Join To The Point and special guests throughout the VP debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. October 11, 2012 at 9pm Eastern Time.
Bye!
"According to Pew Research Center, 40-percent of registered voters say Ryan will outperform Biden, while 34-percent expect Vice President Biden to do better."
Predictions as we anticipate the veep debate!?
I saw that poll - I can't say that I have any specific predictions about what's going to happen. And I simultaneously hope that Joe Biden will be aggressive, but not too aggressive.
Or to put it less eloquently...
I'm nervous for Joe Biden like a mom is nervous for her son before his pee-wee football game. DO A GOOD JOB! DON'T GET HURT!
This is Katie Cooper, chatting as "To The Point" tonight. Go Ryan! Go Biden!
Hi folks, just making sure that I am down with this branch.
Biden is the underdog. Let's hope he remembers to refer to Ryan as Congressman.
Thanks for joining us, Wayne.
Glad to be here, Gary. Should be fun.
Betsey, I never try to predict debates. They are so unpredictable. Joe should be glad that he is the underdog.
Sup Katie?
Wayne -- I'm grabbing an ice cream sandwich. So happy to you have aboard.
Is Benghazi the first Q?
This moderator is pretty up on her for. policy.
They will be sitting. That's good for Uncle Joe. Ryan is the fitter of the two.:)
I'm here. My 2 year old will help with comments if I get confused.
Love it. It's old-time Dan Rather.
Paul Begala, on CNN, says Ryan and Biden are "nervous as a hooker in church."
Biden's giant smile leaves his face
Biden wins the coin toss, elects to receive.
Biden: but enough about Libya, let's talk about ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES MARTHA.
Hi @Genemaddaus, Hi @fieldnegro (Wayne), hi @tothepoint_kcrw (Katie) , Hi @jstrevino Welcome all!
You'd never know this same Joe Biden argued against the bin Laden raid.
Ryan is doing what Pres Obama did.He was looking down and writing.
Ryan: Welcome, Stephanie Cutter, to the debates!
wait, let's go back to Benghazi.
Actually Paul, there is a CIA house next to that embassy.
It was Stephanie's not very good day.
I don't think Biden should be laughing here...
Calling it now: Paul Ryan's been over-coached.
Biden loaded for bear.
Biden appeals to widely discredited media spin on Libya as a referee.
Hello, all!
Biden isn't lying here, once you understand he thinks DailyKos is the "intelligence community."
Listen, intelligence community, you really let Joe Biden down.
"Let me tell you something: the anniversary of 9/11 happens at the same time every year."
Martha's got a great handle on this conversation.
Martha Raddatz is Jim Lehrer if Jim Lehrer is your mom and she's seen your mediocre report card.
Andrew Sulliivan not panicking yet. @SullyPanic is a total mess though.
touche Josh!
made it
These two aren't the guys to debate foreign policy. One isn't a foreign-policy expert, and the other doesn't know there are other countries.
i'm tempted to research the history of sanctions
Josh, which one is which?
Joe Biden says the sanctions against Iran are the most crippling ever. Iraq and Germany sulk.
Drinking every time they say "sanctions" or "intelligence community." #debates #itsgonnabealongnight
If you just joined us, he's not talking about BB King
No Bibi is my friend
Biden now claims he's been friends with Bibi Netanyahu since 1973.
I'm also doing a "malarkey" count. So far: 2.
Paul Ryan has done P90X with Bibi since 1984!
Ok, Obama was having too little fun, and now Biden is having TOO much fun.
Bibi Netanyahu was 24 in 1973, when Biden says their friendship formed, leading commando teams into Syria.
Umm... I think Biden thinks he's supposed to debate both of them.
Now, I'm not saying Joe Biden DIDN'T accompany Israeli commandos in the Yom Kippur War.
ZING!
Here's a recent To the Point that talks all about Iran... kcrw.com
Raddatz: Let's talk about something you might actually know something about.
I hope Biden goes down in history as 'the mood swing Vice President'
Biden showing Obama how it's done.
One of Al Sharpton's producers told me they prep him by printing out left-wing blog posts. I get the feeling Biden had the same prep.
Ryan: I will now hit you with your hometown, Joe. In the face.
This is from KCRW listener Joe Bowling...
This president doesn't bluff, Eddie Munster. #FactsMatter #vpdebate #KCRW
I'm actually from Scranton, too. Nice to get a non-The Office shoutout every now and then.
That monologue from Biden was possibly the best debate answer of the year. "It's about time they take some responsibility."
Point. Ryan.
"I think Vice President well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way." "I say what I mean!"
