Joe Biden is Loaded for Bear in this Week's Debate

     Say what you want about Biden, we know the one thing he'll have no problem with this week is an unwillingness to go after Paul Ryan's jugular. Aggressive confrontation is what Biden does. Indeed, in 2008 he actually had to pull himself back against Sarah Palin so as not to appear patronizing or bullying. This year he will be under no constraints. To the contrary, he's got to make up for the President's showing too much restraint in Denver last week.

     "If Gentleman Joe took the stage four years ago, determined not to come off as patronizing or bullying Sarah Palin, it seems almost certain that Thursday will bring the appearance of Scranton Joe, the scrappy pol who's never been afraid to throw a punch."

     "There's no sympathetic character up there with him this time," said Steve Schmidt, who helped prep Palin four years ago for her Biden debate. "So he'll be bringing his proverbial numb chucks and brass knuckles."

      "Biden aides don't exactly deny that they'll come out swinging."

      "Romney and Ryan offer a multitude of opportunities for us to show the contrast between our middle-class agenda and their plan to repeat the mistakes that got us into this mess in the first place," said one Biden official."

      "They'll read the [Denver] transcript very, very carefully to look for lost opportunities," said one Democratic insider who has worked in past debate prep sessions but isn't involved this year. "They'll have a list of the missed opportunities."

     "They'll read the [Denver] transcript very, very carefully to look for lost opportunities," said one Democratic insider who has worked in past debate prep sessions but isn't involved this year. "They'll have a list of the missed opportunities."

    http://www.nj.com/us-politics/index.ssf/2012/10/a_veep_debate_that_could_reall.html

    Honestly, as far as missed opportunities go, it's almost an embarrassment of riches. So many lies, so little time. Again, I think the President's excessive restraint in a way even is salutary in that Romney let his guard down and said some things that are really going to hurt him down the road. As Axelrod says, Romney got a little short term gain from the debate, but in the longer term it will be pain.

    So expect Biden to bring it to Ryan this week and this should start to make Romney's gains start to feel like pain. Then next week, the President has to bring it a little more against Ryan. He must be confrontational enough, call him out enough. Like the athletes say after a tough loss, you have to stay within yourself what that means is don't have a lobotomy and try to become a wholly different person.

    But the points that Biden will make this week and that the rest of us here in Democratland will be making, the President must make some of these points himself next week in front of Romney's face.