Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Bully vs. the Wonk: The Veep's strategy: Show contempt for your opponent
WSJ ^ | 10/12/2012 | The Editors

Posted on 10/12/2012 9:28:32 AM PDT by mojito

So now we know what Team Obama's comeback plan was following last week's defeat in the Presidential debate. Unleash Joe Biden to interrupt, filibuster, snarl, smirk and otherwise show contempt for Paul Ryan. The carnival act contributed to the least illuminating presidential or vice presidential debate of our lifetimes.

From the opening bell, Mr. Biden seemed to take to heart the interpretation that President Obama offered this week of his debate performance—that he had been "too polite." That was not a problem for the Veep, whose marching orders were clearly to steamroll the overmatched moderator Martha Raddatz and dismiss everything Mr. Ryan said with a condescending sneer.

By unofficial media counts, Mr. Biden interrupted the Republican some 80 to 100 times. Mr. Ryan let the bully get away with too much for our tastes, at least until he finally pushed back on the interruptions or until Mr. Biden lost steam in the last half hour. But as anyone who's been in a tavern past midnight understands, it's hard to win a fight with a guy who is shouting from the corner bar stool.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: biden; joebiden; paulryan; ryan; unclejoe
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last
Biden looked medicated, orange, and like he's had too much plastic surgery.

But uncle Joe did Romney a favor. Biden give the game away. Expect more of the same sorts of antics when Zero and Romney meet again on Tuesday.

1 posted on 10/12/2012 9:28:38 AM PDT by mojito
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: mojito

The weakest link onstage at the debate was Mute Martha. She only woke up 31 times when she heard Ryan start to speak.


2 posted on 10/12/2012 9:32:07 AM PDT by txrefugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mojito

It was disgraceful. People wanted to hear a reasoned debate and ADULT discussion.

What we got was a ridiculous display of silliness, posturing, facial contortions worthy of an mental institution.

I’m so angry that what could have been a wonderful debate as has been in the long past, turned into a hideous spectacle that further diminished the executive office.


3 posted on 10/12/2012 9:34:11 AM PDT by OpusatFR
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mojito

Has anyone seen a timer on the debate..who spoke more?


4 posted on 10/12/2012 9:36:19 AM PDT by ken5050 (Barack Obama: An empty suit sitting in an empty chair...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mojito
From today's Morning Jolt by Jim Geraghty:

Exit quotation from Greg Gutfeld: “Biden is the drunk at the bar; Martha is the unhappy bartender, and Ryan is the unfortunate salesman caught in the middle."

ROFL!!

5 posted on 10/12/2012 9:37:34 AM PDT by Cincinatus (Omnia relinquit servare Rempublicam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mojito
Tthe most interesting thing to me today is that both the Washington Post and NY Times front page articles were concerned how Biden's behavior would be perceived by independents. So if even the lapdogs in the press are admitting the behavior was somewhat bizarre, it makes me wonder if last night for the Obama team was really all about firing up the liberal base. And if you go and read the comments on the two liberal rags, Biden's performance certainly did seem to fire them up.

Maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but I'm wondering if Team 0 accomplished exactly what it set out to do last night?

6 posted on 10/12/2012 9:37:52 AM PDT by old and tired
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: old and tired

At this stage of the campaign, if you feel a desperate need to fire up your base, you’re losing. Badly.


7 posted on 10/12/2012 9:39:14 AM PDT by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ken5050

Smokin’ Joe, by about a minute and a half (Brett Baier gave the speaking times last night).


8 posted on 10/12/2012 9:39:14 AM PDT by Cincinatus (Omnia relinquit servare Rempublicam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: mojito
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
9 posted on 10/12/2012 9:39:56 AM PDT by newheart (The greatest trick the left ever pulled was convincing the world it was not a religion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ken5050

They say it was approximately 40 minutes each. However, that does not take into consideration the number of minutes when Biden was speaking over Ryan during Ryan’s time.


10 posted on 10/12/2012 9:42:18 AM PDT by kevao (Is your ocean any lower than it was four years ago?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: mojito

Once a Puddenhead, always a puddenhead. Mark Twain could have written several books about the “b”.


11 posted on 10/12/2012 9:42:18 AM PDT by Portcall24
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ken5050

The timer I saw was around 42 min Biden, 40 min Ryan...but I have no idea if they included in Ryan’s time all the moments were could not hear him speaking (over Joe).


