There have been a lot of silly things said about Thursday night's vice-presidential debate. The prize winner, however, has to be the Democratic meme that Joe Biden was "passionate" in his performance. Seriously. The man spent two hours mugging for the cameras and the best excuse his supporters could come up with is that he feels strongly about the issues? Which is why he was laughing like a hyena every time Paul Ryan made a substantive point.
Between a teleprompter dependent President and a vice president vying for the title of America's craziest uncle, the amazing thing is that they've lasted this long without blowing up a small continent. Yet that ol' man Biden, he just keeps rollin' along!
As regular readers will know I comment very little on American politics. Despite my admiration for the Great Republic and its founders I find their understanding of democracy a bit too democratic. A nation of 300 million plus people where it is always election season. Where they have elections to have elections (primary contests) and engage in non-stop fund raising. The business of government, of actually enacting public policy, tends to get neglected. For a long while libertarian acquaintances of mine would argue that because American politicians spend so much time fighting elections, they don't have enough time to expand the size of government. That was always a weak argument. In Obama's America it's an absurd one.
The one certain outcome of constant electioneering is hyper partisanship. This should not be confused with an ideological contest. The fight between Democrats and Republicans is more akin to a video game between Team Blue and Team Red. Actual ideas get lost in the shuffle. The electorate, which is constantly being bombarded by political pitches, tunes out all but the most outrageous. This political culture helps explain Joe Biden as an electoral phenomenon.
There are certain politicians in Canada every bit as crazy as Joe Biden. Thing is that they are not as obnoxious as Joe Biden. Our wingnuts tend to come in blander and less offensive packaging. Say what you will about Hedy Fry, Elizabeth May and Libby Davies, they can usually contain themselves for two hours without laughing like the Joker contemplate Batman's long and cruel death. They do occasional rant like fools, but that's usually when they suspect no one outside their normal political zone is listening.
Clowns like Joe Biden are sadly common in American politics. The former senator for Delaware is merely their greatest exemplar. The Gold Standard of American political buffoonery. As has been noted in these pages over the years, the successful political pol must have a certain brazenness. They must be able to state the utterly absurd with conviction and comfort. Watch Thomas Mulcair go on about how Alberta is becoming the new Nigeria and you get a sense of how this is done. The NDP leader, however, has table manners and so comes across as sane if wrong. Not friend Joe.
A favourite meme of the American Left is that ordinary people are rubes. Only a small group of highly cultured elites, speaking in hushed tones, can forward the development of the American Republic. They derided George W Bush for his homespun charms and legendary malapropisms. As proof that their snobbery is subject to their partisanship observe how quickly they rushed to defend Joe Biden. What in a Republican President was proof of low intelligence is in a Democratic Vice-President evidence of "passion."
The debate itself was ridiculous. In the war of body language Paul Ryan lost very badly. His shoulders often hunched, his eyes politely and earnestly focused on the moderator instead of the camera. The Congressman from Wisconsin came across as a sincere and intelligent advocate of his position. Only once, when he was caught out supporting some pork for his constituents, was he placed on the intellectual defensive. The rest of the evening consisted of Paul Ryan making an effective case while Joe Biden mocked him.
By the merits Joe Biden lost. He knew he lost the second he stepped on that stage. He had no arguments to defend himself and his boss. The Vice-President of the United States was like the junior high bully who wins the argument by punching out the smart kid. Physical violence is not currently acceptable in American politics, so he just smirked and derided his opponent. Joe Biden's performance was the most eloquent confession possible of the intellectual bankruptcy of the American Left.
Let's hope that the American electorate understand this in a few weeks time.
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