Hello, everyone. The two hours it took to drive 17 miles has me ready for a debate. This one is slightly less sleepy than the last, eh?
ANNNNNNNNNNNND it's personal story time!
Hi, it's Joe. Glad to be with you for this conversation.
HI Gary! Hi Joe! Welcome.
And it's also time for Biden to, I don't know, whisper-talk?
Was easier to tweet the last debate because it was easier not to pay attention. #vpdebate
Now we arrive at the point at which the man who's been Number Two in the Executive Branch for four years blames George W. Bush.
Hi everyone. This is WAY livelier than last week!
Ryan referenced his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, but it's not the small town he describes. bit.ly/OKLCWl
Hi Anna! Now we have a chat party.
Wondering how that grin on Ryan's face plays when he's watching Biden. Looks condescending, like he's looking at crazy, amusing uncle.
I just can't listen to Paul Ryan talk w/o hearing The Malcolm in the Middle theme song in my head. #vpdebate
calling Michael Grunwald
Biden deploys a tu quoque like a past master.
@joemmathews Joe interrupting like an amusing uncle, too.
Pen pals!
Penpals
uh oh. entitlements. into the weeds?
Evan -- Jinx... or a 4th grade writing lesson
Social Security going bankrupt is indisputable?
Medicare ... will Biden manage to push Ryan into the weeds?
And Michael Grunwald, author of bestselling new book about the stimulus bill, The New, New Deal, will be in LA tomorrow night, 6 pm at Grand Park in downtown LA. Free event.
Who wants to argue Sarah Palin did better against this guy? I know one of you does.
sounds familiar?? your convention speech??
Social Security is nowhere near close to bankruptcy. It's in very good shape, actually. Medicare is the program that's in trouble.
Ryan left out the vivid image of his mother on the bus on the way to work
DEATH PANELS!
Somebody needs to tell Joe Biden that exasperated sighs and harrumphs don't count as a rebuttal.
Joe Biden trying to win with smile.
Creepy grins are to TV what shuffling papers are to radio
How is Biden's drinking face playing?
I guess Biden's smile is better than looking like he's asleep, though? Maybe? Maybe not?
Sarah Palin talked about death panels in '08 debate? don't remember that
broad first impression: both of these guys are doing pretty well. Both more compelling, interesting to watch than Romney or Obama.
Joe, I totally agree. And I think they both have more interesting faces.
Ryan's "putting hand into Medicare cookie jar" to fund Obamacare is pure nonsense.
Two Irishmen, this is great!
Martha! They're arguing!
True story: I have a cousin who's a doctor in San Francisco, and he's 100% pro-Obamacare.
Ryan isn't used to being interupted
Before the cock crows, Joe Biden will deny Ron Wyden three times.
The senior cam is right in the middle
I love Uncle Joe's facial expressions.
Did Joe Biden just say "buh buh buh" during a debate? I'm totally using that.
biden should turn to Ryan on Medicare and say something like: "You know, you Republicans are so curious about where my boss was born. When I hear you talk about Medicare, I wonder: what planet are you living on?"
Nobody is proposing vouchers? Umm
"voucher plan". Obama didn't hammer at it.
Gonna go out on a limb here and say most viewers aren't following this discussion at all.
Josh- way less wonky than the last debate though
Is this the biggest age difference between vp candidates? This is Silent Generation vs. Gen X -- an entire generation between.
Paul Ryan puppy dog eyes!
What is the age spread?
Biden is really starting to gain the upper hand on this Medicare-Social Security stuff. Just killing Ryan.
CNN's undecided voters don't appear to like VP Biden going after Rep. Ryan.
One fact consist with first debate: Democrats talk more.
Biden needs to slow down on the scripted stuff like this tax thing. He's going too fast.
Trying to imagine how non-college white women in Ohio are viewing this, cuz that's who matters.
Gary, undecided, independent voters don't vote very often. I'd love to see someone track how many of the people in one of those CNN spreads actually turn in a ballot. I'd guess it's less than one third.
Forty-five minutes in, the Veep's decision to have Kanye West do debate prep looks like genius.
But but but Paul, we tried trickle down before.
Paul Ryan with the monster bro-shout to the middle class.
this is a good moment for Ryan, on taxes, small businesses. He's calmer, speaking more slowly. Pols tend to be good on things they actually care about. Just talking.
#blamecanada
Good gosh, Joe Biden just literally LOLed. One heartbeat from the Presidency: a stock character from "Freaks and Geeks."
yes or no questions come out
Yes, Going scripted is not Biden's thing.
