Biden was expected to come out swinging hard after President
Barack Obama appeared listless in his first debate with Mitt Romney. Biden did
just that. Ryan is trying to establish himself as a strong voice for conservatives, and he banged away at the Obama record trying to highlight
what right-wingers consider to be faults in administration policy
I had never heard either man give a speech or participate in
a debate, although both had plenty of experience. Biden has been an elected
official for most of his life. Ryan has served in Congress for 14 years. Both
men have run for election many times, presenting their views and arguing with
opponents. Despite their similar backgrounds as professional politicians, they
came across as two different people last night.
Biden reminded me of a neighbor citing his experiences as he
passionately argued an important issue across your kitchen table over coffee or
a beer. Ryan looked like a newly minted MBA giving a lecture about theories he
learned from a maverick professor.
When Biden or moderator Martha Raddatz asked Ryan to provide
specific actions he and Ronmey would take to further their “five point plan,”
the Congressman had none to offer. Biden defended Obama’s actions by describing
why the decisions were made, often noting he was present when policy was formulated.
Raddatz, in contrast to the inept Jim Lehrer who moderated
the Obama-Romney debate, was crisply professional. She kept control even when
Biden got over-enthusiastic and interrupted Ryan, laughed at what the
challenger said, or made unnecessary comments about time allotments.
Raddatz asked some tough questions, but they were ones we
viewers wanted answered—abortion (Biden thought it was a matter between a
women and her doctor; Ryan believes it never should be condoned), how they
viewed their Catholic religion (both said it is important in their lives; Biden
said he did not believe in foisting his religion on others), and Medicare and Social
Security (Biden said neither he nor Obama would support any form of privatization;
Ryan favored plans that include privatization).
I thought Biden delivered the sharper blows, citing more
facts and giving logical reasons for administration policies. Ryan mostly dealt
in generalities, and when asked for specifics he often was unable to produce any.
Raddatz at the end did not challenge viewers with the most
important question--one none of us likes to confront. If something happened to the
President, which one of these guys would you want leading the nation?
Based on what I saw last night, I’d go with the more
experienced and grounded Biden, who it appeared could best be depended on to act
responsibly on the world stage and pursue policies at home favoring the
majority of Americans.
