Biden Must Attack Ryan and Anti-47 Percenters’ Policies in Debate

Why vote for Republicans if
they believe government is hopelessly inept to positively impact the lives of regular Americans?

[Speaking Truth To Power]

Thursday, Vice President
Joe Biden will debate Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan at Centre College
in Danville, Kentucky nearly one week after President Barack Obama
missed a golden opportunity to put more distance between him and Mitt
Romney’s attempt to capture the White House.

Given President Obama’s
lackluster effort, in last week’s debate, must Vice-President Biden
score a knockout punch against Representative Ryan to regain the
momentum for the Obama White House?

On Sunday, Mr. Biden engaged in
the last of three mock debates to prepare himself for Thursday’s debate
against Congressman Ryan—which will be moderated by ABC News’ Martha
Raddatz. Polls are now showing a tightening in the race, as Mr. Romney
closed the gap between him and President Obama with less than a month
left before the 2012 Presidential Elections.

In his debate practice
sessions, Vice President Biden has been sparring with Maryland
Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington,
Delaware. Apparently, Congressman Van Hollen was chosen, in part,
because Van Hollen has served on the House Budget Committee with Mr.
Ryan. “I know the way Paul Ryan likes to present his arguments,” Van
Hollen said. “The vice president, as you know, is very familiar with the
key issues, and I hope I can help him get a sense of how Ryan likes to
present it.”

David Axelrod, Obama’s senior strategist, and advisors Mike
Donilan, Ron Klain and Ted Kaufman are also helping Mr. Biden prepare.

Many
are expecting Mr. Biden to inject new life into an Obama campaign that
has been nursing its wounds since last week’s listless performance by
President Obama. Mr. Biden—known to be a passionate politician—may well
be just what the doctor ordered for Thursday’s debate.

Mr. Biden has
over 40 years of debating experience and has taken part in numerous
congressional, presidential and vice presidential debates. Some believe
Vice President Biden must find every opportunity to attack Congressman
Ryan and the Republican platform.

Former Michigan Governor Jennifer
Granholm, who helped Mr. Biden prepare for Sarah Palin in 2008, said the
vice president will have no problem playing the role of attack dog.
Governor Granholm told The Hill “He seems to seize that role with
gusto. He can take off the gloves and go after the differences between
the two tickets.” However, some people are also worried because Mr.
Biden has, on occasion, been known to make verbal gaffes. And, although,
vice presidential debates are usually seen as unimportant side shows,
Thursday’s debate will, likely, change that equation.

“The Obama
campaign recognizes that it has to come out of the gate charging and
winning the second of this series of four debates,” said Ralph
Begleiter, director of the Center for Political Communication at the
University of Delaware. “There is some pressure on the vice president to
perform successfully. Especially after Obama’s performance, there is
going to be a lot of pressure on him to be tough. I assume he has been
given a green light to really go after Ryan.”

Vice President Biden
must indeed go after Mr. Ryan and expose him to the American people for
what he is: another insensitive, out-of-touch, clueless, rich kid—like
Mitt Romney. Vice President Biden must capitalize and pounce on every
opportunity to highlight the morally bankrupt ideology of Mr. Ryan—and
the rabidly regressive right-wing Republican agenda—that is hell-bent on
shrinking the coffers of government so they can fill the pockets of
their millionaire and billionaire benefactors.

With less than a
month to go, it’s shocking to think Mr. Romney has a chance to win this
election. How is that possible given what Romney said in the now
infamous 47 percent video? Are Americans that ill-informed of the
issues—and so ahistorical—that they would return to office the very
Republicans who have championed the tax-break-for-the-rich, deregulation
agenda that has created the current crisis?

For those who may have
forgotten, or who haven’t heard, the former Massachusetts governor was
secretly taped telling his wealthy donors friends this: “There are 47
percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.
All right — there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on
government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that
government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that
they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing. My job is not to
worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take
personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Recently, the
Huffington Post also acquired a tape where Representative Ryan made a
very similar comment, to that of Mr. Romney. Here is the relevant part
of what he said: “Seventy percent of Americans want the American dream.
They believe in the American idea. Only 30 percent want their welfare
state. Before too long, we could become a society where the net majority
of Americans are takers, not makers.”

In other words, Mr. Ryan
thinks one-third of Americans are slacking moochers—compared to Mr.
Romney who thinks half of America fit that description. Comments like
this should automatically disqualify any candidate in the minds of an
informed electorate.

Mr. Ryan talks about takers, has anyone taken more
of the bounty of America’s productive workforce than the greedy one
percent he and Mr. Romney want to give more tax-breaks to?

Republicans
repeatedly give lip-service to their, supposed, belief in “small
government.” This notion is a lie. The truth is: Republicans only
believe in “small government” if it means destroying programs like Food
Stamps, Social Security and Medicare—or, any program that seeks to help
America’s most vulnerable.

These very Republican policies foster
economic inequality and make such programs necessary to begin with. But
where are their “small government” sentiments when it comes to things
like abortion and legislating prudent drug policy? If they like “small
government” so much, why are they always telling people what to do with
their bodies?

And, if they believe government is so hopelessly inept
to positively impact the lives of regular Americans—as Republicans are
always arguing—then, why should we vote for them in the first place?
Don’t we want leaders who believe government has more of a role to play
in the lives of its citizens—than just giving tax-breaks to the
wealthy?

This is the message Vice President Biden must make strongly and convincingly Thursday.


“Speaking Truth To Empower.”

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