I have heard from a friend that all it would take to make Medicare solvent in the future would be to increase the payroll tax that funds it by 2%. Is that really true because if so then wouldn't that be a plan than changing it to a voucher system? Any clarification on that so called fix would be much appreciated, thanks!!

Why do so few seem to know about the vicious and cruel Romney that cut off the long locks of a male classmate at Cranbrook? It was Romney who organized a group of friends to hold the boy down, while Romney cut the hair with scissors as his victim wept.

Also, why are there so few questions about Romney's tenure as a Mormon Bishop? Did he pass judgement on others and excommunicate deviant Mormons, a role Mormon Bishops often have? It would certainly be in keeping with his "Holier Than Thou" attitude, passing severe judgement on what he considers offensive in others.

I'm not politically minded enough to comment on Brian Lehrer's show during all this election coverage; but after hearing bits of Ann Romney's speech I think I've got to pay attention. I've got to start understanding how and why these Ann Romney women can get so close to the American microphone - almost sounding completely oblivious to the strong diversity of women's lives, whether working, gathering or creating.

Romney sounded like someone needed to remind her of what strong and smart women of history - from Eleanor Roosevelt, Sally Ride to Amelia Earhart - have accomplished, and continue to accomplish through their inspirational stories, even in their deaths.

Brian;Gov.Christie spoke of respect & love but said nothing of TRUST.TRUST from a man who as president says he would change the tax code but will not show the American people anymore then 2 yrs. of his own.That 2 me says he changes all but his own and the rest of the high income people.

Thanks B.

Hazel - link to Churchill apology
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/31/churchill-bust-charles-krauthammer

Oh Bernie: There you go again with the name calling. It's like the only way you can argue.

You say Joe Biden is a statesman. I think he misspeaks and embarrasses himself and his party not to mention the US pretty much every time he opens his mouth. He's not fit for the VP office. Palin is a fairly un-experienced person but has been the governor of her state, elected to office. She's no more embarrassing or "unhinged" than Biden. But your inability to see the Dems shortcomings is really the issue.

Today on my daily NJ Transit rail commute,I was reminded again of my glorious Governor, certainly basking in the afterglow of his post-RNC keynote speech, as my train was rerouted from Penn Station to Hoboken because of powerline issues.

Instead of being able to look ahead in the next few years and expect an expanded tunnel that would have the capacity to deal with such problems and still get passengers into of Penn Station without having to go to Hoboken. Gov. Christie's early and ENORMOUS mistake on closing the ARC Tunnel project which lowers economic productivity, decreases NYC and north NJ street traffic, increases delays and ruin schedules, not to mention the hundreds of jobs lost in construction for the high-unemployment state of NJ.

Thanks Gov. Christie for committing one of the greatest myopic transportation blunders in recent NYC metro history! What a tremendous vision for the future!

@CK/Yorktown- are you really comparing joe biden and sarah palin? you can have philosophical differences of opinion with biden but he is a statesman and is worthy of the office he holds. sarah palin is an unhinged, uninformed moron who says scary things and can barely run a household, certainly not the most powerful nation on the planet. c'mon, think about what you say before you say it.

Brian, you just had a segment about the lies being said and then you allow guest to repeat the same lies, without challenge. Urgh.

You don't think that Romney's 'birth certificate' reference was a dog-whistle for birther-types? An unnecessary one, I might add, since birthers are NEVER going to vote for Obama.

At best it was another demonstration of how poor the GOP sense of humor and timing is...viz. George Bush II (the candidate) on Letterman referring to a "large, sucking chest woound" or Dubya (the President) looking around the White House for WMD...

If the Democrats were really playing this up, it would be another macaca moment...Oh wait, Allen is running again and we have to save it for him.

At least have the courage to SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Republicans are afraid to say what they believe in because they know they could never get elected that way.

@Jeff Park Slope:

Can you provide a link for the retraction? Because I don't find anything online.

John Wisniewski is half correct about New Jersey schools. The suburban schools overall do a good job of education but the United States as a country is lagging behind other countries in Math and Sciences. Mr. Wisniewski did not address New Jerseys failure to educate inner city students. The state takes money from suburban schools to help the inner city schools. This redistribution plan has not produced positive results. The problem is not the teachers it is the Unions that protects long time members and bloated school administrations. There are hundreds of teachers that graduate every year that can not find jobs in New Jersey because of the system.

Hazel, you're spot on.

