Don’t Take Thursday for Granted

Unless you live under a rock, you know how the debate last week turned out. When people like Andrew Sullivan, and the leftist punditry of MSNBC say the opposing candidate won, then we know it was a landslide. Despite this I still have the oddball loon in my Facebook and Twitter feed saying that Obama somehow won the debate, some people just refuse to be honest.

Now comes the next one; the Vice Presidential Debate. Everyone on the Right seems to be salivating about watching Paul Ryan mop the floor with Joe Biden. As a conservative, there is nothing I would like to see more than our clear-headed master of charts embarrasses Biden, but let’s not put the cart before the horse.

The punditry treated Romney’s debate win as a surprise victory. While this was clearly a huge win for Romney it isn’t a surprise if you examine the participants. As a businessman and CEO Mitt Romney is used to being in front of people and presenting his ideas in a clear and concise manner. Romney is not a stranger to being challenged and has the benefit of being a veteran of 19 GOP Primary debates in which he was able to get comfortable with articulating his points in a back and forth style. President Obama on the other hand is not used to being challenged. His political life has been rubber stamped by a media that still has a “thrill up their leg” and they dutifully weave his campaign talking points into their narrative. Unlike Bill Clinton, Barack Obama has no patience and little use for those who disagree with him. Pair this with the fact that Obama prefers long monologues as opposed to the rapid fire pace of a debate the results of last week are less surprising than one would initially think.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, loves debate. As someone who has spent his entire adult life in the political arena, you can say that debate is something that Biden thrives in. During the Democratic Primaries of 2007-2008 he even beat then Senator Obama a few times. Biden is naturally likable, and able to connect with a crowd. He understands the format and knows how to be concise with his vague ideas to make it seem like he is actually saying something of substance. He also knows how to rebut attacks and present opposing opinion.

Last week’s lopsided Romney victory can also work against us here. Due to the President’s poor showing, the Vice President is going to be in full attack-mode. He will bring up the points and counter attacks President Obama failed to last week. On top of all that, he can directly attack Mitt Romney’s private business life without the man being there to defend himself. Paul Ryan of course can do the same, but the presidents record is out there and people either know it already or are purposely forgetting it. Mitt Romney’s life in private industry is not truly known or understood by the American people.

Lastly is the preparation. Joe Biden has taken six days off the campaign trail, since we know the VP doesn’t actually do anything besides campaign, in order to prep for this. Reports came out of Obama not caring for the prep, wondering when the breaks were, almost like the slacker high school student who just wants to go play outside with his friends. This is not Biden. Biden is studying everything right now. He understands the talking points. He knows what polls are showing as important to the American People. Most importantly he knows how to present a caring argument that to some will seem like he and the President have a plan for the last four years of their administration, despite flopping miserable in their first four years.

Do I think Paul Ryan will win on Thursday? Of course I do, but I do not think that it is going to be the Globetrotters vs. Generals match that some of my party are calling for.