Fireworks & Laughter at the VP Debate!

Author: Robin Eleckattu

Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan captured the attention of millions during what was, without a doubt, a lively debate.

At issue, which of the contenders for the Vice Presidency of the United States, could make a more convincing argument for his respective campaign?  I would argue that if you asked ten people, four would tell you that Joe Biden won, while, four would tell you that Pau Ryan won. Who are those people you may ask? Four would be staunch supporters of the Republican platform and four, staunch supporters of the Democratic Party platform. Two of the ten however would tell you that the debate was draw.

Those two individuals (the so-called independents) my friends may hold the answer to a question many political pundits have today, “who won Thursday night’s debate?  

Indeed, both candidates came to Centre College in Danville, KY prepared to score point with the voting public. They squared off on several critical points such as international affairs, taxes, abortion, Social Security, Medicaid and several other hot topic issues. Notwithstanding, they did not address other issues that may be of importance to many in our country, such as immigration, gun control and education.

In my opinion, the candidates found little to agree on. They disagreed about a military withdrawal timeline from Afghanistan; the issue of taxing loopholes and entitlement programs reform. Interestingly, and to the surprise of no one, both individuals are claiming victory.

VP Biden

One could argue that Vice Presidential debates have historically not influenced the outcome of any election. In fact, a safe bet is that the main objective each of the VP candidates had last night going into the debate was first and foremost, do no harm. AND, avoid doing or saying anything that could be embarrassing, controversial, or that may give an extra point to the other side.

Some voters may argue that after President Obama’s poor showing a couple of weeks ago, it was absolutely essential that VP Biden totally and absolutely dismantle Paul Ryan to even get on the scoreboard. Others wanted Paul Ryan to come out swinging, or as a friend suggested, “put them away…”  Others just wanted to see an in-your-face, aggressive, lively, quasi-entertaining and absolutely political gladiator style battle to the finish.

What did the debates tells us about the person who may well end up in the seat of the President of the United States? Did you see evidence of competence, character, class or even a simple modicum of respect and grace? One may argue that VP Biden’s performance was energetic, and may momentarily fuel the Democratic base. Nothing VP Biden said will change the minds of those two individuals we talked about earlier. In fact, is it just me or Joe Biden appeared pompous, arrogant… just a little bit over the top and distasteful with his grins, head-shakes and gestures that suggest Paul Ryan should be sitting at a fast food restaurant somewhere and not next to him, the next to great one?

It was obvious, that the Obama campaign tasked Biden to recapture the energy, help President Obama recover from the fall on his face performance a couple of weeks ago and win one for the team. No doubt, he accepted the mission and VP Biden then embarked on a mission to disrupt, interrupt, grin and attempt to intimidate Congressman Ryan. Did he achieve his goal? Is it possible that in his attempt to save his team, the Joe Biden’s performance may have sealed the deal? Did the American public see another side of the Democratic ticket or did Joe Biden ratify what President Obama started in terms of poor performance, a disconnection with real people and a non-grasp of the issues that will immediately impact our nation?

Did the VP’s performance simply turned off voters? Or is that the type of behavior and presence America want in the White House to lead and represent our American Ideals?

The Obama campaign wanted a fight, found their fighter and Biden gave them the kind of “spice” the party desperately needed. As Paul Ryan reminded the audience last night, they (Democrats) interrupt, and scare people because they simply don’t have a record to run on… Clearly, the President fought and lost the last debate; so it was Uncle Joe’s turn last night. But sadly, this Joe, unlike some boxing greats turned out to be more like GI-Joe the caricature. Was it enough?

VP Biden at 2012 Debate

GI-Joe showed his command of the English language and his overall level of maturity when he referred to the words of another politician as "malarkey".  Come on now, when the doors of the grade school close? Where were the grand ideas for growing the economy? Where were the thoughtful responses that would give voters the tools to help them make their decisions?

Congressman Ryan was stable, polite, responded with facts, showed little emotions and above all, showed class in the process. His understanding of the foreign geography, socio-political “plays”, and the intricacies of foreign nations provided us with a glimpse of his intellect and his general ability to build relationships, and serve effectively as the next Vice Present of the United States. Additionally, he has a sense of humor… Remember when he said, "Sometimes the words do not come out of your mouth the right way", did we all know what that was about!!!

Before deciding like we hope the independents will, I have to ask, can we trust VP Biden to tell us the truth? Last night he stated that neither himself of the President knew that the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi was a terror attack until the intelligence community told them several days later. Now, it appears they knew, but allowed politics to drive their ability to level with the American people. Interestingly, last night he said that Iran is not moving towards nuclear weapons capabilities and that we will know before Iran is capable of launching a nuclear weapon.

Did the staff in the US Embassy request additional security as reported? Did the US government deny the requested security upgrade? What else have they told us that turns out they did not have all the facts? What else have they claimed based on limited information then discovered another story? Is it possible to be so out of touch with the requirements of your job? What do you think? Who displayed credibility?

Two debates are now gone. Two debates remain… The issues are clear, and from all calculations, a small group of independent voters will decide who the next president of United States will be. In our example above, just two…

Whose words can or will you believe? Will you take Joe Biden’s words at face value only to find out that Iran developed nuclear weapons two weeks or two months ago? We’ll know November 6.

The author is a City Councilman of Missouri City, Texas.  The Views expressed here are his own. For comments and/or suggestions, email:  RobinElackatt@gmail.com