The First Presidential Debate
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-10-04/first-presidential-debate
The first presidential debate was held last night in Denver. Diane and her guests discuss what they said, who came out ahead, and where the candidates go from here.
Guests
E.J. Dionne Jr.
senior fellow, The Brookings Institution, columnist, Washington Post and author of "Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent."
Ramesh Ponnuru
senior editor for the "National Review."
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
Comments
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partisan politics wrote:
I watched the Alfred Hitchcock hour and waited for the reaction, at this point that's all that matters. So glad to hear that competence won out over incompetence. My take on the reaction is that many are actively looking for reasons to vote Obama out, from what I hear they got it.
Well, when you travel in circles of those who think the same as you do, of course that's what you're going to hear. I talk to people and listen to what they say and many of them are more unsure and insecure about Romney, who is an unknown, than they are Obama. But overall, the country seems to be pretty well evenly split with an extremely small differentiation on either side at any day of the week.
Hey, who flagged my first comment?
Honest?Abe wrote: "Sorry to let you in on the deep dark secret......there IS NO "Medicare trust fund".....never has been. Why didn't you check with the folks that have actually worked in the health care/insurance industry before launching UNfounded claims?"
Medicare Trust Funds
The payments for medical services covered under Medicare come from two trust funds. The Hospital Insurance trust fund covers Medicare Part A payments to hospitals and the Supplementary Medical Insurance trust fund pays the doctor and out patient medical expenses covered under Part B of Medicare. The trust funds take in the money designated to pay for the services covered under Medicare and make the payments to the health care providers when claims are submitted."
http://www.ehow.com/info_7753185_definition-medicare-trust-fund.html#ixz...
"I challenged you two because you both are the ones that have the most to say about politics. I have seen other comment on non-political subjects."
First, define your terms. Many of the shows that DR does have political overtones so it depends on what you mean by "political subjects". If you mean current political wranglings, then here are four recent dates with "non-political" topics that contain posts from me - and I found these in less than 5 minutes:.
9/13, 9/19, 9/20, 9/27 all hour 1.
You're going to think what you want to think.
"Yesterday's topics were about Omega-3's and the Khan Academy--which is an online school. I would love to have seen your viewpoints on those."
I didn't get to listen to the show or read the comments yesterday - I might try to do it this weekend for you.
Regarding the debates – Footnotes in history are just that – footnotes.
But at the end of the day, who offers and /or supports important issues? Who:
• Offers students reasonable and affordable grants and loans?
• Offers students continued health coverage until 26 yrs. old?
• Supports the LGBT community in having marriage equality?
• Offers women equal pay for equal work?
• Offers women preventative health care services?
• Offers elders, youth, and families – coverage for pre-existing health conditions?
• Offers elders prescription and co-pay assistance?
• Offered the auto industry a sustained opportunity to remain in business?
• Supports a surge, among businesses, in hiring military men and women?
• Supports a surge, via mental health professionals, in providing services for returning military men and women?
• Offers immigrant-youth an opportunity to remain in this country and contribute as graduates and as members of the military
The answer is President Obama.
In cultural anthropology, one tries to understand the culture of a tribe, region, or country by examining the manifestations of that culture. We look at what is most observable: the way the space is utilized; architecture; the arts, music, visual arts, literature; expressed opinions; belief systems about God, the place and role of humans on earth; etc…
Mitt Romney’s core values can be ascertained the same way, by examining the outer manifestations of his consciousness. Interestingly, what becomes immediately apparent is that he has a great deal of difficulties sticking to one opinion set. He finds himself comfortable espousing all sides of an issue, no matter how contradictory or incoherent that might be. It all seems to depend on who the audience is…
So, does this mean that Mitt Romney is devoid of any core belief? Or that he suffers from multiple personality disorder?
Or is it simply the business frame of mind that shows through the empty suit? Will be say just anything to get the sale?
Fascinating to watch! I am glad that I am just an observer. If I weren’t, I probably would accuse him of duplicity and deceitfulness.
December wrote:
"Regarding the debates – Footnotes in history are just that – footnotes.
But at the end of the day, who offers and /or supports important issues?..."
At the end of the day, who has absolutely no clue how to pay for any of this, other than running up another 6T in debt, or why none of these are the Federal Government's job.
The answer is President Obama
Several times Romney said that he would not implement any tax cuts that would increase the deficit. What other kinds are there?
You are entitled to your own opinion, not your own reality and facts. Romney's statements were not just factually incorrect, they were lies. He knows that his economic numbers were not true. How does one "win" a debate with lies?
As an aside..I think Jim Lehrer did a great job of getting out of the way and letting the candidate and President interact! I am so tired of the moderator interfering. I want to hear the candidates talk and not the moderator.
ecgbert wrote: "If you mean current political wranglings, then here are four recent dates with "non-political" topics that contain posts from me - and I found these in less than 5 minutes:.
9/13, 9/19, 9/20, 9/27 all hour 1" I regret to say that I didn't listen to those or read the comments, but will do.
