Opinions of Biden low before VP debate

When he takes the stage in the one and only vice presidential debate on Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden will have to overcome low public opinion ratings and low expectations.

Just 39 percent of voters have a positive view of Biden, according to a new Pew Research Center poll, while 51 percent have a negative view. By comparison, 44 percent have a favorable view of Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, while 40 percent have a negative view. The poll was conducted Oct. 4-7.

Similarly, Pew found last month that when asked for one word to describe Biden, nearly four in 10 gave negative responses like "idiot."

The vice president's favorability rating is lower than it was four years ago, ahead of his debate with then-VP candidate Sarah Palin. In late September 2008, 53 percent of voters had a positive view of Biden. Palin's favorability rating at the time, which stood at 51 percent, was higher than Ryan's now.

In a separate poll, Pew found that more voters (40 percent) expect Ryan to do a better job in Thursday's debate than Biden (34 percent).

The low expectations may serve Biden well -- candidates typically lower expectations ahead of a debate so their performances receive gentler reviews. Ahead of the first presidential debate last week, voters were more likely to say that President Obama would win, but after the debate, more said that Mitt Romney won.

It's up to Ryan this week to keep up the GOP ticket's momentum, but he's cautioned that he expects Biden to come at him "like a cannonball."

[communitybuzz]

It's a shame when our Vice President acts and sounds like a used car salesman. Way to go JOE.

[SamEe14]

Joe did a great job, and Ryan debated well too (considering his youth), so don't be so negative.

[AOCGUY]

The fact that Biden is gaffe prone (hardly a unique trait among politicians) does not mean he is stupid nor incompetant. Quite the contrary he his smart and capable as indictaed by his longevity in DC.

Low expectations actually place the onus on Ryan. Ryan beats Biden, no change in expectation, however should Biden beat Ryan - wow, the GOP's collective heads will explode. Not that would be much of an explosion but we all will hear the pop.

[SamEe14]

I for one knew that the Old Lion would come through, especially when debating the Young Pit Viper.

[sharkboy234]

JOE BIDEN STAND UP STRAIGHT WIN! THE VP DEBATE!

[eroteme2]

Two potential 2012 vice pesidents 'debate'. They will have little or no influence if their president wins election. As an example, what did Biden accomplish during the past four years, he had no failures, no successes, he was not part of the picture, nor shold he have been. His problem is when he opens his mouth he has no control of what will come out, his handlers must explain what he meant to say. That might be a problem in his 'debate' with Ryan but he will have receieved counseling and coaching how to keep himself in line. Ryan can get caught up with justifying what he might say, has never been in such a situation before, he will learn what he should have said after the 'debate' is over. And is normally the case it is an opportunity for the moderator to shine, who believes and other believe he or she is the 'star' bringing intelligence to the 'debate'.

[gripp13]

Joe Biden is an idiot that has never done anything worth-while in his life ! He and obami will go down in history as the worst ever !!

[michaelbw]

Biden would be WAY better off on so many levels if he would just occasionally THINK before he opens his mouth so he doesn't end up stuffing his own foot in it! I'm frankly expecting Ryan to eat Biden for lunch at the debate tomorrow night because, as whacky and extremist as his ideas are, he's also a very articulate guy and manages to know when to say what, unlike the Veep. So my expectations are not only LOW of Biden, they're non-existent, at least in this arena. As a positive, he had the good taste and sense to marry wonderful Jill, whom I adore, and bring a couple of gorgeous and hunky sons like Beau (yum!) into the world with her. Nevertheless...

[Mac_Mc]

BO and the libs/dems may end up learning the hard way that repeatedly calling Romney and Ryan liars might come back to haunt them, what comes around goes around, like someone already said: pot? kettle?
The Dems main strategy seems to be, to demonize those rich, greedy, corrupt, Republican "liars" and hope some of it sticks. The problem I have with that is, Romney and Ryan just don't strike me as being all that dishonest or "evil". ( I guess I must just be really naive ;) )
Rather then telling us what horrible liars Romney and Ryan are, why don't BO, Biden and the rest of the libs/dems tell us how you plan to create new jobs, lower the deficit, and fix the ecomony? But then you can't do that because, the plans you've tried already failed and there is no other plan in the works.
So it's back to strategy #1., bash and blame those lying/evil Republicans for all your failures. ;)

[SamEe14]

What about those rigged polls and the worldwide liberal-communist conspiracy?

[kevcl6750]

Biden was the one that told a black audience They gonna put y'all back in chains ! Kind of ironic since the Democratic party is the most racist in US history ! Democrats were the party of segregation, slavery, the KKK, and socialism. The Democrats opposed EVERY civil rights piece of legislation since Lincoln freed the slaves ! Why do you think MLK was a REPUBLICAN???

[wiscbeachbum]

The "current" Republican party is a far cry from the same Republican party of as close as 20 yrs ago. I guess it's easy to go with the flow. Even though I am a Democrat it doesn't mean that I have never voted for a Republican or Independent. (which I have several times) It used to be about what they believed, and their record. Now, seems that being a YES man is all Romney is, and that is a very scary thought when dealing with foreign policy.

[signseeker1717]

It took two DEMOCRATIC Presidents, JFK and LBJ, to push for and ultimately win Civil Rights legislation. You are thinking of conservative southern Democrats called "Dixiecrats" (who eventually left the party and became Republicans) who were associated with the racial bigotry you speak of.

Dr. King was NOT a Republican. He critiqued BOTH parties' performance on promoting racial equality:

"Actually, the Negro has been betrayed by both the Republican and the Democratic party. The Democrats have betrayed him by capitulating to the whims and caprices of the Southern Dixiecrats. The Republicans have betrayed him by capitulating to the blatant hypocrisy of reactionary right wing northern Republicans. And this coalition of southern Dixiecrats and right wing reactionary northern Republicans defeats every bill and every move towards liberal legislation in the area of civil rights."

King never publicly supported a political party or candidate for president, but in a letter to a civil rights supporter in October 1956 he did say he was undecided as to whether he would vote for Adlai Stevenson or Dwight Eisenhower, but that "In the past I always voted the Democratic ticket."

In his autobiography, King says that in 1960 he privately voted for Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy: "I felt that Kennedy would make the best president. I never came out with an endorsement. My father did, but I never made one." King adds that he likely would have made an exception to his non-endorsement policy in 1964, saying "Had President Kennedy lived, I would probably have endorsed him in 1964."

(From The Papers of Martin Luther King)

http://books.google.com/books?id=qW-NYdIefPgC&pg=PA84#v=onepage&q&f=false

[kevcl6750]

Biden was the one that told a black audience They gonna put y'all back in chains ! Kind of ironic since the Democratic party is the most racist in US history ! Democrats were the party of segregation, slavery, the KKK, and socialism. The Democrats opposed EVERY civil rights piece of legislation since Lincoln freed the slaves ! Why do you think MLK was a REPUBLICAN???

[Rod_Smith]

"candidates typically lower expectations ahead of a debate so their performances receive gentler reviews. Ahead of the first presidential debate last week, voters were more likely to say that President Obama would win"

So that's why everybody from Obama on down was talking down the expectations for Obama's performance at the debate. I don't think it'll work for Biden any better; he's a bigger buffoon than Obama.