Biden Their Time

Joe Biden came out swinging at Thursday night's debate, and Democrats are feeling good again, but that good feeling will disappear as soon as they see the latest polls.  President Obama is still falling with no floor in sight.

The Vice President did what he had to do and did it well.  He took Representative Paul Ryan to task for his attempt to fudge the numbers on his budget policies and for his reactionary stand on women's health issues.  Ryan even gave Biden an attempt to have a Lloyd Bentsen moment when Ryan cited John F. Kennedy lowering taxes to foster growth.  "Oh, so now you're Jack Kennedy!" Biden said.  (Lloyd Bentsen, for you young'uns, was the 1988 Democratic nominee for Vice President who told Dan Quayle, his Republican opponent, during their only debate, "You're no Jack Kennedy.") 

But no vice presidential debate - probably not even this one, despite the media hype, and certainly not the 1988 vice presidential debate - has ever affected a presidential election.  They've decimated careers - no one ever took Dan Quayle seriously as a possible President ever again after 1988 - but they've never affected the outcome of an election.  While Quayle caused the elder George Bush two percent of the vote, it wasn't  enough to change the outcome of the election.  And, while a similar detrimental effect from Ryan could cause the polls to swing back in President Obama's favor, given that they're tight right now, Ryan is a whole lot smarter than Quayle.  The best this vice presidential debate has done for Obama is to put everything on pause until Tuesday's second presidential debate, a town hall-style event. 

Except for one thing: An average of eight national polls has Obama tied with or slightly trailing - yes, trailing - Mitt Romney.  Florida and Virginia have been moved to the Romney column on a couple of forecast Web sites.  The President's numbers are falling so quickly, he could be far behind by the time he and Romney take the stage at Hofstra. :-( 

Let's hope we've seen the worst.  It's nauseating to think, though, that the worst is yet to come.