So where's the Presidential Debate Thread?

[DinoDoc]

Can we please not forget that the main issue with the 'binders of women' thing was not just that it was ridiculous and offensive, but that it was (yet another) barefaced lie.

In what way? As governor, Romney named women to half of his 12 Cabinet posts.

[Guynemer]

In the way that he claimed that he sought out the now-legendary binder, instead of people just giving it to him.

I'm not that worked up about it either way myself. It was an amusing turn of phrase, though.

[Dinner]

I agree with this. I don't really see it as a big deal.

I do, however, think liberals are making a horrible mistake on focusing on "Big Bird" and "Binders Full of Women". Most people know politicians make gaffes. And these things take away from the issues on where you want to hammer Romney.

This I can agree on. They should be hammering Romney on his complete lack of a sound economic policy ("I'll spend more on everything, cut taxes for everyone by 2/3rds, and magically balance the budget just don't ask me how!") and how he literally brings nothing new to the table. Just the same tired old Republican talking points which have been continuously failing for the last 30 years.

[rah]

"I'll spend more on everything, cut taxes for everyone by 2/3rds, and magically balance the budget just don't ask me how!"

Isn't that the platform that Obama won with 4 years ago?

[-Jrabbit]

Yeah, some of my best friends are black.

As a job creator, I make sure I have a binder full of qualified blacks, given to me by black advocacy groups, because I'm just not aware of any on my own, despite my 25 years of leadership in business and government. But it's important to have qualified blacks available to fill high profile positions when it's politically expedient. And certainly not before.

From David S. Bernstein in the Boston Phoenix:

...according to MassGAP and MWPC, Romney did appoint 14 women out of his first 33 senior-level appointments, which is a reasonably impressive 42 percent. However, as I have reported before, those were almost all to head departments and agencies that he didn't care about -- and in some cases, that he quite specifically wanted to not really do anything. None of the senior positions Romney cared about -- budget, business development, etc. -- went to women.

Secondly, a UMass-Boston study found that the percentage of senior-level appointed positions held by women actually declined throughout the Romney administration, from 30.0% prior to his taking office, to 29.7% in July 2004, to 27.6% near the end of his term in November 2006. (It then began rapidly rising when Deval Patrick took office.)

Third, note that in Romney's story as he tells it, this man who had led and consulted for businesses for 25 years didn't know any qualified women, or know where to find any qualified women. So what does that say?

[Imran Siddiqui]

In the way that he claimed that he sought out the now-legendary binder, instead of people just giving it to him.

As far as politician lies go, its a relatively minor one.

[regexcellent]

Don't forget, single mothers are to blame for gun violence.

I agree. Juvenile delinquency is a big problem and children of single mothers are a large component of that problem.

It's certainly a bigger problem vis a vis gun violence than "assault weapons."

[Asher]

So single mothers are more to blame for gun violence than assault rifles are?

What a world we live in...

[regexcellent]

Do you know how often assault rifles are involved in crime?

Pretty much never.

Do you know how often children who grow up in crappy households are involved in crime?

All the time.

Criminals don't rob people with rifles. Why would you carry around a rifle when a cheaper handgun that you can get on the street and easily conceal works so much better?

[regexcellent]

Fun fact: we have a full room full of dozens of assault rifles on my college campus. Fully automatic ones, even.

Spoiler:

They're for ROTC

[Asher]

Do you know how often assault rifles are involved in crime?

Pretty much never.

Do you know how often children who grow up in crappy households are involved in crime?

All the time.

Criminals don't rob people with rifles. Why would you carry around a rifle when a cheaper handgun that you can get on the street and easily conceal works so much better?

I like how "gun violence" has morphed into "crime" and petty robbery.

Fun fact: Zero mass shootings this year were committed by a single mother.

[DinoDoc]

I would like the President to come out in more forcefully in favor of an assault weapons ban. Gun control has been such a winning issue for his party in the past.

[The Mad Monk]

In the way that he claimed that he sought out the now-legendary binder, instead of people just giving it to him.

I'm not that worked up about it either way myself. It was an amusing turn of phrase, though.

[DinoDoc]

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

He's also a gaffe machine. Not on the order of a Joe Biden, mind you, but he is prone to lots of self-inflicted ****eduppery, especially on foreign policy. The fact that he botched that last night should come as a surprise to precisely zero people.

Upcoming Daily Show Interview:

“When four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.” Raising the question how many Americans does it take getting killed to be optimal?