This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Biden gets aggressive in VP debate. Matheson protests NRCC ads. 27 days until Election Day.
Happy Friday. Vice President Joe Biden took charge last night, and he laughed a lot, too. He was aggressive, often talking over Rep. Paul Ryan and smirking/smiling/laughing when he wasn't. The Democratic base is likely to eat it up while Republicans were quick to say Biden was rude and did himself no favors. [LATimes]
-> ABC's Martha Raddatz was certainly no Jim Lehrer. The moderator of last night's 90-minute debate took more of a participatory role in the conversation and called out the candidates when they strayed from a question. [USAToday] [NYTimes] [Politico]
-> A CNN poll conducted immediately following the debate gave Ryan the win with 48 percent over Biden's 44 percent. [CNN]
-> The debate made one thing very clear: The two candidates agree on very little. [NYTimes]
-> A look at the winning and losing moments of the debate: [WaPost].
Topping the news: If you type the words "completely wrong" into Google, the search engine will pull up page after page of pictures of Mitt Romney. The company says it's not an intentional slam against the GOP presidential candidate but a natural result of its algorithms, likely caused by Romney saying he was "completely wrong" about his 47 percent comments. [FoxNews]
-> After meeting with Rev. Billy Graham, Romney says the best thing the televangelist can do is pray for him. [WaPost]
-> Rep. Jim Matheson claims that the National Republican Congressional Committee misrepresented him in a recent ad — and not only in principle: "And they actually put my head on someone else's body, which is quite interesting. I don't own a cream-colored sport coat, I can tell you that." [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @nickconfessore: "The Joe Biden Grin will be the next SNL parody."
And from @KJinDC7: "Joe Biden just lied again by calling Paul Ryan his friend."
Happy birthday: On Saturday, to state Rep. Greg Hughes and the NRCC's Joanna Burgos. On Sunday, send your birthday wishes to Claire Ahlstrom, an intern at Matheson's office.
In other news: Peter Cooke, Gov. Gary Herbert's Democratic challenger, said he would move Utah from the back of the pack to the middle in terms of per-pupil education spending. But, "if you want a detailed plan," he'll get that to you "right after" becoming governor. [Trib] [KCPW]
-> KSL looks at the nasty ads out there this cycle. Our favorite line: "Could the spots be true? Who knows? With wave after wave of new ads coming with the speed and intensity of a fire-hose, who has time to check?" [KSL]
-> Rep. Rob Bishop endorses Republican congressional candidate Mia Love, noting that Matheson has canceled his vote 139 times in the past few months. [Trib]
-> An anonymous donation of $825,000 ensures that a 30-acre plot inside Zion National Park won't be developed. [Trib]
-> The Greater Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of candidate forums before the Nov. 6 election. Check the schedule: [Trib].
-> Paul Rolly discusses parking issues and disobedient campaign sign placement. [Trib]
-> Thomas Burr talks to KCPW's Jeff Robinson about Rep. Jason Chaffetz's participation in a hearing on the Libyian attack. [KCPW]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on Romney's identity. [Trib]
2012 watch: A Pew Hispanic Center poll says that approximately 70 percent of Latinos support Obama, but only 77 percent of them (compared to 89 percent of all voters) say they are "absolutely certain" they will vote in the election. [HuffPost]
-> Stephanie Cutter, Obama's deputy campaign manager, made her rounds in the public forum yesterday. During her Morning Joe appearance, she said that the polls read "roughly" the same as they did before the presidential debate. [NatReviewOnline] She later said that Romney is the only reason that the Libya crisis has become a political issue. [BuzzFeed][Politico]
-> Sarah Palin calls out The Associated Press for a photo of Romney bending down before several young girls. [HuffPost]
-> Bob Bernick says Biden did a great job in last night's debate, but it may not matter much. [UtahPolicy]
-> Bernick and Bryan Schott talk about Romney's surge in the polls. [UtahPolicy]
-> Romney phones a 16-year-old girl whose geometry teacher likened her Romney shirt to a "KKK robe." [WaPost]
-> Mother Jones finds a video of Romney praising an unaccredited Utah school founded on the principles of Cleon Skousen. [Trib]
-> Obama crushes Romney in popularity among those in the San Fernando Valley-based porn industry, 68 percent to 13 percent. Patrick Trueman, president of Morality in Media, claims "the Obama administration has given it a green light to distribute hardcore porn to every man, woman, and child in America." [LATimes] [USNews]
Where are they?
Rep. Jason Chaffetz spends the day in New York.
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff returns to Salt Lake City.
Gov. Gary Herbert meets with the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker meets with Global Poverty Project Development Director Lindsay Hadley before attending his third performing arts center meeting of the week.
WVC Mayor Mike Winder speaks at a state after-school conference at Thanksgiving Point.
President Barack Obama dines with the winners of a campaign contest.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Thomas Burr and Betsy BlanchardTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/betsyblanchard