Nishant

Garg 12th October 2012 Biden v Ryan: What was that? Good thing Americans vote for presidents and not for vice-presidents. The showdown tonight between the sitting vice-president and the upstart young congressman from Wisconsin who only two months ago was tapped to fill the Republican ticket, can be described as bizarre at best and downright sad at worst. As a Democrat who believes the president deserves a second term, and despite the aggressive nature of Biden, I dont foresee a long-term effect of this debate on the electoral outcome. Biden did what Biden has always done: say what he means and mean what he says, a statement touted by his son, Beau, the Obama Campaign, and Biden himself. Oftentimes, his vocalization of opinions can draw ire from certainly the opposition, but even Democrats are quick to chide him. Tonight, his stances on foreign policy, taxes, the budget, and social issues were still clear. He is in line with what the Obama Administration has said before, and is confident of the strength of America in the Middle East. Biden noted that despite Bibi Netanyahus dramatic appearance at the United Nations two weeks ago, Iran is not close to building a weapon, and that if need be, this Administration would make the dismantling of any Iranian threat a priority. Furthermore, on the issue of taxes, he was clear about requiring the wealthiest, those making over $200,000 per year alone, or $250,000 for couples, pay a little more. He wants to end deductions from investments so that folks like Obama and Romney dont pay lower effective income tax rates than the middle class. He was clear about his support for Obamacare and his belief that a government sponsored health care system was the best option for all Americans. Biden did what Biden was told to do: let loose, be aggressive, and call out Ryan when he is out of line with his facts. And for Democrats, his performance was commendable. Paul Ryan, on the other hand, was not too shabby himself. He held up well when discussing foreign policy, an area widely seen as a strong point for Biden and his boss, President Obama. Ryan made clear his opposition to a government health care system and his belief that the debt was almost as important, if not more important that the economy itself. Ryan bristled at the mention of vouchers and he emphasized the need for competition in the health-care marketplace for all consumers. Furthermore, when pressed on foreign policy, Ryan noted he wanted more troops in the Middle East, stronger sanctions on Iran, a more authoritative stance with Russia, and more security for our embassies. Known for being a policy wonk by his colleagues, Ryan spent a heavy amount of time talking about budgets, taxes, and the deficit. This was to be expected from someone who feels most comfortable discussing numbers. He laid out his belief that the wealthy should not pay more, that the budget has run up one-trillion dollars of debt each of the four years under the President, and that our new sixteen- trillion dollar debt is a huge national security threat. Ryan spewed numbers and facts, and he made clear that he holds fundamental ideological differences with the Democrats.

Nishant Garg 12th October 2012 So, both candidates made their positions, predicated on what their bosses have said, clear to the American people. What can we take away from this? Well, first off, neither of them can decisively declare a victory. Biden was aggressive, sharp, and passionate, but, he was widely panned for being seen as arrogant, a problem that plagued Al Gore. The difference is that Gore was running for president, and Biden is fighting to remain the second in command. On the flip side, Ryan was informed on the numbers, quick to respond, well-rehearsed on the material available, and calm, but, frankly, he was toeing the line of respect. At one point, he could have been seen as arrogant when he quipped, I understand you are under a lot of duress, Joe, to make up lost ground, which to many viewers, myself included, was a bit of a surprise. Despite their differences, patronizing the VP is not regarded has high etiquette. Of course, with Bidens large facial gestures, grins, laughs, nods, and sighs, he too did not help his case. Many at home were turned off by Biden frequently interrupting Ryan, complaining about speaking time, just as his boss had a week earlier (and both Obama and Biden spoke for longer in each case, although Biden didnt speak much longer, as Obama did, he did speak for more time), and generally patronizing the younger Congressman. Really, the star of the night was the moderator, Martha Raddatz, Chief ABC Foreign Correspondent, who, unlike Jim Lehrer of PBS from last weeks presidential debate, kept good control of the candidates and the topics. Given the relative equality in speaking time, she maintained strict control of the flow of the debate, despite its testy nature. Her most memorable moment came when she pressed Paul Ryan on the specifics of his plan for the budget and taxes. For the undecided voter, Raddatz tried to get Ryan to make specific mentions of how he would pay for the military spending increases, the tax cuts on the wealthy, and the gaps he wants to close in Medicare. And Ryans obvious irritation, ducking and punting, and fumbled responses spell trouble for the Romney camp. Part of this may have to do with the ideological differences between Romney and Ryan, and this in return, reflects Ryans internal conflict in accepting his bosss shift towards the center. Ryan, a tea party sweetheart and right wing candidate has explicitly noted that he wants to increase defense spending, decrease taxes on the wealthy, and end funding for most social programs. But with Romney now running for president, it can be difficult for Ryan to acknowledge his true desires without becoming unpopular. As the Obama Campaign has been quick to capitalize on, ending such programs as HeadStart, Public Television and Radio, and welfare programs for the poor, can draw ire from the public and political backlash. Obama spent the last week talking about Romneys desire to crack down on Big Bird but not on Wall Street. Romney, despite all this talk about him being a flip-flopper, has not been wrong to try to shift to the center. This is a smart political move because the center is where all the votes lie, and to get elected, these are the voters that need to be courted. For some reason, Obama seemed surprised last week when he heard Romney taking stances he had not taken in the past. As a politician himself, Obama should have known that one must first energize the base to win the primaries, and then gradually shift to the moderate American to win the general election. Clearly, Romney was not tactful in this shift that all politicians running for president must