Ryan is implausible when he says, we want big bipartisan agreements... Moderator is also hurting him with push for specifics.
Six out of seven studies say the math works out and that you should brush with Colgate!
perfect image twitter.com
I've seen folks who mixed nitrous with bong hits who didn't laugh as much as Biden has tonight.
Biden is right: it's not mathematically impossible. And it hasn't been done before.
I never realized how amazing this man's teeth are. I haven't had this feeling of reverence since seeing the Zambezi Gorge.
no -- you're no Jack Kennedy!!
And we have our sound bite of the night. Biden "Now you're Jack Kennedy."
Mathematical disagreement!
"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"
Zzzzzzz. Paul watch the wonky stuff.
I wonder if Paul hates it that Biden has called him "my friend" a few times. I guess it's better than "this little guy."
It's going to be difficult to get Biden sound bites that don't reference "Martha" in his answers
I meant to write "Ryan" instead of "Paul." His fault for having two first names.
moderator keeps cutting off Biden. Biden keeps cutting off Ryan... not sure it's fair, but it's a fun dynamic. Nicely paced debate.
In fairness, Joe interrupts all spoken word this way: radio, movies, Speak-n-Spell, et cetera.
If my Irish grandma debated 1980s-era Crispin Glover, it would look a little bit like this.
So, Martha Raddatz is on a particular side.
Trigger defense cuts, "no one wants that," Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is screaming at the TV somewhere.
More has been said about Afghanistan already with one question than convention speeches.
Did Drudge ever figure out what kind of gift Obama gave at Raddatz's wedding?
Hi, it's Ted. Thanks for having me.
Journey back with me into the mists of time, like ten hours ago, when it was totally outrageous to suggest Ms Raddatz mightn't be impartial.
Both men come off as likeable to their own side. Thus far, Joe is pumping blood back into his lifeless campaign.
Ryan's best moments are when he praises others, or comes kind. The line to Biden about understanding that things don't come out right. The nod to Biden's son Beau. The nod to the moderator's time covering war. Of course, you don't get to this point by the age of 42 without knowing how to sound good sucking up.
This Afghanistan 2014 stuff does neither side credit.
Repetition by ryan: "absolute unraveling of the Obama foreign policy."
What's amazing to me is how these presidential debate used to be so carefully managed --- and that used to be a big criticism of them. But Biden has thrown out the rules and doesn't care. He just goes ahead and crosstalks. It'll be interesting to see if Obama or Romney does this to each other next week.
Biden has succeeded in talking Andrew Sullivan off the ledge: "He seems like the elder statesman but also a pitbull."
"Hear me!" #bidenisms
Ted, do you think cross-talking works better in the sit-down format? Would it come off as more rude at podiums 20 feet away?
Hi Ted! Thanks for being here!
@tedstew -- Crosstalking yes, but off-message no. Biden's in his element when he's not ad libbing. Both doing a good job of staying on script.
Oh, Joe, being rude to Martha after all she's done for you this evening.
I love how Biden is even debating Martha Raddatz.
If this is handled right, Joe can be worked up into debating a houseplant by the end of this.
Do we have time for immigration? abortion?
Complaining about the moderator = the new first stage of grief.
Ryan looks like he might just get up and slink away while Biden yells at Raddatz.
the Bi-partisan calendar year
breakthrough phrase of this debate: fighting season.
Biden furrows his brow, thinking, "Zabul? It's KABUL. Wait, is it Kabul?"
They'll just agree to disagree on that Afghanistan thing.
the public service of this debate is all this detailed back and forth over foreign policy: Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. More in this debate than in the rest of the campaign combined.
Here's a comment from one of our Facebook listeners:
Luis F. Alonso says "Joe Biden is busting a Bill O'Reilly on Ryan. This debate is almost as crazy and intense as Fox News. Give it to him Joe!"
Absolutely foreign relations are important, but can we talk about things that might affect the insides of my own body?
"SHUT UP AND LET THE ADULTS TALK!" - Biden to Ryan in about two minutes
And Ben Smith calls it for Biden. buzzfeed.com
I still want to hear about Joe Biden's close friendship with 24-year old Israeli commando Benjamin Netanyahu. That's interesting!
noting the same as Chuck
The Twitter liberals I follow seem incredibly fired up about Biden; the Twitter conservatives I follow, seem incredibly fired up about Biden
Biden scoring points on war, but not making point clear enough. Needs to be boiled down: A vote for Republicans is a vote for more war.
Bottom line on this debate: whatever side you're on, it's Joe Biden you'll be talking about tomorrow. Score that as you will.
