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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Paul Ryan versus Joe Biden sets up Irish Catholic political showdown - Lace curtain Irish Ryan against Shanty Irish Biden a contest for the ages

Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 08:17 AM

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Paul Ryan vs. Joe Biden

Paul Ryan versus Joe Biden sets up Irish Catholic political showdown - Lace curtain Irish Ryan against Shanty Irish Biden a contest for the ages

There will be an Irish American Catholic vice president of the United States next January we can now say with certainty.

Joe Biden and Paul Ryan may appear similar in ethnicity and religion but there are as many differences as similarities.

Their Vice Presidential debate will be the first ever between two Irish Catholic contenders for the VP slot. It will make for fascinating viewing as it would be hard to find two politicians who are further apart on how to fix what ails America.

Their views of the role of government could not be farther apart. Ryan is a disciple of another famed Irish American Ronald Reagan, who was always keen to limit government’s growth. Biden is a child of the New Deal and an apostle of the era of Kennedy and LBJ when massive new government programs lifted millions out of poverty.

Ryan is lace curtain Irish, enjoying the benefits of a wealthy upbringing, thanks to a construction company fortune and a successful family legal practice.

Ryan’s home growing up had eight bedroom and six bathrooms and was registered as a state historical residence. Friends describe it as a mansion.

Biden on the other hand grew up mostly in poverty, shanty Irish was the term often used. The family moved in with their Finnegan relatives but still could not make it in Scranton, Pa, and moved to Delaware where Biden’s father became a used car salesman.

Perhaps it is their uniquely different backgrounds that color both men’s politics. Personality-wise both men are seen as affable and popular and not just in their own parties but with opponents as well.

Ryan suffered terrible personal tragedy, coming home from high school and finding his father dead in the bed. Biden too suffered enormously losing his first wife and a daughter in a dreadful car accident.

How will Irish Americans react to the contest.?

Washington Post reporter Melissa Bell had an interesting account from one Irish woman she encountered on the trail with Romney on Saturday.

She wrote: ”Alice Butler-Short, a 70-year-old Irish dance teacher who grew up in Tipperary, Ireland, and now lives in Norton, Va., was clad head-to-high-heeled-toe in American-flag-themed attire as she stood at the front of the line waiting to get into the Manassas event.

“He’s absolutely phenomenal,” she said of Ryan. “Romney couldn’t have done better. He didn’t pick the guy who could help him win this state or that state... He picked the best person for the country.”

“Amen,” said a woman in the crowd next to her.

Will most Irish Catholics feel the same way? How the Catholic vote goes will decide this election

We’ll know in 86 days.

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106 comments

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hancock | Aug 14, 2012, 03:48 PM EDT

Don't pay attention to that Australian. Sean worry about your own constitutional monarchy.

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BrianO | Aug 14, 2012, 12:02 PM EDT

Seano with your logic we must conclude that all men with funny mustaches are like hitler.

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irishamrep | Aug 14, 2012, 01:51 AM EDT

Shame on you O'Dowd why don't you do your research. Paul Ryan lost his Father when he was in High School, he worked at McDonald's after school. His mother accuired a skill and worked and managed to start her own business while raising her four young children. Shame on you on all of you Irish who don't know what the hell your talking about. You just listen to the evil , lying, liberal Democrats. You have no right to call yourself a Journalist! Biden is the rich guy the so called catholic that is responsible for more abortion in the US than anyone in his long disgraceful career in politics!

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klbutler | Aug 13, 2012, 11:39 PM EDT

had to jump in here...Paul Ryan is well respected within his own party and even by those that disagree with him. He had to work to help with the bills and his grandmother who had Alzheimers.He was not brought up with "riches' as this article wrongly implies. He worked very hard in his studies and has done nothing except focus on helping our countyr find the answer to our woes. As for Biden, he has been in gov. for over 30 yrs and it is noticeable..as forgrowing up poor, well a lot of us has,but that was a long time ago and I imagine Biden has a dim memory...he is a multi-millionaire. Biden has been an embarrassment to his own party with the constant foot in his mouth disease...as for ryan wanting to take anything form the poor and elderly, his own mother is on medicare in Florida, so the chances of him making a plan to hurt her benefits is well a flat out LIE! tHE DEMOCRATS AND OBAMA has done nothing but bring this election down to the nasty and dirty politics of Chicago. They are doing the old Chicago mob style politics with their lies and personal attacks..we have to get the liberals out of control one way or another..if Obama wins he will destroy us, but if we take back both houses he will be impotent...By Gods blessing Obama will not win.

