Rick Wilking/Reuters
Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan at the vice presidential debate Thursday in Danville, Kentucky.
With the presidential election quickly approaching, voters have a short amount of time to choose their candidate. Besides simply exercising patriotic duty, the number one reason to vote for a particular person for president, as MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell has stated numerous times on The Last Word, is the United States Supreme Court.
Vice President Joe Biden echoed that sentiment at Thursday's vice presidential debate, warning Americans of the fragility of abortion and reproductive rights laws on the books.
Martha Raddatz of ABC News asked Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan a heavy question about how their Catholic faith has played a role in their personal views on abortion. While Ryan answered the question by recounting a personal anecdote of how he and his wife dubbed their daughter, Liza, "Bean" because she looked like a bean at seven weeks on the ultrasound, the vice president explained how religion defines who he is and his views on abortion policy.
BIDEN: My religion defines who I am, and I've been a practicing Catholic my whole life. And has particularly informed my social doctrine. The Catholic social doctrine talks about taking care of those who — who can't take care of themselves, people who need help. With regard to - with regard to abortion, I accept my Church's position on abortion as a — what we call a (inaudible) doctrine. Life begins at conception in the church's judgment. I accept it in my personal life.
But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the congressman. I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that - women they can't control their body. It's a decision between them and their doctor. In my view and the Supreme Court, I'm not going to interfere with that. With regard to the assault on the Catholic church, let me make it absolutely clear, no religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital, none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.
That is a fact. Now with regard to the way in which the - we differ, my friend says that he — well I guess he accepts Governor Romney's position now, because in the past he has argued that there was — there's rape and forcible rape. He's argued that in the case of rape or incest, it was still — it would be a crime to engage in having an abortion. I just fundamentally disagree with my friend.
The Romney-Ryan campaign's sort of softened its position on abortion after Romney told The Des Moines Register he has no plans to pursue changing abortion-related legislation, if elected.
Following up, Raddatz asked whether those who believe abortion should be legal should be worried if Romney gets elected. Ryan replied, "We don’t think that unelected judges should make this decision,” indicating that elected officials, instead of the U.S. Supreme Court with its 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, should settle the matter on the legality of abortion.
RADDATZ: I want to go back to the abortion question here. If the Romney-Ryan ticket is elected, should those who believe that abortion should remain legal be worried?
RYAN: We don't think that un-elected judges should make this decision; that people through their elected representatives in reaching a consensus in society through the democratic process should make this determination.
Biden quickly pointed out what the Supreme Court would look like under a Romney-Ryan administration, and went further to state that whoever wins the election will likely appoint two new Supreme Court judges and that the Roe V. Wade decision would no longer be stare decisis, or settled law.
BIDEN: The court — the next president will get one or two Supreme Court nominees. That's how close Roe v. Wade is. Just ask yourself, with Robert Bork being the chief adviser on the court for — for Mr. Romney, who do you think he's likely to appoint? Do you think he's likely to appoint someone like Scalia or someone else on the court far right that would outlaw (inaudible) - outlaw abortion? I suspect that would happen.
I guarantee you, that will not happen. We picked two people. We pick people who are open-minded. They've been good justices. So keep an eye on the Supreme Court...
RYAN: Was there a litmus test on them?
BIDEN: There was no litmus test. We picked people who had an open mind; did not come with an agenda.
If the country were to elect Mitt Romney as president, their administration would have the power to appoint members of the Court that decides the constitutionality of health care reform and as Joe Biden intimated last night, have the power to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Mitt Romney’s website clearly states if the the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the "states will be empowered through the democratic process to determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate." As Ryan and Biden both articulated their abortion stances, this is further proof that the future of the Supreme Court alone is reason enough to vote on November 6.
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Lawrence,
Thank you for the surprise!!!
I always turn my TV off after Rachel on Fridays.
Thumbs up.
You should be on every Friday :) Your career just lit on fire since Obama/(R)money's debate! Glad to see it.
On the issue of health care: When I was young and starting out, and couldn't afford insurance, I required medical care that left me with massive bills. I had to make monthly payments on this for 7 years (as long as could be required at the time), but there was simply no way that I could pay it all off. During those critical years, I wasn't able to build up a credit record, which has permanently kept me shut out of the American system. I couldn't borrow money for higher education/training, couldn't get a loan for a car, couldn't even get a credit card. Because I wasn't able to obtain those things while young, it is assumed that I remain a credit risk as long as I live, so I never had an opportunity to build a credit record. If you can't afford insurance, understand that you might end up paying for a single illness or injury for the rest of your life.
May I ask why when you "were just starting out" which I am assuming meant entering the workforce why you didn't secure a job that had health insurance benefits?
The Fox "News" crew complains that the Vice President showed disrespect towards Paul Ryan by smiling. Where were they when a Republican congressman interrupted the President's State of the Union speech, yelling "LIAR!"—? And where were they when the governor of Arizona taunted the President, pointing at him? The obvious double standard shows these "news" people to be the partisan hypocrites they are. But what the the others of the Republican party do when the office of the President of the United States of America was dishonored by another Republican? They remained utterly silent. Shame on them.
