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« on: October 16, 2012, 04:32:28 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Brief 10-15-2012
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Job They Needed to Do
October 15, 2012
The Foundation
"Speak seldom, but to important subjects, except such as particularly relate to your constituents, and, in the former case, make yourself perfectly master of the subject." --George Washington
Political Futures
"I think both candidates basically did what they needed to do in the vice presidential debate, which leaves the Republican ticket in a slightly better position -- since Biden's goal was damage control with the base and Ryan's was reinforcing a positive impression with persuadable voters. ... For Paul Ryan, this was an important night. He didn't shine the way Romney did last week, but that's never really an option for the running mate. His job was to reinforce Romney's case and to pass the bar of presidential credibility himself, and he certainly did that. In his biggest moment on the national stage to date, he was calm, clear, thoughtful, and serious. That's the image the Romney campaign needs to project in these final weeks, and it's the image Ryan wants to project. He did it in part by not pressing every potential opportunity he had (whether intentionally or by truly missing those opportunities).... He had to decide on the fly how to handle Biden's strange behavior, and he probably made the right choice. Ryan was easily the more presidential figure on the stage (I might have said 'more vice presidential,' but that would seem like an insult), and his command of the foreign policy issues that came up should go a long way toward putting to rest any concern about his expertise on that front. ... This was basically a debate about the Romney agenda, with some thoughts on the Obama record thrown in. For a campaign whose motto is 'forward' there was remarkably little forward-looking substance." --Ethics and Public Policy Center fellow Yuval Levin1
Opinion in Brief
"I was struck by the difference between the generational and gender appeal of the two [vice presidential] candidates. The dial groups showed that Ryan did better with women than with men -- in vivid contrast with the usual partisan patterns. Biden talked strongly about the need to keep Social Security and Medicare as 'guaranteed' programs.... But I think that Ryan's argument [was] that we need to reform these programs in order to make them available to people currently under 55. ... Ryan was impressive on foreign policy, going toe to toe with a man who served 36 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ryan effectively made the argument that the Obama administration's policy was in disarray, that the world is spinning out of control. A hush came over the debate ... when both candidates started talking about Afghanistan, citing their own experiences there. Biden pretty much stopped smirking at that point, as if he no longer thought it appropriate. But I suspect many television viewers had concluded that it was inappropriate far earlier in the debate. Biden was doing the bidding of Team Obama: ridicule Romney's and Ryan's ideas as inappropriate.... My sense is that that's not convincing to anyone who is not already convinced. ... My sense: Biden pumped up partisan Democrats, but failed to win over the voters who are taking a serious look at Romney at a point when he is up in national polls." --political analyst Michael Barone2
Editor's Note
Following today's Brief, you will receive a Special Edition from Mark Alexander with the subject line, "Memo to Mitt Romney -- Talking Points for the Second Debate."
Reader Comments
"As for Mark Alexander's question of obfuscation and diversion3 in the unemployment numbers, I think it is interesting that the chowderhead chooses to claim 7.8 percent. That was the number when he took office. Does he think it's sufficient to spend a $1 trillion in 'stimulus' and wait four years to reach status quo? Secondly, 7.8 percent was the worst unemployment figure George W. Bush ever produced. Yet somehow it's Bush's fault that Obama can only reach his nadir and not his best." --Jim in Normal, Illinois
"Speaking of Obfuscation and Diversion3, what I find interesting is the complete lack of honest media coverage about the economy or government obfuscation of facts to support Obama. I read the Guardian (London) and the Economist (London) to get USA news because I don't trust the choir of Obama media supporters. Reading the NYT is like reading Pravda." --Aaron in Barcelona, Spain
"Paul Ryan impressed me Thursday night4. I knew that he was a bright guy and I think he was a great choice for Romney -- the two will work well together to get America back on track. Having said that, the lack of respect Biden showed toward Ryan and the American public was incredible. The smirking, the laughing, the whole demeanor made Biden appear a bit 'crazed.' It is quite obvious that Obama and Biden have no plan other than the same failed agenda to move people into reliance on government." --Omar in Cleveland, Ohio
"Biden was the class clown, indeed the jackass4 of the evening. If he thinks he helped the ticket's cause, he's sadly mistaken. He showed himself to be rude, unserious about the most serious of subjects, and an embarrassment to his office. Ryan was infinitely superior -- as a candidate, a thinker and a gentleman -- it was an odious comparison indeed." --Andrea in Delhi, New York
"For many Americans who have not followed politics closely, the debate Thursday night4 was basically the first impression they got of the vice-presidential candidates. Given that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression, Obama and Biden are in trouble. Biden came across as immature and obnoxious, the last person you would want a heartbeat from the presidency. The debate last night confirmed the first impression the voters got last week that Romney and Ryan are the mature, realistic adults on the ballot; the incumbents are way too small for the offices they hold." --Morefandave in Bloomington, Illinois
"Wow, your Oct.12 Patriot Post4 was the most informative summary of our current political situation I have read to date (and I try to read them all). Thanks for the excellent summary of the VP debate. I am so impressed, I'm sending a check5 for $25. Not much, but hope it will help. Keep up the great work!" --Bob Lindinger in Schenectady, New York
Essential Liberty
"Sometimes, collective projects do outweigh the needs of the individual -- see, for example, World War II, in which we mobilized collectively to preserve individual freedom. But the monument society always errs on the side of building the monument, of activating the collective; the freedom society always errs on the side of individual liberty. We are now at the tipping point in America between these two visions. We must make a choice. Do we want to give our children monuments -- tremendous buildings, vast bureaucracies, bulwarks of human collectivism? Or do we want to give them freedom? Do we want to build pyramids? Or do we want to build families? ... The founders recognized that Americans, given freedom to pursue their own goals, made self-reliant, are happy. The power of the collective is magnificent, but only when the people agree on utilizing it. That is the balance the founders drew, and that is why they were so wise." --columnist Ben Shapiro6
Insight
"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary." --author and philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982) |
