High Stakes Ryan-Biden Bout Could Seal Deal for Romney

Newsmax ^ | 08 Oct 2012 | David A. Patten

[kingattax]

President Barack Obama’s perilous drop in the polls following last week’s shaky debate performance sets the scene for an extraordinary moment in presidential politics: A vice presidential debate that could play a major role in the outcome in November.

If Vice President Joe Biden can prevail in his 90-minute face-off against GOP foe Rep. Paul Ryan, it could turn the media narrative and help repair some of the damage incurred by the weak Obama showing on Oct. 3.

But the savvy Ryan, who gobbles up dense budgetary reports as if they were dime novels, will try to replicate the political jiu-jitsu Romney performed against Obama. If he succeeds, it could go a long way toward convincing swing-state independent voters not to wait to see what four more years under Obama would bring.

[bmwcyle]

Biden is their great white hope? HAHAHAHAHAHA

[workerbee]

Biden will be at his most condescending, sarcastic, vicious arrogance, and Martha lets-pretend-I’m-an-objective-moderator Raddatz will give him plenty of leeway to use it. I hope Ryan’s ready.

[mosaicwolf]

Biden is in the same position as Obama.

You can't defend the defenseless.

[soccergirl]

I’m from Delaware and am very familiar with Joe Biden. I am a conservative Republican and have watched then Senator Biden for 20 plus years. I believe America is in for a surprise Thursday night. The expectations are that Biden will say something stupid or be left wanting at the feet of Paul Ryan. Joe Biden is one of the best politicians in the country and will not be made the fool. I’ve never voted for him, but I respect the man like no other.

[albie]

Biden will study the wrong notes and be his usual bizarre out of touch with reality ass hat that he always has been.

Ryan: “I’ll grow our economy again like Reagan”.”

Biden: “I knew John Kennedy. Worked with John Kennedy. You sir are no John Kennedy.”

Ryan; “WTF!?”

[MrDem]

Ryan knows that and said he is not underestimating Biden. I predict a modest win for Ryan that the press will tout as a win for Biden.

[13Sisters76]

I remember the Quayle/Benson debate very well. It STILL makes me burn. Lloyd Benson was a nasty old man that makes Reid look like...well...a Mormon! The fact that he was up against such a decent, polite man as Dan Quayle must have had that old goat drooling. When he made his snarky, now famous, below the belt remark, I was SCRRRRReaming at the TV- “Neither are YOU Benson. JFK LEARNED you cannot tax and spend your way to a good economy. It is a lesson YOU have not learned.”

Anyway.
You KNOW that this is a moment Biden wants to re-create. He is a nasty, lying, goof who will use every attack he can think of against Ryan. But my impression is, Paul Ryan is NO Dan Quayle. I certainly am entertained by Gaff-tastic Joe.

[workerbee]

Yep. The left is salivating for a fistfight after Obyebye’s no-show, and ole Joe will be primed to give it.

[buckalfa]

"Joe Biden is one of the best politicians in the country and will not be made the fool."

Agreed. Me thinks a lot of the Biden gaffes over the last four years were intentional, or useful in focusing attention away from events that could have been detrimental to the 0ne. Ryan is new to this type event and might falter due to his inexperience and hostility from the moderator. I do not expect a Romneyesque performance from Ryan.

[henkster]

Ryan needs to hammer the facts without sounding wonky. Biden should not be underestimated; he will be prepared. He knows there’s a lot on the line here. While he can’t compete on the facts, he will be prepared to come off as “folksy.” He won’t mail it in like 0bama.

The other problem is that this is the one and only VP debate, so it’s not topic specific. A huge advantage for Biden, as Ryan won’t be able to concentrate his preparation on specific topics. Biden will, as he will have all the questions in advance.

[KC_Conspirator]

Lets be serious...very few people vote for the Veep except for the last holdouts in your base.

[11th Commandment]

The VP debate is about the VEEP representing the President. Ryan needs to keep this in focus, since as the collective light bulb went off and now America knows, Obama’s record is indefensible. Romney approach was simple, you are lying about me but let’s talk about you..... this is what Reagan did in 1980....

