Biden’s response to the reporter, no matter the questions, were so terrible that I can not imagine how anyone would vote for him.

Look, the questions were pretty lame, and Biden could not muster the brain power to turn it to his advantage. I certainly do now want a VP who can not even answer lame questions from the national press. What happens when this guy has to answer questions from enemies of our country? I, for one, have ZERO faith that this guy can not be offended by hard questions, which certainly our enemies will ask. I, for one, can not imagine this guy as the VP!!

To the people that defend this guy, you clearly can not think from any level other than Democrats are great and Republicans are evil… in other words, you are “useful idiots”, and can not think for youselves.

FollowtheFounders—“Way to go Barbara?” “Keep the tough questions coming?”

Are YOU joking?

The Founders you claim to follow were men of intellect as well as principle. If anyone had asked them such stupid questions they might have despaired and given the whole project up. Jefferson said that democracy could only survive with an educated, well-informed citizenry. This implies the existence of an informative, educational media. Barbara West would have horrified Jefferson as much as Sarah Palin horrifies me.

Look at Inherit the Wind’s and davidperi’s 10/26 post. Informative, educational, entertaining.

Biden, way to go!

Maybe this needed to be rewritten as:

Is this bias of the other party (whether republican or democrat)  the type of hatred that is okay to teach are children in our politically correct world? Are we teaching it is okay to be disrespectful when we have a different opinion?

I don’t think anyone can argue that there is a lot is said about taxes and that taxes are not fair.  They are not only not fair they are hard to understand. However, the thought that because someone makes a good living they are able get away without paying taxes is misleading. I’m self-employed so I pay both sides of the social security tax. So I’m paying more. The higher one’s income is the fewer the deductions they are allowed to take. The economic stimulus payment was not available for those in a high income level. (High was $75,000, for California that is not that rich).

Many government employees do not pay into social security. Their retirement package is a approximately 85 percent of their pay or full pay until their death.
Our government Congressman and Senators will receive their full pay every year when they retire (some may be able to double dip).  There is also the double dipping for those who had county jobs and then city jobs.

There are belief systems that are in each of us. Whether you think the glass is half empty, you think they pie needs to be divided, or there is enough pie for everyone is your view of how things are. I like to think the glass is half full and there is more than enough pie, and if not there will be when I work for it.

The lady accused Obama of being a socialist and of trying to make this nation like socialist Sweden.  What’s wrong with that?  Swedes have the highest standard of living in Europe.  It’s a great, prosperous country, and an example for the rest of the world.

Why do the democrats need to be so disrespectful to the republicans?  Is this bias of the other party the type of hatred that is okay to teach are children in our politically correct world?  What gives any of us the right to care so little for other human beings? Is it okay to teach hatred because one has a different opinion?  When did we stop caring about respect?  I’m not questioning freedom of speech. I’m questioning, why in politics is it okay to be disrespectful instead of working towards articulate informed responses? Does the lack of respect open one’s mind to listen to the other?  I believe this hostile environment is harmful and hurtful to our country and limits are growth as humans.

That woman is not a journalist and her interview was embarassing to watch.  Republican puppet.

I sent her an email to express my embarassment…

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Subject:Pope John Paul’s Views on Communism/Capitalism.

The late Pope John Paul spent sometimes in prison in his native country of Poland when it was under Communist rule and part of the Soviet Union then.The Pope was just a priest then.

As he managed to get out of prison and ended-up in the Vatican and became Pope,one reporter asked him once what was his opinion COMMUNISM!! The answer of the good Pope was that it was/is a terrible system….

The same reporter then asked the good Pope what was his opinion of CAPITALISM!! The good Pope answered that it was/is NO good either….

If COMMUNISM is a terrible system and CAPITALISM is NO good either,one is compelled to ask what has been left??The answer is SOCIALISM.

After seeing what the capitalists of Wall Street have done lately to the vast majority of the American people,ranging from housing disclosures to diminishing in their retirement savings to increasing of unemployment to free fall of the value of the once mighty American dollar,one may conclude that the most likable Pope was correct in his assessment,after all.

If the foolish woman-reporter in Florida knew the good Pope opinion of both COMMUNISM and CAPITALISM
perhaps,just perhaps, she would have been less loud,less assertive,less arrogant,less obnoxious and less repulsive in her questioning of a towering figure such as Senator Joe Biden.

The BLINDNESS of some people is astounding,indeed.

This interview has left me laughing, but shocked at the same time.  I continue to be suprised by the right’s lunatic accusations…  Well, this proves it.  The richest of the rich have grown very accustomed to profiting at the expense of the rest of the nation (with the help of the Presidential Administration), and they are scared out of their minds.  Hoorah for Biden and go Obama!

