Obama Campaign and Democratic Reactions to the Vice Presidential Debate

Obama for America

Statement from Campaign Manager Jim Messina on Tonight’s Debate

CHICAGO -- Obama for America released the following statement from Campaign Manager Jim Messina in reaction to tonight’s debate:
 
“Vice President Biden won tonight’s debate. In a clash between facts and conviction on one side and glib lines and empty promises on the other, tonight’s debate exposed the extreme risk that Romney-Ryan economics pose for the American middle-class and to our leadership in the world. This debate showed that facts and details matter – and it’s clear tonight that with their total disregard for both, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan know they can’t defend their indefensible plans.
 
“Ryan couldn’t explain how the Romney-Ryan tax plan wouldn’t hurt the middle-class, how their double-down on trickle-down would create a single job now, how their Iran policy would differ from the President’s, or what their plan is for our troops in Afghanistan – and when he was asked to ensure women that their right to choose would be protected, he refused to answer because they won’t protect it. With facts, convictions and straightforward answers, Vice President Biden illustrated how he’s spent a lifetime fighting for the middle-class and how he and President Obama will continue doing so in a second term.”
 
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Democratic National Committee

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tonight’s Debate: Vice President Biden Clearly and Decisively Won Tonight by Showing that Facts, Details and Convictions Matter

Washington, D.C. – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on tonight’s vice presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky:

“Tonight’s debate – which Vice President Biden clearly and decisively won – showcased two very different approaches to facts, details and core convictions: Vice President Biden understands they matter, and Congressman Paul Ryan obviously does not.

“At no point tonight was Ryan able to offer a straightforward answer or specific explanation as to how he and Mitt Romney’s tax plan would be anything but devastating to the middle class, how doubling down on trickle-down will result in the creation of one single job now, how the Romney-Ryan ticket’s policy on Iran would be different from President Obama’s, or exactly what their plan is for our troops serving in Afghanistan.  And women across the country watching tonight’s debate were not given any guarantee by Paul Ryan that they would continue to have control over decisions affecting their own health, their own lives, and their own bodies.

“Meanwhile, Vice President Biden demonstrated that honest answers and concrete details do make a difference – and he consistently used them tonight to underscore the fact that he’s spent his entire life fighting for America’s middle-class families.  He and President Obama will proudly continue to do so in a second term, as they keep moving our country forward with an economy built from the middle out.”

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Obama Campaign and Democrats Leading up to the Vice Presidential Debate

Obama for America
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 11, 2012  

Contact: Obama for America Press

What to Expect from Tonight’s Debate

Leading up to tonight’s Vice Presidential debate, Mitt Romney has made it very clear that he will say anything to win, even if it’s not true – just like he did in Massachusetts and in the boardroom. The question now: will Congressman Ryan adopt the same dishonest strategy, or will he stand by the very extreme positions he’s taken as the “intellectual leader” of the Republican Party? As Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter outlines in a memo released today, we’ve already seen that Ryan isn’t afraid to skirt the truth – twisting everything from the facts in his convention speech to the time it takes him to run a marathon.
 
To accompany the video, OFA is out with a new web video that sharply details some of Congressman Ryan’s most egregious previous deceits – a case study in “The 7 Habits of Highly Misleading People.”
 
OFA is also announcing a special Twitter handle – @OFAdebates – that will be used to fact check and respond to Congressman Ryan’s statements in real time, as well as Mitt Romney’s in the last two presidential debates. Followers of the campaign’s existing @TruthTeam2012 account will automatically receive tweets from @OFAdebates. Go to www.barackobama.com/OFAdebates to follow.
 
And whether Ryan stands by the extreme positions he and Mitt Romney share or he mimics Romney’s performance at last week’s debate and hides his real positions, the following campaign officials and surrogates will be in Danville to respond to his performance immediately after the debate ends:
 
·         Jim Messina, Obama for America Campaign Manager
·         David Axelrod, Obama for America Senior Strategist
·         Stephanie Cutter, Obama for America Deputy Campaign Manager
·         Governor Martin O’Malley
·         Governor Ted Strickland
·         Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)
·         Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
·         Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
·         Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
·         Beau Biden, Attorney General of Delaware
·         Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Action Fund*
 
* For identification purposes
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