@ DarkSymbolist from NYC!
"If the mainstream self-proclaimed "moderate" media (including this show) cared at all about facts, this is something that would be pointed out at every single turn, during every story, countering every ridiculous statement by the Repiglicans...yet I hardly ever hear this fact ever pointed out...remarkable...."

Exactly! The failure to mention a truth as basic as this really says something about the media's integrity (or lack of it). It's as if the mainstream media is complicit in working to ensure that we have a more dumbed down and uniformed population.

Do Brian & Mara not realize that 'tithe' means to give 10% of one's income to one's church? You can't say Biden tithed very little unless you're saying that he has an extremely low income.

The country's credit rating dropped (to the extent that it is relevant)because of the Republican intransigence during the debt level vote, occassioned by their fight to keep the rich from paying as much as the middle class in taxes. Shilling for the wealthy pure and simple.

How does your guest feel about Snooki pretending she is from NJ, instead of Staten Island?

Amy,
Gosh and haven't the congressmen and women been wearing so much makeup lately?

Biden drags Obama down like an albatross.

Out the the old, In with the new.

Here is something that will make Reverend Jerimaiah Wright (Obamas advisor for 20 years) hopping mad...

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Dark Symbolist: Media, shmedia--why aren't the **Democrats** pointing it out at every turn? And reminding people how many things Pres. Obama tried to do were stymied by the 1 vote it would have taken to stop the Senate Republicans from filibustering them (when Mr. Romney & others say both houses had Democratic majorities)?

Under the Obama/Biden adminstration, the US's credit rating dropped from AAA to AA.

More of the same? No thanks.

It's time for a change.

And if Romney fail, he'll be out in four years.

But "It's Time For A Change".

I don't care what your position is, but you should be able to discuss it in an intelligent and informative manner. Marjorie Dannenfelser, that was ignorant and, flippant, and incredibly disrespectful.

Doesn't whatever deal is or isn't made on the "fiscal cliff" depend more on the makeup of Congress than on who's president?

@ Martin Chuzzlewit

Love the claim that only "the reprehensible Barry Obama...[has carried out the] DIVISIVE and HATE-INDUCING efforts to create resentment and disunity within the country."

Of course, Romney has support only because conservatives HATE Obama for many reasons, some of it personal and based on who he is and his race. (Condi Rice, for all her achievements, is a token in an over-over-overwhelmingly elderly, exclusionary, lily white party.)

This animus and plan to bring down Obama started BEFORE (RE: Mitch McConnell) he even took office and has had the effect of working against the America's own interest. Such actions are anti-American.

What I am saying is that the conservatives'/Republicans' plan and political strategy, which was devised before he took office and has been executed for almost 4 years, rests largely on hatred of Obama.

I would say that such premeditated behavior is the definition of "DIVISIVE and HATE-INDUCING efforts to create resentment and disunity within the country."

Perplexed asked
“And why is Brian backing down from allowing her to challenge him on the simple seatbelt comparison?”

Because the question and the irrelevant diversion that would follow is so stupid that Brain is smart enough to let the idiocy stand exposed for what it is, ignore the question because he’s the one conducting the interview, and move on.

To your idiot guest: Bork was UNFIT to sit on the Supreme Court.
End of story.

You should never let a GOP senator walk away without asking him to detail the reasons for the GOP obstruction on ALL bills by the administration that not long ago were considered bi-partisan. Follow up with the plot to bring down Obama with intransigence.

Everyone should read:
"Matt Taibbi: 'Mitt Romney Is One Of The Greatest And Most Irresponsible Debt Creators Of All Time' "

Extremely interesting...and shocking.

What is Obama going to do differently in his next term from what he did in his first?

What mistakes did Obama make?

Obama can't run on his record of failure. Obamas Pie in the sky doesn't cut it. Ask the millions out of work.

Here in his own words...

FLASHBACK: Obama: My Presidency Will Be 'A One-Term Proposition' If Economy Doesn't Turn In 3 Years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCN5-ovvFL0

I'm listening to this woman from the Susan B. Anthony list and I can't believe that she actually thinks there is no criminal consequence. If something is deemed ILLEGAL by law, any citizen committing that illegal act faces a penalty.

