V.P. Debate:
Biden’s Tantrum
When I write my debate recaps, I always
do it immediately after the debate without watching any of the commentary. And I also focus primarily on issues directly
related to Catholic principles, rather than more prudential
considerations. Tonight’s vice
presidential debate between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden was defined, I think, more
by its tone that by its substance. It
came off as an adult trying to have an adult discussion with a snotty
teenager. Before I get into that,
though, there were some areas of substance that should be noted.
There was much talk on foreign
policy. Both candidates laid out plans
as to how they would keep the United States out of war while accomplishing our
foreign policy objectives. The most
important thing to come out of this part of the debate was that Joe Biden does
not seem to take the Iranian nuclear threat very seriously. He consistently focused on how much time we
have and how far Iran is from a weapon. That
is a devastating mistake that voters should take very seriously.
There were the predictable
disagreements about Medicare and the most significant here was Biden’s refusal
to acknowledge the “death panels” included in Obamacare. He mocked the idea and tried to compare Ryan
to Sarah Palin. The only problem is that
they are real and Obamacare promises a rationing of health care for our
seniors. The panels are an undeniable
fact, and an honest analysis of their role leads to rationing.
The other big policy area that
Catholics should have particularly noticed was when the moderator asked both
candidates how their Catholic Faith informed their positions on abortion. Paul Ryan is pro-life and gave a very reasoned
defense of that position, not only from the point of religion, but from science
and reason as well. Mr. Ryan does not
believe in exceptions for rape and incest, which of course no Catholic can, but
Governor Romney does, so he carefully worded his response to the effect that a
Romney administration would be pro-life, with those exceptions. He did not endorse them himself.
Mr. Biden, of course, is pro-abortion,
and has supported taxpayer funding for abortion both at home and abroad. This is indefensible and as a Catholic, it is
scandalous. I will not say more about
that because it is an issue between him and God, and the state of his soul is
not for me to judge. He was, however,
greatly misleading about how the HHS mandate robs the Church and others of
religious freedom. Mr. Ryan made the
good point that if the mandate respected the rights of the Church, the Church would
not have to sue the federal government to protect those rights.
When it comes to issues, Mr. Biden did
far better than Mr. Obama did last week.
Liberals will probably think he won on substance. Conservatives and most moderates will
not. However, it was the tone of the debate
that was the real story.
Mr. Biden knew he had to be more aggressive
than Mr. Obama was, and he was determined to push the message that Romney and
Ryan are liars. In doing so, he looked
ridiculous.
For the entire first hour of the
debate, every time Mr. Ryan spoke, he was interrupted by Mr. Biden. Unfortunately, the moderator did a miserable
job of giving the men equal time to speak, especially without
interruption. She would let Biden
pontificate, and then let him interrupt.
Ryan himself allowed far too much of it.
At one point, clearly frustrated, he did tell the vice president to stop
interrupting. Mr. Biden was being so
annoying at that moment, I’m not sure I would have had the self-control to keep
from punching him, to be honest. I hope
I would have, but to be safe, that’s why I will not be running for office.
When he did let Mr. Ryan speak, he condescendingly
laughed non-stop. To statements of fact
or detail, Mr. Biden made such intellectual responses as, “That’s a load of
malarkey,” or “a bunch of stuff,” or “Incredible.” What Mr. Biden seems to have forgotten is
that Americans seem to be pretty interested in the debates this year. He looked juvenile and ridiculous.
Now, at some point he must have
realized that because he toned it down big time for the last half-hour, and we
actually got 30 minutes of real, civil discussion. Ryan finished particularly strong.
So who won? On substance, perhaps it was a tie. Ryan was, for the most part, clear, concise and
intelligent. Biden was very fluid with
his points and had the benefit of long speeches without interruption. However, I have to believe that Mr. Biden was
just so unlikable that he may have turned a lot of people off. By cleaning up his act the last half-hour, he
may have salvaged some of the impressions people left with, but all in all, I think
his rudeness probably cost him.
