It was a classic comic book matchup.
Cesar Romero as the Joker
Joe Biden playing the Joker. Rudely interrupting. Flashing a toothy smile. Laughing at the most unprofessional times. Condescendingly referring to Paul Ryan as “my friend.” Dude, this is THE vice presidential debate. This is serious business, not Let’s Make a Deal. Biden’s behavior threatened to steal the show and not in a good way. Bizarre.
And Ryan? Well, Ryan was Robin incarnate. Young. Polite. Mild-mannered. A tad naive, but refreshingly clean cut and reserved as compared to The Situation flailing about next to him.
Debates are won on substance, Aimee, not theatrics. Who won on substance?
That’s true. Each side will dispute the other side’s “facts.” The fact checkers won’t agree either, and voters will take issue with how the fact checkers interpreted the facts in their fact checking. This will go on ad nauseum. Here are the poignant substance moments for me:
Biden referred to Benjamin Netanyahu as Bibi.
I wanted to crawl under my coffee table. How embarrassing for our country. Even if Biden’s on a nickname basis with Netanyahu, it’s inappropriate to refer to Israel’s leader as Bibi in a debate. On your Twitter feed maybe, but not in a nationally televised debate. Not respectful. Not classy. Not vice presidential. Biden made Ryan’s point: our casual leadership communicates weakness to our allies and to our enemies on the international stage. Why would they take us seriously?
Biden insisted the Middle East problems aren’t really as bad as we all know they are.
Terrorists in the Middle East hate us. I repeat, they hate us. I’m sorry to have to break it to some of you, but they want to kill us. Dead. Deceased. Obliterated. No more. What difference does it make if Iran is four weeks or four years away from a having a viable nuclear weapon? They need to be stopped now.
Does Biden seriously think our declaration of 2014 as the end of the war in Afghanistan will really be the end? To quote Lara Logan from her speech earlier this month in Chicago:
“You’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight. In your arrogance, you think you write the script, but you don’t. There’s two sides and we don’t dictate the terms.”
And Biden had the nerve to blame the intelligence community for Obama’s disastrous response to the terrorist attacks in Benghazi. Blame shifting seems to be a Democratic strategy of choice these days. Blame a YouTube video, blame the Republicans, blame intelligence. You know what’s coming next. Wait for it…
Biden blamed George W. Bush. Again.
I have a soft spot in my heart for President Bush 43, and I’m not alone. Bush had his faults, yet I never once doubted his love and loyalty for America. I grow weary of people like Biden directly and indirectly attacking, demeaning, and blaming Bush for the ills of the universe. Liberals like to poke fun at him and call him a cowboy. But I like Bush. I like cowboys.
Abortion emerged as the sleeper issue.
The abortion issue still plagues America. Lisen and I will write more about it next week. Last night, the VP candidates came out swinging. Ryan said, “I believe life begins at conception.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that. In that one statement, Ryan showed he understands the bedrock of the pro-life perspective. And, unlike Biden, he adheres to a position in line with his Catholic faith. We know what the man stands for. That counts for something in my book.
Batman and Robin
Biden didn’t thank Ryan, but Ryan thanked Biden.
Thanking one’s opponent at the end of a debate is a common courtesy. You learn that on the high school debate team. It’s good manners and good statesmanship. Did Biden simply forget? Or was this a final jab of disrespect, consistent with his demeanor throughout the debate? And we wonder why bipartisanship is nonexistent in the Obama presidency.
Biden has been a public servant since 1973, and that’s commendable. His acting out last night, however, was odd and inexplicable at best. Desperate at worst.
Meanwhile, Robin, er, Ryan held his composure. Calm, cool, concise, clear, polite. Maybe I’m partial to him because he’s my age; he’s Gen X. Maybe it’s his manners or the fact that that he wasn’t projecting as poorly as the current Vice President. With Ryan, I can see a glimmer of a chance for functional government again.
Holy hope and change, Batman! We have a winner!
