Paul Ryan, on the other hand, waited for Biden to complete his points, never insulted him with a sarcastic "my friend," and generally behaved like a gentleman. Unfortunately, that allowed Biden to get the bulk of time assisted by Martha Raddatz whose husband was a classmate of Obama's at Harvard and was tapped to head the FCC in the Obama administration. Obama was also a guest at Raddatz's 1991 wedding which was an eyebrow raiser for this viewer. Did her friendship with Obama affect her neutrality in last night's face off?
Raddatz began pretty even-handedly but as the debate wore on she pressed Ryan for specifics even when he gave them and pretty much let Biden off the hook. I'd like to know how much air time each candidate received because Biden interrupted almost every statement Ryan made and Raddatz never made much of an attempt to rein him in, although on foreign policy she did point out several times when Biden talked about military support for Obama's policies that politicians control the military statements.
Pundits say the V-P debate doesn't make much difference and that both men held their own. For me, it was one more illustration of what we're in for if this bullying administration wins another term. God spare us!
Congressman Ryan wasn’t a gentleman, he was a wimp last night and judging from comments I heard in the parking lot after Mass this morning (St. Michael’s Annandale) he did our cause terrible damage by not taking on Biden, especially when Biden pretended to be a Catholic. He should have gone right down Biden’s throat about being a “pro-choice Catholic” and he let it pass. Everyone was saying this morning that he looked weak, he didn’t have specifics, and he let himself get bullied instead of standing up and fighting back. It was a disaster!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it better!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Frankly I'm not certain that rudeness is a "democratic" staple, but it is rather a Democrat staple or perhaps a political staple.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats remind me of a mob led by the loudest demon so I tend to call them Demoncrats.
Ryan showed that Republics on average are more polite, but whether or not this is an advantage depends on your audience.
Had we a truly educated citizenry and electorate then civility would clearly be an advantage. I don't know if we have devolved to a lower level yet, but we seem clearly on that road.
Romney recently said he supports abortion for rape, incest and health of mother. That is perhaps why Ryan was constricted in that area as to saying much. Also aside from the Shneck versus Commentary mini debate, it is simply common sense that as Romney effectively cuts medicaid by increasing it by onflation plus 1% while both nursing home and medical inflation outpace that bizarre " increase"....then abortions will follow republican cutbacks on Medicaid which funds an astounding 40% of U.S. childbirths, prenatal and post partum. Again, had Ryan become too vocal on abortion, Biden would have raised the question of which causes more abortions....law or cutbacks on medicaid.
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