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Noonan: Confusing Strength With Aggression (Noonan nails it)
wsj ^ | 10/12/2012 | peggy noonan

Posted on 10/12/2012 4:59:38 AM PDT by barryobi

Last week Mr. Obama was weirdly passive. Last night Mr. Biden was weirdly aggressive, if that is the right word for someone who grimaces, laughs derisively, interrupts, hectors, rolls his eyes, browbeats and attempts to bully. He meant to dominate, to seem strong and no-nonsense. Sometimes he did—he had his moments. But he was also disrespectful and full of bluster. "Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy!" he snapped at one point. It was an echo of Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle, in 1988. But Mr. Quayle, who had compared himself to Kennedy, had invited the insult. Mr. Ryan had not. It came from nowhere. Did Mr. Biden look good? No, he looked mean and second-rate. He meant to undercut Mr. Ryan, but he undercut himself. His grimaces and laughter were reminiscent of Al Gore's sighs in 2000—theatrical, off-putting and in the end self-indicting.

I have just realized the problem with the debate: it was the weird distance between style and content, and the degree to which Mr. Biden's style poisoned his content.

In terms of content—the seriousness and strength of one's positions and the ability to argue for them—the debate was probably a draw, with both candidates having strong moments. But in terms of style, Mr. Biden was so childishly manipulative that it will be surprising if independents and undecideds liked what they saw.

National Democrats keep confusing strength with aggression and command with sarcasm. Even the latter didn't work for Mr. Biden. The things he said had the rhythm and smirk of sarcasm without the cutting substance.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012debates; biden; clownbiden; disresepctfulbiden; jokerbiden; noonan; obama; rudebiden; tyan
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To: barryobi
In terms of content—the seriousness and strength of one's positions and the ability to argue for them—the debate was probably a draw, with both candidates having strong moments. But in terms of style, Mr. Biden was so childishly manipulative that it will be surprising if independents and undecideds liked what they saw.

Most of those so-called undecideds in Frank Luntz's little focus group had nothing but good things to say about Biden's debate performance. I saw one of his reports on Fox & Friends this morning. He essentially took the word of these extremely indecisive people to declare Biden the winner.

41 posted on 10/12/2012 6:23:31 AM PDT by arasina (Communism is EVIL. So there.)
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To: Haiku Guy

...reminded 1st wife of why she divorced her 1st husband.

Kaboom
Nice
Very nice

I once knew a woman whom I went to see when she was in hospital for depression. Her husband brought her a robe that he’d had embroidered for her, with the word ‘CRAZY.” They BOTH laughed.

Can you imagine what a monster the guy was? Joe Biden in one word.


42 posted on 10/12/2012 6:29:53 AM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto.)
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To: barryobi

Just a heartbeat away from the presidency...


43 posted on 10/12/2012 6:30:55 AM PDT by Hotlanta Mike (Resurrect the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)...before there is no America!)
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To: snarkytart
Finally Noonan says something for which I can agree. It’s been awhile.

Except she has it backwards. It's not "...confusing strength with aggression and command with sarcasm..."; rather, it is confusing sarcasm with strength and command. Biden was being sarcastic ("Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy.") but his supporters consider that commanding.

44 posted on 10/12/2012 6:31:12 AM PDT by arasina (Communism is EVIL. So there.)
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To: barryobi

The most embarrassing moment for me during this debate was when Biden tried to pull a Lloyd Bentson on Paul Ryan. His comment made no sense and I loved the perplexed look on Ryan’s face.


45 posted on 10/12/2012 6:40:07 AM PDT by miss marmelstein
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To: pburgh01
Bottom line is we were score this like a football game Ryan won 24-21, with Team Obama scoring on a few Hail Marys and Team Romney winning by racking up 300 yards rushing and a few turnovers.

You left out that Team Obama played dirty with lots of late hits and other cheap shots which should have been flagged for unsportsmanlike behavior (and would have if there had been a more competent, or less biased, referee). Therefore, while the final score was close the people watching it were left rooting against Team Obama. In football that might not matter much. After all, the Univ. of Miami won numerous championships despite being a program people loved to have. But boy does it ever matter in politics. That's why Team Obama lost regardless of the score.

46 posted on 10/12/2012 6:50:20 AM PDT by Humbug
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To: taterjay
I began thinking back to the Thomas confirmation hearings.

