VP Debate Wrap-Up, Romney Plagiarism Accusation, and More

Indecision 2012:

Who won Thursday night’s debate, Joe Biden or Paul Ryan? According to dueling polls, neither; it was a split decision. A CNN survey gave the edge to Ryan, 48 to 44 percent. However, a CBS poll of undecided voters gave a decisive victory to Biden, 50 to 31 percent. (Read more)

All About Biden: Whether you thought his performance was spot-on or over-the-top, Joe Biden dominated the first and only vice presidential debate, according to a social media analysis conducted by NBC News. Key takeaway from the analysis: Pro-Biden commentary was largely straightforward and about the vice president, while pro-Paul Ryan commentary defined the Republican VP nominee’s performance in relation to his opponent. (Read more)

Just Joe: A White House official said Biden was not speaking for the entire administration when he said he was unaware that a request had been put in for more security in Libya before the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including the ambassador. The State Department has acknowledged receiving such requests. Deputy National Security Adviser for Communications Ben Rhodes clarified that during the debate, Biden was speaking only for himself and the president. (Read more)

Friday Night Fights: Peter Berg, the man behind the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” has sent a cease-and-desist order to Mitt Romney, claiming the GOP presidential nominee has plagiarized the program’s signature quote, “Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.” Romney has used the phrase in his stump speech recently. In a letter to Romney asking the candidate to stop, Berg wrote that using the quote “falsely and inappropriately” associated the Republican with the television series. (Read more)

Out-of-Touch Mitt: Reiterating earlier comments, Mitt Romney claimed in an interview Thursday that people don’t die from lack of health insurance. As Talking Points Memo noted, however, that claim is false. Studies have shown that tens of thousands of Americans die prematurely each year because they do not have health coverage. (Read more)

Not Again: Wisconsin state Rep. Roger Rivard, a Republican, is losing support from the GOP in his re-election bid after saying that “some girls rape easy.” Rivard claims his comment was taken out of context. In recounting advice from his father, Rivard said he meant to say that if “you do (have premarital sex), just remember, consensual sex can turn into rape in an awful hurry.” Because accusing women of falsely crying “rape” is less insulting? (Read more)

Highly Unevolved: Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican Missouri Senate nominee who believes vaginas can magically repel “legitimate rape” sperm, is now on record saying there is no “science” behind evolution. The scariest part about all of his unscientific musings: Akin sits on the House’s Science Committee. How? (Read more)

Trillion-Dollar Baby: The U.S. deficit has topped $1 trillion for the fourth straight year, despite the fact that there was a budget surplus in the final month of the fiscal year. The government ended fiscal year 2012 with a budget gap of $1.089 trillion, down slightly from the $1.297 trillion hole the previous year. (Read more)

Economic Boost: Consumer sentiment just hit its highest point in five years, thanks to increased optimism about the economy’s recovery. That’s good news for the Obama campaign what with the election less than a month away. (Read more)

Sherman on Berman: If you think Thursday night’s debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan was heated, wait until you see the clash between California congressional candidates Brad Sherman and Howard Berman. As the video shows, things got a little tense between the two contenders during a forum at a community college. (Read more)

Video of the Day: It’s not just Joe Biden; Mitt Romney has a thing for laughing as well.