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Grading the Debates #2: Vice-Presidential Debate

Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor

Vice presidential candidates serve as a supplement for the presidential candidates they run with. Usually, they are chosen for one of three reasons: to balance the ticket geographically, to boost partisan confidence in the presidential candidate, or to cover an area where the presidential candidate does not have enough expertise or experience in. The choices of the two vice-presidential candidates this election season, Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan, are no accident. Vice President Biden helped then-Senator Obama win the 2008 election by covering the relative inexperience of the young Illinois Senator (especially in terms of foreign policy) with a long career in the Senate, including five years as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He also has proved a great campaigner in blue-collar states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. On the other hand, Congressman Ryan has provided a great level of excitement among Conservative Republicans, a group that too often has felt distant from Governor Romney. His work as the Republican Budget point-man has helped to shape the election’s focus to issues like Medicare, the deficit, and the role of Government. Another detail of note is that this election marks the first time there are two Roman-Catholic vice presidential candidates. Even with their shared faiths, the two visions these respective gentlemen have for the country are wildly different than each other, setting up a very interesting debate.

@ Gov. Blogs

Presidential Debate Preview I

Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor

This coming Wednesday the first Presidential Debate will be held at the University of Denver. It focuses on domestic policy and it will be an extremely important event in the election. It is no secret that President Obama holds a significant lead against Governor Romney in both the popular vote and the electoral college. This is a make-or-break moment for both the Obama and Romney campaigns. Elections can easily be decided in one debate – Reagan’s 1980 victory has been credited to his superb debate performance against Carter – and both campaigns are very aware of this. Here are a couple of things each of the candidates needs to accomplish:

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DNC 2012

Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor

On the heels of a successful Republican National Convention, a looming jobs report, and an economy that is still deeply suffering, Democrats were put in the spotlight to throw a convention miracle. The stakes were high: Barack Obama had to convince the American people to give him four more years to put the economy on track. Without a doubt, this convention met and exceeded expectations with its line-up of effective prime-time speakers. Could this be the turning point of the election?

@ Gov. Blogs

RNC 2012

Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor

Even the torrential rains of Hurricane Issac could not prevent the GOP from holding their national convention, a successful one to boot. Party operatives set out to make a convention that both re-introduced Governor Mitt Romney to the American people, and buff out the ruff edges of his public image. On both these counts they succeeded, but was it enough?

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