On Wednesday, President Obama said in an interview previewing Thursday's vice presidential debate that "Joe just needs to be Joe."
Last night, Joe was Joe. The question is whether Vice President Biden was effective in convincing undecided voters to favor the Democratic ticket. This morning, Democrats argue that Vice President Biden reinvigorated their base, which was left startled by the President's debut performance against Governor Mitt Romney. But Republicans are making hay of the laughs and grins and exasperation that Biden showed during last night's debate in Kentucky.
A CNN/ORC post-debate snap poll suggests that 48 percent of likely voters think Rep. Paul Ryan won the debate last night, while 44 percent give the night to Vice President Biden. CBS News conducted a similar poll of undecided voters and reached a very different conclusion, with 50 percent casting Biden the winner, and only 31 percent saying the same for Ryan.
So, is it a draw? We want to know what the NOW audience thinks, so let us know on the blog,Twitter, or Facebook. Meanwhile, we'll wait to see you at noon ET on NOW when we look at style, substance, and the facts.
PANEL
Franklin Foer, The New Republic (@franklinfoer)
Howard Wolfson, Deputy NYC Mayor/Fmr. Hilary Clinton Adviser (@howiewolf)
Karen Finney, Fmr. DNC Communications Director/msnbc Political Analyst (@finneyk)
Ben Smith, Editor-in-Chief, BuzzFeed (@buzzfeedben)
GUESTS
James Lipton, Host, Bravo’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio”
UP NOW
Chris Hayes, msnbc Host, “UP” (@chrislhayes)