The Diane Rehm Show

Still looking at things through your rose-colored glasses. However, the rest of America does not agree with you. So many times, including Afghanistan, he looked like one of the deer he normally kills.

Joe delivered what Democrats wanted. Bravo. America and the world already knew of the courage and toughness of the Obama Administration vs terrorism. What was is question was whether Obama/Biden would stand up to the radical T-Party/Republican extremists. Standing up to the lies and pushing back was a MUST !!!!!

Last week Mitt Romney showed up as a moderate,hiding the radicalism of the T-Party.These T-Party/Republicans are the only politicians in our history to disavow their oath of office,and replace working for you and me with the 'Grover Norquist' Pledge. How many millions did not know of this treachery?

Congressman Ryan said 23 million struggling for work. He didn't use the word unemployment which keeps going down. Instead he used a generic category to keep throwing the number 23 million without defining what the number represented. It didn't represent number unemployed 12.1 million (7.8%). Doublespeak, Mr. Ryan?

Social Security? According to Trustees of Social Security, "After 2020, Treasury will redeem trust fund assets in amounts that exceed interest earnings until exhaustion of trust fund reserves in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year.” 2033 on the verge of bankruptcy? As Vice President noted it would be broke leaving many Americans without support had they followed the Republicans advice to put Social Security Fund into the stock market.

Medicare? Congressman Ryan said the President stole from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. The President robbed senior citizens of their Medicare benefits. Lie. Not one penny in benefits was taken from one senior citizen. It's part of the law implementing the Affordable Care Act. Further, these same Trustees say that Projected Medicare costs over 75 years are substantially lower than they otherwise would be because of Obamacare. The Congressman never mentioned numbers regarding what's wealthy, moderate income and poor, which are the categories that determine who gets voucher support and by how much. Again, the Congressman known for spouting the details was mum on details.

Remember Richard Nixon's 1968 campaign promise to get us out of Vietnam. He kept that secret. Really was a gimmick. We didn't get out till 1975, and in a very failed way. Well, the Congressman presented a trifecta of secrecy – NO details on saving Social Security, Medicare and Health Care. Their plan of lowering rates for everyone, well that was the Simpson-Bowles plan, which they rejected. Trust us on our principles, they say. Which principles?

Nice Job, Congressman or is it doing the job on Americans?

@ Statman2: I think your last comment is correct, though uninteded in the direction it points...."Nice Job, Congressman or is it doing the job on Americans?"

Yes, Biden did do a job on America last night... and smiled while he lied. You need to change your user name from Statman to perhaps bogusnumbersman. Spouting off Obama camps bogus fuzzy math on unemployment, social security and medicare doesn't make the numbers any more credible than if Biden or the President uses them. Do the math.

Statman2 wrote: Medicare? Congressman Ryan said the President stole from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. The President robbed senior citizens of their Medicare benefits. Lie. Not one penny in benefits was taken from one senior citizen.

Your wrong, Obamacare cuts spending on medicare services to doctors to less than what state medicaid pays, both of which are substantially lower than what private insurance pays. People now on medicare will see cuts in provided services because doctors will either stop offering procedures at a financial loss or they will stop seeing medicare patients all together.

The unemployment number that is most often used in the media (and by the government) is known as the "U-3". This number was 7.8% in Sept. 2012, U6 was 14.7% it was 14.2% when Obama came into office.

The "U-6" is considered to be a broader measure of the unemployment situation in the United States.

The "U-6" includes two groups of people that the "U-3" does not:

1. "Marginally attached workers" - people who are not actively looking for work, but who have indicated that they want a job and have looked for work (without success) sometime in the past 12 months. This class also includes "discouraged workers" who have completely given up on finding a job because they feel that they just won't find one.

2. People who are looking for full-time work but have to settle on a part-time job due to economic reasons. This means that they want full-time work, but can't find it.

@ partisan

And yet, last week, when Mitt interrupted the moderator and the President, you and yours had no problem with his behavior, nor took his victory from him. Hypocrisy knows no bounds with you guys. Unbelievable

You can always tell when pee pee tic is feeling nervous. He responds by posting repeatedly, as if he could negate bad news that way. Its kinda funny when you realize it. This morning he must be in near panic mode. What's the matter, pee pee, Lyin Ryan let you down?

Part Pol is 100% correct about the Obama care plan to pay docs less, who will see these patients? Already no one in many communitioes sees Medicaid patients, if the rate for Medicare drops, no one will see them either. A seperate private insurance market for seniors will devlop for those who do not want to wait and be seen at a public health clinic.
I hope that Mr Romney will push that point home.

This debate may have very well changed the historical point that vice presidential debates do not affect presidential elections. This elections seems to be more emtionally charged and personal for many more Americans than ever before. As with many past Presidents, it cannot be questioned that Obama inherited a troubled economy and moreso than ever, a very divided gvernment. I am not a particular fan of ALL of his policies and decisions, but I think what needs to be said is that no matter who would have won four years ago, this economy would have still suffered. What I appreciated most about last night's debates, was that Biden was BIDEN; we knw him as "that guy" that says what he says and means what he says; when it comes to building trust, I am definitely a person who would rather know who you are, and jude you on who you are rather than you putting out what one may percieve we want to see. Knock his "style" if you will, but he DID show Ryan that he isn't just sitting in his chair doodling; he actually knows his stuff.

What about the smugness in Ryan's face....

Did Obama mean his comment under similar circumstances about Americans torning to "God and Guns", an insulting and condescending remark from 4 years ago?

During the primary these people are vying for who's the most extreme, then once they are the nominee they are suddenly centrist. The format, topics, participants and moderators of the debates are set in secret negotiations controlled by the two parties, you will never hear a third party unless the two parties think they can somehow gain voters from it (as when Ross Perot was allowed in). The media is more interested in 'who won' than whether what anyone says is actually true or makes sense. This is entertainment about as useful as an episode of Jersey Shore and has nothing to do with what they will or will not do for you, ever. Go watch sports.

There's nothing secret about the R-R tax plan. Lower tax rates, keep deductions the same (according to Romney), and then cut spending, bigtime, and oh yeah rely on growth in the economy when all the rich guys put their tax savings back in business. The spending cuts are set forth in fine detail in Ryan's Republican budget plan. Why are we dancing around deductions? Education, medicare, social security, Pell Grants, green energy, science research, yes, PBS, its all on the Republican chopping block. R-R want- love- the focus on deductions and loopholes, because the reality of the massive federal government spending reductions planned (but unmentioned) would lose them the election. Then R-R wave their hands and say, presto, growth, because all the makers are going to create jobs. Hope so, since the budget cuts are going to put a whole lot of people out of business. But then, really, its not going to happen, because look at history. After every tax cut, economic growth has plummeted (CBO report), because the richest put their extra $ in the Cayman Islands, or in China (as has Romney's Bain).

Smugness? I thought he just looked pained and frustrated.