Is the President afraid of being seen as an "angry black man"?
Did she just say Romney was not rude? He was extremely rude, constantly interrupting and discarding Mr. Lehrer's appeals about the allowed time.
Susan Page: "Romney was in command of the facts"
Excuse me? He made up "facts" all night long! Have you not taken the trouble to consult the fact-checkers?
mitt romney on the issues.....
what the news media is not picking up on is....
a continually changing position on the issues is the same as no position at all.
ecgberht wrote:
Beyond wrote:
"Does anyone with a molecule of intelligence believe that the worst post-war economy, which includes being inches away the collapse the global marketplace, that took the last decade of liberal and conservative policies to create was only going to take four years to "fix?""
Yes. Barack Obama.
“One nice thing about the situation I find myself in is that I will be held accountable. You know, I’ve got four years… If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”
The Obama Administration was reacting to unprecedented & shifting situations, just like Bush did when Iraq...and how many times have you had "experts" underestimate a job? Or how many times have you underestimated a potential job yourself? People who live in glass houses...
Now that President Obama has officially embraced the term Obamacare, thereby negating the imagined derogatory association, will Diane Rehm no longer chastise her guests for using the term?
The substance of the debate aside, what was truly telling was the Romney family's reaction to the President and First Lady after the debate. Mrs. Romney turned her back to the Obamas when they approached, it was exceedingly rude. The rest of the family also behaved inappropriately as well. This matters because the diplomacy that is necessary to be effective as President demands that the President and his wife extend common courtesies even when they feel contemptuous. Mrs. Romney may have acted the good Republican with her infantile reaction, but it was well beneath the dignity of a potential First Spouse.
The debates are surely important, but I think more important is that Ohio is still using touch-screen voting machines. Which do you think are more reliable -- exit polls or voting machine counts?
While the conventional wisdom seems to be that Romney won the debate, I strongly disagree. Romney's body language suggested a naive facade with smiles and simple answers. President Obama was more serious and seemed to have the weight of the presidency on his shoulders. He understands the complexity of decisions of national and international affairs. He seems genuinely worried about the future of our country on many levels. Obama's intelligence and experience are what our country needs right now.
When Romney asks if I am better off than four years ago, I can say "yes." The only measure of better is not financial, which seems to be Romney's bottom line. We now have the affordable care act, we have gay rights, we have attention to women's rights, we have the troops leaving war zones. It's not just the economy.
I belive President Obama was pulling his punches to get a feeling for the next debates and how to approach them.
I am hoping that someone can reconcile these two statements.
A) Gov. Romney saying that Government cannot create jobs. Se here:
http://www.mittromney.com/forms/private-sector-what-creates-jobs-not-gov...
B) If elected, he will create 12 million new jobs. See here
http://www.mittromney.com/jobsplan
I cannot reconcile these two statements from his own website without some serious mental gymnastics.
Bort wrote:
"Susan Page: "Romney was in command of the facts"
Excuse me? He made up "facts" all night long! Have you not taken the trouble to consult the fact-checkers"
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Did the President also not take the trouble to be in command of the facts since he didn't challenge Romney's facts? All night long? The debate was 1 1/2 hours. It only seemed all night for the President who could only look down at his notes when Romney was speaking and then looked helplessly over to Jim Lehrer to throw him a lifeline.
Did anyone notice the unbalanced and weird camera angles? I watched on PBS, and when Romney was talking, we could see Obama's back. Obama looked diminished and defensive, as he was slightly hunched and writing & reacting. I felt like Obama was in the principal's office getting blasted. Yet, when Obama was talking, we mostly got him full on, w/o an equivalent angle on Romney as "receiver." Subtle but significant in my opinion. If I had not been encumbered by factual knowledge and an ability to really listen to the candidates' words, I would have thought "Romney wins" hands down.
Suzanne
Vermont
When did the Republicans begin to pivot the term "trickle-down"? Last night was the first time i'd heard it as a criticism of "big government", instead of it's more traditional usage "trickle down economics" (circa Reagan).
Perhaps the President was just worn out. After all, unlike Mr. Romney, he does have have a job. Running the country is full time.
KBonneau wrote:
"I belive President Obama was pulling his punches to get a feeling for the next debates and how to approach them."
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Right. The President was using the rope-a-dope tactic. And we know how that maneuver, where the champ absorbed punishing blows in an attempt to wear out the challenger, eventually effected Ali
Hopefully, if Romney is elected, Diane will go off the air because funding for this liberal democratic program will stop along with Big Bird's.
Rick and Jane wrote:
"Perhaps the President was just worn out. After all, unlike Mr. Romney, he does have have a job. Running the country is full time."
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Running the country? Obama has been campaigning 24/7 for re-election for the last two years. Recent events in the middle east indicate nobody is running the country.
I'd like to see that reconciled too... the other A =not A is Mr. Romney's insistence on creating jobs, but his equal insistence on massive government cuts. Won't massive cuts to government necessarily lead to some people losing jobs? Or does he expect the increased military spending to off-set those losses?