[RoseofTexas]

I’m thinking the same thing! Don’t take this billy goat as an easy ride....He’s been around longer than Ryan and he did survive against Sarah who I think cleaned his clock, but still managed to look extreme VP material. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE the clown...he can devastate....RYAN please beware the trap the mediaWHORES are setting up for you. Uncle Joe ain’t too loony to debate..further from the truth. THE BEAST AIN’T DEAD YET! Remember God is our Source!

[SeaHawkFan]

Ryan is going to clean his clock, just like he did to Obama in that budget meeting.

[sanjuanbob]

Ryan could make Biden look like the idiot he is by using complex economic terminology that Biden isn’t aware of. Just a couple of words and Biden is toast.

[bigbob]

Biden doesn’t do well when he gets mad. If Ryan can keep his cool and not do the same (and he will surely be taunted), he will come across the winner on style as well as substance.

I think I could debate Biden just by managing to work one of his own gaffe remarks in to each of my answers, thus keeping the audience laughing at him instead of taking him seriously about anything.

[MNJohnnie]

I think the best we can hope for is a tie. Biden is a highly aggressive shameless liar who will be fanatically protected by the moderator. Going to be pretty tough to win a debate with someone who simply makes up their facts as they go along.

I think this is just part of the Mass Media set up for the big “Obama the comeback kid” spin we are going to hear after the Oct 16 Presidential Debate.

[dead]

I understand that we need to downplay expectations for the Veep debate.

And I understand that Biden must have some political abilities to have lasted this long in politics.

But I also know what my own lying eyes and ears have shown me of Joe Biden over the last four years - he is an idiot. A dumbass babbling moron. An absolutely clueless twit who has no understanding of the world and even less of an understanding of how he is supposed to perform his own rather limited duties.

If, as some say, he was ever politically savvy, he must have been eating lead paint chips off the wall at Cheney's house over the last few years.

[kingattax]

I think the best we can hope for is a tie.

all that positive energy and optimism might be a bit much for some people to handle.

seriously, regardless of your concerns, paul ryan is the wrong guy to be misunderestimating.

do you believe that a guy that was picked to be VP is someone that cant handle a toad like biden ?

[lewislynn]

If you look real close when he gets mad you can see where they did Biden’s lobotomy.

[MNJohnnie]

No but I do think this cavalier dismissal of Biden is a huge mistake. God has a habit of humbling hubris.

[duckman]

Hope all this ‘hoop-la’ over the first debate, doesn’t put a jinx on RnR. In the words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over”.

[IndyTiger]

I remember the Quayle/Benson debate very well. It STILL makes me burn.

The irony is that Dave Powers, one of JFK’s closest aides and then director of the JFK library, was quoted after the debate as saying he had no idea that JFK and Bentsen were even acquainted. They did briefly serve together in the House in the early ‘50s, but no one could ever recall an instance where they were together, or when JFK had even mentioned Bentsen’s name.

My guess is that Bentsen knew JFK well enough to say hello in the hallway, or make small talk in an elevator, but they were hardly the good friends like Bentsen intimated they were in the debate. I’ve read numerous books on JFK, and nowhere is Bentsen named in any of them.

[cymbeline]

I wonder if Biden might damage the Obama campaign by being too honest, for instance, by acknowledging that some of the Obama ideas do indeed have flaws.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Biden is well known all over the D.C. area as a pathological liar. Ryan will mop the floor with Neil Kinnoch....I mean Joe Biden.

[pallis]

I might even tune in to see Biden’s comedy act. Ryan will beat him with an idiot stick.

[kingattax]

get the popcorn

[kabar]

This could be a replay of Obama versus McCain, i.e., the young, virile challenger versus the grumpy old man. The 42 year old against the almost 70 year old. Ryan has the requisite style and substance to beat the old pro.

Let's not forget that unlike Palin, Ryan is a seasoned Washington pro. He has been in Congress for almost 14 years. He has been reelected 7 times in a Dem leaning district. Ryan knows the issues and won't be fazed by the 40 year Washington insider--Biden.

