Vice presidential debate

[Teo Torriatte]

So, tomorrow night Biden and Ryan will go at it. I think it's at least safe to say that Biden won't fall asleep at the podium like Obama did?

Does it really matter who 'wins' this one? Or is it all about the next presidential debate?

People say that Ryan is such a hardcore policy wonk, but I highly doubt he will stand up there and try to defend that horrid budget that he tried to get passed.

[errantwandering]

It should make for good TV if nothing else.  Ryan has charisma to spare and a long history of making great speeches, and Biden talking is always good for a laugh.  I'm really interested to see how both VP candidates try to play this....Ryan's lately distanced himself from a lot of his more extreme proposals, even more so after he became the vice presidential candidate.  Biden wins if he can get Ryan defending his old views and/or saying something that'd reflect poorly on Romney's hard turn to center in the past week or two.  Ryan wins if he can get Biden emotional....the man has a tendency to blurt out the very first thing to pop into his head the second he gets excited or angry.

[Stattick]

I'm thinking that Biden will be Biden and hoping that Ryan will be Ryan (so sticking to his guns instead of suddenly reversing everything and lying with every breath like Romney did). If so, I think it will be entertaining. Maybe they'll break out in a West Side Story knife fight or something. If so, I think Biden will win. I mean, have you seen the pic of Biden flirting with Troll's old lady? Seriously, a dude that will just walk on in and start flirting with a biker's chick, and not just any old biker, but the president of his club, has got some serious cajones.

[Starlequin]

That. Is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. And I once saw a chimp in a tuxedo fling poo at a fat kid.

[BCdan]

I expect it to be a brutal.  Biden, while not as gaffe prone as people think, is still fairly gaffe prone.  Ryan is a machine and compared to the old man on the stage with him, Ryan is going to "win".  Heavy emphasis on the quotes because last I checked ethos, pathos and logos never had a point system. 

[elone]

I think is is very likely that the truth will take a backseat on this one, from both Biden and Ryan, and I actually like Joe.

[Vekseid]

I expect it to be a brutal.  Biden, while not as gaffe prone as people think, is still fairly gaffe prone.  Ryan is a machine and compared to the old man on the stage with him, Ryan is going to "win".  Heavy emphasis on the quotes because last I checked ethos, pathos and logos never had a point system.

The thing with gaffes is that they come off as honesty. The politician saying what he's actually thinking/meaning.

There's a reason Biden was still viable for the vice presidential role.

[elone]

The thing with gaffes is that they come off as honesty. The politician saying what he's actually thinking/meaning.

There's a reason Biden was still viable for the vice presidential role.

So true,

gaffe: noun - an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder

lie: noun - an intentionally false statement

We should not confuse the two.

[Trieste]

* Trieste is having fun with the live tweet streams during the debate.

[Teo Torriatte]

Biden is taking it to Ryan, that's for sure. I hope this is a preview of what Obama will be like in his next debate.

[ShadowFox89]

Biden is taking it to Ryan, that's for sure. I hope this is a preview of what Obama will be like in his next debate.

And the conservatives are slamming him for being "rude"

I LOVE how they didn't say shit about it when Romney was being a complete and utter ass during the presidential debate.

[Stattick]

Well, I think it was a win for Biden, but it wasn't a slam dunk. Ryan was lying left and right, but at least Biden was somewhat effective at calling him out a few times on it. Ryan took a page out of Romney's playbook and waffled a bunch of times, reversing stuff he'd personally said previously in the campaign so it would sound more palatable to the undecideds.

[elone]

The moderator made a big difference, asking specifics and keeping some control while allowing the candidates to speak. Good job there.

Thought Biden did a good job at debunking false statements and showed his prowess on foreign policy. His experience and personal involvement through his career came through. He may have overstepped in the interruptions, but was not as obnoxious about it as Romney in the first debate. His laughing was a bit distracting but made his point that the conservative approach is laughable and he backed it up. If the question was, "Who can step up to be president if need be?', he would get the nod.

Ryan could not really come up with an answer about why the rich need to keep the Bush tax cuts, when we all know they and corporations are sitting on piles of money and hiring no one.