Thomas states in his book that Biden out and out lied to him in a private conversation during those hearings

And Alito's wife will never forgive Biden for what he did in Alito's hearings

Biden is not a clown he is an out and out no good SOB ( like all democrat senators)
47 posted on 10/12/2012 6:50:42 AM PDT by uncbob
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To: SMARTY
When my sister in law was first showing signs of early on-set Alzheimer's, she behaved like you said your neighbor did. She giggled and laughed at every thing that was said to her and didn't answer. That was almost 20 years ago and she is in Hospice care right now. How is your neighbor?
48 posted on 10/12/2012 6:50:59 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: barryobi

Biden’s laughter over the murder of four American patriots in Libya was despicable!


49 posted on 10/12/2012 6:55:01 AM PDT by kevao (Is your ocean any lower than it was four years ago?)
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To: barryobi

Ryan was wise last night...he might have been tempted to try to score the knockout punch, but he saw that Biden was destroying himself, so he just got out of the way and let him.


50 posted on 10/12/2012 6:55:08 AM PDT by dfwgator (I'm voting for Ryan and that other guy.)
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To: Ditter

I don’t live by him any more so I don’t know how he’s doing.

Trying to converse with him was like talking to the back wall of a hand-ball court.

It’s the same with old Slow Joe, I guess... he’s just about as reponsive and ‘in touch’.


51 posted on 10/12/2012 6:56:45 AM PDT by SMARTY ("The man who has no inner-life is a slave to his surroundings. "Henri Frederic Amiel)
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To: barryobi

Joe Biden bordered on maniacal with his switching expressions of somber and then inappropriate giggling and smirking and eye rolling and general distracting behavior. My husband left the room for another TV with sports on. I hung in to see what could be garnered from this high level debate between two men, either of whom could be our next national leader. What I saw was a serious Paul Ryan trying to have a back and forth discussion with a political hack whose only goal was to obfuscate and diminish any positive impact that Ryan might have on this election. The Biden antics, no doubt rehearsed, canceled any gain that might have been made by either side. That was the point of course. An honest debate would have been negative for Obama and positive for Romney.


52 posted on 10/12/2012 6:57:19 AM PDT by mountainfolk (God Bless the United States of America and the Republic for which is stands.)
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To: mountainfolk

And, I’m sick of people saying the content of the debate was a “draw,” and Biden lost on his ugly comportment. Even Krauthammer was saying this last night, but it is just not true! Ryan had facts and he raised them appropriately within the context of the conversation. Biden, at best, was just mistaken on Libya and the burden being imposed on the Catholic Church by Obamacare; at worst, he was lying and just assuming no one would notice. These were two HUGE mistakes, unmatched by anything Ryan said. How could the debate have possibly been a draw?


53 posted on 10/12/2012 7:46:04 AM PDT by binreadin
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To: barryobi

Lest we forget - Joe Biden was selected to run with Zero as the VP in order to give the ticket maturity and gravitas, especially on the foreign policy front! Yet Grandpa Joe lied outright about the request for more security in Lybia prior to Sept 11, 2012. And, at times, he behaved like everything is just a lark.

Liberals, how’s that hope and change working out, huh?


54 posted on 10/12/2012 7:49:36 AM PDT by Gumdrop
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To: barryobi

Brokaw said that?


55 posted on 10/12/2012 8:26:39 AM PDT by GVnana
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To: TMA62

From the very first question, Biden did NOT answer the question put out by Martha.
I wish she had stopped him & re-stated the question for claification.

Then, if Biden kept wandering all over the plantation, he had no one but himself to blame.


56 posted on 10/12/2012 8:27:52 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: SMARTY

Your old neighbor wasn’t sitting in the Vice President’s chair!


57 posted on 10/12/2012 8:31:02 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: ridesthemiles

He might as well be!!

Joe was looking and sounding like someone ought to haul him away in a giggle jacket, any minute!


58 posted on 10/12/2012 8:33:22 AM PDT by SMARTY ("The man who has no inner-life is a slave to his surroundings. "Henri Frederic Amiel)
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To: barryobi

boy I must have fallen through the rabbit hole in my sleep

folks here praising Peggy Noonan and taking polls as gospel

am I on the same forum?


59 posted on 10/12/2012 8:39:11 AM PDT by wardaddy (my wife prays in the tanning bed....guess what region i live in...ya'll?)
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To: Haiku Guy
Last night, Joe Biden reminded every divorced woman of her first husband.


60 posted on 10/12/2012 8:42:58 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
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