Axelrod: Biden’s job in debate is to press Ryan on policy specifics

[babylonsister]

Axelrod: Biden’s job in debate is to press Ryan on policy specifics
By Justin Sink - 10/11/12 07:56 AM ET


President Obama's senior political strategist said Thursday that Vice President Biden's job in tonight's debate was to pin down Mitt Romney's running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) on the ticket's policy specifics.

"I think the big challenge for him is to pin Congressman Ryan down," Axelrod told CBS News on Thursday. "You know, he was on television a couple of weeks ago and he was asked to explain Gov. Romney's tax plan and he said, 'I don't have enough time to explain it. It's too complicated to explain.' He's got 90 minutes tonight. So hopefully he'll have enough time to explain it and explain how they won't explode the budget and put a new burden on the middle class."

Asked if, as Ryan has suggested, the vice president would "come at him like a cannonball," Axelrod said Biden would "hold him to the facts."

"If he thinks he's going to hold him to account for the positions that Gov. Romney has taken in this campaign, their collective record, their approach to issues, well then maybe so," Axelrod said. "But Harry Truman said, 'I don't give them hell, I just tell it like it is and they feel they are in hell.' Maybe Congressman Ryan is feeling the pressure of their own position."

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/261399-axelrod-biden-must-pin-congressman-ryan-down

[gordianot]

1. Axelrod is still employed?

[babylonsister]

4. Yes, thankfully. nt

[fugop]

2. I hope Joe presses him on women's issues HARD!

Yeah, go get him on the budget. But I hope Joe SMASHES him on their anti-choice, anti-birth control, anti-women policies and agenda!

[Cosmocat]

8. He won't run from his positions there like Romney does

Romney is just pathetic, he will say anything at any time.

Ryan is a true believer, and he won't walk away from his positions on these issues.

I will add that to my to do list for Joe Biden ...

[fugop]

11. Absolutely! Ryan BELIEVES!

I'm sure he'll try to punt to Mitt having some different ideas, but I hope Joe pushes him on how he can tell on a daily basis? Does he wake up every day and move a clip on a chart to remind if it's a prochoice or antichoice day?

[treestar]

3. How to pin down anything as slippery as the R/R ticket

Poor Joe. There's no way he can meet expectations. Everyone has an opinion on how he can "save" the ticket. Meanwhile the MSM is getting ready to find any reason to declare Ryan the winner.

[bigdarryl]

5. Well people don't want to here policy it's to boring that was the problem in the first debate

they spent a half hour on the damn deficit

[babylonsister]

12. The deficit is part of the reason Ryan wants to

do away with and/or change so many things; don't you think we should hear how he plans on accomplishing that?

[gkhouston]

6. +1000 on pressing for details on the Ryan plan.

If it's such a good deal, why not show us just how wonderfully clever it is? Claiming it's too complicated to explain is like saying Americans are too stupid to understand it. Granted, not everyone would understand it, but many should be able to grasp the details. Ryan has had plenty of time since the "I don't have time to explain it" remark to put specific details up on the Romney campaign website. Why hasn't he?

[Cosmocat]

7. Mr. Ryan, you call yourself a "numbers man," please explain

I think we have seen for all the hype about how he is the serious guy, that when pressed on specifics, he punts, every time.

Because the math simply does not work.

I absolutely think Biden will push him on the specifics, because the numbers don't add up, and when pressed on it, he simply walks away or says "it is too complicated to explain ..."

[gkhouston]

13. ^^ This.

He's got this hype for being super-well-informed, bright, the go-to guy for budgets for the Republicans. As near as I can tell, all he really has is a complete willingness to lie shamelessly.

If Joe exposes Ryan as the empty suit that he is, game over.

[Cosmocat]

15. it won't happen

but, IF it were a different world, the comparison to Dan Quayle would be possible.

[WI_DEM]

9. Is it really bright to give away your strategy before the debate?

I mean I agree with it and I'm sure the Romney people should expect the VP to do that. But I don't think I would go on TV 12 hours before the debate and say this is what our guy is going to do.

[Evergreen Emerald]

14. it is very clear to anyone and everyone what the strategy should be

I don't think any secrets are being disclosed.

[Cosmocat]

10. IMO - Biden's To Do List

is:

1) Force Ryan to be specific about his budget/tax plan. The math simply does not work, and when pressed he punts every time. Hope to force him into punting and put the wood to him when he does.

2) Highlight his voting record. It is extreme, and is the counter point to all of the bombastic points he makes, because he votes against America every time.

3) Make hay on foreign policy.

4) Hammer him on women's issues - again, he has a voting record that can drive these issues home.

[fugop]

16. "Mr. Ryan, your pants are on fire. Literally."

That's what I want to see! LOL.

[Cosmocat]

17. They don't call you Lyan Ryan for nothing!

[ancianita]

18. Axelrod is WRONG. It's Biden's job to claim that Ryan's past budget and policy statements

are dangerous and stupid! This is Axelrod putting his candidate into reactive mode, and this is Axelrod being wrong. Axelrod must not rein in a perfectly good debator who has superior historical knowledge and skill over clever boy who can't do his party's arithmetic, even.

Biden's got enough past knowledge of Ryan's budget and and congressional votes to go on the offensive throughout the whole debate. NOT to be reactive.

Biden can take Ryan to school with just Ryan's past vote and public speech record alone! Come ON, Axelrod, have more faith in an experienced past presidential candidate than this.

[ncav53]

19. I don't think they get it

The average person watching the debates doesn't care about the specifics, they want to see one guy completely own the other guy. Obama won on the facts and specifics last time but still "lost."