… the GOP simply wants challengers who are “just right.” Is that so much to ask?

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley: “People said, ‘oh he laughed too much,’ but it is laughable that we would be … days out from this election and they still haven’t told us how they’re going to do this wonderful plan that all the details are behind door number three. That stuff is laughable. You can’t cut by 20% taxes for millionaires and billionaires, corporations by 30% and not have to pay for it somehow.”

Josh Marshall: It might be the big follow-on tomorrow: Biden got Ryan to admit that he and Romney supports at least the principle of eliminating Social Security and replacing it with private accounts. In other words, the 2005 Bush plan.

The question from Biden that Ryan refused to answer: “Can you guarantee that no one making less than $100,000 would have a mortgage deduction impacted?”

via: current

divineirony: “I’m prolife, not just because of my religion, but because of science and reason.” – Paul Ryan, in the VP debate. And I’m Iike…

Ezra Klein — Biden did his job: “But what’s unquestionably true is that Biden succeeded tonight. He had a simple job: Stop the bleeding. Buck up the troops. Make all those Democrats out there who’ve been fighting for the Obama campaign feel that the Obama campaign is also fighting for them. And so Biden came out tonight and picked a fight. He did everything Democrats wished Obama has done a week ago. He called out Ryan’s “malarkey” early and forcefully. He returned again and again to the 47 percent comments. He fought for core Democratic issues like protecting Medicare and Social Security. The post-debate spin told the tale. The Romney campaign argued Biden was too aggressive, too bullying, too mean. The Obama campaign argued that Biden had destroyed Ryan. Judging from my Twitter feed, most Democrats agreed. They saw the fight in Biden that they’d wanted to see in Obama. They felt the Obama campaign had learned from last week and changed their strategy. That was Biden’s job tonight, and he did it.”

via: romney2012

Whose style of moderation did you like better: Lehrer or Raddatz? I preferred Raddatz’s approach — taking control, moving the debate along, setting limits to the back and forth…

pantslessprogressive: The Clear Winner: Martha Raddatz: She had control. She was masterful. She asked for specifics. She asked about abortion rights. Bravo. [photo: CNN/AFP/Getty Images]

team-joebama – Oh Chris Cillizza, there you go again

From his WaPo analysis of the first presidential debate:

WINNERS * Mitt Romney: Romney needed a strong performance after roughly a month of unrelenting bad news — and even worse polling in swing states.  And, he got it. Romney was extremely well-prepared and came across as someone more than ready to do the job for which he is running. He also, smartly, injected people he had met along the campaign trail to illustrate his policy points and drive home his connection to average people. A star turn for Romney at a time when he badly needed one.

Remember how rude Romney was? Interrupting, speaking over everyone, steamrolling both moderator and Obama? Doing whatever the fuck he wanted and ignoring anybody who tried to pull him back in?

Let’s go to his analysis of the VP debate:

LOSERS * Joe Biden’s first 75 minutes: As we noted above, Biden’s aggressive performance is a sure winner for him (and the president) within the Democratic base. But, it felt to us like he went a little bit overboard and, at times, bordered on bullying Ryan.  Biden’s derisive smiles and laughs while Ryan tried to answer questions weren’t great optics for the vice president and his repeated interruptions won’t make those who think politics should be more civil happy. Biden’s agenda was clear during the debate: he was set on erasing the passive performance of Obama last week. That he did, but in so doing it felt like he went a bit overboard. 

So now speaking confidently, interrupting to fact-check (something pundits shy away from in post-debate analysis), that’s all bullying.

At the VP debate: Ryan told 24 myths lies in 40 minutes

(via Smile Over Substance | Blog | Media Matters for America)

Bob Cesca’s favorite tweets of the night:

The key question is: what if the Greenland ice were shaped like a bean? Would Ryan want to save it?
— John Plummer (@jchristianplum) October 12, 2012

David Gregory watched Martha Raddatz ask knowledgeablefollow-up questions tonight and asked a friend “Is that legal? Really?”
— TBogg (@tbogg) October 12, 2012

FOX News has just started rebroadcasting the first presidential debate.
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) October 12, 2012

Joe’s gonna ride the roof of the Amtrak home tonight, swigging lukewarm MGDs and doing Led Zep air guitar.(Pantsless OF COURSE.) #VPDebate
— BillCorbett (@BillCorbett) October 12, 2012

Funny seeing manly-men conservatives whining that Biden is being too rough and aggressive.
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) October 12, 2012

“Let me tell you about the Mitt Romney i know” – too late, he’s changed again
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 12, 2012

Hello, under Bush: 3000 Americans killed by Al Quada on American soil; under Obama, 4 Americans killed in Libya. Next question.
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 12, 2012

SEE THE LETTERS: 4 separate letters Ryan wrote requesting for Recovery Act funding.

via: destroythegop