Morning Briefing
For October 12, 2012
1. An Insignificant Hour and a Half of Joe Biden Braying Like a Biblical Donkey
I really do personally like Joe Biden, but he came across as a braying Biblical donkey tonight on stage in Kentucky. It was made worse by a moderator who lost repeated control of the debate.
Up front, I have to say I’m hung up on one big thing. Joe Biden said the intelligence community got it wrong in Libya, but he says we can trust those very same people on Iran. That’d be a gaffe, but Joe Biden says he always says what he means.
I really don’t think this debate changed anything and would really be surprised if undecided voters stuck around the whole time. Joe Biden was insufferable and Paul Ryan came across very earnest, but never having debated on this stage showed.
I think Ryan’s demeanor will play better at home than a rather manic and angry sounding Joe Biden who by the end was yelling and smiling at everybody. I think Kanye West had to be Biden's debate coach and Taylor Swift stood in for Paul Ryan.
Honestly, had I not had to watch this debate for work, I would have turned it off. I don’t really want to be yelled out for an hour and a half and that’s what Biden spent the whole time doing overcompensating for Barack Obama’s lackluster performance.
This debate changed nothing. I think Paul Ryan did a great job. But many Democrats will think Joe Biden did a great job. And I think most undecideds will have thrown their hands up in frustration half way through.
The quiet, pensive Joe Biden during the abortion question I think would have played well with undecideds. But they got the braying Biblical donkey till the end and probably tuned out well before then. And way to throw the intelligence community under the bus in Libya Joe, while saying we should believe them about Iran. . . . please click here for the rest of the post→
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2. Now This Was an MSNBC Debate
Chris Matthews, in his epic post-debate meltdown after the Romney-Obama debate, had the most telling line: “this was not an MSNBC debate.” Matthews and other liberals were particularly upset that Mitt Romney had managed to actually speak uninterrupted, occasionally running over his time and requesting opportunities to respond to things Obama said (although the final tally showed Obama spoke for 4 more minutes than Romney, owing largely to his “umms.”).
Tonight was a different animal. Joe Biden came in with one game plan: don’t let voters hear a word Paul Ryan said. The post-debate count circulated by the RNC showed Biden interrupting Ryan 82 times. He was often loud enough that it was hard to hear Ryan speak, and Ryan was frequently cut off before he could finish his answers. On the rare occasions Ryan spoke without being interrupted, Biden laughed, snorted, grinned (even when discussing serious subjects like war and abortion), or at a minimum immediately declared that everything Ryan said was a lie. Biden even shouted at moderator Martha Raddatz and called her a liar too, telling her she wasn’t “being straight” with him.
It appears from the immediate post-debate reaction that this performance was what liberal supporters of the Administration wanted: use the heckler’s veto, don’t let the other guy finish his sentences. It made Al Gore’s famous eye-rolling and sighing performance look like an Oxford debate. Raddatz did – with one cringe-inducing exception at the end – put in a good set of questions, but she failed at what I regard as Job One of a moderator, which is to prevent interruptions from letting the candidates talk. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. Joe Biden: The George Costanza of Foreign Policy
In tonight’s debate, Crazy Joe said “But I always say what I mean“. Unfortunately, he has never come to the conclusion that George did – that everything instinct he ever had has been wrong. His instinct for tonight’s debate was to be a condescending ass. That was probably the wrong thing to do, unless he was trying to gin up support from his own side. Reports tonight say that a CNN/ORC poll indicates that Ryan won over Biden 48-44%, and a CNBC poll showed Ryan destroying Biden by 20 points. . . . please click here for the rest of the post→
4. Obama Campaign Official Stephanie Cutter: Benghazi Terrorist Attack ‘Only an Issue because of Romney and Ryan’
STEPHANIE CUTTER: In terms of the politicization of this — you know, we are here at a debate, and I hope we get to talk about the debate — but the entire reason this has become the political topic it is, is because of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. It’s a big part of their stump speech. And it’s reckless and irresponsible what they’re doing.
BROOKE BALDWIN: But, Stephanie, this is national security. As we witnessed this revolution last year, we covered it–
CUTTER: It is absolutely national security–
BALDWIN: –it is absolutely pertinent. People in the American public absolutely have a right to get answers. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
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