he's from scranton, pennsylvania, i'm from wisconsin. you know what the unemployment rate is in scranton today? >> i sure do. >> it's 10%. >> yeah. >> you know what it was the day you guys came in? 8.5%. that's how it's going all around america. >> you don't read the

eveready starts to campaign in scranton one way or another -- "the office," said, scranton, a town, voters have the gene for politics. host: a phone line to set aside for those of you who lived in pennsylvania. we want to hear from you as we focus on the key battleground state. terry madonna, since 1988, pennsylvania has gone democratic, the last time voting for republican bienick george herbert walker bush. why? guest: the democrats have been able to win suburban voters. , at a philadelphia with a huge edge -- the largest municipality in the state, a heavy concentration of democrats. if you win philadelphia and the suburbs, the four counties in lehigh valley -- out of the southeast by 650,000 votes, is pretty difficult to overcome that edge in other parts of the state, even if the republicans win that infamous t that we often refer to. the other point to remember about pennsylvania is that is dominated for the most part by one television market. there are six tv markets in the state, but philadelphia covers 40% of the voters of the state. all of delaware, which for our conversation is imp

. >> the unemployment rate in scranton is today? it's 10%. you know what it was the day you guys came in? 8.5%. that's how it's going all around american. >> that's not how it's going. >> this is a two-minute answer. >> reporter: now, that's his hometown of scranton. >> and the vice president is right that the overall unemployment is going down. but i think the vice president was making the point that it actually is worse than it was four years ago, and that's the point i think he wanted to try and drive home. jobs is the only issue, the main issue, that the romney camp has. when he spoke on that tonight, he was credible. but when he ventured into the foreign policy stuff, he was really way out of his depth. i'm calling it for the obama people tonight. this doesn't mean that the president is going to win this election, because he still has to do a good job next week. it's just that joe biden has set the table for him. >> thank you for your analysis don't. ken, dana, back to you guys. >>> we're still wondering whether paul ryan is ready to do

everyone starts to campaign in scranton in one way or another. in sitcoms, scranton is a town. they have an extra gene for politics. host: we have a phone line set aside for those of you who live in pennsylvania. we want to hear from you as we focus our series here on the key battleground states. terry madonna, since 1988, pennsylvania has gone democratic. last time they vote republican was for george herbert walker bush. why? guest: 2 when the suburban voters, as i pointed out a moment ago, they come out of philadelphia with a huge edge and that is the largest municipality in the state with a heavy concentration of democrats. if you win philadelphia in the out of thet's say southeast by 650,000 votes, it's pretty difficult to overcome that edge in other parts of the stage even if republicans win the infamous "t" we referred to. the other thing to remember about pennsylvania is that it is dominated by one television market. there are six tv markets in the state, but philadelphia covers 40% of the voters in the state. all of delaware and the southern half of new jersey. in order

he is talking about my mother and father, my neighbors in scranton. he is talking about the people who belted this country. all they are looking for is an even shot. whenever given the shot, they have done it. whenever you level the playing field, they have been able to move. the president and i are not going to rest until the plane field is level, they have a clear shot, and peace of mind. until they can turn to their kid and said, honey, it will be ok. that is what this is all about. >> i want to thank you as well, martha. i want to thank you, joe. it has been an honor to engage in the critical debate. we face a very big choice. what kind of country are we going to be? what kind of country are we going to give our kids? president obama had his chance. he made his choices. his economic agenda, more spending, borrowing, higher taxes, a government takeover of health care -- it is not working. it has failed to create the jobs we need. 23 million americans are looking for work today. this is not what a real recovery looks like. you deserve better. mitt r

you know what the unemployment is in scranton? 10%. when you guys came in it's 8.5%. >> you don't read this. that's not how it's going. it's going down. >> look -- >> all right. you're going to hear more about the debate coming up throughout the day on msnbc. that is going to wrap up this hour of "jansing and company." i'm chris jansing. richard lui is in next. >> malarkey was my favorite. one of the top tweeted moments. >> unbelievable how much traction that got. >> have a good weekend. coming up this next hour, pardon the interruption, the vice president brings the heat with laughs, guffaws and jabs that some say in a debate too hot for congressman paul ryan. who won, who lost? joining me to talk about last night's showdown in kentucky, msnbc's melissa harris-perry, brad woodhouse and congressman charlie rangel. who told the truth and who did not? we'll do more fact checking with "the washington post" truth squad in chief glenn kessler. stick around. ♪ [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a chall

