In Canada, they live-blogged. Same thing across the pond in Great Britain. Ditto in Italy and Israel. In France, they dubbed the debate with the dulcet tones of the French language. Al Jazeera English watched and reported on the debate in real time. The Times of India had a story on its website before 7 a.m. India Standard Time.
On a night when President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney turned their focus to foreign policy in ther final debate, media around the globe reciprocated, turning their attention to the debate.
”What the Rest of the World Saw During the Final Presidential Debate
Checking the Facts
From Libya to Contraception, our fact checkers did their research so you didn’t have to. See how the candidates statements stood up to fact checking.
Biden and Ryan on contraception:
Ryan attacked a health reform law policy that requires employers to offer insurance that covers contraception, among other health services for women, including religious charities, hospitals, and universities. (Religious groups that primarily employ people of their own faith are exempt.)
Biden objected, saying that religious groups, particularly Catholic hospitals and universities, would not have to “refer for contraception,” “pay for contraception,” and “none has to be a vehicle for contraception.”
His statement is partly true. The Obama administration rolled out what they called a compromise for the contraception rule after outrage from religious groups and Republicans. The compromise measure requires health insurance companies to cover all contraception costs if employers have a religious objection. That has created a problem for religious groups that self-insure—in other words, they hire an insurance company to administer their plans, but end up paying for all of the health care out of their own pockets.
Ryan said the contraception rule is an attack on first amendment rights. Democrats argue that the federal contraception rule mirrors similar regulations on the state level. That argument is up for interpretation in the nation’s courts now, as major Catholic organizations sue the federal government over the rule.
AP PHOTO/ERIC GAY
NJ’s Matt Berman found a way to combine comics and politics (two of my favorite things).
Is Batman’s Bane Also Romney’s?
Did you know there were so many comic book/cartoon characters named Bane? Click here for the full list.
The Obamas Take in U.S.A. Basketball
On Monday, the Obamas and Bidens watched the U.S. men’s national basketball team vs. Brazil in a pre-Olympic exhibition.
PHOTO: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais and Alex Brandon
Perry Dropping Out; Will Endorse Gingrich
“Rick Perry plans to drop out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday and will endorse Newt Gingrich, sources tell National Journal. Perry will make the announcement in North Charleston at 11 a.m.”
Campaign Jams AKA the list of songs you should add to Spotify ASAP. I can’t be the only one who has been humming “I am America” since the start of campaign season.