Joe looked relieved to not have to answer that q first
I like the Ryan Gen X sideways eye roll thing. I do that eye roll. But it does not translate at this level.
I notice via Twitter that some see Ryan as calling for withdrawal from Afghanistan while others seen him as saying they will stay.
and now he's relieved he didn't have to answer period
Not enough light between Romney and Obama on Syria to give Ryan anything to draw a decisive contrast for audience.
two Catholics; Martha is rocking this.
@Rachel - this might get to that body parts question
Bean is the nickname of almost every little baby. Point, Paul.
Hang on, I thought separation of church and state was a thing
Frances Bean Cobain? Finally, Ryan and Courtney Love find common ground.
Suddenly, Paul Ryan finds his moral center with a moving monologue on life.
Biden: like most liberal Catholics, I don't have the courage of my convictions in the public square.
Hey guys remember Roe v. Wade?
Paul Ryan gazing upon Biden with a look that says, "Praying for you bro, but I think you're heading for that spot where 1960s Jesuits go."
Tell me about your faith = tell me what you think about abortion.
Rachel-- there you go!!
Bork! Oh snap. Biden's still slapping him around?
Scalia, or one of those other ones
Remember, Paul Ryan on abortion is in the American majority: gallup.com
I'm frightened by Ryan's statement that you can't separate your private life and belief from public. Every public official must do that separation, which is essence of public service... Hoping it's just careless rhetoric.
@ToThePoint_KCRW Yeah!! I mean, totally disagree with what Paul Ryan said but hey we got there!
Both men gave good answers on the abortion issue. Always a tough one for a politician.
How would a waitress in Toledo like those answers? Cuz she's who matters.
Now back to fighting, war and guns. Worth noting though that sure sounded like Ryan hoping for Roe to be overruled.
Ryan shoulda started with this line of attack.
And if the waitress in Toledo wanted to hear an answer about immigration, she might not be too happy.
Biden's shift in tone probably helps him get his point across to what was a very poignant story from Ryan.
I still can't get over the fact that Romney has said that on the issue of the abortion, "We'll let the courts decide." But they did, in 1973. I care now because it directly affects me, but I don't know why we're talking about this in 2012.
On the issue of abortion*
Fired up = typos!
Now, the biggest challenge of the debate. Getting Biden to wrap it up.
The waitress in Toldeo matters, but I think the word "women" has been uttered less than 3 times in the last hour and a half.
Biden not going to let that 47 percent number go after Obama failed to reference it once.
ryan good moment on various Obama promises that weren't met. But too few of them.
Ryan thanks Biden for the debate; Biden looks momentarily confused. QUERY: activate smirk routine?
I just yelled "NO YOU'RE NOT!" at my TV.
I'll wait wait to see, but I think we're going to be hearing some reminders about how the president nominates the Sup Ct justices.
Biden pretty effective at making Ryan look small. The fact checkers will have a field day with both, and will be ignored.
Smart ending for Ryan, pitching the "real recovery."
Founding principles ... same way Ryan closed his convention speech.
Table beats podium in debate
This was a true political debate. Wolf Blitzer declares it "a draw," which means that it's very unlikely that it was a draw. #shhhwolf
Chris Matthews just called it a "clear victory for Joe Biden" #predictable
I now judge who won any given debate by how much Chris Matthews looks like he's about to explode. Tonight, looks unlikely to explode.
Ryan factually superior throughout, but that ain't how these things are scored.
Wonder what Biden was saying to Ryan's wife?
Fox cut quickly to anchors on camera but CNN's and MSNBC's camera on the post-debate chatter was far cooler
Biden's wrapup is much more personal, while Ryan's is more of a recitation of his stump speech.
Well ladies and gentlemen, I will answer Ms Raddatz's question and say that as a man, I bid you good evening.
David Brooks sorrowfully reports that neither one will get us beyond the partisan divide.
g'night Josh
Thanks Josh. Thanks everyone for weighing in!
This debate was much more conversational in tone than any I have seen of all general election debates --- getting close to the kind you would expect in the primaries. It was actually entertaining, but it seemed to play most to people who already support them rather than undecideds.
Well, now that that's over with, I can start being incredibly nervous for Obama in his upcoming debates.
agree Ted -- was not a clockwatcher
Brit is mad about the smirking. says Biden looked like a cranky old man.
I think we're done, but I could keep talking all night. ok. I'm going to go.
Biden helped his boss. Ryan didn't hurt his boss. And CNN analysis makes me queasy.
Good night all.
Goodnight everyone! Let's do it again sometime!
Good night all and thanks for joining us!
Thank you for having me.