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PatriciaMarya | Aug 13, 2012, 08:23 PM EDT

Regarding this $70 million or $700 billion or whatever the figure is that so many of the posters< including Ryan< keep attributing to the POTUS, he wishes to tighten the money now being taken by the Medicare ADVANTAGE programs, the HMOs of Medicare. These were created when Humana, a for-profit health insurance corporation, was given a large fee as a consultant contractor to go inside CMS (Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services) and they came out with this very lucrative, pro-insurance carrier program that spends more in administrative services (including management salaries) than they deliver in medical service dollars! This fact was published by the GAO (Government Accounting Office). It is this miserable amount of wasted dollars that our President (do remember he was elected by the majority of our citizenry) wishes to eliminate from Medicare. And for those of you who feel that he has not produced enough in his four years, how could he when Mitch McConnell (who by the way is financially underwritten by Humana) actually stated at the beginning of the President's term that his sole purpose of being in Congress was to see to it that "...he does not get a second term." The GOPs of Congress have acted more like Fraternity/Sorority Haze Masters these past four years, doing their filthy best to road-block every possible good turn, forgetting that it is U.S. who have also suffered. Rover, Koch Boys, Cheney are jumping for joy - the Fox Propaganda Machine has worked its destructive magic.

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seanomelb | Aug 13, 2012, 08:09 PM EDT

and so was Hitler and all of the South American US surrogate terrorist dictators.

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aloistmartin | Aug 13, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

I Francisco Franco, and Juan Carlos,can be Roman Catholics, so can Paul Ryan !

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OBPiper | Aug 13, 2012, 07:04 PM EDT

My father's family referred to his mother's line as "lace curtain Irish"; her father was from Germany and her maternal grandparents from Ireland, and she was from New Jersey. She married a full-blooded Irish-American who became wealthy in the Great Depression (not this Greater Depression) who was never referred to as lace certain Irish (he was Irish American). I doubt that Paul Ryan's Irish immigrant ancestors were Lace Curtain Irish. Let's focus on what's truthful and what matters.

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aloistmartin | Aug 13, 2012, 07:02 PM EDT

If Juan Carlos can be a Catholic, so can Paul Ryan !

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Maggie47 | Aug 13, 2012, 05:29 PM EDT

Rugby, you are ok with $7B. that our president borrowed from medicare?

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Fran Connor | Aug 13, 2012, 02:24 PM EDT

When Joe Biden had to release his tax return it showed contributions of two or three hundred dollars. That says a lot to me.

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rugbyplayer | Aug 13, 2012, 12:18 PM EDT

1) As long as the Vatican thinks it can control every Catholic, neither Ryan or Biden have a chance at the USA presidency 2)Irish Central is too jingoistic about anyone who so much as has a drop of Irish heritage 3)Ryan would be a social disaster for the USAand the Tipperary woman who thinks Ryan is the best pick for the USA would be the first victim of Ryan's "no Medicare, Caid or Social Security" 4)Romney did not pick Ryan for VP, the far Right billionaire Koch Brothers and Machiavellian Karl Rove did

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BGAndersson | Aug 13, 2012, 12:15 PM EDT

...and further, Niall, the "lace curtain" remark is as unfair as for me to say to you: "Irish Central, Irish America, Irish Voice. You didn't build that - someone else did." Just sayin'.

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JimmyJK | Aug 13, 2012, 12:15 PM EDT

Paul Ryan has only worked briefly for his family for a few months then it has been on the publics dime. Facts: He took his Father's social security for years, God Bless him. He believes snow proves climate change is not true. He does not want Big Government which means privatize teachers, cops, park workers, postal workers and the like and it also means getting rid of any assistance to the poor, handicapped and less fortunate. Any body every take unemployment or disability? Well say bye bye to that. He also dumped his stocks in 2008 after speaking to Goldman Sachs and then bought Goldman Sachs stock Look up his voting record - Please

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BGAndersson | Aug 13, 2012, 11:44 AM EDT

Paul Ryan returned home from WORKING IN A MCDONALDS to find his father dead. He had to care for his grandmother, who was ailing with Alzheimer's while his mother returned to the workforce. They needed Social Security support through these times. He also spent time as a waiter in a Mexican restaurant and drove an Oscar Meyer Weiner-mobile. ARE YOU FRIGGIN' KIDDING WITH THE "LACE CURTAIN" REMARK?????????????????????

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