Say it ain't so, Joe

There is definitely trouble in the Obama campaign, which really came to the forefront in the recent Ryan/Biden vice presidential debate.  Obama is falling behind Romney in the polls.  The Obama "message" (if you can call it that) is nothing more than attack, attack, attack.  When a sitting president has few, if any,  accomplishments to point to, what else can he do?   The crowds are dwindling around Obama, while Romney and Ryan are enjoying the kind of audiences that The One had grown accustomed to when campaigning in 2008.

What was very telling about how desperate Obama/Biden have become was the behavior of the Vice President during the debate.  Joe Biden could not control himself.  He acted like a child -  giggling, smiling, guffawing, interrupting, and just in general making a fool of himself.   Biden also laughed at very inappropriate times (is it really funny that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon?  that  millions of Americans are living in poverty?  Joe apparently thought so).  Joe Biden was very disrespectful towards Paul Ryan during the entire debate.  His behavior was not addressed by liberally-biased moderator from ABC,  Martha Raddatz (whose 1991 wedding was attended by  pal Barack Obama and whose ex-husband was hired by Barack Obama as the head of the FCC), either. 

Some "fun facts" from the VP debate:

1)  Paul Ryan spoke for 40:12 minutes

2)  Joe Biden spoke for 41:32 minutes

2)  23 minutes of Joe Biden's speaking time occurred when Biden interrupted Ryan

3)  In a total of 81:44 minutes of speaking time, Biden interrupted Ryan 82 times

4)  Debate moderator Martha Raddatz interrupted Paul Ryan 40 times

By all accounts, many news organizations and politicians were shaking their heads concerning Biden's manic behavior.  FOX News anchor Chris Wallace stated:

"I think I have watched almost every presidential and vice-presidential debate since the first four Kennedy/Nixon debates in 1960..I don't believe that I have ever seen a debate in which on participant was as openly disrespectful of the other as Biden was to Paul Ryan tonight.  It was openly contemptuous and disrespectful.  And it wasn't just the facial gestures, it was also the words.  In the course of the night he dismissed various arguments by Ryan as "malarkey"; "bunch of stuff"; "I don't know what these guys are talking about"; "loose talk" and "bluster."  It was really an extraordinary, and I have to say...unprecedented performance in a vice presidential debate."

Around Washington D.C. and in other political/news circles, Biden has a reputation as a "nice" guy.  Obviously, his evil twin must have appeared at the vice presidential debate.  Now, whether or not Biden's bizarre performance was intentional, designed to distract from the Romney/Ryan message, is not crucial at this point in the campaign.  What is important is that the American people got a chance to see a very presidential, mature, composed, thoughtful,  and intelligent adult - Paul Ryan - take on an immature, childish, and rude Joe Biden.  As many - including myself - have said, Paul Ryan was the only adult on that debate stage.  The Martha Raddatz/Joe Biden tag-team tried hard to bait Ryan, but to his credit,  Ryan didn't bite.    

Joe Biden lost more than the debate Thursday night.  With his nasty and childish behavior on display for millions to see,  Biden lost many independents and undecided voters.  In addition, I'd venture to say that Biden lost his own dignity by sacrificing himself  to save a sinking presidency.