VP debate: Did Joe Biden win?

Everyone agrees that Biden's debate performance topped President Obama's. But did the veep beat Paul Ryan?

Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) shake hands after their debate: Though most people believe Biden dominated the conversation, there
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Obama lost big in last week's debate against GOP challenger Mitt Romney. But after Thursday night's face-off between Vice President Joe Biden and Romney's No. 2, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), says Daniel Politi at Slate, "the only thing everyone seems to be able to agree on without equivocation is that Biden did better than Obama" — and that, for better or worse (depending on your partisan lean), Biden was dominant in Thursday's debate. MSNBC declared Biden the winner, Fox News declared him a boorish and condescending loser, and CNN's Wolf Blitzer scored it a draw. Even with the "its a tie" crowd, though, says Politi, "if you read a bit between the lines, the consensus seemed to see a Biden victory." In a media environment where "winning" seems to move polls, did Biden score a run for Team Obama?

Biden killed it: On almost every topic, "Biden was on the offensive and owned the conversation," says Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo. "I don't think it was close." He nailed Ryan on Romney's mathematically impossible tax plan, "47 percent" flub, foreign policy — basically, "he hit Romney really everywhere Democrats wanted him to." Ryan clearly believed the Right's caricature of Biden as "some sort of Crazy Irish Uncle, gaffetastic, and corny," and he paid the price. "After the debate ended, Republicans were calling it a draw and Democrats were calling it a strong win for Biden. That tells you all you need to know."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us