Her analogy of seat belt law was laughable. You have to wear a seat belt by law, and if you don't wear a seat belt you are legally penalized. If a woman has an abortion if abortion is illegal, then she will be legally penalized.

In fact, they're already criminalizing women who have used abortifacients in states that have banned abortion or have strict abortion laws. In some cases, women that had miscarriages were also accused of criminal abortion.

Why is she allowed to give Romney a pass by saying he "misspoke" but Obama is not allowed the same benefit? And why is Brian backing down from allowing her to challenge him on the simple seatbelt comparison? If you get caught driving without a seatbelt you get a ticket, you get fined. Is she proposing women get fined?

Think he needs his head checked??

The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialized in 1843 and 1844. Wikipedia
Published: 1844
Author: Charles Dickens
Original language: English
Preceded by: American Notes
Followed by: Dombey and Son
Genre: Novel

I keep hearing supporters of the right calling in and saying that, 'there is too much government spending.' I honestly don't understand what this means.

This comment should be parsed. Brian, I believe this line is just repeated as a Republican marketing montra and given very little thought on what it means. Please ask your callers to explain?

Is it that Republicans don't want the government to spend money at all? So what should we do with the money that we contribute as tax-paying citizens? Should we stop paying police, firefighters, teachers, roads, libraries, public parks, healthcare, school lunches for children? Is it that they don't believe in contributing with taxes? Or is it that they don't like how the money is being spent?

If the right advocates tax-payers keeping more of their money then what will assure that our citizenship will contribute real ideas and real dollars towards the creation of a better, a more just, and more inclusive society for the majority?

Responding to Marjorie Dannenfelser

Right...So abortion is “murder,” (actually, no it’s not) but there’s no penalty.

She asked: How do you enforce seat belt laws?

Answer: A police officer pulls you over and writes you a ticket. If you don’t pay enough traffic tickets you risk losing your license, having your car impounded and even having a warrant put out for your arrest.

If pro-life means that women who get abortions are penalized with something less than a seat beat violation, I guess I have no objections to the pro-life position after all.

Jeez, the right wing women that are paraded out by the GOP make it almost more understandable why they hate women in the first place. The dopey prolife yokel just on the air, the insipid national stylings of Bachman, etc. In this context, Condi Rice, the incompetent who is as much responsible for 9/11 and Iraq as anyone alive, appears as a "Stateswoman."

@ Truth & Beauty

"Doesn't anyone get it, yet, that the reason Obama has not been able to accomplish many of his goals is that the Republicans vowed as a party to obstruct any attempts he made by their conduct in Congress?"

If the mainstream self-proclaimed "moderate" media (including this show) cared at all about facts, this is something that would be pointed out at every single turn, during every story, countering every ridiculous statement by the Repiglicans...yet I hardly ever hear this fact ever pointed out...remarkable....

...and so the "moderates" do the dirty work of the far right extreme by being cowards

This women just compared abortion law to seat belt law. So basically if they ban abortions you will just get a ticket maybe some points on your licenses.

When talking about Romney's position on abortion, please bring up the fact that he supported "personhood" during the primary.

I'm a New Yorker and have received a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. It's conceivable that penalties would follow an outlawing of abortions.

How come Brian Lehrer is entertaining this woman, she is just spewing rhetoric and is not answering anything and Brian is being a wimp in not holding her to answer the questions, she is counter punching and asking him a question.

brian
shame on you. you go to the republicat convention and you keep picking the dumbest GOPers to talk with.
Just kidding. I’m sure it’s hard to find anyone with an IQ 85+. Keep up the good work.

The so-called "pro-life" movement needs to embrace the fact that their emphasis is on shaming and control of women. They should also ensure that biological dads are required to be living tissue donors for children under the age of 18, just to be consistent.

Forget Priebus, is Dannenfelser high?
But seriously, its a tough topic and she needs a better day, or a south-to-north translator.

Why is this woman so angry?

