Okay, let’s wrap it up.
Round two in "The Battle for the Country" is in the books. To paraphrase a well-known commercial, you
are now free to exhale.
And that’s because Joe Biden did his job last night. With the whole election perhaps hanging in
the balance, the Vice President delivered a feisty, often confrontational,
debate performance against his rival, Paul Ryan.
Ryan, for his part, held his own, bending, but never
cracking. Several times he almost let
the true Ryan out, but bit his tongue just in time. You can tell he’d been well prepped for the
debate.
Neither man scored a knockout, but that didn’t stop both
campaigns from claiming a resounding victory. Nothing like living in a bubble
to twist what was by far the liveliest debate I’ve seen in quite some
time. I have to admit it, seeing Biden
and Ryan on the same stage going at it made me wonder whether the wrong guys were
at the head of these respective tickets.
On points, I’d give the decision to Biden, and for two
reasons. One, the stakes were
considerably higher and the pressure far greater. After his boss laid an egg in Denver last
week, Biden had to stop the hemorrhaging.
In less than a week, Obama had gone from a four point lead in the polls
to a two point deficit. Six points in
under a week isn’t a bump, it’s a free fall.
Another loss and it could’ve been lights out.
Second, Biden had to rile up the Democratic base, which was
becoming despondent after Obama’s woeful performance. Showing a spine and, yes, balls, was the
perfect tonic for what ailed them. Also,
I thought Biden did a much better job of connecting on a visceral level with
the viewers. Even David Frum grudgingly
admitted as much.
And while the night would’ve been far more enjoyable had
Biden laid out Ryan, that wasn’t necessary. The point was to right the good ship Obama and
keep it from taking on any more water.
Mission accomplished. Though it
will probably be at least a few days before we know the full extent of what
transpired in this debate reflected in the polls, I predict the race will
likely reset with both presidential candidates in a dead heat and Obama ahead,
but barely, in enough swing states to ensure a narrow electoral win. In other words, it will be his election to
lose once more.
Which brings us to round three next Tuesday. Obama has no more excuses. He must put Denver behind him and bring his “A”
game. His VP just saved his bacon. Now it’s his turn to repay
the debt and save America from the likes of Gordon Gekko.
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