All politicians, like all actors, are looking for love. Christie clearly has conflicts in this area, wanting respect but needing to be loved, and his battles with food and his weight signal this.

Didn't WNYC do a story(ies) on those who continue to keep a false opinion even after the facts dispute it? Think this finding applies to Rebubs holding on to the welfare work requirement lie and the "robbing" medicare lie.

"We don't care about the truth... we ONLY care about getting along" ...keep preaching to your loyal choir - they WANT to believe what isn't true.

There is something wrong with Rep. Americans. First these guys contradict themselves at every turn; they lie to us at every turn. Ann is for unconditional love, Gov. Crispy Cream is for respect over love. Because of unconditional love (as per Ann R.) is everything Rep. that makes these people can’t even tell what is truth or a lie. The reason why blacks & Hispanics will never be part of the Rep. family is because they can’t show non-whites that family (un-conditional) love. Granted all politicians will twist the truth. But this run for president shows us how far the Rep. will take a lie. I just can’t believe most Americans are so Stupid to believe these things. We will know how Stupid we really are come this November.

Who knew: the GOP is the party of immigrants! The immigrant story was certainly a salient theme! Hardly fits with the party plank or the positioin of the Pres & VP candidates! Is this hypocrisy--or something else?

Wrong on the bust.
It was returned. There is another one that is in another location. The WH gave the reply that you just mentioned and then retracted it.

BUST FACTS
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/27/fact-check-bust-winston-churchill

Re the Churchill bust: I recall reading some time ago that the bust was a loan from Britain and that Obama returned it as per the terms of the loan. Is that the case?

Found it impossible to take the Christie speech as of much substance. Seems like he took a great big list of government problems caused by both democrats and republicans and just kept saying "they they they did this". Careful examination shows the republican footprint on a good bit of it, perhaps the bigger half.

RE: Welfare-to-work lie: One has only to look at the visuals in the ad to see the racist pandering! Get real: these dishonest Republicans have been using race as a bait since the primary. Who can forget the Gingrich charge of President Obama as the "foodstamp" president, or Romney before the NAACP as the president who gives things away and reduces the dignity of work! Why do you approach these lies as if each one is novel and without precedent. Connect the dots!

Too bad the facts don't matter to the Romney campaign. They have already said as much.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/08/were-not-going-to-let-our-campaign-be-dictated-by-fact-checkers/261674/

Please give details that explain where Obama put the billions that he "took" from Medicare to pay for "Obamacare". Let's put this issue to rest. Thanks.

Joe from nearby and Ed from Larchmont:

If you listen to the Catholic clergy, the only objections they really have to the Democratic ticket are those involving abortion and birth control. In all other regards, they consider the Republican social agenda to be anti-Catholic and anti-christian because they want to take money from the poor. They are not concerned about the banking sector as they all take vows of poverty anyway, except that for social reasons, they don't want their parishes fleeced by unregulated banking. They have parishoners who've lost their homes due to banking excesses, and they are concerned for their welfare. Pay attention!

Bill's pants are on fire:

The statute prohibited executive level or agency-level amendments to the work requirements section of the law. because they knew someone would want to circumvent the intent of congress by redefining "work,

Is it true the RNC is using Mitt's shredded tax returns for confetti?

Bernie: a slight difference. Still name calling. And Sarah Palin may be a poor VP choice. But how about the current VP. God help us if anything happened to Obama? Those who live in glass houses....

The little of the GOP convention that I could stand to watch showed me a party that is out of touch with reality. Their priority is to get control of the executive office but have been unwilling to work to make the current executive succeed. To top this off, the 'You Built It' banner behind the podium is making far too much out of the President's remarks.

I am not a fan of the GOP. Probably never will be. But I am old enough to remember GOP members who COMMANDED respect because of their adherence to principal. Dirksen, Javitz, Ford...These were Republicans to respect. Now I just can't stand their lying.

Re: Christie's comments about Democrats scaring seniors:

I work in an assisted living facility as a PCA. While I was in her room helping her, one of the seniors told me she was frightened about her Medicare benefits being cut in half. I asked where she heard that, and she told me she got the letters from the government. I asked which government agency sent her the letters and she said they were all from Washington, from different agencies, saying the same thing: Obama will cut her benefits in half, on and on.

She also insisted that Obama is an evil person because "they also say" he is a Muslim, and that the proof is that he doesn't belong to a church in Washington and he celebrates Ramadan.