They give you a big ticket with a huge fine for not wearing a seat belt. She is nuts.

Wow - what nonsense - if abortion is "murder" and is made illegal, then women who have one should be thrown in jail - together with their doctor.

Brian- Your current guest is a moron. Get her OFF the air!

why must we continue to give platform to the most ignorant and backward members of our society? Thinking about issues has been replaced by "principled stands." How dare this nasty prolife bumpkin talk in terms of "human rights"? She dedicates her pointless existence to fighting for the rights of the "unborn" while seeing actual people as a distraction--"do we think Akin should be aborted?"

It makes me absolutely ill that they are dragging Susan B. Anthony's name through this. Ask her how a woman is supposed to prove she was raped? Go to court? The kid will be 18 before her rapist gets convicted. She makes me sick.

With the Pro-Choice arguments, where's the discussion regarding care of the child after birth? Whose going to support these children.

Doesn't anyone get it, yet, that the reason Obama has not been able to accomplish many of his goals is that the Republicans vowed as a party to obstruct any attempts he made by their conduct in Congress? This is something they started the minute the last of the electoral votes came in after the 2008 election. If Obama wins this year, we will, unfortunately, have the same problem, but someone needs to expose it so that Republican legislators can't get away with it again. Our legislators are in office to enact legislation, not to obstruct everything the President proposes (and then run on a platform claiming that he was ineffective).

Insofar as the comments made by your earlier caller about religion, the problem is not religion per se. We can all worship as we wish - NOW. However, our founding fathers wrote separation of church and state into the constitution because they did not want the "church" to influence what the state (or federal government) does because we have varying faiths in this country and who's should say. One of the ways they insured this separation is to make sure that religious organizations were not taxed so that they could not say they were taxed and not represented. They are not taxed, not represented and should have no say in government affairs.

In addition, the Republicans seem to think that this is a Christian country, which it is not. We have many religions in this country, but the point is that none of them should be represented in government, and none of them should have a say in government because none of them can speak for any other. They don't pay tax, they should stay out of government affairs, and they should stay out of candidates' speeches.

This said, I am religious; I do observe the tenets of my faith; but I DO NOT attempt to force those tenets on anyone else, especially through government. The only way in which my faith would influence my actions in government is through my inherent integrity, which is as important in every day life as it is in government.

LOL...watch this link from last night of smug "unbiased" Rachel Maddow ( and Schultz) hijack the (African-American) MSNBC news reporter's convention interview with Governor Scott Walker (she obviously didn't think that he could do the interview himself)and then talk over them both in an attempt to embarrass Walker.
Tsk, tsk...didn't work.

Maddow calls Governor Walker "Scott"....so, I'll continue to call Obambi "BARRY". (If you NPR listeners were wondering where I learned my frequent "disrespect" and "incivility"....it was from the masters themselves....the Left via Saul Alinsky and MSNBC.)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/29/msnbc_hosts_vs_scott_walker_on_auto_bailout_.html

The religiosity of the GOP is absolutely repugnant.

Romney’s speech on religion made way back from the last time he was running was one of the few times he was actually clear on a position, and he is doesn’t understand separation of church and state at all.

Honestly, I don’t think Romney would act on his religiosity; he’d probably govern just fine. But this is basic high school American history that he clearly doesn’t’ t get, how did he get through Harvard with these absolutely wrong ideas?. Also, the GOP is intent of making the United States a theocracy. I don’t understand how people can align themselves, Christian or otherwise, with a political party that endorses people like Bachmann and Santorum.

Why do all these women seem to have Southern accents? UGH! Make it stop!

You are so correct "Martin." Obama has done everything "post-racial" America wanted him to do: A "light-skinned" [non-threatening] family man without a "negro dialect" yet he is still a "socialist Muslim radical" that was "born in Kenya" - who hasn't released his college transcripts and followed Rev. Wright, as you just pointed out.

Ha she was "pro choice"! What a clown!

Brian, people who are in favor of choice on abortion are also "PRO LIFE." People who want to take that choice away from women and put it in the hands of politicians are ANTI-CHOICE.
Isn't it a contradiction that people who are in favor of individual liberty and responsibility want the government to dictate this course of action?