Overall, I would give it to Biden, but the real test will come in the presidential debates to come. Hope Obama shows up.

[Callie Del Noire]

The moderator made a big difference, asking specifics and keeping some control while allowing the candidates to speak. Good job there.

Thought Biden did a good job at debunking false statements and showed his prowess on foreign policy. His experience and personal involvement through his career came through. He may have overstepped in the interruptions, but was not as obnoxious about it as Romney in the first debate. His laughing was a bit distracting but made his point that the conservative approach is laughable and he backed it up. If the question was, "Who can step up to be president if need be?', he would get the nod.

Ryan could not really come up with an answer about why the rich need to keep the Bush tax cuts, when we all know they and corporations are sitting on piles of money and hiring no one.

Overall, I would give it to Biden, but the real test will come in the presidential debates to come. Hope Obama shows up.

You'll see Ryan again.. barring an utter DISASTER like some of the stuff that Kerry's running mate did in the recounts. He's the 'golden boy' for the party in 2016 if Mitt crashes. I think despite all his money and work, if Romney doesn't get it this time..the party is done with him..he's spent the last SEVEN years campaigning for this one.

[Teo Torriatte]

You'll see Ryan again.. barring an utter DISASTER like some of the stuff that Kerry's running mate did in the recounts. He's the 'golden boy' for the party in 2016 if Mitt crashes. I think despite all his money and work, if Romney doesn't get it this time..the party is done with him..he's spent the last SEVEN years campaigning for this one.

Except that no one has ever lost as a VP then come back to win the presidency, not at all recently, anyway. So if past is prologue, then if Romney/Ryan loses, Ryan's political fate is sealed. (and thank god, or whoever, for small favors)

[Stattick]

With any luck the projections are correct, and this is the year where we throw a lot of Tea Partiers out of office. I don't think this will be the year we break their back, but I do hope and think that we'll deal them a serious blow in a few weeks. Maybe in two or four years, their stranglehold on the GOP and Fox News will be diminished enough to lead to a sane Republican party again. On the other hand, sanity there might not be possible until Karl Rove, John Boehner, and a number of other current leaders in the GOP either get ousted or loose their ability to force the rest to march in lockstep.

[Teo Torriatte]

Actually, John Boehner aka 'The Crying Man', is fairly sane as far as republicans go... at least compared to some of the others... his main problem is that his hands have been tied by the likes of Michelle Bachman and Alan West.

[Stattick]

Actually, John Boehner aka 'The Crying Man', is fairly sane as far as republicans go... at least compared to some of the others... his main problem is that his hands have been tied by the likes of Michelle Bachman and Alan West.

I thought he was the drummer trying to get everyone to march in lockstep, and doling out sanctions to those that defied the party. I could be wrong though, I'm not the best at remembering who's who.


Also, the funniest pic to come out of the VP debate I've seen.

[Avis habilis]

I thought he was the drummer trying to get everyone to march in lockstep, and doling out sanctions to those that defied the party. I could be wrong though, I'm not the best at remembering who's who.

I think that was Tom "The Hammer"/"Pestinator"/"Money Talks" DeLay.

[Callie Del Noire]

I think that was Tom "The Hammer"/"Pestinator"/"Money Talks" DeLay.

DeLay is gone but the practice remains.  Whoever is House Majority Whip typically gets to be the party tude wrangler, DeLay was more blunt AND honest than most

[Trieste]

[Oniya]

[Callie Del Noire]

Don't forget the fact that the debate lighting was CLEARLY set up to make Nixon look bad (He didn't have makeup for the lighting either, my mom talked about the impact of that debate in a variety of ways.)

[Oniya]

I'd heard that Nixon refused the makeup - which could be a fault on the studio makeup artist for not explaining the need for it.

[Callie Del Noire]

I'd heard that Nixon refused the makeup - which could be a fault on the studio makeup artist for not explaining the need for it.

From what my mom told me.. he refused it for the first half.. and then his staff gave him the WRONG type for the second part. She was explaining this as an example of 'style over substance' has grown more and more important over the years.