Debate Recap: 1 Moron Point Goes to Biden

While Joe Biden managed to avoid too many gaffes during the debate, he still told a bunch of outright lies…

From Michele Malkin:

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.

3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage.

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people’s health insurance coverage — they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska — she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it’s not a windfall profits tax.

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation — he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won’t pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.

Her original post here.

Biden did make one pretty significant error during his bizarre rant about the function of the Vice Presidency, however. Biden claimed that Article 1 of the Constitution talks about the role of the Vice President.

“Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history. The idea he doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.”

Here’s Biden’s gaffe: Article 1 is about the Legislature. It’s Article 2 that talks about the Presidency. Realistically, most Americans (including myself) wouldn’t catch a fact like that. Most Americans probably can’t even recite the preamble. It’s pathetic, but true. People are dumber these days! So, I’d be willing to cut Biden some slack, except for the fact that he’s running for VP of the United States. He needs to know these things! He’s the former chair of the Judiciary Commitee and a former constitutional lawyer. As Biden did so often during the debate, let me say make that statement again: He’s a former constitutional lawyer. For this I award Biden 1 Moron Point.

For Palin’s part, I think she did a nice job overall. I’m not going to say it was flawless. I wish she would have been more direct at times. But Palin did what the elitist democratic leadership just can’t manage to do. She came across as a real person, who understands real issues, who lives in the real world that the rest of us do. Americans are tired of liberal elitism and ideas that sound nice in theory but don’t work in the real world.

In fairness, Biden made some good points. But did he connect with people? Was there anything memorable about his performance tonight? These are the reasons Sarah Palin is on the ticket. She’s relational, she’s pragmatic, and she can regain the trust of the American people. Can we say the same about Biden?