Biden and Ryan spar over party differences, leaving experts to call it a draw
Vice President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan exchanged fiercely Thursday night over the economy and foreign policy in a spirited debate that clearly underscored the widening differences between the Democratic and Republican tickets on virtually every issue in the presidential campaign.
The candidates interrupted each other. They talked over each other. Biden chuckled and smirked through many of Ryan’s responses. Ryan claimed his opponent was simply under “duress.”
“This is not what a real recovery looks like,” Ryan said.
Biden hammered Mitt Romney over his secretly videotaped comment in which he said he doesn’t have to worry about the “47 percent” of Americans who don’t pay federal income taxes.
“These people are my mom and dad, the people I grew up with, my neighbors,” Biden said, adding he’s “had it up to here” with those kinds of comments.
Ryan shot back, in reference to Biden’s tendency to make gaffes: “As the vice president very well knows … sometimes the words don’t come out of your mouth the right way.”
“But I always say what I mean,” Biden responded.
“Their ideas are old and their ideas are bad and they eliminate the guarantee of Medicare,” the VP said.
Ryan shot back: “They got caught with their hand in the cookie jar turning Medicare into a piggy bank for ObamaCare.”
Biden didn’t let up. “I’ve had it up to here with this notion, that 47 percent,” he said. “It’s about time they take some responsibility here. And instead of signing pledges to Grover Norquist not to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute to bring back the middle class, they should be signing a pledge saying to the middle class, ‘We’re going to level the playing field.’ ”
Democratic supporters praised Biden’s performance.
“In stark contrast to Obama, Biden was proactive and passionate, most notably in his willingness to be outspokenly indignant when calling out Ryan on the alleged errors in his opponent’s statements. The angry smile plastered across the vice president’s face during many of Ryan’s statements, often accompanied by an equally irate laugh, provided punchy visual reinforcement for the strong verbal jabs sprinkled throughout Biden’s answers.” – Policy Mic
CNN says “Ryan made a positive impression with his command of both domestic and foreign policy issues that showed him to be a formidable national candidate after a career of local congressional races in his native Wisconsin.”
The Huffington Post offered the title “Biden’D” with a grinning VP on their front page. “Biden’s sometimes over-the-top performance probably accomplished what he appeared intent on doing: rallying the Democratic base after Obama’s woeful debate performance last week.”
“I think the way the vice president handled himself was condescending,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). “He was constantly interrupting and trying to talk over people. When my 11-year-old tries to do that at the dinner table, it’s not tolerated.”
CBC published a poll of 431 “uncommitted voters” who said Biden won 50-31, with 19% saying it was a tie.
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