Last night’s vice presidential debate allowed both sides to declare themselves winners.
“Joe was Joe,” as President Obama hoped for in an interview preceding the debate Thursday. Vice President Joe Biden was aggressive and went after Rep. Paul Ryan on taxes, foreign policy, the economy, and abortion throughout their 90-minute debate in Danville, Ky.
Ryan was on his game as well, inserting zingers of his own every time Biden interrupted him, which was frequently.
Unlike last Wednesday’s presidential debate in Denver, in which most agreed that Mitt Romney held the upper-hand on President Obama, both campaigns declared a victory in what was a spirited and informative debate. The vice presidential debate also delivered on addressing the key issues at hand.
According to a CNN post-debate poll, 48% of likely voters believe Ryan won the debate while 44% said Biden came away with the victory. But a CBS News poll came to an opposite conclusion. Fifty percent of uncommitted voters surveyed after the debate said they believe Biden won the debate, while 31% said Ryan did, and 19% deemed it a tie.
The debate moved quickly, covering a range of topics, as well as allowing for each candidate’s personal style to shine (cue Biden smirking). Biden unprovoked reminded Americans about Mitt Romney’s 47% statement and brought it in during the end of the debate, something which President Obama did not do during the Denver debate.
The attention now moves back to President Obama and Mitt Romney. While the vice presidential debate was clearly one for the history books, next Tuesday’s presidential debate at Hofstra University might help shape those undecided voters’ choices. Let the debate begin as to who can come up to the plate and hit the homerun needed to win the ballgame.