Post by AGAINST GODLESS SOCIALISMPeter Roff 10:40: Well, that's over. Joe Biden came out firing, but
went overboard by interrupting, laughing, and being dismissive toward
Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan was strong, convinced, and succinct in his
points
even as he was piled on by both Joe Biden and, at times, the
moderator.
http://www.truthandgrace.com/obama.htm
Joe Biden's vicious smile
Published: October 12, 2012 3:03 PM
By KATHLEEN PARKER
After two debates, one presidential and one vice presidential, we can
fairly conclude that Obama and Biden are happy warriors.
They just smile and smile and smile.
Whereas President Obama's smile during his debate with Mitt Romney
seemed to be an afterthought, proffered as recompense to relieve the
strain of his lackluster performance, Vice President Biden's was an
Uzi. From the time he sat down next to Paul Ryan, he was locked and
loaded with the pearliest chompers since Matt Dillon donned horse
veneers to impress Cameron "There's Something About Mary" Diaz.
No matter what Ryan said (except when he told a personal story), Biden
smiled. Like the Cheshire cat, he smiled. Like an Ultra Brite model,
he smiled. Like someone trying to seem friendly, bemused, stunned to
hear such malarkey from his debate opponent, fill-in-the-blank, he
smiled. But Biden's was no friendly smile. It looked like one,
otherwise known as acting, but it was no more sincere than Biden's
repeated references to Ryan as "my friend."
It was a tactical weapon intended to intimidate and out-psych his
wonky opponent.
As we all learn, usually painfully, a smile isn't always a smile. The
difference between a smile and a grimace, after all, is a matter of a
few muscles. Or as Shakespeare had Hamlet say: "That one may smile,
and smile, and be a villain."
No, I'm not calling Biden a villain, but when someone employs a smile
with purpose, as he obviously did, there's good cause to examine the
behavior more closely. What did he intend? What impression was he
hoping to make? What was the effect on his audience?
Post-debate commentary has included the likelihood that Democrats,
deflated since Sub-Obama's encounter with Uber-Romney, saw Biden as a
mirthful wonk-slayer. A Goliath in years and stature, he slew young
David from Accounting. Which is, of course, not the way the story is
supposed to go.
Non-Democrats, including Republicans and independents, likely saw
Biden as dismissive, rude and unnecessarily condescending. A man
confident of his facts doesn't have to deflect a weak argument with a
sneer or a smile. A senior statesman can afford to be gracious,
especially if he believes the facts are on his side.
But were they? Fact-checkers are furiously whittling away, but one
obvious and potentially harmful error was the vice president's
incorrect assertion that our murdered ambassador and staff in Benghazi
hadn't asked for and been denied additional security. In congressional
testimony the day before, State Department officials admitted exactly
that.
Biden's smile, though it may be the most remembered part of the
debate, probably didn't work as intended. Democrats may have
overlooked the inauthenticity of the smile, not to mention Biden's
repeated interruptions, because he was projecting the aggression they
were feeling. As their agent, he was compensating for the president's
perceived weakness. The anger they feel is really toward Obama, of
course; Ryan was merely his stand-in.
Research on smiles is extensive and fascinating. Sincere smiles, which
have a name -- the Duchenne smile -- are related to health and
longevity, among other things. But studies also show that different
kinds of smiles convey different messages. Our deep brains
instinctively decipher smiles and generally know what they mean. A
sincere smile conveys confidence, humor and contagious well-being. An
insincere smile is hostile -- and creepy.
When Biden and Obama project a Duchenne smile, it is indeed a sunny
day. They both are blessed with dazzlers and both obviously have
recognized the advantage this gives them in politics. Obama's
legendary likability most likely is linked to his billion-buck grin.
To receive a warm smile is its own reward. To be on the receiving end
of an insincere smile, or one that doesn't fit the message being
delivered, is psychological trickery. Think of Nurse Ratched in "One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." She smiled even as she delivered psyche-
crushing information. The disconnect between what her victims were
seeing and what they were hearing and feeling was torturous.
Similarly, the teacher who smiles and says "Johnny made a bad choice"
is confusing and potentially enraging.
Finally, a politician who smiles while trying to take you down may be
a pro, but he's no friend.
"Who do you trust?" Biden asked Americans as he looked directly into
the camera.
Well, now, funny you should ask.
http://www.truthandgrace.com/socialism.htm