coming up, the young gun takes on scranton joe. wonk against populist. great expectations versus the great unknown. you get the idea. we are handicapping thursday's vice presidential debate ahead on "now." >> time for the entrepreneur of the week. former model and goldman sacks analyst created shop boutiques, that helps local boutiques that don't have their sites sell on-line. she knows content sells and she launched an on-line magazine as a source for what's in. watch your business sunday morning at 7:30 on msnbc. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celeb

joe biden is a guy from scranton who has been a single dad. who raised his kids and, has a huge heart and more important --. bill: i understand that was the question was would you have liked to have seen your guy smile less and perhaps control the laughter at moments that some considered was not acceptable? >> well, again i like to see joe biden be joe biden. i also love the fact that joe biden happens to be in command of the facts. joe biden has been to afghanistan, many, many times. paul ryan seems to read off a note card on it. that should scare the heck out of people heard him commit us to have american troops to do what the afghans should do. paul ryan is person i respect for having detailed, in his mind, budget but he sure hasn't told us anything about it. and he didn't do anything to dispel the pretty clear notion that is is one of most extreme members of congress. talk about what happened in the debate last night. bill: let me ask you a different way if i can. would you have liked to have seen, because i know clearly you stand by joe b

you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> 10%. >> you know what it was when you came in? 8%. >> what was the larger point? >> biden was flatly right there. what ryan said is what's happening all across america is akin to what happened in scranton. since january 2009, the unemployment rate has gone up by 1.5 percentage points. that's not true. in january of '09, unemployment was 7. 8%. it went up and came back down. if you go if february 2009, which is the first full month of barack obama's presidency, it was above 8% already. it was actually lower than when obama entered office. at this moment, net job creation is positive for obama. ryan was trying to put forward this idea we've not had a recovery and continued to get worse. we are having a slow recovery. but it is a recovery. things are getting better. the unemployment rate is going in the right direction. we've had continuous positive job growth in the private sector. >> one issue i just bridged with dick durbin is this issue about social security. we have

they can't say people in scranton are better off now than four years ago. but i spoke to an obama official. they said expect the vice president to draw a clear contrast between the romney-ryan plans and the obama-biden vision for the future. and the vice president will talk about what the president has done for the middle class and emphasize this is about laying out our vision. wolf? >> interesting stuff that's going on. we're continuing to work our sources. we're only a few moments away from the start of this, the one and only vice presidential debate. let's check in with anderson. >> just give a quick primer to the viewers, what are each of you going to be watching for? >> i think can paul ryan keep the spotlight on the incumbent and his record tonight. because obviously we all seen the movie "air force one" where they drop the shaft to keep the missiles away from the presidential plane. that's what the obama strategy is going to be tonight. >> paul? >> about 20% defend and deflect, about 80% put romney on trial. that's joe biden's job. >> biden's job as

you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is? it's 10%. the day you came into office it was 8. 5%. that's how it's going all around america. >> that's not how it is, it's going down. >> did they inherit a tough situation? absolutely. but we're going in the wrong direction. look at where we are. the economy is barely limping along. it's growing at 1.3%. that's slower than last year and last year was slower than the year before. job growth in september was slower than it was in august and august was slower than july. we're heading in the wrong direction. 23 million americans are struggling for work today. 15% of americans are living in poverty today. this is not what a real recovery looks like. we need real reforms and that's what we're proposing. it's a five point plan. get america energy independent by the end of the decade. help people that are hurting get the skills to get the job they want. make trade work for america so we can make more things in america. and sell them overseas and champion small businesses. don't raise taxes on small

he's from scranton and dime from wisconsin. do you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? 10%. do you know what it was when you came in? 8.5%. >> this was misleading since the unemployment rate is 7.8% in our nation, exactly where it was when obama took office. if >> he cherry pick the one city where he is from where unemployment has gone from 8.5% up to 10% but he also talked about his home town in wisconsin and the unemployment rate there has actually come down more than 4%. >> next, the obama tax plan. >> the average tax rate on businesses in the industrialized world as 25% and he wanted top effective tax rate above 40%. two-thirds of our jobs come from small businesses. this one a tax would tax 53% of small business and come. >> that include businesses people would not consider small businesses. it could include hedge funds that actually pull in hundreds of millions of dollars per year. >> the congressman cut embassies' security in his budget by $300 million below what we asked for. >> the "prior to the best

he's from scranton, pennsylvania. i'm from wisconsin. do you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> 10%. >> when you came in it was 8.5%. >> that is not how it's going. it's going -- . >> two minute answers please. >> >>> tonight we're live from the site of the first and only vice presidential debate in the 2012 election season. joining me now in the spin room is chairman of the republican national committee. i want to play for you a story of the night. rude, mean. condescending. and interruptive. if i were a democrat i'd be pretty embarrassed that the vice president is so unvice presidential. >> that is the same word i was thinking about. for joe biden i think he embarrassed himself. i think his sparring partner must have been ed shults or something when it comes to manners. >> sean: i know you didn't have a chance but this went on. i tweeted at one point this isn't funny anymore. i'm worried about if joe is okay. and i was kidding around with senator mcconnell wonder fd he had bourbon if he went out ther

