Horses and bayonets: The state of the world with Obama and Romney
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On the MPR News Update today, we pull together the post-mortem on the final presidential debate. The owners of Accent Signage say they're back in business after last month's shooting rampage. Outside groups are spending a lot on Minnesota's elections. And the Minnesota Orchestra isn't tapping its endowment during a contract dispute. First, let's get through the debate fallout:
ROLE REVERSALS: President Barack Obama came to the third and final presidential debate ready for a fighting finish, deriding Mitt Romney as reckless and overmatched in world affairs. What he found instead was a subdued Republican challenger who seemed determined to show he was not a warmonger.
MONKEYWRENCHING: No moment was more telling than when Romney had a clear opening to respond to Obama's lecture that he was wrong and irresponsible on foreign affairs. He responded by giving his five-point plan for fixing the economy, leading to a bizarre exchange that took the debate wildly off topic.
DEBUNKING THE BUNK: Contrary to Romney's assertions, the president never embarked on an "apology tour," and Syria can't be Iran's only route to the sea because Iran already has its own coastline in the Gulf. And those education scholarships that Obama said started after Romney left the governor's office in Massachusetts? Wrong. They happened on Romney's watch.
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WHAT DID THEY LEAVE OUT? The president, his challenger -- and moderator Bob Schieffer-- covered a lot of ground in 90 minutes. Some of it even stuck to the topic at hand: world affairs. Still, a lot was left unsaid. What did you think should have been covered, but wasn't?
THE BIG WINNER? 'HORSES AND BAYONETS': Romney challenged the president on military strength by saying the Navy is too small and has fewer ships than it did in 1916. Obama's response: "Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. ... We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines. And so, the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships." The Internet promptly issued a collective guffaw.
DIDN'T GET ENOUGH LAST NIGHT? For anyone feeling the need experience the horses and bayonets show one more time, visit the archived live blog here. And don't miss all our special coverage of Campaign 2012.
WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT GEORGE MCGOVERN: In all of the eulogies for former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, who died Sunday, many spoke of his 1972 campaign for president and opposition to the Vietnam War. But as Julie Siple reports, McGovern left another legacy -- his work as a tireless advocate for the hungry, work that can be traced to his early days on the prairies of South Dakota.
SITE OF SHOOTING BACK IN BUSINESS: Accent Signage Systems, the Minneapolis sign factory where six people were fatally shot last month, is trying to move on, family members said Monday. Shereen Rahamim, wife of company owner Reuven Rahamim, spoke publicly on Monday for the first time since the shooting and his death. Tim Nelson reports she said the company is trying to move on.
BIG MONEY, NEW RULES: The candidates for the Minnesota Legislature and special interest groups that support them are using a variety of tactics to try to win in November. Every seat in the Legislature is on the ballot this year. Some of the outside groups appear to be spending a lot of money on some races, but as Tom Scheck reports, state law doesn't require them to say exactly how much they're spending.
ENDOWMENT DEBATE: Both major Twin Cites orchestras have now locked out their musicians in tandem contract disputes. Martin Moylan reports that one of the central issues in the Minnesota Orchestra dispute is the use of $140 million in endowment funds to pay for ongoing operations. Management says the endowments cannot sustain the multi-million dollar withdrawals of recent years.
MORE GRIST FOR THE ST. PAUL CRIME LAB STORY: Madeleine Baran says the work of the troubled St. Paul police crime lab has come under question in yet another drug case. The St. Paul lab suspended drug testing in July amid allegations of shoddy science.
THE MOTHER'S HEROIN: A 37-year-old Maple Grove woman is facing felony child endangerment charges after authorities determined she'd been smoking heroin and marijuana with her 12 year-old-daughter. Tim Nelson reports that Rebecca Hill is being held at the Hennepin County jail.
