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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Maureen Dowd says Joe Biden delivered an 'Irish Catholic wake up call' to President Obama --Barack the big loser in V.P. debate says top New York Times columnist

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Maureen Dowd says Joe Biden delivered an 'Irish Catholic wake up call' to President Obama --Barack the big loser in V.P. debate says top New York Times columnist

Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 08:17 AM

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President Obama

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has stated that Joe Biden delivered an “Irish Catholic wake up” call to President Obama to get in thw game in Tuesday’s debate.

In her Sunday column, Dowd, the most read columnist in The Times and daughter of an Irish immigrant, stated that the debate was like Thanksgiving at her place.

“A donnybrook with Irish Catholic uncles and nephews interrupting one another, mocking one another, arguing over one another, bombastically denouncing every political opinion except their own as malarkey.”

Surprisingly, Dowd says the big loser on Thursday night was Barack Obama whose passionless performance contrasts so hugely to how Biden performed and how Ryan spoke.

“The loser of the vice-presidential debate was, of course, Barack Obama. In contrast to the pair on the undercard slugging it out, the president’s limp performance the other night was even more inexplicable and inexcusable,” Dowd wrote.

Dowd stated that “ It’s hard to imagine a politician getting penalized for smiling too much, but Joe Biden managed it, breaking out in smiles and laughter 92 times by the count of ABC News.”

However, Dowd believes that Biden gave Obama a second chance because “he offered a tour de force on facts that brought the playing field to life again.”

Dowd stated Ryan looked nervous at times.

“Ryan, who was a toddler when Biden first came to the Senate, seemed a little green and shaky at moments ... talking budget blarney, the Tea Party’s boy wonder once more proved that he can come up with a number for any purpose.”

She stated Biden’s biggest and strangest moment was when he “went on a one-minute scream-of-consciousness about the 47 percent cited by Romney as moochers, the 30 percent cited by Ryan as takers, Scranton, his parents, the Buffett rule, Social Security, veterans, the 47 percent again, Grover Norquist, the middle class, a fair shot, Wall Street vs. Main street, and $500 billion in additional tax cuts for 120,000 wealthy families. Practically in one breath. Whew.”

Like the rest of us Dowd will be watching Obama’s performance on Tuesday night very closely.

It is “Perils of Pauline” time. Has Biden thrown him a lifeline? Can the president clutch it? Tune in on Tuesday!

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Murph46 | Oct 14, 2012, 04:05 PM EDT

Biden is a loud mouth bag of wind who was 100 % wrong in several of his responses.

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EphraimKibbey | Oct 14, 2012, 03:43 PM EDT

eiriamach - Well explained, but the "uber-Catholics" here are not the only threat to our constitution. Those of us who REALLY believe in the separation of church and state are surrounded by THEOCRACY lovers. For now the Evangelicals, Mormons and Catholics have joined forces but what awaits the country once one of their religions gains supremacy. How foolish the other believers will feel when their beliefs are not given equal consideration in lawmaking. Sadly these commenters here have failed to grasp one of the basic tenets of freedom. For everyone to retain their right to believe and practice as their consciences dictate, they must extend that right to everyone else. Voting for people who want to put your religious beliefs into law denies all other religions their rights. If one codifies one's own beliefs in law when in power, what is to prevent those of another religion from codifying their beliefs when they gain power after decodifying the previous regieme's laws. VERY UNAMERICAN!

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Frosty38 | Oct 14, 2012, 03:43 PM EDT

In our paper he was a winner. I hope if the REP get in Paul can afford a jacket that fits him. He looks like he buys them in a goodwill store. Oh right he is supporting the poor

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Frosty38 | Oct 14, 2012, 03:36 PM EDT

I will change the post to something different. I went to church today RC Church and we got printed voters pamphlets on both candidates How they are on the different issues . I don't think that should a pass out for a church who wants our money for a "HUGE" debt for building a new church they should use the money to the debt of the mortgage

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markday | Oct 14, 2012, 03:29 PM EDT

It's hard to be polite when you are dealing with a snot-nosed overpriviledged kid who lies through his teeth, and is backed by a party that relies on billionaires and voter suppression to win an election. Go, Joe Biden. Get your Irish up and keep it up. And give'em hell!

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freebie28 | Oct 14, 2012, 03:09 PM EDT

“Ryan...seemed a little green and shaky at moments." Please don't confuse those visuals with good manners and maturity. A man with less perseverance might have suggested,"Mister Biden, you ARE the Vice President of the United States. Please try to act the part!"