I was extremely disappointed in the “performance” of Vice-President Biden. I have heard too many people say that it was part of his game plan. How can anyone have respect for a leader who is openly laughing at the beginning of a debate addressing the murder of American citizens in our embassies? If laughing to discredit his opponent was part of a game plan, he should have known when it was necessary to abandon that tactic. But it seemed to be the only card he had.
I do not find the loss of American lives a humorous matter. In contrast, I did not think Congressman Ryan acted immaturely in any way at all. He was composed, respectful, and well-spoken. It must have been terribly unsettling to remain so while being taunted by smirks, laughter, and constant interruptions. But he addressed each question with clarity and confidence.
Truly there is not time in a debate to lay out strategy for public review. The opponents were supposed to only have two minute responses.
I was not acquainted with Congressman Ryan before the debate. But I am glad that Governor Romney picked such a qualified, moral man as his running mate. As a citizen who believes that the hope of our Country lies in the moral conduct of its citizens, I am pleased to know that there are still those who put principle above votes, even when the stakes are high. The closing remarks spoke volumes. Both candidates said that they are lifelong practicing Catholics, but Congressman Ryan actually stands firmly behind his religion with conviction.
Leadership, in my opinion, is all about standing on your principles despite what the polls say. Yes, I have to admit, that’s why I liked the cowboy, too. After all, I know that cowboys truly are American.
I cannot add a single thing to your eloquent comment except to say I believe President Obama and Vice President Biden are doing what they think is right for America. Somehow, they must think they are putting American interests first. I disagree with them. So do many other citizens. And that is what elections are for. Thank you, Heidi. I hope you’ll dialogue with us again!
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Paul Ryan outclassed Biden in every possible way last night. Biden’s behavior was boorish and obnoxious. He almost seemed to be yelling at the moderator on several occasions. I thought it was an embarrasment and so typical of this entire administration. I will sleep so much better at night once we have a Romney / Ryan administration in charge. Just a few more months!!!
I hope so, Betsy. I hope so. I noticed Biden yelling at moderator Martha Raddatz, too. How odd is that?! Thank you for reading and commenting. It’s going to be a wild few weeks until the election!
Aimee – love it – love it – LOVE IT!!! Well observed, well stated, & certainly accurately compared!!!
Thank you, Diana. I thought you might agree.
Aimee,
Well we can agree on this: Biden came out swinging and Ryan had the wide eyed look of a boy wonder awaiting his superior. But, as you say, this was about substance not about style. Paul Ryan claims to have a plan to get our country back on track financially, but when pressed by Biden, he had no real answers and could not give definitive details. I love cowboys too. My dad won ribbon after ribbon roping calves when he was younger. Now, he just has an old Stetson to remind him of those days. But, I don’t a cowboy in the oval office. I want someone with restraint who is not trying to prove how great our country is to anyone who insults us and who pretends to threaten us. When the real threat is there, we’ll act. We always do.
Lisen
Bush 43 is not the culprit of the past four years. This is about Obama. I felt much more secure with Bush the cowboy in the oval office because I knew he would move heaven and earth to protect American interests. I wish I could say the same with confidence about Obama, but I can’t. I’m not sure he is proud of America or cares to protect us or believes our great republic is indeed exceptional.
Thank you, Aimee. This is not only well written but accurate. I disagree with Lisen about Biden coming out swinging. I thought he looked more like the Cheshire cat and acting like everything was funny so it was impossible to take him seriously.
I found it very distracting to say the least. This does not instill confidence. Again I wonder, why would anyone take us seriously? Thanks for reading and commenting, Linda. I hope to see you here again!
Linda,
I got a call from a friend of mine. She agreed with your Cheshire cat sentiments. But her take was Biden treated Ryan like a less than patient parent of a teenager – the old “I’m smiling because otherwise I would strangle you” routine. On the flip side, like any good parent, he should have known that smirking only sends teenagers into a tizzy.
Lisen
Lisen, Ryan’s performance was hardly a teenage tizzy. I thought he showed great restraint.
On a lighter note, if Biden was the Cheshire cat, then was Martha playing Alice? What character is Ryan?