If Condoleezza Rice had been interested in the VP nomination, Romney missed a huge opportunity. I'm an unapologetic liberal who disagrees with most of what she has to say, but I found her speech engaging.

Why does the GOP insist on catering to the most terrifying social extremes instead of uniting their party?

As noted teh Republicans are cynically relying on the ignorance of their base in continually repeating their lies. Aside from the utter hypocracy of the rich posing as regular people and stressing that no one needs medicare, no one needs universal health care because we should be self-reliant, the argument that Obama had 4 years to clean up the Republican mess is some what gratuitous. From the moment of Obama's swearing-in, the Republicans vowed to make his administration fail and have done everything in their power to undermine him nad his policies - policies that the majority of the American people obviously approved of in voting for him. to be quite blunt - the Republicans have waged war on America for their own craven ends.

it's so tiring to here the same old BS over and over.. people in your 20s... wake up... you vote for Romney.. you get nothing.. Romney said if school is too expensive students should shop around for a better deal. Is he out of touch? Yes, he's never been in touch and he never will. The Repub ticket will shoot us right back to the George Bush era. Good Luck!

sure they will get the government off our back but when will they take our birth control pills away.

I’m for smaller government too, starting with defense.

Oh wait, I forgot, Conservatives never touch that and argue (Romney too) that we need to increase military spending.

Very interesting that no speaker at the GOP convention has mentioned Romney's stint as governor of Massachusetts.
You'd think this is the most predictive indicator of how he would perform as president- another government job. But they're avoiding it like the plague

Chris Mathews: Obama Has Done Everything Anybody Ever Asked Blacks To Do-

"He's done everything anybody has ever asked African-Americans to do in this country. Perfect family, perfect record, clean as a whistle."

LOL....remember W's line about the benign bigotry of low expectations?

Mathews joins Joe Biden ("clean and articulate") and Harry Reid ("light skinned and with no Negro dialect") as the racism hiding in plain view.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/29/matthews_obama_has_done_everything_anybody_ever_asked_blacks_to_do.html

Who can I trust? I confide,
And how am I supposed to decide?
Up or down, front or back, left or right and the spinning,
It looks like the salesman and preachers are winning,
I told them I'd vote, but I lied.

First time I saw Condoleezza look so passionate about foreign & educational policy. This woman failed as Sec State because Bush picked this Russian expert to be his NS advisor and we went to war with the same country Russia had to pull their military out because they were getting beaten by this band of rag tag warriors. Since she is a Russian expert, why she didn’t tell her boss not to go into Afghanistan because the Russians tried it and lost.
I will take Hillary over Conde as Sec. State and even a run for executive office. Last time GOP tried a woman on the ticket, this time they are trying a young white stud, what will they try next, a Hispanic or Black on the ticket. That will be the same day that hell freezes over.

Please, please, explain why Huckabee said Obama was the only one of the four running who's an evangelical? Why did he say that?

John's choice of the word "rigid" in his call is very apt. Too many right-wingers seem to think rigidity = strength.

Please use your head before you say stupid stuff - the debt had to rise - please tell me how you would have addressed sooo many issues without spending money? What would you have done instead of the bailout? Stop finger pointing repubs and give some damn answers!!

Brain, I may be in my 20s, unemployed and living with my parents, but if it weren't for Obama, I wouldn't have health insurance.

bush CAN be blamed for everything 2001- 2008 - including the attacks on 911

Why does Ryan believe we will blame the President for the consequences of congressional Republicans' obstruction?

Brian, I avoided Elmer Gantry last evening, listening instead to PBS World (and reading a bio of Peter the Great). Then, I turn on Brian Lehrer and -- there he is! Gantry! It was an appointment in Samarra, I guess.

The real question is, why do people believe the Republican spin re Medicare? I mean, if people are so dumb or angry as to swallow that rubbish, who can reach them?

That is actually why I couldn't listen to Ryan; i.e., knowing that the whopper lies may be working.

