The Republican Party and their sympathizers are so desperate for their uninspiring candidates to win, they are, time and time again, choosing to completely ignore substance.  If Mitt Romney is rude, overly aggressive, and obnoxious to the host and Big Bird, it is lauded as “being Presidential.”  Now that their candidate has lost the Vice Presidential Debate of 2012, desperation dictates that the Republican focus turn to facial expressions.

Mitt Romney, if you recall, was long on criticisms about the job President Barack Obama is doing, but very short on specifics about his own plan(s) for running the country.  There was no meat, no substance.  And the few declarations that did come misfiring from his steel-plated jowls were logically nonsensical—impossible promises to keep without raising somebody’s damn taxes or slicing and dicing away at social services! 

Apparently, it is much more difficult to throw dirt on a plan if there is no plan.  Who knew? 

Mitt Romney knew.  Mitt Romney is a flip-floppin’ liar; like a programmed robot, he will say and do anything to get that steel-toed foot out of his mouth and into the Oval Office.

And Rep. Paul Ryan is no different.

So when Vice President Joe Biden laughs and smiles at the hypocrisy of Romney’s cartoon-faced sidekick throwing around the “credibility” word as if he and the robot actually know what it means, it is more than understandable why Joe Biden’s response would be an exasperated and sarcastic, “Incredible.”  (And by the way, the way that Romney generally likes Big Bird is the same way that Democrats generally like Republican cartoons.)

"If all you can do is talk about facial expressions, you know your guy lost." --Rob Nelson, ABC World News Now. Whether you agree with Rob Nelson or not, his honesty is always refreshing." Way to keep it real, Rob!

Now that Democratic Vice President Joe Biden has won the Vice Presidential Debate of 2012, Republicans want to discuss style and facial expressions and gestures and mannerisms and the bite of The Big Dog.

Now Republicans want to say that Mr. Biden was rude.  Now Republicans want to say that Mr. Biden was disrespectful.  Now Republicans want to say that Mr. Biden showed too much teeth.  Sure, he did.  What other way was he going to chew Little Boy Blue Eyes up and spit him out?

Speaking of Paul Ryan’s performance, what about that cottony-dry mouth he was fighting all night?  Gulp, gulp.  “More water, please.” What about Paul Ryan’s willingness to make up brand new countries in the Middle East for rednecks to fear when under the sweaty duress of having mighty Joe Biden stare him down?  What about the duckin’ and weavin’ Paul Ryan did to avoid speaking the truth when moderator, Martha Raddatz, asked him point-blank for specifics about the Romney/Ryan tax plan—or whatever it is (since they can’t say)?  What about that?  As Paul Ryan choked on his “loopholes,” there was decisive squirming, but specifics?  Non-existent.

Grow up, America.  Grow a brain of your own.  Style alone is not going to put money in your pocket or food on your table.  Especially if you’re the 47 percent.

Joe Biden says, “At least, I mean what I say—however it comes out.”  President Barack Obama says, “What I stood for in the beginning is the same thing I stand for now. I have not wavered.”  Mitt Romney says behind closed doors, “Those people will never take responsibility for themselves, so 47 percent of the population is not worth my time.”  Then, re-programmed, the robot flip-flops and says publicly, “I care about all Americans.”  So who(m) do you believe?  To borrow a phrase from puppy-faced Paul Ryan, this batch of Republican candidates is simply not “credible.”

Maybe I’m paranoid or maybe I’m suffering from some of that duress Paul Ryan was feeling (though desperately trying to project onto Vice President Joe Biden) during the Vice Presidential Debate.  But I feel that something stinky is in the air.  The spin to make Americans believe that the race is tighter than it really is has already begun.  Those of us with enough discernment (or paranoia) can see the deception in the reporter’s eye, the lying pro-Republican lips. 

So exercise a little folding of the hands and sleep if you dare.  But, if Americans don’t get out and vote overwhelmingly in favor of one presidential candidate or the other, you already know from the Bush years that Republicans and their sympathizers (as upstanding, moral, and churchy as they claim to be) will not have any problem picking off a few hanging chads here, tossing a few boxes of votes there, or jimmying up one voting machine—or three hundred thousand—to steal the election.

Consider yourself warned.  Besides, what do you think they mean when they say (as if the rest of us are squatters), “We’re going to TAKE back our country”?