Ryan and Biden Square Off in Thursday’s VP Debate
Politics October 10, 2012 , by Daniel McKeonWith the first presidential debate now over, it’s time for the VP candidates to spar. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will face Vice President Joe Biden in a debate in Danville, Kentucky Thursday night. The debate will focus on foreign and domestic policy, topics covering a wide variety of issues. Two issues to inevitably come up are the recent and growing Benghazi scandal and Medicare.
First and foremost is foreign policy. Here, Biden will have to answer to the Administration’s handling of last month’s September 11th attacks on U.S. Embassies in the Mid-east, which resulted in the murder of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens in Benghazi, along with the three other Americans. State Department Officials testified before the House Panel today to explain the conflicting stories in the wake of the incident. First, the State Department said the attacks on the Libyan Consulate resulting in the murders of the four Americans were not premeditated or preplanned and were simply a response to an anti-Islamic movie made in California. Later, the State Department and Press Secretary Jay Carney changed course, saying the attack on the consulate was likely preplanned, while President Obama and his inner circle denied the fact. And, oddly, on Tuesday the State Department said that it never linked the incident to the anti-Islamic movie, although it echoed this well-documented explanation for a week following Stevens’ murder. Perhaps more damning, though, is the new information now emerging confirming that the Libyan consulate requested heightened security in the weeks leading up to the Benghazi incident. The documents state the request was denied by the State Department. In addition to this denial, the consulate also was not secured by Marines, but utilized contracted security services from Libya.
Biden will have to explain this on a few levels: First, he’ll have to give an adequate (meaning the slightest bit credible) reason why the initial response to the public was delayed and why, when communicated, one story conflicted with the other. Second, he must explain the data from these documents and explain why the consulate’s request for increased security was denied, especially on the anniversary of 9/11, when the U.S. has received threats an attack will happen on this date from terrorist groups for the past 11 years. His base and the American people demand an explanation to these discrepancies.
Also, one of the most significant domestic issues on the docket for tomorrow night is Medicare. As congressman, Paul Ryan has led the fight on Medicare reform, mainly by way of his 2012 budget plan proposed last year. Writing in April of 2011, Fortune Magazine Senior Editor Shawn Tully defended the plan, noting that Ryan’s plan lowers health care spending from today’s rate of 8% of GDP to 5% of GDP by 2050. He goes on to say that at our current rate we will spend 14% of GDP on healthcare by 2050.
Since Ryan was tapped as Mitt Romney’s running mate, though, the plan has been tweaked. The plan is now touted as the Romney-Ryan plan, seen as more aggressive than it was previously. National Review’s (NR) September Editorial explains how the plan uses free-market principles to preserve the program. The plan allows senior citizens to choose a coverage plan provided either by the federal government or a private provider, while the government defrays the costs of purchasing the selected plan.
“The providers would submit bids showing the premiums they would charge to cover the benefits Medicare has traditionally offered,”
NR explains,
“The second lowest bid would set the amount the government would provide for each beneficiary. Seniors who picked the second cheapest provider would have their entire premium paid by the government, and seniors who picked the cheapest would get a check for the difference. Seniors who picked a more expensive plan would have to pay the difference.”
Tully and the National Review share enthusiasm for the plan. In his article, Tully says Ryan’s plan is the best because it’s less painful than all other plans, while NR says the plan offers the hope of reining in Medicare costs, curbing (or averting) the principal cause of long-term debt disaster, without sacrificing patient choice, healthcare quality, or innovation in medicine.
If faced with the topic of Medicare tomorrow night, Biden will have the task of defusing a seemingly impervious plan. He’ll also have to explain to voters the benefit of pilfering $716 billion from Medicare to pay for the controversial Obamacare bill.
In an article this week, Columnist Bob Barr suggests Biden lacks the ability to handle complex issues, such as Medicare.
“The difference in this vice presidential debate, however, will be the deep reservoir of Ryan’s knowledge of domestic budgeting, tax and entitlement programs,”
he writes,
“versus Biden’s broad but shallow familiarity with federal policies and programs. Importantly, Biden’s words often out pace his thoughts—a deficit not exhibited by Ryan.”
Ultimately, Barr says the contest will come down to Biden’s shallow grasp of issues versus Ryan’s substance and sincerity.
The Daily Caller reported today that Obama was a wedding guest of Thursday night’s debate moderator, ABC Foreign Correspondent Martha Raddatz, which deepens suspicions of an expected, left-leaning moderation. The news will undoubtedly further awaken the watchdogs, some who may be the much-needed independent voters.
Thursday night’s debate will begin at 9:00 P.M.