The Burden Is On Joe Biden

Vice presidential debates are usually mere sideshows. But tomorrow’s face-off in Kentucky might be quite different. Barack Obama’s disastrous performance last week was the boost Mitt Romney needed to erase the president’s post-convention gains and turn the race into a genuine toss-up. The Republican has the momentum, and he’s shifted to more moderate rhetoric in an attempt to appeal to independent and undecided voters. Obama doesn’t get another crack at Romney until next week, so it’s up to Joe Biden to stanch the bleeding and resuscitate Democratic hopes.

Biden has a reputation for blundering, but history suggests that he’ll be up to the task. This is the man, after all, who managed to destroy Rudy Giuliani’s presidential hopes with a single phrase—“a noun, a verb, and 9/11”—and was a more-than-capable debater in the Democratic primaries and against Sarah Palin. His populist style connects with a wide swath of voters; his Democratic National Convention speech was widely watched and widely praised.

It should help that Team Obama understands the importance of tomorrow’s performance, and is surely working feverishly to put Biden at the top of his game for the match-up against Paul Ryan. It’s easy to see Ryan as too inexperienced to fare well, but the Wisconsin congressman has proven adept so far in the national spotlight. Odds are good that he will make excellent use of the down-home earnestness that—along with his reputation for braininess—defines his political persona. But he'll have to counter Biden's sure-to-be aggressive attempts to paint him as a wealth-first radical. 

If Biden can score a victory, it could have a sizable effect on the presidential race. He won’t convince Republican voters of anything, but he will give confidence and inspiration to Democrats. And a new burst of enthusiasm is exactly what his party needs.