More on the vice presidential candidates

Joe “Robinette” Biden
• age 69
• Born Nov. 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pa.
• Graduated from University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School
• Elected to U.S. Senate at age 29, one of the youngest senators ever.
• In 1972, lost his first wife, Neilia Hunter, and 1-year-old daughter Naomi in a car crash. He had three children with Hunter.
• Was later remarried to Jill Biden, with whom he had one daughter.
• Served as senator for Delaware for 36 years from 1973-2009. Was chairman or ranking member of senate judiciary committee for 17 years.
• Ran for president once in 1988, again in 2007.

Biden’s connections to Penn
• Daughter, Ashley Biden went to the School of Social Policy and Practice and graduated in 2010.
• Son, Beau Biden graduated from the College in 1991.
• Granddaughter, Naomi Biden is currently a freshman.

Paul Ryan
• Born in Janesville, Wis.
• Chairman of House Budget Committee, senior member of House Ways and Means Committee.
• Graduate of Miami University in Ohio where he studied economics and political science.
• First elected into Congress at age of 28 in 1998, has represented Wisconsin since then.
• Has three children. Married to Janna Ryan. Ryan is known for his affinity for the outdoors, in particular hunting and fishing.
• Ryan is known for his Path to Prosperity plan, which he introduced in March 2012. This budget plan proposed for the fiscal year 2013 would cut government spending from 24% to 20% of the economy to reduce the deficit. The plan was passed in the House and but rejected by the Senate.

Memorable Debate Lines
Biden
• “One truly sacred obligation as a government … is to equip those we send into harm’s way and care for those who come home. He should not be thrown into a category of the 47 percent who don’t pay their taxes,” Biden said.
• On the Romney-Ryan tax plan: “The tax and entitlement reforms proposed by Romney and Ryan would harm the middle class and favor the wealthy,” he said.
• ”With all due respect, that is a bunch of malarkey.”

Ryan
• On the assassination of the American ambassador in Libya: “It took the president two weeks to acknowledge that this was a terrorist attack,” Ryan said. “Shouldn’t we have a Marine attachment guarding our ambassador on Benghazi?”
• “Mr. Vice President, I know you’re under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think people would be better served if we don’t keep interrupting each other.”

Fun Facts
Biden
• Biden has never taken a drink in his life because alcoholism runs in his family.
• At the University of Delaware, he got mostly Cs and Ds in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He received As only in physical education classes.

Ryan
• When Congress is in session, fitness buff and former personal trainer Ryan leads a group of 12 congressmen in the P90X workout.
• While in college, Ryan worked for Oscar Meyer and drove the Weinermobile.

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