12 posted on 10/12/2012 9:43:15 AM PDT by lacrew (Mr. Soetoro, we regret to inform you that your race card is over the credit limit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: old and tired

Probably.

The dems need reason to turnout for a disaffected voter base. I think they are misunderstanding their appeal last time.

Bush fatigue and the unknown quantity of our lighter than air president, The Won, plus a fair bit of carney barker push and rumble got the base PLUS independents and undecides to vote.

The same people who voted for him have grown up and graduated from college into a horrible job market, the Indies have had enough, and the base is not as enthusiastic.

Biden’s performance appealed to the base, but it damaged them badly with those who are unaffiliated.

I think this was a terrific move for the GOP.

Thanks, Ax. I’ve only seen three homes with Obama signs in NOVA this time. I think NOVAs are voting Green which is the same as saying, “No confidence.”

I know quite a few are voting Libertarian.


13 posted on 10/12/2012 9:46:58 AM PDT by OpusatFR
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: mojito
Obama and his team watched the live video of Osama being taken out.Charlene Lamb said they watched in real time what was going on and Obama didn't know this. Ridiculous!
14 posted on 10/12/2012 9:47:23 AM PDT by tapatio (In memory of my Dad 5-27-26 2-4-2010)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tapatio

Sorry wrong thread:)My Biden moment!


15 posted on 10/12/2012 9:49:53 AM PDT by tapatio (In memory of my Dad 5-27-26 2-4-2010)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus

I seriously thought that Biden had knocked back a few before the debate.
I was waiting for him to start singing “Danny Boy.”


16 posted on 10/12/2012 10:09:12 AM PDT by Wordkraft (Remember who the Collaborators are.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: mojito
At this stage of the campaign, if you feel a desperate need to fire up your base, you’re losing. Badly.

Good point. The lack of Obama signs here in the Philly area has been a real shot in the arm for me and I know other conservatives as well. I'd hate suddenly to see a bunch of Obama signs cropping up this late in the game.

Yesterday, the Inquirer ran some poll results saying Casey has this huge lead over Smith - I don't believe it. That may be true if you go to registered voters, but likely voters? It can't be. There are no Casey signs anywhere and (perhaps more notably, a very few Obama signs) and I drive through some of the most liberal sections of Philadelphia on a regular basis.

17 posted on 10/12/2012 10:17:02 AM PDT by old and tired
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Wordkraft
But as anyone who's been in a tavern past midnight understands, it's hard to win a fight with a guy who is shouting from the corner bar stool.

A very slightly subtle way for the WSJ to imply that Biden was acting like a drunk.

18 posted on 10/12/2012 10:23:17 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (ua)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: mojito

Hope is not a strategy, neither is contempt.

I think independents see through this and vote accordingly. That is, they vote for adults.


19 posted on 10/12/2012 10:35:06 AM PDT by cicero2k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mojito
The carnival act contributed to the least illuminating presidential or vice presidential debate of our lifetimes.

I disagree. I found it illuminating even if I was outraged. It reminded me that contempt, bullying, belittling, and playing outside the rules aren't isolated to the President. Biden put a face on all the Dems who've treated conservatives this way the past four years. He effectively destroyed any bipartisanship claims his ticket may be tempted to make in the next few weeks. He showed us how we can expect to be treated if he's reelected.

So many memories flooded my mind as I saw Biden treat Ryan the way Dems in power have treated most of us the last few years. I thought of prolifers labeled terrorists. Opponents of socialized healthcare called unpatriotic and shut out of the discussion. Pelosi and her gavel-gloat at its passage. The HHS mandate. The healthcare snitch line. Bureaucratic harassment of companies/organizations. Acting outside the rules. Destroying the dignity of the office, etc.

I don't think Biden hit the bottle before the debate. I think he was drunk with power. And kudos to Ryan for showing respect to a VP who'd have whined if he didn't get it while in the very act of disgracing his office. The press would have had a field day if Ryan had showed his opponent a fraction of the rudeness Biden dumped on him.

20 posted on 10/12/2012 10:51:25 AM PDT by PeevedPatriot ("A wise man's heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool's heart toward the left."--Eccl 10:2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson