CAMPAIGN 2012

Biden: Only Consistency in Romney’s Policy Talk Is Inconsistency

Vice president says he’s "stunned and pleased" that Romney disavowed so many of his past stands and embraced Obama’s in the final debate.

Updated: May 30, 2013 | 12:06 a.m.
October 23, 2012 | 1:44 p.m.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he was gratified to see Republican nominee Mitt Romney suddenly “rushing to agree” with so many of President Obama’s foreign-policy approaches at the pair’s third and final debate Monday night in Boca Raton, Fla.

“I was stunned and pleased that Gov. Romney had disavowed so many things he's said in the past and acknowledged, and acknowledged, acknowledged that the president was right on so many things,” Biden told a rally crowd of about 1,500 at the University of Toledo.

“Some days they go out there and rattle the sabers, some days they are doves carrying olive branches,” Biden said of Romney and running mate Paul Ryan. “The only thing consistent, the only thing consistent about the way they talk about policy, is that they are inconsistent. That's the only thing.”

Biden said that “it's clear by now to the American people that the difference in our policies, and I would submit, in our value system, is profound."

After Romney’s low-key debate performance, in which he endorsed Obama’s handling of a number of problems, that may hold true more for economic and social policies than global affairs. On topics including Iran, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, and terrorism, many debate analysts concluded that the differences on display between Romney and Obama had more to do with tone than substance.

 

 

Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.


Leave A Comment
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus
Follow National Journal
Related Content
Columns
Josh Kraushaar: Against the Grain

Why Democrats Are Already Jumping Aboard the Hillary Clinton Bandwagon

1:57 p.m.
Claire McCaskill's endorsement was a bow to reality: Democrats don't want to challenge Clinton in 2016.
Charlie Cook: Off to the Races

No Guarantee of a GOP Senate Majority

June 17, 2013
The disproportionate exposure for the chamber’s Democrats is very clear. But can Republicans capitalize on their opportunities?
Ronald Brownstein: Political Connections

Why We Lack Good Privacy Guidelines

June 13, 2013
Technology innovations have served to strip away privacy. They could also be the key to restoring it.
More Columns »