Priebus: Biden's Been Debating 'Since the Early 1900s'

Talk on the Sunday news shows moved from President Obama’s weak performance at last week’s debate to the vice presidential debate coming up this Thursday from Danville, Ky.

“I think most people understand that Joe Biden has been debating for a long time, I mean, since the early 1900s he has been debating,” Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus quipped on CNN’s State of the Union.

“However, Paul is a smart guy. He has committed his life to understanding the problems of our economy, presenting a plan for the American people, so I think that Paul is going to do – he’s going to do a great job, but I also think it’s very important for people to understand, and I think people realize that Joe Biden is a gifted or orator,” Priebus said. “He is very good at rhetoric, and I think is he very relatable. So I think they are very two different people.”

“I think he is taking it very seriously,” he said of Mitt Romney’s No. 2, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). “He’s prepared.”

Philadelphia mayor — and Joe Biden’s pal — Michael Nutter said he hopes Priebus “does advise Mr. Ryan, first and foremost to just tell the truth, unlike what we heard at the Republican convention.”

“I think the big thing with Vice President Biden is that he speaks from his heart; he’s an earthy guy,” Nutter said.

“I think when people talk about last week, the expectations for President Obama, of course, are always exceedingly high and it was relatively easy for Mr. Romney, who had an 11th hour conversion,” he added. “We recall that he is the Etch-A-Sketch guy, has transformed himself and, quite frankly, we always have to wonder which Mitt is going to show up.”

“And so, if you just lay out lie after lie after lie about your own plan, as well as what the president has been talking about, of course you can look good. Vice President Biden will do very, very well. He knows what’s been going on. He’s in touch with the American public and I’m just hopeful that Mr. Ryan will tell the truth, whether it’s about Medicare and that it’s a voucher program.”