This wasn’t an interview, it was an attack by a partisan right wing hack. Not very skillfully done either. Had some one posed such loaded questions to McCain he would have exploded into a tirade of expletives.

This is my first time watching the whole interview after hearing all about it in the news. I think Biden actually did really well. The news media made it seem as if he was very angry and almost refused to answer questions which is just not true.

Sir,

You say free speech will be stopped under Obama/Palin.

And yet I no longer believe I have the right to march in the streets under Bush.

Amy Goodman, a credentialed journalist, was arrested for talking to a police officer at the RNC.

Preemptive raids were stage to arrest activist groups who were “planning” to march at the RNC.

Americans can be jailed without reason under the Patriot Act.

Our phone calls are being monitored—this is public knowledge.  If you say Osama, Binladen, Afghanistan, terrorist, and other phrases, your voice is being recorded for analysis.

Habeus Corpus—gone, under Bush.

Secret prisons—created under Bush.

Torture—authorized for the first time under Bush.

5 TRILLION in new Federal Debt—under Bush.  It took America 225 years to get to 5 Trillion in debt.  Then it only took 8 more years to get the next 5 Trillion.  That, Sir, is a 5 Trillion dollar transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich and the military industrial complex.

Private mercenary armies on American soil—authorized under Bush.  Blackwater now has contracts inside America.

Mr. Flannery I respectfully suggest to you that many of your freedoms are already gone, and that America under Bush is closer to Facism than socialism.

“I don’t know who’s writing your questions!” Owned. You can see the gulp in her throat.

A socialist country like Sweden?  Wait.  I like Sweden. Sweden is a democracy.  Sweden has great schools and great health care and great people.  What does Barbara West have against Sweden?

I think Ms. West’s questions were very good.  They reminded me of how Tim Russert used to ask tough questions to both sides.  It reveals a lot though how people react to these questions.  By the way I think Biden dealt with them well.  If voters get this concerned about the questions that are asked of their candidate then I see a problem.  In my view if a candidate sees a question as unfair then he or she has the opportunity in their answer to expose it.

By danstoke, October 27 at 7:21 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

“That’s a Marxist quote, by Karl Marx”.  Thanks for the history lesson Barbara, but that was Lenin.  If you’re going to try to sound informed at least get your sources right.

************
danstoke,

If you’re going to sarcastically put down someone for a mis-quote, at least get your facts right.  The qoute WAS by Marx (among several earlier scholars, as has been pointed out earlier).  It comes from :‘Critique of the Gotha Program’

“In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life’s prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly—only then then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!”

Freedom of Religion.

One of the great notions this country was founded on. One of the reasons our forefathers fled their mother countries and came to this land.

So I ask…should it really matter if Barak Obama is a Muslim? We provide for his right to be of the Muslim faith in our Constitution, don’t we?

He is, of course, a Christian…but there are some people out there who actually refuse to believe that. Barak Obama was raised by his Christian grandparents as a Christian and has continued to follow that faith.

Is it because he is black and his last name is Obama? So…if I understand correctly…if you are black…and your last name is Obama…you HAVE to be a Muslim…right? Even if you’ve been going to a Christian church and practicing the Christian religion ALL your life… ...in the eyes of some Americans…you will ALWAYS be a Muslim.

Does that make sense to everyone?

Where is it written that the President of the United States must be of a Christian faith? ...or white?

As for the Marxist question this reporter asked Sen. Biden, well…Sen Biden handled himself well and answered the question intelligently by explaining Sen. Obama’s tax plan…AGAIN…and explained away this “Spreading The Wealth” stigma as something this country has ALWAYS done with it’s tax dollars… ...true.

Personally, I hope Sens. Obama and Biden have read “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx. As a whole, it wouldn’t work in this country. However, there are some good ideas which can be taken away and applied creatively to our current situation(s).

As a musician should never limit themselves to one style of music because you never know when you might hear something that inspires you…nor should a would-be President limit themselves in the amount of political theories they learn.

Keep your wits about you America.

“That’s a Marxist quote, by Karl Marx”.  Thanks for the history lesson Barbara, but that was Lenin.  If you’re going to try to sound informed at least get your sources right. 

Color me pink, but I’m a bit baffled by how simply saying Marxist equates to bad.  We’re in the midst of the worst economic meltdown in generations.  A situation which speaks volumes about the accuracy of Marxist analysis of capitalism.  I think it’s time to cut the crass act and fess up to the possibility that the perceived American way has some faults. 

That said, Biden handled it well, there was so much wrong with that statement I wouldn’t know where to start.

Wake up people!!!!!
How does Joe Biden validate Obama or himself merely by saying “Are you joking?”. 
These are legit questions being asked here.
Does Obama not want to “Spread the wealth?” = Obviously he does, as we heard these exact words come out of his mouth. Biden will not answer the specific question asked by West because he knows that the literally correct answer to the question is damning to Obama (it is going to happen by the way).

