VP Debate Gave a Lift to Obama's Campaign

It’s been a long time since a debate is so entertaining.”* That was, yesterday, one of the most repeated phrases in the American press in general.

The clash between vice presidential candidates, Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan, not only surpassed the one held earlier by their running mates, but both [candidates] also came off well.

At least Biden did what was expected of him: By means of an oratory rehearsed during half a century of political career, he shook Ryan on more than one occasion. But the Republican, who faced this kind of clash for the first time, did not do so badly, and was able to put the Vice President on the ropes more than once.

Maybe that surprised Biden, because one of the things he is reproached for is the tone he used at times. He laughed at Ryan’s arguments heartily, even while he [Ryan] was talking about death and war.

That did not help him and, as the hours went by, he was criticized. “What is this man laughing about?” was one of the phrases repeated on Twitter. “Biden’s smile is out of control,” NBC News’ David Gregory tweeted.

Others, with partisan interests, were scathing about it. One of them was Ari Fleischer, former George W. Bush spokesman, who held that “The contrast between cool Ryan and overbearing Biden really hurts Biden. Biden is too hot — not effective.”

Soon afterwards, the Republican Party formally said that Biden seemed unhinged. “You almost can’t blame Joe Biden for being so unhinged. It must be frustrating to debate when you have a record that is so hard to defend and not a single tangible plan for the second term besides tax hikes,” said the Republican National Committee.

If every debate is remembered by a phrase or a gesture, it is possible that Biden’s nervous laughter has been talked about all night. So much so, that the Democrats were forced to defend it.

But the truth is that both sides left convinced that his man was the winner. “I could not be prouder of him,” said President Barack Obama.

The truth is that Obama could also be grateful: The “number two” contributed to lifting the party’s spirits after the sad part played by the president in the first debate, with Mitt Romney.

Congratulations

The Republican candidate, naturally, congratulated his running mate. He phoned him to stress his “fantastic performance,” according to campaign sources. The question is whether this will help catch undecided voters, and the consensus about this was rather uncertain.

“It is likely that it has served more to ensure the party sympathizers than to win the independent ones,” said Teddy Maloney, analyst in political communication at the University of Pennsylvania.*

They were 90 minutes in which the intensity never decreased. Maybe with the exception of a part in which Biden tried to destroy Ryan and chose to invest long minutes in “lecturing” on the characteristics of Syria as a country.

The truth is that the vice president got mixed up and ended up as a mess. But the most striking thing was that Ryan let it pass. It was, maybe, the least profitable bit of the night.

Biden hit the Republican where it hurts the most: the ghost of the Bush administration. The great recession “came from this man voting to put two wars on a credit card, to at the same time put a prescription drug benefit on the credit card, a trillion-dollar tax cut for the very wealthy,” he said. With that, not only did he remember the heritage of the previous administration, but he also raised the specter of a possible repetition. “The last thing we need now is another war,” he stressed, just in case.

Ryan, who drank water like a camel all night, had his best moments at first, when he attacked Biden regarding the Democratic administration in Libya and the Middle East. “It’s pathetic that they are not capable of defending values without having to apologize for it,” he said.*

With a badge of the American flag twice as big as Biden’s in his lapel, the Republican had one of his best moments in the end, when he stated that “Obama’s administration has more speeches than plans and concrete results.”*

The first polls were disparate. For NBC, Biden won with 50 percent of the votes, while 31 percent chose Ryan and 19 percent talked about a tie. But for CNN, the night settled in a tie.

Very good comments were made by Martha Raddatz, the ABC journalist who was the first woman to moderate a debate of this kind. The truth is that she didn’t let them beat about the bush and she surprised them with her questions that combined values with politics.

There are doubts concerning what real impact this debate has on the intention to vote. In order to discover this, we will have to wait a few days to see the result of the polls. With spirits high, now it is time for the second duel between Obama and Romney, anticipated for next Tuesday.

A Duel Live and Full of Irony

• Vibrant debate

The duel of the Vice Presidential candidates, aggressive and ironic, contrasted with the apathetic debate between Obama and Romney.

• Biden’s show

Biden’s gestures (Democrat), used to dramatically show his consternation, skepticism or delight at the moment Ryan (Republican) was speaking, were one of the most commented points.

• Foreign policy

It was the main axis of the debate. The most controversial points were the attack on the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Ryan criticized the Democratic administration on the Middle East.

*Editor’s note: While accurately translated, these comments could not be independently verified.