Briefly, I printed out info for her about Bush and Reagan not belonging to a specific church either, and that his dinners also included a Seder, and something from Christianity Today talking about Obama's faith.

The point is, it is disgusting to me that seniors are targeted this way by Washington interest groups, knowing that seniors have little access or interest in computers and current information, but they have full voting rights.

Caller Bud from Islip...I live Islip and sure hope I bump into you. In case I don't, please explain the non-sequitur of Obama's racism to high unemployment. Moreover ,does that racism that you allude to include the half of his family that is white?

UHMM HELLO JOE - I watched the RNC via CNN and I heard the interviews with several RP supporters during the speech, many were seriously offended and some were doubtful that they would vote Romney...even if they write in Ron Paul that would be ok with me, don't fact check me if you don't know what you are talking about, thanks.

Tom Pinch: Why, that just proves Ann Romney's point that women are capable of a deeper kind of love than men are!

And dba, I completely agree. Guess she doesn't think Mitt Romney needs the votes of women who don't have children. But this just goes w/the increasing invocation of "families" in political speeches--lately it sounds as if there are no single people in the US, or if there are, they're not really Americans.

What I don't understand is why the Obama campaign is not addressing the Romney ads point by point. If Romney's ads are just plain lies, Obama has a responsibility to call him on it, to make sure that people not only know what the facts are, but that the Republican candidate is a LIAR.

Ed from Larchmont- "Catholics, if they know their faith, really can't vote for President Obama."

So Ed- then why, when the GOP controlled the presidencey, Senate & House (total control), why did they do NOTHING about abortion??? The silence was deafening!

Because they only pay lip service to the issue, and use it to wedge voters away from the Dems, who recognize that the Suprme Court declared that it's the Law of the Land.

Nice try though.

Having not heard the speeches last nite, but from this discussion, sounds as though Ann and Christie put out not contradictory speeches but rather ones geared to appeal to both the loves and the respects. A smart strategy.

@CKfromYorktown- no, i don't think that anyone who disagrees with me is ignorant...that's not what i said. i think anyone who is convinced to vote for mitt romney after hearing that pathetic excuse for an inspirational speech by ann romney is ignorant.
i think anyone who was willing to have sarah palin be the vice president of this country and 2nd in line to be the leader of the free world is an ignorant sheep. get it? see the difference?

The rhetorical convention used when one says one is not going to say something -- but does say it anyway -- is Litotes (pronounced "Lie toe tease".

For Bill Adair: How to we get people to care about the truthfulness of what politicians say?

@The Truth from Becky
Ron Paul supporters will not vote Dem...Gary Johnson most likely but we won't vote for 1 head of the 2 headed monster. No real difference in the 2 main parties.

Ed from L - believe me, the Catholic Church has far more to worry about than women seeking abortions....waaaay more!!

@ caller "Bud"-
Obama is the racist? You're kidding, right? It's obvious from you that you're the one projecting all the h8 out on the world. As you said- you'll never vote for anything but GOP for your entire life. Bud, minds are like parachutes, they only work when open.

As Warren Buffett said - "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."

So glad the Dems will get most of Ron Paul supporters that felt snubbed and ignored to cancel out LANVY's vote and other like her.

Ed from Larchmont said,
“It must be noted that Catholics, if they know their faith, really can't vote for President Obama. He is totally pro-abortion, which we can't support or encourage by voting for him.”

Catholic women are more than free to not have abortions in accordance with their religion.

I’m skeptical that there is a mandate that Catholics must prevent people of other religions and beliefs from having access to abortions and contraception.

Even if there was, maybe the Pope does say this, but that’s the Vatican, not the United States where it’s overstepping the boundaries of law being dictated by one religious group’s beliefs.

Just because some religious politicians don’t drink coffee based on their religious practice (Romney) doesn’t mean that religious people need to vote against politicians that support the right for other people to drink coffee.

There are more than enough moderate Catholics out there who don’t insist on enforcing their religious beliefs on others. Even Catholic nuns aren’t on board with the with pushing an anti-abortion agenda on everyone.

Bernie: so anyone who doesn't agree with your view is an "ignorant sheep". Insulting. And that's the problem with so many libs. If I disagree with you I must be stupid. Until we're all able to have some discussion and listen to points the other side makes, we're not going to get anywhere. I personally am not thrilled with the Repub platform but if you ask me, the Dems haven't done us any favors. A discussion about what we can agree on and work toward would be better than name calling.