LOL...AL GORE last night on his own network with Eliot Spitzer(NUMBER 9)-

"BUSH CAN'T BE BLAMED FOR EVERYTHING"

Take a hint for November, Barry.

Link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/29/al_gore_bush_cant_be_blamed_for_everything.html

Actually, your assessment of Ryan's listening habits is wrong. He doesn't just listen to baby boomer rock. Recently, he was widely quoted as being a fan of Rage Against the Machine, for which he was widely pilloried, most notably by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. He is also an avowed Nirvana fan, among many other Gen X bands.

Maybe paul ryan should be a comedian.

Jack Jackson,
Reince Preibus has that wide-eyed stare that Jeff Bezos of Amazon has.
Maybe he'd just a computer geek, I certainly have a ton of his spam TTD to delete.

In nearly the same breath, Ryan said successful people get credit for their success, but if you're a 20-something living at home, it's Obama's - or, shockingly, GOVERNMENT'S - responsibility to get you out of there!

I can't remember which clown mentioned a "bureaucrat getting between a woman and her doctor" (they're all blending together). I already know a third party will be involved, but I sure as hell trust a government bureaucrat over one affiliated with a private insurance company. One serves the public, and the other serves a CEO and shareholders.

I heard a couple of times on WNYC in the last few days something about Mitt Romney giving away his inheritance (a clip from the convention, maybe?). Is this true, or to what extent is it true? Does Mara Liasson know what this is based on?

The attack on Biden regarding his rate of giving to me was a bit small minded. Wasn't Joe Biden, unlike the majority of senators and representatives, one of the poorest politicians in Washington by assets before becoming Vice President? If you are making a gazillion dollars a year, 10% in giving is a nice way to lower the tax bill. When you are the typical wage earner, your giving is a prudent choice based on your convictions.

I'd list my status as: Not voting, first time ever.
If you call me undecided then my take on the RNC is way heavy on marketing,
which undoubtedly the DNC will have also. I'm glad Romney is really no GWB. I'd say, like the story of Ross Perot, that "he cleans up nice". But my salesman shield is way up - not buyin' it. I'll probably be watching the DNC more closely, so again, don't try too much empty talk on me.

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs,
you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things.... their number is neligible and they are STUPID."
-President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1954)

He's turning over in his grave.

All I can say is that I fear for the future of this country if the Romney/Ryan ticket wins. Not only do they lie through their teeth, but the party of "less government" wants to tell us how to live - via government (and they don't even recognize the irony).

Obama/Biden 2012!

Brian: enough with wringing out Anne Romney's speech excerpt- no one is taking the bait. The LDS Church expects considerable amounts of voluntary time and service commitments from its membership and evidently the Romneys went well above and beyond the call. His service was not simply in the form of monetary contributions, but in personal faith actions and activities as well.

@Martin - At least we know that Obama donated money to Wright's church because the Obamas disclosed it.

Romney on the other hand thinks his donations to his church are private so this is why he hasn't disclosed more tax returns - which is BS, but I'm just saying.

BRIAN-

In 2007, EVERY PENNY of Barry and Michelle Obama's charitable deductions were to "Reverend" Wright's "church"....please don't make insinuations that this should be hidden on Romney's part.

one hack (lehrer) interviewing another hack (liasson, and after her name it should say FOX in addition to NPR) talking about a hack, lying sack of dung (ryan) and a war criminal (condi).... aint this country grand......

It will be interesting to see whether the President & VP use the debates as an opportunity to fact-check their opponents in front of the entire nation.

WAIT. Did Mara just say that Mitt has never struggled?

Forget everything for a moment, this is a man whose wife has MS and had breast cancer.

Are we so partisan that we cannot even respect this? ANY family-- regardless of wealth-- "struggles" when a member's health is in jeopardy.

I feel the same way when I hear dumb Repubs question Obama's beautiful family and his accomplishments.

Either way, partisanship this extreme is offensive.

Done by example?? Believe in "freedom" but Messrs Ryan/Romney want to tell me who I can marry, who I should pray to, or what drugs I can take?

Mendacity.

