Why Biden won
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Robert Reich Guest blogger
I thought Biden won Thursday night鈥檚 debate because he came off as genuine, passionate, and brimming with conviction. Ryan,聽by contrast, seemed like a聽wooden marionette,聽a kid out of his depth relative to someone who not only knew the facts but lived them.
On taxes, Ryan couldn鈥檛 come up with any details about what loopholes he and Romney would close, or how their magic arithmetic (giant tax cut for the wealthy plus $2 trillion more for the military than the Joint Chiefs of Staff want) can possibly be paid for without socking it to the middle class.
By contrast, Biden made the case for average working people whose wages have barely risen in thirty years but who are bearing a higher total tax burden (payroll, sales, property, income) on a higher percent of their income than high rollers like Romney 鈥� and why the well off should do more.
On Medicare, Ryan couldn鈥檛 explain why his plan wasn鈥檛 a voucher program that 鈥渟aved鈥� money only by shifting the costs on to seniors who would end up holding the bag as medical costs rose. Biden effectively defended the President鈥檚 plan to save Medicare by cutting excessive payments to providers.
Biden also pointed out that Ryan and his allies had tried to privatize Social Security. Score another one for Joe.
On abortion, Ryan had to admit he and Romney would work to prevent women from having the right to choose an abortion if they needed and wanted one. Biden made it clear his religious beliefs about when life began should not, in his view, force anyone who didn鈥檛 share them to follow them.
I thought Biden鈥檚 closing could have been tougher, drawing a sharper contrast between the Romney-Ryan 鈥測ou鈥檙e on your own鈥� worldview, and the 鈥渨e鈥檙e in it all together鈥� belief that has built America 鈥� and which Obama and Biden represent.
But overall it was Biden鈥檚 night. He not only trounced Ryan, but also, in the process, trounced Romney. Joe Biden is an average Joe solidly grounded in America鈥檚 working middle class 鈥� nothing pretentious or devious about him 鈥� in contrast to the plutocrat who heads the Republican ticket, and the billionaires who are backing him.