John Wisniewski is a major part of a completely corrupt polital machine in NJ. He has done nothing to improve the state of NJ.

Actually - you DO have to have cancer to understand cancer.

When I hear the recap of Ann Romney's speech, I can only think about the song the lawyer Billy Flynn sings in "Chicago"--"All I Care About is Love!"--with a terrific accompanying dance.

Sure, she loves her husband and her family. But that is not enough for good leadership of a country whose problems have been exacerbated by GOP roadblocks in Congress.

Again, since Americans seem to have forgotten 20th-century world history, they seem doomed to repeat the mistakes of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, misled by massive propaganda efforts and a media dedicated to repeating the lies rather than analyzing them and following the money.

With all his talk about teachers being so important, why did Christie drastically cut pension and health insurance benefits for NJ teachers. Even those very close to retirement now have to contribute significantly to their health benefits, post-retirements. Isn't one of the reasons people become teachers is to have some confidence in their futures because they opted for careers that they loved, despite limited compensation?

Ann Romney gives her word that "He will not fail"? What, because she says so? This is a major problem in political rhetoric: just saying "x" will happen without saying how, or why it will work. "My policies will create jobs!" What will those policies actually be, & why should we believe they'll work? Again (& again) we're supposed to accept that it's true just because the speaker says so.

Chris Christie - I think he missed his true calling. He would make the GREATEST USED CAR SALESMAN in the US - perhaps the whole world!

(...Just don't kick the tires)

"This man will not fail"...why is the possibility of failure anathema to so many. Anybody who tells me that they've never failed immediately arouses my suspicion.

LANVY
use your words!
what was it that u liked?
don't be vague

hi LANVY- wow, if you fell for that, i have a bridge in brooklyn i'd like to sell you. whaddya think?

but to be serious, people like lanvy are the majority in this country- most american citizens are ignorant sheep.

What a snarky show today

HERE'S A DEMOCRAT and I will vote REPUBLICAN. Thanks, Ann. You were convincing!!

Ann Romney said: "I want to talk to you about love, I want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love, ...about that love so deep, so deep, only a mother can fathom it, the love we have for our children, and our children’s children."

Only women who have children are capable of reaching a particular depth of love? What a condescending and offensive remark towards those who do not have children. Are they somehow inferior in their capacity to love?

Also, her speech was steeped in a trite platitudes about motherhood. What about childless women? Are they completely irrelevant? They have no concerns? They have nothing to contribute to this great country? Clearly the Romney camp has writtent them off.

If the Dem's really want to make the Repub's look bad, they'd all head to New Orleans, roll up their sleeves and start bailing water and repairing after Issac. How bad would that look on TV if the Dem's were working hard and helping stranded people while the Repub's are partying and getting drunk?

Hey, news flash: loving your mother or sister doesn't make you a feminist! And I don't know what Christie meant by referring to the unselfish seniors? Does that mean he thinks they're willing to do without meds? Decent food? ????

Talk about what they were wearing.

I thought Ann Romney's tone, facial expressions and mannerisms were eerily, and perhaps intentionally, similar to Sarah Palin's. Can't wait to see Tina Fey do Queen Ann!

Guys, the Democrats platform does not mention the rape exception. Their own actions doesnt match their demagoguery about the "war on women."

“health of the mother” does have loopholes large enough to drive a truck through-it includes mental health (like “oh I can’t handle having a baby”). The vast majority of abortions are done as a means of birth control, multiple abortions by the same woman over her lifetime

The Republican party has had a so-called “prolife” platform for years----and it has always included exceptions for rape, incest and health of the mother.

The contraception controversy involved the fact that contraception coverage includes abortafacients:

QUOTE
The president spoke of how Obamacare has made “contraceptives” even more available than they were before — though he did not mention that “contraceptives,” as he defines them, include medications that do not prevent conception but instead cause the death of new life after it is formed.
UNQUOTE

August 21, 2012 4:00 A.M.
The HHS-Mandate Battle
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/314476/hhs-mandate-battle-l-martin-nussbaum

@ed/larchmont- it makes total sense that you consider that sad display of public speaking to be "powerful" and you believe in the ridiculous rules of the catholic church. must be nice to live in a fantasy land like that.

Well said John, "Martin" simply assumes that over a 1000 years of pogroms, dubious accusations of blood libel, holocaust denial (Pope Pius - what a class act he was), forced exile - will all come to a halt with Sheldon Adelson's checks.

