Vice Presidential Debate Conversations Could Change Election

image
Author: Terri Harel
Published: 12 Oct, 2012
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
2 min read
Photo credit: Charlie Neibergall(AP)

Thursday's vice presidential debate got off to a heavy start, with moderator Martha Raddatz's first question posing the recent Libyan turmoil at the US embassy. The debate did not slow down from there. Social media was afire with vice presidential debate conversations and many media sources provided a play-by-play fact check of the candidate's claims.

Biden was vivacious and, at times, vicious in his remarks.  No doubt, this is the Obama camp's response to the President's listlessness in the first debate. Paul Ryan, who is a new comer to the national stage, seemed much more composed and fiesty than Biden and delivered his answers methodically rather than passionately.

Most publications and TV networks were reporting a "draw," although University of Wisconsin communications professor Kathryn Olson told Reuters that Biden dominated the conversation and commanded the debate.

The vice presidential debate certainly served as an entertaining confrontation, especially compared with the uncomfortable bout between Romney and Obama last week.  However, the vice presidential candidates did not cover questions with any more depth than their running partners.

Vice President Biden offered a substantial amount of detail in his responses on Medicare, foreign affairs, and the budget, and served well to highlight his extensive experience in public office, but still seemed easily distracted from his point. Ryan seemed more rehearsed and rigid in his answers, often firmly repeating his answers despite the moderator's request for ellaboration. Yet, both candidates threw out personal bait to their audience, in an irrelevant cry for emotional appeal on each issue.

No novel political tactics were at play here, but the candidates' performance was surprising, surely entertaining, and offered an enticing preview of the next presidential debate. If anything, the debate furthers the interesting developments in social media and journalism. Voters have, at their fingertips, an unprecedented amount of discourse to participate in and information available to research.  The incredible impacts of these conversations on this presidential race are already being felt, and with an eye towards future of electoral processes, will be imperative to track.

Let us know what you think! Did the vice presidential debate matter? Did it change your vote?

Some additional fact check resources:

IVP Donate

CNN

New York Daily News

Politico

FactCheck.org

Tweets by @JoeBidenTweets by @PaulRyanVP

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read