he's from scranton, pennsylvania, i'm from wisconsinment you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today. >> sure do. >> it's 10%. >> yeah. >> you know what it was the day you came in, 8.5%. that's how it is going all around america. look, you. >> you don't read the statistics, that's not how it is going t is going down. >> this is his 2 minute answer, please. >> did they come in and inherit a tough situation? absolutely. but we're going in the wrong direction. look at where we are. the economy is barely limping along. it's growing at 1.3%. that's slower than it grew last year. and last year was slower than the year before. job growth in september was slower than it was in august, and august was slower than it was in july. we're heading in the wrong direction. 23 million americans are struggling for work today. 15% of americans are living in poverty today. this is not what a real recovery looks like. we need real reforms for a real recovery. and that's exactly what mitt romney and i are proposing. it's a five point plan. get america energy nip by the end of the decade. help peop

he's from scranton, pennsylvania. i'm from wisconsin. do you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> 10%. >> when you came in it was 8.5%. >> that is not how it's going. it's going -- . >> two minute answers please. >> music is a universal language. but when i was in an accident... i was worried the health care system spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. information on my phone. connection to doctors who get where i'm from. and tools to estimate what my care may cost. so i never missed a beat. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. dad vo: ok, time for bed, kiddo. lights out. ♪ (sirens) (train horn) ♪ vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. take the steps to reach yours, everyowith usgoals. with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps,

he's from scranton, pennsylvania, i'm from wisconsin. you know what the unemployment in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> 10%. you know what it was the day you came in? 8.5%. >> reporter: they say this is misleading, 7.8% is exactly where it was when president obama took office. >> he cherry picked one city, where unemployment has gone from 8.5% to 10%. however, he also talked about his hometown of jamesville, wisconsin. and there, the unemployment rate has actually come down more than 4 percentage points. >> reporter: next, congressman ryan on the obama tax plan. >> the average tax rate on businesses in the industrialized world is 25%, and the president wants the top affected tax rate on successful small businesses to go above 40%. two-thirds of our jobs come from small businesses. this one tax would actually tax about 53% of small business income. >> it's not 53%. it includes a lot of businesses that people would not consider small businesses. biden was correct, it could include hedge funds that pull in hundreds of millions of dollar

bob from scranton, arkansas appeared we have a minute and a half left. we will take a couple of more calls and we'll show you these two facebook comments that could be more opposite -- that could not be more opposite. next is a call, kansas city, missouri, a democrat. >> how're you doing? >> great. what did you think? >> it was much better than the last debate. the you know, the main thing i am focused about is my national security. they keep talking about the debt and the crisis and everything and the taxes. here live from all these terrorists, how will i pay for these taxes? that is what i would like them to bring up so i can make a decision. if there are so many terrorists and bomb threats, i am scared right now. that should be the main thing and then the tax and credentials and everything comes second. >> footer -- twitter -- next is sarasota, fla., an independent. >> actually, i have to say that president obama has completely president obama has completely

my grandfather from scranton used to say be where -- beware of the converted. he sure sounded converted, didn't he, during that debate? what happened to mitt romney? as my granddaughter might say, maybe casper the friendly ghost took him. i don't know. [laughter] look, i hear is the truth. they have made it very clear they do not have the same view on women's rights as we do. on women's health, they want to give the power back to the insurance companies were they can charge 50% more than men. when the governor was asked in the second debate, how do you feel about equal pay for equal work, what did he do? he started to talk about binders. binders. binders of qualified women he learned were out there. we call that an epiphany in the catholic church. we never did learn if he believes women are entitled to equal pay for equal work. barack obama and i are committed to equal pay. we are absolutely committed to making sure that his daughters and my granddaughter's have the exact same rights as my son and my grandson's. [cheers and applause] and folks, as jill said, ju

you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> it's 10%. >> yeah. >> you know what it was the day you guys came in? 8.5%. that's how it's going all around america. >> reporter: for a vice presidential debate, the stakes were high tonight. after mitt romney's big win in denver and president obama's no-show performance there, biden needed to stop the bleeding. ryan was going for the jugular, seeking to build the momentum republicans are feeling. >> the next time you hear them say, don't worry about it, we'll get a few wealthy people to pay their fair share, watch out, middle class. the tax bill is coming to you. >> reporter: there was a stark generation gap on that stage tonight. joe biden, born in 1942, is older than the baby boomers. paul ryan, born in 1970, is younger than the baby boomers. and ryan looks it. today, "time" magazine published photos taken last year and on newsstands friday of ryan flexing his impressive guns, a backwards baseball cap and ear buds providing fodder for internet admiration and mocker