Biden will want to focus on foreign affairs, his strength. Hopefully, Ryan can swing that issue towards his own strength, the budget and domestic issues. As former JCS Mike Mullen said, the biggest threat to our national security is the national debt.

[exit82]

Keep praying for Ryan and Romney.

Four weeks left to save a nation.

If Biden makes a fool of himself, the momentum will build into a crescendo to elect Romney. We need enough votes to counter any potential voter fraud by the Dems.

[patriotspride]

Ryan is going to clean his clock, just like he did to Obama in that budget meeting.

---

Ryan has probably been in meeting with Joey Plugs, and knows his style.

I think Ryan will be respectful, but call him on any misrepresentation of the facts.

Joey can try the scare tactics, but Paul will call him out on them by using the
“ what have you done in the last 4 / 6 years line”

Many forget the majority the Dems have had to push their agenda, but failed to deliver on their 2008 promises.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Biden has been in seclusion for 6 days. Just enough time to get rid of Rove’s programmer and get another chip in his head programmed by someone who is actually part of the Obama team.

Rove you magnificent bastard. I read your book!!!!

[ridesthemiles]

I think the pressure now on Biden is severe—Obama flopped...so they are waiting for Biden to bail out the Dems.

My money is on Ryan.

[Little Ray]

I agree with you - Biden is a evil clown, and a LOT more dangerous than folks realize!

[lacrew]

I’m on a different side of the fence.

First of all, I believe Biden to be one of the dumbest people ever elected to high office. Its not just his gaffes, but he is consistently on the wrong side of every important issue (think Alaskan pipeline vote in 1973). He really is plain dumb.

But fast forward to his debate against Palin. I was amazed at his ability to lie with absolute conviction. One example - he claimed McCain had voted just like Obama on a tax bill. It turns out McCain had not been present for that vote...but Palin wasn’t prepared to defend against a complete fantasy. She had to let it slide...she pushed a little, but Biden was just so darned confident...and she relented.

Other small things like the restaurant he frequented...but had been closed for 15 years, and the misplaced Home Depot he hung out in...its very hard to defend complete fabrications.

So, no, I don’t ‘respect’ Biden. I recognize that he is an accomplished politician...mostly because he is an unabashed liar (remember how he plagerized campaign speeches during one presidential run).

I think Biden will do better than Obama...and he will be very well rehearsed. But nothing ‘stellar’.

[VRWCarea51]

If I were Ryan I would remind Ole Plugs that it was President Dumbo that put HIM in charge of the Stimulus money and was to see to it that every dollar was spent on things that would Stimulate the Economy.

Hey Plugs, were you asleep at the Wheel when the Checks were cut for Solyndra, Big Bird, Monkeys on cocaine. New windows for a closed visitor's center. Modern dance as a tool for software development. Tennessee Electrified Truck Terminal.

Solyndra
•Received $535 million in DOE Loan Guarantee Program6 •Filed for bankruptcy September 2011

Abound Solar
Received $70 million of $400 million commitment from DOE Loan Guarantee Program before funding stopped in August 2011 •Filed for bankruptcy July 20121

Beacon Power
•Received $43 million in DOE Loan Guarantee Program12 •Filed for bankruptcy October 20111

Watch List

The Wall Street Journal reported that as of February 29, there were 10 out of 32 total projects on the Department of Energy’s internal watch list because of “breaching loan terms, falling behind on agreed-upon performance milestones and being part of ‘an industry or market sector experiencing challenging market conditions’.”14 Although the Department of Energy declined to name the ten, the challenges for some of the following companies are not private knowledge.

Nevada Geothermal
•Received partial loan guarantee of $98.5 million in September 201015 •Encountered problems at its only operating plant resulting in financial problems16 •Auditor reported in October 2011 “significant doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern”

NRG Solar
•Received $1.2 billion in DOE Loan Guarantee Program18 •NRG Energy acquired SunPower (the company originally granted the loan) in Sept. 20111
•SunPower reported $520 million in losses for the year ended Jan. 1 and reported in Nov. 2011 it would lay off 85 employees

[Windflier]

Biden is in the same position as Obama. You can't defend the defenseless.

More accurate: You can't defend the indefensible.