Thank god there is an Israel.

Almost drowned in all the fake tears!! What a boatload of staged crap!!

Ann Romney's comments on her husband reminds me of the attorney's song about love in the show "Chicago"--and it was similarly intended to "glam" the gullible to avoid real issues.

Saw a clip of Mittens out shopping for "supplies" for a weekend getaway. We are to believe that this guy goes to the local Bodega to pick up food. Please, just admit you don't shop, you are rich. Please!! So he shops on his own for all of his homes?? Who would have the time!!

It would be nice... if the "love" that either Ann Romney or Gov. Christie spoke of had *anything* to do with respect for the earth, and for how our way of changing it will make it not work for us in the future...

ah! sorry -- it was machiavelli. boy does *that* say something about christie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince

i feel like i've heard christie's thing about "love" and "respect" before. was it in the sopranos (where christie gets most of his persona)? or maybe it's just cribbed from caesar (where the sopranos grab their personae). anyone else?

Maybe Christie didn't go "off the reservation" but he also didn't get off himself. How long did it take for him to even speak the nominee's name? Romney may regret it.

It's funny that Christie talked about politicians worrying about being popular when Romney is the best example of this. He changes his position depending on the office he's running for.

Ann and Chris - both speeches were fine. But the Love conflict was really strange. She's all for it and then he gets up there and bashes it. Really strange. Did no one read both speeches and say, "Hey, we've got a conflict here."

The best part of the coverage was when Mittens went on stage crying after his wife's speech. I had tears in my own eyes because prople actually buy this BS. Reeks of staging, the 5 boys all chummy, urgh.

Hey did any of mittens boys serve in the military?? Uh NO!!!! Lets let other peoples kids die!

santorm 2016!

what was with all the HATE for the TEACHERS UNION during Christie's speech? Are teachers just CONVENIENT punching bags for Republicans? and they wonder why people DON'T want to go into the profession?

Also, has Christie ever LEARNED the lyrics to the songs on DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN? talk about cultural DISSONANCE!

Ed, you are right, but "...if they know their faith..." is the problem. Catholics are the first religion that folks chose other issues over. They vote on financial issues way before they vote on their religion. Not the group I'd want to be counting on.

@MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT

"...liberties are your gift G-d, not that of government, and that we are endowed with these rights, by you our creator, not by mortal man."

So when our liberties are taken away by the right (Patriot Act, etc.) that was "our creator" changing his mind so it's OK?

@Ed from Larchmont

You could argue that a Catholic shouldn't vote for Romney since he's talking about exercising the military option all over the world. Surely that will lead to many deaths. And I'm sure the libertarians have a few policy positions that would impact something your religion considers important.

Abortion is a high profile issue a politician can check off their list to guarantee that certain people will vote for them. Don't fall for the pandering. The world is far to complicated to let this one issue decide the election for you.

Ed, will you then agree to pay higher taxs, for the additional people your pro life stance will result in??. Many of "those people" will be marching up to Larchmont, up the Hudson valley from the inner city. More of the Bronx on you doorstep.

Once the foodstamps, EBT and rent help is eliminated, they will move into your driveway. Oh I forgot, you have guns, abortion by other means, just later in "life".

And, Martin, what are going to do when those"christians" you support turn on you, as a Jew???

BRIAN - as part of your convention coverage, you should interview New York City's very own young Rabbi Meir Soloveichik from E. 85th Street who gave the invocation that opened the Republican National Convention yesterday. (MAZELTOV, SOLLY!!!!!!)

Excerpt from his remarks that warmed the hearts of even us non-observant heretics-

“We Americans unite faith and freedom in asserting that our liberties are your gift G-d, not that of government, and that we are endowed with these rights, by you our creator, not by mortal man.”

Repeat, not from government, and certainly not from the David Axelrod/Valerie Jarrett/Barry Obama cabal or the bureaucrats at the DOJ or the EPA.

Profile of him in yesterday's Wall Street Journal:
"Rising Rabbi Gets Big Role At GOP Meet"

Video clip of above statement: http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/08/28/new-york-rabbi-gives-invocation-at-republican-national-convention-video/

The speeches last night were powerful. It must be noted that Catholics, if they know their faith, really can't vote for President Obama. He is totally pro-abortion, which we can't support or encourage by voting for him. And now he is making Catholics contribute to abortion in the health care mandate. He is attacking the Church.

Imagine if no Catholics voted for President Obama?