Same goes for any STRAIGHT UP question being asked to Biden, with Biden making light of anything asked to him by sidetracking the question with, “Is this a real question?”, “Are you joking?”.
Embarrassing.  Shamefull.  Just answer the questions!!!  Own up! Be honest!
You Obama “followers” that think this lady is crazy, or praising Joe Biden for not “falling for traps” will get what you ask for next year.  A weakened former shell of ourselves America. Stop being sheep, and don’t be offended to HEAR and KNOW the ACTUAL TRUTH!!  Do you actually think that Obama is perfect? I know that McCain is not perfect, no person is.  But he can fix and protect America, not socialize us into a “ONE-CLASS” economy, and defenseless to our enemies at that. WAKE UP!!!

Final
someone asked a real question to the Obama camp.
The truth is coming out Obama want to control America and take away our rights.
Look what he just did, Now WFTV has no access to his camp. What’s next the first amendment. Keep asking West you did right.

Vote for a free and safe America   VOTE McCain

West questions of Biden were tough and unanswered. Chris Matthews doesn’t allow conservatives to even fully answer his questions.
West and anybody like her who asks tough questions probably won’t have a job soon!

she’s just another loony rt wng puppet.  Biden stifled her rediculous loaded questions perfectly.

Hey republicans, use your tiny little brians for a second, I know this is difficult for you, but I will spell it out so that you can follow, ok, ready,  here we go:

For example:  Imagine a reporter asks McPain the following hypothetical question:  Mr. Mccain, How long have you been a supporter of terrorism, and when you make love to osama, does it help your standing with your terrorist friends?

ok, do you now understand what a stupid loaded question is?,  ok we’re making progress.  west is a rt wng tool,  -simple as that. 

smart to cancel the time wasting interviews. 

anyway, Obama will win, hopefully huge. - Hey R’s,  every day more of your republicans are jumping their sinking ships and supporting Mr. Obama.

Followthefounders “It’s about time someone in the TV news asked tough, relevant questions regardless of how uncomfortable the interviewie feels.”

...and to think that you are on the side of lies.  To have lies being framed as questions and asked to see what the response would be is downright sick.  Your name is also ironic as you are about as far from the founders as anyone could be.  You shrill Neo-cons who have no idea about the constitution, no clue about reality, and no clue about facts.  Your right wing thinking is what is clouding up Amerika.  I will admit that Dems are no better, but for you to come on here and think lies should be posed as questions, shows how ignorant you really are. 

Open a damn book and think fro yourself.

The wealthy are giving money to Obama.  Yet they are the ones supposedly being taxed under his plan.  I think they know that the tax plan will have so many loopholes that they will be able to pay less than now aor will ship their money overseas.  Those were not hard questions.  Sarah Palin gets the over the top questions.  Poor widdle joey the Senator.  He can’t answer simple questions.

Wow that was a great exchange. The questions were clearly written with a Floridian’s elderly demographic in mind. I am truly ashamed that many of my fellow Americans think that these questions are legitimate, but it’s great to hear them answered so decisively!

Manni,
You use St. Paul as the source for the acts socialism quote. And you used one verse to substantiate early Christian socialism.

One verse does not a doctrine make.  That was my point.

Furthermore, most scholars attribute the Acts of the Apostles to Luke, not Paul.  If you read the third Gospel, Luke does have a strong “Poverty - piety” theme such as a camel thru the eye of a needle having an easier time than a rich man in heaven, Zacchias, The rich young man, and the rich man and Lazarous (a story that should scare the living daylights out of your basic Christian.)

That the early Christians were socialists is not supported by the rest of the Bible nor church history.

The Bible does point out that the taxing authorities tended to help themselves to a surcharge over and above the basic tax.  In addition, note that the Acts passage was voluntary, not mandated.

  Pax

Biden incredulously asks “Is that a real question?”
That is too too funny!  Biden is great! LOL

GO OBAMA/BIDEN!!

SEEMED LIKE A VERY SMALL SPARK SET OFF VP JOE’S
KINDLING..HE’S VERY SENSITIVE BECAUSE HE HAS FIGURED OUT THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN’S OPINION OF HIM…

MAYBE WE’LL GET SOME COMMISSARS TO RULE OVER THE
PRESS, ONE THE MARXISTS GET OFFICE..TO KEEP THOSE MEAN REPORTER LADIES..AT BAY!

Wade West is also a Republican donor. West donated $250 to the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE. He gave $500 to Will McBride a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida. As well as $500 to John Mica and $1,000 to Richard Keller both GOP congressional candidates in Florida.