Biden wasn't just smiling...he alternated rapidly between laughing with his eyes rolling in his head, scowling, giggling, staring with his eyes narrowed in inappropriate flashes of anger, smirking...all shockingly bizarre affects for the man engaged in serious discussions of issues of such great moment to our nation who presently is one heartbeat away from the presidency. He looked like someone responding to voices he only could hear...or looked like someone who experienced serious brain disorder which required surgical intervention! Wait a minute...didn't Senator Joe Biden have a history of that happening?
Biden was only smiling when Ryan was lying.
Lawrence, I think that you and all the wonderful MSNBC staff have missed what I consider to be the three most significant things from the VP debate.
1. Ryan said that he would vote his faith (not the Constitution.) He is in violation of his oath of office as a Representative. Instead of the Constitution, Ryan has given the Vatican the right to issue doctrine, which he then interprets his own way, and uses it as basis for his vote regarding United States laws. He has given the Vatican precedence over the Constitution. This is a clear violation of his oath of office and disqualifies him from further service in the house or as a potential vice-president. While vice President Biden clearly understands the phrase: “render unto Caesar”, Paul Ryan obviously does not. Taken to the extreme as Ryan does, thank God he is not a radical Muslim. Otherwise, Ryan would give us Sharia law the way the Tea Party has been claiming that Obama allegedly wants to.
2. Using this phony and hypocritical nonsense, Ryan has justified (in his mind) giving the State ownership of the body of each citizen. Using women as an example, Ryan has given the State ownership-first of a woman’s health issues. When does that stop? Will Ryan next start a breeding program for women? Will he decide that all men must be clean shaven or perhaps sterilized if we don’t fit a standard?
3. Representative Ryan thinks that Congress has the right to pass unconstitutional laws in spite of the Supreme Court. Forget checks and balances. Forget the Constitution. Momentary fads are good enough for basis of law in spite of the Constitution.
Paul Ryan obviously does not understand the first thing about either freedom of religion as expressed by the Constitution or the right to be secure in ones person. He is totally unfit to govern in any capacity.
Thank you, and keep up the GREAT work all of you at MSNBC are doing.
Rowe vs. Wade recognizes the Constitutional right of privacy in medical decisions and an individuals body, but limits the guarentee that provides in the case of taking a fetus's life to the first trimester only, and leaves to the separate states the right to regulate the condiitions and processes of abortions in the second and third trimester. This is recoginized as settled law.
The Henry Hyde amendment is also settled law, and that barrs the use of federal tax dollars to pay the costs of abortion in the separate states, except in the rare cases of to protect the life of the mother, incest, and rape. It is the later settled law that is under attack, as the (Un)affordable Care Act passed by the Obama Administration when he had full Democrat Party controll of both Branches of Congress that has been in part ruled as Unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and still has cases coming throught the Federal Court system on how it Unconstituionally impacts those like the Roman Catholic Church dioceses that are being forced to implement health insurance policies (which would have federal tax dollars used to for permium subsidies) that provide for free contraception, free surgical sterialization procedures, and free ABORTION procedures (for any reason or no reason at all) all of which are against the Churche's relgious tenets and teachings, which are, of course, protected by the Constitution of the United States of America. That is the source of the friction presently, and those like Representative and soon to be Vice President Ryan are simply working to hold the status quo of settled law against the forces of secularism and social engineering that are attempting to corrode it, Roger.
In the words of Vice-President Biden: "Malarky!" I can read. An informed voter, as opposed to those who volunteer to be ignorantly uninformed, can research Ryan's record over the last 12 years and will observe that Ryan has a clearly defined pattern that is contrary to the weak explanation that you are touting. Some day Ryan and company may wake up and realize that the world has joined the information age and that he has left a distinct trail of positions that only changed when he became a vice presidential candidate and the polls went against him. However, I will join Joe in offering you a bridge if you want to remain that gullible.
In regards to the VP debate, one thing stands out to me- "When a wise person debates with a fool, the fool rages and laughs; there is no peace and quiet." Proverbs 29:9. It is very clear who was wise and who was foolish. Shame on you, Biden.
Facts are facts...platforms are platforms. Who cares who laughed or threw their hands up in the air.
When candidates cannot divulge their platforms for fear of totally abandoning half of the population...well Romney and Ryan just cannot cut it.
I want to hear what the candidates STAND FOR. There was no shame in what VP Biden did. He called out a liar. When candidates cannot decide where the exactly stand on issues...well...
I for one was happy to see Ryan called out on his poor stance on well everything!
I cannot be fooled by a fool and Romney and Ryan are the biggest fools I've ever seen.
But by your own standards did not Biden fail miserably to provide any information on what the Obama/Biden specific plans or platforms for the future challenges we face are or will be? He was too busy playing the clown and interrupting Ryan at every opportunity to get around to that, even though he used more of the alloted time than did Rep. Ryan.
Paul Ryan is gay....
what I think...Republicans SUCK SUCK SUCK... any questions?