The Vice-Presidential Debate: A Big Win for Biden

By Madeleine Kando

Yesterday’s vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan was heated, confrontational and everything that was lacking in last week’s presidential debate. If you thought that Romney and Obama’s debate lacked specifics, yesterday’s discussion was chock full of facts.

Personally, I thought Biden ‘won’ most of the arguments during the nine segments of the debate. As it progressed, Ryan had to fight harder and harder to defend his stance on the issue at hand. Although both debaters were smart and verbally proficient, at times, Biden was flat out laughing and showing with clear body language that what Ryan was saying was bogus, and his ‘facts’ were promptly and brilliantly corrected by Biden, albeit with a touch of impatience.

There were nine segments to the debate, one of which was Iran. When asked the direct question: ‘What do you consider worse: another war in the middle east or an armed Iran?’ Ryan didn’t hesitate: an armed Iran is worse than going to war, in his view. Biden’s answer was more nuanced. He said that war should always be a solution of last resort, but that ‘if we have to take action, it matters that we have the world behind us’. And: ‘This President doesn’t bluff’, insinuating that Ryan’s belligerent attitude towards Iran is just that: bluffing.

When it came to the economy, Biden finally dropped the 47% bombshell. You could feel his genuine outrage when he said: ‘I’ve had had it up to here with the notion of the 47%. It’s about time they (the Republicans) took some responsibility. They should be signing a pledge to the middle class saying that they are going to level the playing field. They give 500 billion dollars in tax cuts to 125,000 families that earn over a million dollars each. They are holding the tax cuts for the middle class hostage to the tax cuts for the super-wealthy.’ Good for you, I thought, finally some good old fashioned emotion. Don’t wait for cool hand Ryan to show any compassion except maybe for Romney himself. At one point he took up precious debating time by telling us a katzenjammer story to prove how generous Romney is. When he was governor of Massachusetts, he met a family at his church whose children were hit by a car and paralyzed. Romney promised to pay for their tuition. ‘This is a good guy, who gives 30% of his income to charity.’ Ryan says. ‘This is a guy who cares about the 100%’. I wasn’t sure if I detected a small tear in the corner of his eye as he was telling this story.

On the subject of Healthcare, Ryan was extra careful. He insisted that his ‘Roadmap’ plan would not change coverage for the elderly. Just for younger people. He blamed Obama for taking 750 million from Medicate to pay for Obamacare. Biden immediately corrected him, explaining that that money would come from not overpaying insurance companies, hospitals and doctors through the Medicare program. Biden: ‘why wipe it out in favor of a ‘voucher’ program which will cost the average person 6000 more?’ On the privatization of Social Security, Biden had a great comeback: ‘If we had listened to the Republicans during the Bush years, imagine where seniors would be now with their money in the market?’

Who will pay more taxes and who will pay less? Biden was adamant that the Bush tax cuts should be allowed to expire for the wealthy. ‘Of those tax cuts 80 billion goes to people making more than a million dollars. They are not asking for it, but my friend here is insisting on it. 120 thousand families will get 500 billion over 10 years.’ (that’s 400,000 a year!?) It is clear that someone is not telling the truth. If Biden is correct 97% of small businesses make less than 250,000. Their tax cuts will not expire. Ryan proposes a 20% across the board tax cut, a 5 trillion dollar loss in revenue. How will it be paid for? By reducing loopholes which Biden insists will not cover it, unless it comes from removing mortgage deductions, health care etc. ‘It is mathematically impossible. There are not enough loopholes to fill the hole if capital gains tax and carried interest are exempt’.

Finally, on the issue of abortion, Ryan said he was against it because of his religion. Biden’s stance is this: he accepts his church’s position, but he refuses to impose his views on others. ‘Unlike my friend here, I do not believe that we have the right to tell women what to do. It is between them and their doctor.’ As Biden clearly explained, there are two justices who will be appointed by the new administration. In case of a Romney/Ryan win, we might be looking at a repeal of Roe versus Wade. Is that what we want? Is that called progress?

Biden’s closing statement was short, heart felt and to the point: ‘Give the middle class a level playing field so that they can tell their children: ‘It’s going to be ok’’. Ryan’s closing statement felt rehearsed, as if he was getting paid to act in one of Romney campaign ads. His message was: ‘Get a job creator in the White House to create jobs’.

I know who I would vote for, would you? leave comment here