatz's ABC segments are often unwatchable: she so identifies with the military industrial establishment.

if the catholic church wanted to promote its steadfast opposition to military aggression above its views on birth control, it wouldn't need a media mandate

I'm not sure; Obama/Biden's steadfast opposition to Big Bird's death is more media-friendly than their presumed (but nearly silent) opposition to climate catastrophe.

if obama/biden wanted to promote its steadfast opposite to climate catastrophe, it wouldn't need a media mandate

maybe ppl just like sex police more than assistance vs those who will starve or drown them.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/the-vice-presidential-debate-joe-biden-was-right-to-laugh-20121012

Fun with details and some corny jokes

One last thing, did you get this song stuck in your head last night?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Mse62NFl4

Specifically around the 3:20 mark?

Man is thread quiet today: the opposite of the aftermath of last week's debate.

bucketofwarmpiss-itis

I hope Barry can reach even close to the high bar Joe just set

Obama doesn't do this, ever:

http://images.politico.com/global/2012/10/121011_biden_arms_debate_ap_605.jpg

Wish he would.

Man is thread quiet today: the opposite of the aftermath of last week's debate.

My guess: uncertainty about what's happening. Those (like me) who want Obama to win are experiencing something akin to the horror-film trope where you walk slowly through the empty house, waiting for you're not sure what. (Does not apply to iatee, lagoon, and Shakey Mo Collier.) The few posters who desperately want him to lose are biding their time.

I like that Biden's been so out-and-out disdainful/incredulous, because it gives Obama room to be a 'good cop', with extra zingers. That tumbleweed sound emanating from "independent" trolls eg. my mom was also quite nice today. IMO, independents don't generate right-wing talking points.

Does anyone here actually desperately want him to lose? I thought the Morbius end of the discussion was on some
"They're both as bad as each other!" shit.

was just about to say the same thing.

i srsly doubt that a single non-lurking ilxor is sincerely rooting for romney to win.

Maybe "desperately"'s an overstatement. But I don't think Morbius's indifference to Obama/Romney translates to indifference over who wins--he can speak for himself, but I think he'd get much more enjoyment out of a Romney win because of the fallout on the other side.

Morbz wants Romney to win because he wants things to get so bad America has some collective "scales falling from the eyes" moment

no, too stoopid a fucking country for that

i think there's truth that obama, as a black man, couldn't do the things biden did last night without america losing its shit

yep, though very few people could do what biden did last night. biden's rep as a guy who says inappropriate things and has gaffes and speaks his mind (or whatever the rep is) actually plays to his favor in debates because hey, it's just joe being joe. i don't think anyone expected (or expects) obama to do what biden did last night, they just expect him to not look like he just got in a terrible argument with his wife that involved the smashing of a wedding photo against a wall, and to speak up and make a few good points every once in a while.

Yes. He's got four days to figure out some workable middle ground.

I agree with somebody I read who said the town-hall format will be tough for Obama, or at least tough if you need to push back some. That's where you're supposed to do what Clinton did (so well) in '92, remember questioner's names and get all Oprah when necessary. The first debate was where he had the freedom to play completely to the camera (audience present, but instructed not to react) and be a little more aggressive. Town halls are different.

Of course Obama will do well next debate, just like Biden "won" last night. That's been his "narrative" since 2007: after listless performances, he gets even.

biden's rep as a guy who says inappropriate things and has gaffes and speaks his mind (or whatever the rep is) actually plays to his favor in debates because hey, it's just joe being joe.

ya this is key & i think it applies in general at this point. i wonder if one of the reasons he was picked is because he essentially has carte blanche to say any old shit and everyone just goes "ahh, that joe!"

If we stop watching cable news or reading Nate Silver, it's still amazing how well how predictable this race has been. Obama and Romney are now neck in neck -- same as it ever was in July and August. Obama stank in the first debate, his veep picked up the slack, and will likely rally next time. The horserace part of this shit is so godddamn stupid that it corrupts everyone who follows -- and I don't exclude myself.

it's still amazing how well how predictable this race has been

Could not disagree more with this. I was surprised by Romney's level of ineptitude as a candidate, surprised when Obama began to pull away (without any major changes in economic conditions), and right now I'm baffled by this latest turn of events. I'm surprised by things all the time. You and iatee are not.

well, no, I WAS surprised at how well Obama was polling from the end of August through most of September. I figured it couldn't last because Romney would at some point get the convention bump he didn't get.

btw because of the, well, precarious nature of Florida right now I'm probably going to follow Chomsky's advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN608oCEqqM

I'm surprised when there's something surprising that happens. obama pulled away w/ a good convention bounce and romney had a a good debate from a historical pov but on the whole things are where models were predicting they would be at this point w/ slow positive economic growth. almost nothing else surprising has happened and the polls barely moved for months and in a lot of ways this is about as boring as a close election could get. but if romney pulls ahead I'll be surprised and if obama gets back to where he was I'd be surprised.

at what point was Dole dead in the water? i feel like there's almost always still a lot of suspense and "it can go either way" talk 3-4 weeks before the election.

Nate Silver wasn't around then so nobody knows

Dole was dead in the water in '95.

That and Reagan in '84 were the two least surprising elections of my lifetime.

http://library.law.columbia.edu/urlmirror/CLR/100CLR524/ptpreselec.html

Everyone on twitter seems to be freaking out what do you guys think, did Obama blow this hugely or is this nbd
- A Concerned Canadian
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Wednesday, October 3, 2012 10:53 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nbd
― iatee, Wednesday, October 3, 2012 10:53 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

From there to "I'm surprised when there's something surprising that happens" doesn't quite connect to me.

yeah i was gonna say, clinton and reagan's re-elections seem like the only ones in the last few decades the ball was still in the air pretty close to the end. things weren't too suspenseful by election day on '08 but people were still so bewildered that we were actually going to have a black president that everyone was on the edge of their seats anyway. (xpost)

I still don't think obama blew it hugely, it just pumped up conservatives - the extent that it did was def on the higher end of what people expected possible, but like I said, I don't think that's something that can happen more than once

yeah i was gonna say, clinton and reagan's re-elections seem like the only ones in the last few decades the ball was still in the air pretty close to the end.

wait am I reading this correctly?

er "wasn't" not "was" sorry

I don't think the reason for Romney's big comeback is mainly that he "won" the debate. I think it's more the way that he redefined himself and laid out his agenda in greater detail, aiming straight for the center of the political spectrum. That Obama was stiff and seemed disconnected was just the gravy. Up to the week of the debate, the Romney agenda had been strangely hazy, so the Obama campaign had been able to paint him in the most negative light. His main accomplishment in the debate was not "beating" Obama but redefining himself. At that moment, he suddenly started running the kind of competent, centrist campaign that everyone had been expecting him to run since he clinched the nomination, but that for whatever reason, he had been strangely unwilling or unready to do up till then.

haha it's all good, ship -- I know shit about sports so I thought, "Oh, so THAT's what 'the ball in the air' means..."

lol

i have to say i'm a bit surprised, i figured it would barely make any difference. but there may be a lot of people out there who don't like Obama but didn't trust Romney, and Romney may have given them enough moderate bullshit to seem like someone they could vote for.

i know things about sports and i'm not sure what that
metaphor means