The Veep Debate...

[Lord Jim]

They have seated a format, which should help Biden...(It's a lot tougher to be a bombastic gas bag when you're sitting right next to somebody...)

Also, historically when you have a significant age difference in a VP debate, the older guy seems to come across better..(Cheney-Edwards in '04, Bentsen-Quayle in'88) This is going to be particularly pronounced in this case, because Ryan looks and sounds even younger than he is....

But on the other hand, he's no political novice or stranger to debate, with 14 years in The House...

And while both of these men have their short comings, neither is an idiot.....

I think they'll both do just fine....

(Of course I thought that last week too, so what do I know?)

No matter who is seen as the marginal winner or loser, unless Ryan comes across as really not being ready for prime time, or Biden says something so dopey that it completely dominates all the post debate coverage, the impact of this on the race will be very negligible, and completely wiped out by what happens in the remaing two Presidential debates....

Ryan needs to avoid sounding snotty, and to project some gravitas....

And Biden needs to avoid sounding condescending, and shoving his foot in his mouth....

[dgs49]

The wild card is this: Biden has a talent for spewing a flow of disjointed, bizarre, packaged talking points. I have no doubt he will do this tonight. Ryan will have to decide (in advance, probably), whether he will try to answer one or two points and let the other ones slide - making it appear that Biden has "won," or coming back with the mirror image barrage of his own talking points.

I personally hope that Biden tries to take advantage of his supposedly superior knowledge of international affairs. If so, he will end up stepping on his dick. He is simply not intelligent enough to carry it off.

The great thing is, with the overwhelming press that the last debate got, this one should get a huge television audience.

[Sue U]

Martha Raddatz won the debate.

[Gob]

If she was the host, she was great, caught a bit of it between clients.

She should be in charge for the rest of the debates.

[dgs49]

(1) Great questions, excellent job of moderating.

(2) Biden always has been an insufferable asshole, and he demonstrated this again, emphatically. The commentators I saw last night after the debate ALL mentioned his insulting and inappropriate demeanor.

(3) Ryan failed to come up with specifics, even when pressed, when the specifics should not have been all that difficult to produce. For example, "How can you protect the middle class deduction for mortgage interest"?

"Easy. Cap the annual deduction."

(4) Biden didn't provide a single responsive answer.

(5) No knockout blows. Zero affect on the race.

[Lord Jim]

I thought that both men pretty much accomplished what they came to do.

I think that Biden's mugging, chortling, and non-stop interrupting probably turned off some of the small group of persuadable voters that are left, (which is why I think the overnight poll of likely voters taken of debate watchers by CNN gave Ryan a slight edge) but appealing to that group wasn't Biden's mission.

In the wake of Obama's dismal performance last week, the enthusiasm gap between committed GOP and committed Democratic voters had ballooned to double digits. Biden's job was to try and re-fire up the base voters who were dispirited by Obama's lackluster outing. I suspect that this group probably enjoyed Biden's antics, (I'm sure a lot of them were sitting in their living rooms yelling "Go Joe!" every time he over-talked Ryan.)

For Ryan's part he wanted to come across as a guy who was thoughtful and reasonable and knowledgeable enough to be taken seriously in big league politics. He accomplished this as well. (In a way, Biden's performance helped him to do this, because Ryan handled it without getting at all rattled.)

Obama of course does not have the option of behaving as over the top as Biden did (it would be completely undignified for a President to behave that way, and if he did, he would turn off a lot of voters.) but his campaign benefits from Biden having done it, in terms of helping to re-energize his base. (I suspect Obama's performance next week will be somewhere between his somnambulance last week, and Biden's hyperness this week. He'll show more aggressiveness, and maybe take a few shots, but he's not going to act like a night club heckler.)

Bottom line, I pretty much agree with Dave. Because there were no big blows landed and no major fuck ups by either candidate, the focus will remain on the top of the ticket, and the impact of this debate on the election is going to be negligible, if that.

[TPFKA@W]

Best zingers from VP debate from twitter: Absolutely the best part of the debate.

GuyEndoreKaiser -- Tonight's debate is scheduled for ninety minutes, but Paul Ryan is already claiming he can finish in fifty something.

Ana Marie Cox -- I actually happen to have "malarkey" in the drinking game! Oh geez...

Jill Morris ‏‪-- The VP candidates get to sit because they're exhausted from standing up for our values. ‪#VPDebate

Bill Maher

✔

@billmaher

Hello 9 1 1? There s an old man beating a child on my tv
11 Oct 12


Morgan Murphy ‏‪-- Biden's teeth are so white they're voting for Romney. ‪#VPDebate

The 25 funniest tweets about the first presidential debate

Indecision ‏‪-- Watered-down sanctions are the worst. You need four just to get tipsy. ‪#vpdebate

Patton Oswalt -- Ryan is a nervous Walmart manager. Biden is an irate customer with the receipt, the warranty & he's friends w/ the store owner. #debate

Indecision ‏‪-- Joe Biden would very much like for Paul Ryan to get off his lawn. ‪#vpdebate

kelly oxford

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@kellyoxford

While Ryan speaks, Biden looks like he's trying to order a drink at the bar and the bartender is ignoring him. #vpdebate
11 Oct 12


Laughing Joe Biden ‏‪-- Looooooool

Paul and Storm ‏‪-- You can't make Joe Biden look bad. He is your favorite uncle. He pulls quarters from behind your ears. ‪#VPDebate

Seth Masket ‏‪-- Actually, this is like if Aaron Sorkin wrote an exchange between the Skipper and Gilligan. ‪#vpdebate

Leah ‏‪-- JOE. SHUT THE HECK UP AND WAIT YOUR TURN. ‪#VPdebate

[Lord Jim]

Biden's teeth are so white they're voting for Romney.

While Ryan speaks, Biden looks like he's trying to order a drink at the bar and the bartender is ignoring him.

Yes! perfect...

[Joe Guy]

Maybe I'm just a little bit biased but I thought Biden came out swinging and never let up and knocked Ryan (who looks like a monkey) to the ropes where he slithered and dropped to the canvas.

Other than that, the debate was very entertaining an uninformative.

[dgs49]

Knockout for Biden?

Amazing. Simply amazing.

[Joe Guy]

Knockout for Biden?

Amazing. Simply amazing.

But you didn't deny that Ryan looks like a monkey.

At least we agree on something.

[Sue U]

A handsome, blue-eyed monkey.

But a monkey nonetheless.

Also:

Hello 9 1 1? There s an old man beating a child on my tv

Bwahahahahaahahahahaha.

[Gob]

Don't the republicans not believe in evolution?

Fucking funny how they chose Bush and Ryan then.

[dgs49]

Gobster:

As compared to Bam-bam and Biden?

Jesus.

[Econoline]

As compared to Bam-bam and Biden?

Jesus.

Jesus was that other "community organizer"



ETA: IIRC, He didn't have much in common with Mitt Romney.

Or any other one-percenter.

Or any other Mormon.

[Scooter]

WHY!? Why on earth, if you were running for the #2 office in the land, would you dress like it's 1994, backwards orange cap and all, and take these photos? Wouldn't you assume that some ragtag group of online miscreants might take said photos, tie them to your policy positions, and make you look silly?

[Crackpot]

to land the douche vote no doubt