Nishant Garg 12th October 2012 undergo. His campaign managers Etch-a-Sketch comment made the shift to center not so stealthy, and thus, his every policy position has been scrutinized that much more. But for all his political acumen, Obama came across as nave when he didnt see that one coming at the debate last week. So why was Raddatz the winner? She pressed Ryan on specifics in a way that Biden, or Obama for that matter, hadnt done in their own performances. Really, the job of the moderator should be to make the candidates reflect on their own policies and feel uncomfortable, or feel comfortable in answering the question directly. Obama last week, while detached and unenthused, seemed complacent. Romney too, was aggressive, but he never felt the need to elaborate on the scant plans he has laid out to get the economy growing. The only hint of sharpness came from Biden, when he remarked to Ryan, Stop talking about helping people and show me a policy. Show me a policy that would help all these people that youre talking about. Raddatz provided Americans a view into the real choice they face, and Democrats were really given a boon when she seemed to target Ryan a little more than she did Biden. She made Ryan answer questions that he either did not want to answer, or they were questions that he just wasnt given enough material on by the Romney campaign to answer. He did not once articulate a specific method in which he would pay for all the raises and cuts, and Raddatz asking about the math with Ryan punting with his there are six studies response was a classic moment. Both of these men stand by what they have said in the past. It has been harder for Ryan because of his ideological past. Biden has largely believed in the same concepts as Obama, and oftentimes, as was the case with his support for LGTBQ Rights, Obama has had to tail him and then set the policy based on something Biden said or did. Democrats were given a gift by the squeamishness of Ryan brought on by Raddatz over certain points. Republicans were proud to hear Ryan hold his own on foreign policy issues, despite Bidens patronizing tone. They were both rude to each other in the debate, and this debate did have its Jack Kennedy moment, but the civility afterwards was a testament to the American political process. America is at a crucial crossroads in this election. We face a choice over two different visions for America, with neither one being wrong or right, but with each one emphasizing different values. That is what this election is about. It is a vote for the values which you as an American believe, and then the subsequent outcome of that belief. Realistically, the job of both candidates was to not do harm to their position or their boss. And neither one did. So really, nobody won, or they both won. The system, luckily for Obama, and unluckily for Romney, still favors a Democratic outcome simply based on current poll numbers. Romney has to win several states dramatically, no matter the popular vote, in order to ascend the presidency. And Obama has to keep the numbers in his favor in just a few of the critical states to keep his second term in sight. Polls dont matter when it gets down to Election Day, because what happens then is often not exactly what the polls say was going to happen. So vote America. Dont worry about the polls or the pundits or even the Vice Presidential candidates. Neither one said anything that really differed from what

Nishant Garg 12th October 2012 their partners had said. But we have to step up as Americans and look at this race from the perspective of values. Vote for your values, no matter what your friends say or what the television ads say. And, remember, that no matter what, our goal is not to defeat a president or to re-elect him (and someday, her). Our goal should always be to remain at the top and to inspire others to fight for freedom and democracy. May God Bless the United States of America.