The Norton Center for the Arts supplanted the U.S. Capitol Building as the backdrop of choice for television interviews with Kentucky’s congressional delegation in the hours before Thursday’s vice presidential debate.
The zingers were flying well before the much atniticpated face off between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.
“It’s pretty clear with Romney and Ryan it would be a four-year surprise party,” said Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville.
Yarmuth was one of many Kentucky politicians making the rounds during Thursday afternoon to back an Obama-Biden ticket reeling after last week’s presidential debate performance. He said it was a big chance for Biden and the ticket.
“Democrats are pretty demoralized because they feel like Romney wasn’t challenged,” Yarmuth said. “That boost of energy would be important. It is an opportunity to highlight the disasterous impact the Ryan budget would have on many Americans.”
Sen. Rand Paul of Bowling Green was on the leading edge of the Tea Party wave that swept to power in 2010. He is no stranger to televised debates, having gone to several of the GOP primary debates in which his father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, took part.
“I’d like to see him be honest and forthright about the problems facing the country and the number one problem facing our country is the debt,” Paul said. “He knows a lot about the budget. He’s been head of the budget committee and in charge of creating budgets, so I think he’s well informed and will be well positioned to talk about how we would make it better if we were in charge.”
Paul’s own budget plan is actually more aggressive than the one that has made Ryan a hero among conservatives and a villain among those who believe it would do irreprebale harm to programs like Social Security and Medicare. Paul’s plan would try to balance the budet in about five years by completely eliminating entire departments, such as the Department of Education.
The senator said Mitt Romney’s reluctance to completely embrace all aspects of Ryan’s budget strategy was all part of the give and take required in the current political system.