Look, Joe is right. Obama is going to be tested on DAY 1, thanks to the gazillion burning bags of poop Dumay and Cheney Vader have blazed globally.

If America is going to see any progress in the next four years, it’s only going to come because we stood with the leader against the beast of the military industrial corporatocracy that has sunk the global economy. The gig is up for big business. Laisez-faire capitolism is dead. And, we want our rights back and our taxes lowered.

And this West ditz needs to get off the GOP socialism talking points page. If she’s going to continue to play a journalist on TV, she needs to try asking some real questions that actually challenge the guest, not work his nerves or cause him to work harder to repress laughter than actually respond. I hope she’s earning enough to have her wealth redistributed under the Obama Biden socialized tax plan, just because she is obviously not using the money to purchase an independently functioning brain.

You go, Joe! You da man!

Obama - Biden 2008!

She seems like she’s really distressed by him… which means she’s another angry right-wing nutjob doing the news.

It’s strange that eveyone feels she was hard on Biden, but don’t feel that the media is nicer to the Democrats.  They have been in control of Congress for that last two years and Franks and Dodd (both Democrats) have screwed up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Big Time!!!  So my comment is both parties have been jerks!!  Spread the wealth sounds great, but someone has to foot the bill and if you think the rich are—that means Obama and Biden have to share the wealth also!!!  Do you honestly think that the movie stars in Hollywood are going to gladly give their money to you????

I hope she does not think she is showing any media or political/historical/philosophical savy with her questions, cause they appear to be as mindless as she is. When she is even gently questioned about it, she says “...on to the next question” and/or it wasn’t enough to show stupidity, once, she insisted on returning to her question on Marxism a second time…

I would, however use it as a great example of some of the drone-like right wing attempts at media (I started to say ‘journalism’, but this is clearly not worthy of that term).

The Palin faction is beginning to lay the groundwork for the 2010-12 campaign.

Joe Biden and Obama has never been ask these kinds of
questions. The Liberal media has been soft on questios regarding Ayers, Wright and many of his communist and socialist friends.  I was glad to see this and it shows just how they avoid answering serious questions.

Free speech will be stopped if Obama/Biden win !

Bob Flannery
London, Ky.  Good Old Boy Holding on to God and Guns!

I think Biden did great. The questions were absurd.

Can you imagine if McCain were asked a question like:

“Senator McCain, when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, you were eating cake with Bush in California. Since you support a no regulation government of Every Man For Himself ... does this mean, come the next hurricane, everyone should drown if they cannot swim while you eat more cake?”

WFTV news anchor Barbara West, a Fox News (Right Wing) affiliate, was an embrassment to our United States of America society.  Vice President Joe Biden did a very good job of putting her and the people who wrote her questions in their place.  Their place is not in todays world.  Barack Obama and Joe Biden are great for the United States and great for our future.  CHANGE IS NEEDED AND NEEDED NOW!

Are you kidding me? For Biden to get upset and cancel all interview with the station is a joke! What a lame duck this guy will be! (Which is probably why Obama chose him, btw.) If he can not even muster enough brain power to turn the interview around to his advantage, with such ridiculous questions, proves to me this guy is woefully unqualified to even negotiate buying a used car, yet alone be VP!

Re: Maani and Christians being the first socialists.

Paul also said in 1st Thessalonicans, “He who does not work should not eat.” 

Does this make Paul a hard core capitalist?

I don’t think in either case that Paul was trying to be Alan Greenspan.

This unprofessional “B” is married to Wade West, an international media consultant to republican politicians. I guess her 16 years of experience didn’t teach her to separate personal from professional.

Maani, your comment about Jesus being a socialist based on your apostle Paul verse.

The people chose to donate, the government nor Jesus nor the apostle Paul forced the giving.  If you take what belongs to another by force, it is STEALING plain and simple.

Sounded like a simple question to me!!  What was so hard about answering it considering the “spread the wealth around” is exactly a marxist policy. 

Do the candidates want only talking points to be their answer.  You can’t find anything out if you don’t ask the questions that are valid.

Biden looks like a Televangist, but that is reinforced by his behavior (forced/fake smiles and lying straight faced to the camera).

It’s about time someone in the TV news asked tough, relevant questions regardless of how uncomfortable the interviewie feels.

Obama dug a deep hole and Biden is stuck with it, poor guy.  Now the Obama campaign is saying they are banning all future communication with WFTV.  Like childrens behavior they are saying “Boo hoo, you didn’t give me the toy (softball questions) I wanted” so now they are pouting and trying to punish someone. 

Way to go Barabara!  Keep the hard questions coming!

Look how much he’s blinking.  Something ain’t right here.  Is it mere stress, or is he lying?  I don’t know.  But it is odd.

I don’t know which is worse… the woman is either an idiot or immoral.