By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The much older Joe Biden (D) debated Paul Ryan (R) on Thursday. The incumbent Vice President seemed supremely determined not to make the same mistakes that his boss did last week in the first debate where a disinterested President Obama let a energized Mitt Romney dominate the dialogue according to many observers. The question for many in the post-debate analysis is: did Joe Biden go too far? The Twitter world was full of comments about the debate Thursday night. The big topic for most commentators was Vice President Biden’s behavior.
Former Bush Administration advisor Karl Rover said on Twitter, “Issues we face are no laughing matter. Watching Biden’s unhinged performance tonight, you wouldn’t have known.”
Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (R) from Auburn said on Twitter, “At least Biden’s getting a good laugh out of all of this. The voters who believed in “Hope & Change” aren’t laughing with you, Joe.”
Supply side economic advocate Grover Norquist said on Twitter, “Biden has taken more time than Ryan and whines he doesn’t have enough. He always wants other people’s stuff.”
Fox New’s Chris Wallace: I’ve never seen a candidate as disrespectful as Biden.
Todd Stacy who is the spokesman for Rep. Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery quoted scripture to describe the performance, “”When a wise person debates with a fool, the fool rages and laughs, and there is no peace and quiet.” Proverbs 29:9”
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said on Twitter, “The smirk didn’t work.”
Fox News’s Brit Hume “It was like a cranky old man debating a polite young man.”
State Rep. Jack Williams (R) from Vestavia said, “Biden threw the intelligence community under the bus on Libya – is anything that goes wrong Obama’s fault?”
State Sen. Phil Williams (R) from Rainbow City said, “So Biden revises the story again: Claims that intelligence community told them the video was the cause of Libyan attack…..uh huh….”
Speaker Hubbard said, “Biden wouldn’t want to “impose” on anyone to save an unborn child’s life. He just wants to impose Obamacare, higher taxes, etc.”
State Sen. Phil Williams said, “Biden put on his reverent face then said that he won’t take a stand against abortion because he might offend someone. There’s leadership.”
Karl Rove said, “Apparently raising your voice & pounding the table is what Grimacing Joe does when cornered.”
Speaker Mike Hubbard said, “At least Biden’s getting a good laugh out of all of this. The voters who believed in “Hope & Change” aren’t laughing with you, Joe.”
Sen. Phil Williams said, “As the father of a soldier I am more convinced now than ever that I want a change in the administration!!”
Todd Stacy said, “Just thinking that most Americans don’t want the guy who could, God forbid, have the nuclear codes to be a cackling, overreacting old man.”
According to the AP’s pollster Ryan won this debate 51% to 44%. Most instant polls showed something similar (CBS being the major exception). The real numbers will start coming in the middle of next week when we see if the Vice President debate helped stem the falling poll numbers for team Obama. According to the Real Clear Politics rolling average Romney is leading the President in the national poll numbers 47.1% to 46.4% with 25 days left to the election.