everyone starts to campaign in scranton in one way or another. in sitcoms, scranton is a town. they have an extra gene for politics. host: we have a phone line set aside for those of you who live in pennsylvania. we want to hear from you as we focus our series here on the key battleground states. terry madonna, since 1988, pennsylvania has gone democratic. last time they vote republican was for george herbert walker bush. why? guest: 2 when the suburban voters, as i pointed out a moment ago, they come out of philadelphia with a huge edge and that is the largest municipality in the state with a heavy concentration of democrats. if you win philadelphia in the out of thet's say southeast by 650,000 votes, it's pretty difficult to overcome that edge in other parts of the stage even if republicans win the infamous "t" we referred to. the other thing to remember about pennsylvania is that it is dominated by one television market. there are six tv markets in the state, but philadelphia covers 40% of the voters in the state. all of delaware and the southern half of new jersey. in order

. >> do you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> i sure do. >> 10%. that is how it is going all around america. >> that is not how it is going. >> joe biden of more than made up for the president's passivity in his debate. he chuckled. he never stopped grinning to drive from the impression his opponents' arguments were a joke. >> what would my friend do differently? if you notice, he never answers the question. >> we would not refer to bashar al-assad as a reformer when he is killing civilians with russian-provided weapons? we would not be outsourcing foriegn policy to the united nations coming giving vladimir putin veto power over us. >> lively stuff, but spectators seemed divided. neither man stumbled. either lost. the pressure is still on. the president needs to put in a flawless performance in the next debate to redeem his reputation as the front runner. bbc news, kentucky. >> all eyes are on tuesday's presidential debates. it was a dangerous showdown that gripped the united states 50 years ago. it was october 28, 1962 when the cuban missile crisi

how's scranton?

know what the unemployment rate in scranton is today? >> sure do. >> 10%. >> yeah. >> know what it was the day you guys came in? >> 8.5%. that's how it's going all around america. look -- >> you don't -- that's not how it's going. it's going down. >> frustration from thursday's debate, one that's shaking up the race. when the vice president was getting ready for it, he turned to congressman chris van hollen for preparation. the maryland democrat sat in for ryan in practice sessions with biden and he joins me now. welcome, congressman. >> piers, great to be with you. >> i'm always curious, if you're the guy who's being paul ryan for days on end, how do you feel watching the real thing happening without you? >> oh, that's a very good question. i'm right now going through sort of deprogramming, having played paul ryan for four days. look, i mean, you never know what's going to happen in one of these debates. the good news is the vice president just hit a home run and look, the one thing we knew was joe biden going in there, he's a fighter f

do you know what the unemployment rate in scranton is right now? >> sure do. >> it's 10%. >> i wonder what the vice president would say to the hard working people of towns like janesville and scranton. >> i know what i'd say to my friend and the people of janesville. things may be bad where you live but i guarantee you it is a paradise next to the burning coal heap that is scranton, pennsylvania. >> mr. vice president, i think you're under duress to make up ground but i think the people would be better served if you didn't keep interrupting me z. h >> you don't scare me, shark eyes. >> some say the candidates should study acting. after all it's about flair. >> reporter: with an expected audience of more than 60 million people, the second presidential debate will be a huge focus. >> if you're getting a candidate ready, is there something they can focus on? >> focus would know who you're with, what's at sake and stake you need to commit yourself to. >> his advice, keep it personal by remembering the people they've met along the campaign trail. >> if

you know the unemployment rate in scranton? >> sure do. >> it's 10%. the day you came in it was 8.5%. >> that's not how it's going. it's going down. >> joe biden and paul ryan met in danville, kentucky for the first and only vice president debate. the candidates split the air time almost right down the middle. tell your friends joe biden spoke for 1:20 longer than paul ryan did during last night's debate. ryan used 40 minutes and 12 seconds. he managed 450 more words than biden did during that span. now you know. let's huddle up around the water cooler to talk about the debate everybody is talking about. it's between two california democrats in the 30th district. howard berman on the left and bradsherman went head-to-head quite literally at pierce college in santa monica. they described this race as one of the ten nastiest in the country after redistricting the two incumbents against each other. they do not like each other. the two democrats nearly came to blows when the topic of immigration. >> he's either delusional or -- >> the official records of c