Can smirks win a debate??

[Bill in SD, CA]

Biden set an new record tonight on smirking.

Is that in the job description of VP?

Bill

[Taxmancometh]

He set a record on interrupting too much too!

[Chuckiechan]

I was really disappointed. I expected more from Biden. I expected Biden to bring the gravitas that Obama doesn't have, and they would fill in some of the blanks in Obama's and Romney's plans. Biden has been around a long time and knows his stuff. I was expecting a more informational debate. Instead he brought "Joe the Buffoon".

This wasn't some city council debate. This was for the second seat behind the president. Biden should be ashamed of himself for smiling, laughing, interrupting, and calling things "stuff", "malarkey", and "bull". Christ, he must have thought he was a "lunch box democrat" in a corner bar.

Sure his base was happy, but all he showed was that Biden cannot control himself in front of a nation of hopeful people. What an asshole.

[MTAtech]

Biden countered talking points with facts while Ryan evaded and didn't answer questions.

Biden said Romney's defense plan adds two trillion to spending which Ryan denied. Biden was right. Ryan was wrong.

Biden was also effective at illustrating Ryan's hypocrisy of claiming the stimulus was not effective while asking for stimulus money that he said would add jobs in his state.

[Bill in SD, CA]

Saw this on a tweet.

Proverbs 9:29

If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Bill

[MTAtech]

Saw this on a tweet.

Proverbs 9:29





Bill

So substance and facts are meaningless to you -- only facial expressions, huh?

The fact was that Ryan's right-wing talking points were laughable. Really, Stranton PA's unemployment rate is a proxy for the whole nation, against the evidence that it is not?

The fact that Ryan ridiculed Administration policy in Syria but offered no alternative. According to the Times:

He never said what more a Romney administration would do about Syria than is already being done. And on Iran, he simply repeated Republican talking points about Mr. Obama’s “weakness” but did not say what Mr. Romney would do differently that would actually affect Iran’s nuclear program, apart from starting a war. He had no answer when the moderator asked how effective he thought military action be.

[Chuckiechan]

Biden played to his base - votes that are in the bag anyway. The only thing people will remember about this debate is Biden's mannerisms of acting like a fool on uppers.

Ryan didn't do all that great, but the moderator didn't help. Ryan knows that when the points are totaled by the "bubble", America will remember "Joe the Buffoon".

Ryan lost the debate, but Biden lost big. Can you imagine him sitting down with Putin?

[brandon184]

What an asshole.

This reaction is enough for me to conclude that Biden mopped the floor with this kid.

Can you imagine him sitting down with Putin?

Except that he wasn't sitting down with Putin. He was sitting down with an inexperienced kid who was lying through his teeth to the American people. Good on Biden for not putting up that kind of crap. The audience was owed at least that much.

This debate was gold for Democrats.

[MTAtech]

Paul Ryan had his ass handed to him and the best the GOP can come up with to complain about Biden smiling.

It amazes me that in 80 years nothing much has changed. FDR had to deal with the same disingenuous GOP, that says it once to do one thing while really wanting to do another:

[Chuckiechan]

You obviously haven't been paying close attention to the candidates for VP... LOL!

The debate aside, Ryan is a heavyweight and Biden is no slouch. Having said that, the only person happier than his base is Al Gore, who now only has the second worst debate presence.

Ryan only had to not make mistakes. Joe did what Joe was sent out to do - energize his base. But he already has his base. They need independents, and "Crazy Uncle Biden" didn't move the ball with them at all. In fact when the "bubble" is done with it, I expect they lost ground.

What you have today:
Obama/Biden - one detached and disinterested in being president, and "Crazy Joe" who chose to act like a buffoon. Good grief!

[MTAtech]

You obviously haven't been paying close attention to the candidates for VP... LOL!

The debate aside, Ryan is a heavyweight and Biden is no slouch. Having said that, the only person happier than his base is Al Gore, who now only has the second worst debate presence.

Ryan only had to not make mistakes. Joe did what Joe was sent out to do - energize his base. But he already has his base. They need independents, and "Crazy Uncle Biden" didn't move the ball with them at all. In fact when the "bubble" is done with it, I expect they lost ground.

What you have today:
Obama/Biden - one detached and disinterested in being president, and "Crazy Joe" who chose to act like a buffoon. Good grief!

As the Times said:

Mr. Ryan’s performance on foreign affairs and military issues was at best disingenuous and at worst bumbling. He said he and Mr. Romney agreed with the administration’s planned 2014 pullout from Afghanistan but still thought it was a bad idea, a bizarre nonresponse that did little but confuse voters.

