I let it get the best of me
At least I know that my mistakes
Are my responsibility
And....
I just have to laugh to keep from crying
I just have to laugh to keep from crying"
~ Madonna: 'Laugh to Keep From Crying'
Seems the Vice President had an attack of the Hee-Hee Ha-Ha's last night..
Everything that VP nominee Paul Ryan said made Biden laugh out loud-- economic issues, the Romney/Paul platform, Iran, Libya.. just about everything discussed.
The debate moderator, ABC senior foreign correspondent Martha Raddaz didn't do much laughing though.. Maybe she was too busy reflecting back to President Obama attending her 1991 wedding to groom Julius Genachowski, (he and Obama were Harvard Law School classmates at the time and members of the Harvard Law Review). Obama would later tap Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission...
Who knows..
The Vice President sure was having a good ole' time though
Maybe it was uber-confidence that he was destroying his debate opponent by being the old mangy attack mutt-dog that the President either couldn't be last week or didn't have in him to be... Maybe the VP had just arrived from a dentist appointment where the nitrous oxide gas hadn't fully worn off.. Or maybe senility creeping in.
We certainly hope not the last one.. Biden is 70 years old and we here at A&G know many at or around that age, so it would be scary if reaching that magical age was a harbinger of such demonstrations of dementia-like unpredictability.
Personally, we don't care who 'won' or 'lost' this debate just like we really didn't care in last week's Presidential debate. But we know many others seem to... So let's see what media and political people of various political affiliations on Twitter had to say about Biden's performance last night:
Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein: “Biden’s strategy seems to be to laugh at Ryan constantly. Will it work to infantalize Ryan, or backfire like Gore sighing?”
NBC’s David Gregory: “Biden’s smile is out of control.”
Radio host Neal Boortz: “Looking like Biden’s gameplan is to laugh his way through this.”
Townhall.com’s Guy Benson: “Will Biden laugh his ass off at the terrible economy, too?”
MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp: “Biden needs to laugh a little less through the Libya, Middle East, nuclear Iran segment.”
Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Ok. I have decided. I find the Biden smile slightly unsettling.”
PBS’ Jeff Greenfield: “Biden has always had a smile that at times is really, really inappropriate.”
Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard: “Can’t tell yet if Biden’s smirking, laughs, eye-rolling, head shaking, works for him or not against the oh-so-young looking eager Ryan.”
The New York Times’ Ashley Parker: “Biden’s grin is Chesire Cat caliber.”
Republican strategist Ron Bonjean: “Biden laughing does not come off with the intended effect. It is actually hurting him. Looks very condescending.”
Movie critic Roger Ebert: “Joe! Stop smiling and laughing!”
Washington Times’ Emily Miller: “Biden laughing when he disagrees with Ryan is so annoying. Like a child in time out.”
Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin: “Biden’s laughing is losing the debate- obnoxious”
Comedy Central’s Indecision: “If this keeps up much longer, Joe Biden’s going to sprain his laugh muscles.”
"Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me." --Joe Biden, speaking at a town hall meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire, Sept. 10, 2008
"Stand up, Chuck, let 'em see ya." –-Joe Biden, to Missouri state Sen. Chuck Graham, who is in a wheelchair, Columbia, Missouri, Sept. 12, 2008
“No, Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage. We do not support that... (the definition of marriage) should be left to the faiths and the people that practice their faiths.” -- Joe Biden answering a direct question during 2008 VP Debate as to whether he or Obama supports gay marriage.
"If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there's still a 30% chance we're going to get it wrong." --Joe Biden, speaking to members of the House Democratic caucus who were gathered in Williamsburg, Va., for their annual retreat, Feb. 6, 2009
Ultimately who knows why a politician who has served in one office or another for over 40 years would feel the need to break out in laughter over 80 separate times in a 90minute debate.
But like any thing else second-guessed, if it bumps up the President's poll numbers and invigorates the campaign, it will be looked upon by political pundits and media wanks as utterly Brilliant!
And if it fails to ignite a spark and Romney rolls to victory, aww well.. There's Joe being Joe