Vice Presidential Debate 2012

Contrary to the Presidential Debate last week, the debate between Vice President Biden and Congressman Ryan struggled to name a clear winner. However, if one had to be chosen, most sources say that Vice President Joe Biden was the victor. The style of this debate was polar opposite to the Presidential Debate we saw just a week ago: both candidates were seated and the tone was much more combative. Now I don't believe that either of these characteristics are inherently negative, but I did not "enjoy" this debate nearly as much as President Obama versus Governor Romney. Whether it was through masking laughs (or in Biden's case, outright laughing), interruptions, or consistently fact checking the other candidate, it was clear that these two men had no intentions of playing clean tonight. Biden had some serious work to do following his boss's performance in convincing America that the two really do want to be reelected this November, and Ryan was expected to continue the energy and solid performance of Governor Romney.

In my opinion, I found the moderator to be biased in favor of Joe Biden. After asking around, I received mixed opinions. Political party affiliation had no effect on opinions, so I can only conclude that it depends on the person. I saw a woman who worded questions in favor of Biden and often challenged Ryan on what he was saying. She continually pressed for more information, which in many people's opinion made her a great moderator. In mine, however, I saw it as helping Biden in making his points. Biden received many comments about his performance, and most of the negative ones referenced his constant interruption and blatant laughing at Ryan. Despite his etiquette, Biden was still named the winner by most sources.

One of the last topics discussed was defense and foreign policy. Each candidate has clearly different views on what America should be doing abroad. Having grown up in a strong military family, I have the upmost appreciation for our troops. I would love a world in which everyone got along and war wasn't a concern, but that won't happen in this lifetime. Having accepted that fact, I strongly believe in having an equipped military. I find it hard to justify backing out of every operation abroad when on September 11, 2012 we experienced a terrorist attack in Libya. It's clear through the increasing attacks, protests, and crimes towards the United States of America that was are not every country's friend and still have very real enemies in this world. Better safe than sorry.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's second Presidential Debate as it will focus much on foreign policy. I am eager to hear both sides' opinions, but almost more eager to see the energy and attitude that President Obama will bring following his poor prior performance. I highly doubt that President Obama will let Governor Romney walk away with another victory so easily. I am expecting (and hoping) for a much more engaging debate tomorrow evening.