Ryan is a light-weight who has the undeserved reputation as a budget wonk, because pundits don't read details. If they did, they would know that Ryan's budget only works by using absurd assumptions and magic asterisks. When real-world assumptions are used, the actual objective of the Ryan plan is clear. It's a plan that lowers taxes on the rich, decimates the social safety net and savagely hurts the poor, while increasing the debt.

[brandon184]

You're so transparent, Chuck.

You never give an inch to the other side. And now suddenly we're to believe you're so seriously concerned about Biden's style and image? Actually, I believe you even went as far as to use the term "disappointed". Funny wording for someone who thinks that the country should be pulling out all of the stops to get rid of their "evil" (your word) President.

That's why your concern and "disappointment" aren't really that believable. You're disappointed in Ryan's performance but don't want to admit it. Ryan looked unseasoned, caught off guard and his talking points weren't stickin'. That's not the performance Republicans needed, at all.

[Bill in SD, CA]

This debate was gold for Democrats.

Just wondering ....

What is Fool's Gold worth theses days BTW?



Bill

[Chuckiechan]

Brandon, did you actually watch the debate? I did. I felt sorry for mainstream democrats. The party has be hijacked by OWS wanna be's.

[brandon184]

Of course I watched the debate. Two areas, among several where I thought the differences between the two really stood out was when Biden talked about the "letters" Paul Ryan had sent him asking for stimulus money because he knew it would "create jobs".

The second area was where Paul Ryan was asked to explain how their proposed tax cuts would be paid for. He froze up. He either doesn't know his numbers or his plan is actually that bad for the average voter that he can't bring himself to say it. But don't you think if he does have bad news, he should be up front with voters instead of trying to tell them everything will be hunky dory if they vote for his ticket and then completely screw them over once Romney is in office by jacking up their taxes and getting rid of deductions they count on?

You and I are clearly from different backgrounds if that kind of dishonesty is acceptable to you.

[mad1]

Here is Biden showing what a idiot he really is, RNC Web Ad: "Laughing at the Issues" (Official Version) - YouTube

Here are some pictures of Biden showing how clueless he is, Why Biden lost the debate

[Chuckiechan]

He froze up

First of all, the tax plan needs to be hammered out in committee in congress, so what ever he says will likely be altered in the committee. All being too specific does is give the other side "talking points".

But what he did say, is the bracket rates will be lowered. The reduction in revenue will be made up for by reducing tax deductions of the upper end tax payers... IE "the wealthy". Presumably, a 1 million donation to charity will be limited to a $24K (or whatever) tax write off. That makes $976,000 taxable that wasn't taxable before.

What he tried to say before Biden cut him off was the tax plan's mechanisms:
Quite possibly, a cap on deductions will be set. I've seen figures from $24K to $55K. That will be your maximum deduction, regardless of how much you make. In addition, a new "Subchapter S" provision will be needed for small business that need business expense write off's. A business will go over $55K in a New York second! If they are below that, then they can stick with the existing individual tax structure.

A cap, rather than a line by line elimination is the best way. There is bi partisan support for this plan. It's all out there. Some form of this is likely to happen regardless of who wins the election. Everyone understands the "Eater vs Maker" arguments are bad for the country as a whole.

[Epidemic]

I did now watch the debate. I know some amount of interruption is allowed but did bidens interuptions exceed normal customary levels?

[MTAtech]

First of all, the tax plan needs to be hammered out in committee in congress, so what ever he says will likely be altered in the committee.
...

Sorry. That's BS.

If I proclaim that I am going to lower taxes and that plan is revenue neutral, then everyone should presume I worked out the numbers. It can't be mystery meat and it can't be 'we'll work that out in committee.' You either worked it out or you didn't. If you didn't, then you have no idea whether it's revenue neutral.

But what he did say, is the bracket rates will be lowered. The reduction in revenue will be made up for by reducing tax deductions of the upper end tax payers... IE "the wealthy".

What you are saying is contradictory to what Ryan said.

REP. RYAN: Our entire premise of these tax reform plans is to grow the economy and create jobs. It’s a plan that’s estimated to create 7 million jobs.
Now, we think that government taking 28 percent of a family and business’ income is enough. President Obama thinks that the government ought to be able to take as much as 44.8 percent of a small business’ income.

The whole idea, from his perspective, is to lower taxes on the rich to "create jobs." If you are going to give it with the left hand and take it away with the right hand, how is that a benefit?

The reality, of course, is that the real plan is to lower taxes on the rich and raise them on everyone else. Hence, that's why it's a big secret.

[Chuckiechan]

What you are saying is contradictory to what Ryan said.

I left out the part that lower tax rates create more jobs. I was sticking strictly to the tax plan and taxing the "rich".