@ Truth from Becky-
Here you go: "Fact checking the GOP convention’s second night"
washingtonpost...dot...com/blogs/fact-checker/post/fact-checking-the-gop-conventions-second-night/2012/08/30/128cbe9e-f260-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_blog.html

@Jack, don't be so sure, Obama is in real trouble. With all the stars lining up in 2008, Obama only won the white vote by a fraction. I don't see that happening again.

A book smart Ms. Rice NEVER spoke the President's name, conversely, she never mentioned bush either....a politically savvy move.

Fact check on paul please: He lied about Medicare. He lied about the Recovery Act. He lied about the deficit and debt. He even dishonestly attacked President Obama for the closing of a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin -- a plant that closed in December 2008 under George W. Bush. He also failed to offer one constructive idea about what he would do to move the country forward.

Paul Ryan is betting on his audience's ignorance.
Ignorant that he lied about The GM plant in Janesville supposedly closing under Obama, lied about the credit downgrade which Ryan himself caused, lied about Medicare, lied about the debt commission he himself voted against, etc etc.
All of Ryan's lyin' is putting him right on the "highway to he11."

Brian -
Please find a way to discuss the Sheldon Silver controversy today. The segment I heard on the early morning show made my blood boil. I am an Iowan who's lived in New York for eight years now and I find NYstate politics to be shockingly corrupt.

As I understand it - the Assembly Speaker approved the use of taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment charges against Vito Lopez. He kept the agreement secret AFTER the primary so that no one can now run against Lopez.

Why are taxpayers funding sexual harassment settlements by state legislators?

These are lifetime politicians - Lopez is 71 and Silver is 68 - who have accumulated so much POWER that people are afraid to oppose them. Why not set term limits? What good comes from these entrenched interests?

Irrespective of political views, party affiliations, this is appalling behavior. Silver and Lopez should be hog tied and run out on a rail.

What did Huckabee mean when he called Obama an evangelical last night? I've never heard that! Where is that coming from?

@MartinC -

I'm never going to put any confidence in the word of our National Security Advisor who said at the time of the 9/11 attacks that no one "could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile" even after having read an intelligence report that said just that the month before.

She was part of conspiracy to use 9/11 to invade Iraq. No credibility for her or anyone on the Bush defense team. BTW, most of the folks on Romney's defense and national defense staff are former Bushies. That's about all I need to know right there.

Unless, the ALEC-inspired voter restrictions have tipped the scales, Romney's campaign is toast.

Ryan's phrase last night, "the sanctimony of central planning," reveals the real Ryan. Like Ayn Rand he is fighting the Cold War. Too bad its been over for more than twenty years.

In the globalized world we are in now it would be a disaster to follow Ryan's budget plan or, as Mr. Norquist calls it, drown the government in the bathtub.

As a foundation for moving forward I would recommend the Preamble to the Constitution rather Ayn Rand.

Anyone else think that Reince Preibus is smashed every time he's on the podium? Watched The Daily Show making fun of his appearing smashed, turned to C-SPAN and there was Reince closing the convention, sounding smashed. Time to lay off the sauce or get a speech coach.

BRIAN - Condoleezza Rice SPANKED the reprehensible Barry Obama last night and nailed his DIVISIVE and HATE-INDUCING efforts to create resentment and disunity within the country.
PLEASE BE A MENSCH and discuss her remarks below-

"Ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have not believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well. We have not been envious of one another and jealous of each other's success. But the American ideal is indeed endangered today. To do anything less is to tear apart the fabric of who we are and cement a turn toward grievance and entitlement.
...that is the true basis of 'American Exceptionalism'. May God continue to bless this extraordinary, exceptional country—the United States of America."

(OOPS, BRIAN said earlier this week that "exceptionalism" is a code word for anti-Obama RACISM.
I guess Condi wasn't listening that morning.....or didn't see Brian's talking points memo from David Axelrod... or doesn't realize that she is African-American.)

LINK: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/29/condi_rice_when_a_nation_loses_control_of_its_finances_it_loses_control_of_its_destiny.html