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Seanmor | Oct 14, 2012, 02:26 PM EDT

Those of us who are loyal, law-abiding, tax-paying, fair minded U.S. citizens know that any loss of Obama's is America's gain.

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eiriamach | Oct 14, 2012, 02:17 PM EDT

Frazettagirl (obviously a female imposter) writes, if "you vote for a politician who supports abortion, you put your immortal soul in peril." Imagine an American voter being intimidated into voting against his or her conscience by a threat of hellfire or excommunication or rejection by the Catholic Church! What delusions of power these uber-Catholics have! And how harmful to the possibility of Irish-descended Americans ever again winning election to high political office! Think, people: This kind of religious bullying kept Catholics out of office, despite the almost-genetic passion of Irish Americans for politics-- for generations until JFK firmly pledged separation of his policies as President from the teachings of any religious leader, and he challenged his Protestant opponents to scrap their religious litmus test for public office. How ironic that Catholics are now re-installing a religious test-- expressly forbidden by the US Constitution-- for politicians. This bashing of Joe Biden as un-Catholic is narrow-minded, unAmerican, and destructive of the indomitable freedom of conscience we inherit from our Irish immigrant ancestors. "I should be a poor American and a poor Catholic alike if I injected religious discussion into a political campaign." -- Al Smith

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porkheaven | Oct 14, 2012, 01:50 PM EDT

correction I did not vote for ObamaBiden/

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porkheaven | Oct 14, 2012, 01:48 PM EDT

Biden is a baptized catholic and that is all. He just attends Ash Wednesday services for show and tell with his ashes mark. I am proud that I did vote Obama/Biden the 1st time nor will the 2nd time and I will not vote for anyone in the Marxists party {former democrat party] and I am 100% Irish[ kerry,Longford,Momahan] and Roman Catholic and I practice.

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Siobhan39 | Oct 14, 2012, 01:08 PM EDT

shuvonn - interesting spelling. The Irish spelling for Joan would be Siobhan - bh pronounced as v in Irish.

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Rebelforce | Oct 14, 2012, 01:03 PM EDT

Leave it to Maureen Dowd to take Thursday's historic Vice-Presidential debate between two Irish-American Catholics and ethnically stereotype it (and the males in her family to boot) as “a donnybrook with Irish Catholic uncles and nephews interrupting one another, mocking one another, arguing over one another, bombastically denouncing every political opinion except their own as malarkey.” Because you know......those brutish, boorish, unruly Irish men just love to fight.

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PhlutiePhan | Oct 14, 2012, 12:50 PM EDT

The true question is one of whether Joe Biden is even a Catholic. He stated that he was a "devout" Catholic. That was a bunch of "malarkey" based on his statement about support for unlimited choice by the mother. He refused to answer the questions of Ryan in regard to the attacks on Catholic institutions and the many suits in regard to such. There is no doubt at all of the Marxist and national socialist ambitions of his friend in the White House. Have we forgotten so quickly the attacks of Michelle against Irish Catholic politicians in the book by Jodi Kantor? Why should Irish Catholics (12.2% of the population if you count Scot-Irish, 1%) support the Marxist ambitions of 12.5% of the population? There is no doubt that they will not support a Republican. My Irish grandmother with a third grade education would have been horrified at the paganism of the current Democratic Party. My Irish grandfather voted for George Wallace. My grandmother was a Breslin whose father left the green isle after being accused of killing a Black and Tan. In support of JFK, I served 4 years of shipboard duty.

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EamonnDublin | Oct 14, 2012, 12:48 PM EDT

"Shuvonn" - The world appears to have moved on a lot since you last took notice. One does not have to live in a country to know what's going on there. "Communications" is the word you seem to be missing. I watch a variety of United States' TV news programmes every single day. I take enormous interest in US politics. Please do NOT be so dismissive of others who have different opinions to your own - you would begin to sound too much like Obama. God Bless America. Éamonn, Dublin.

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katiemac | Oct 14, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT

Shuvonn, oxymoron may be the wrong term. Every 'Catholic' who suppports, votes for, or participates in the promotion of abortion is effectively, by their own actions, EXCOMMUNICATED from the Body of Christ that is the Church. Being a Roman Catholic and being pro-Choice are mutually exclusive. From a different Katie but of the same mind.

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