Biden's in-your-face debate style: Just "Joe being Joe"?

Rick Wilkins

When President Obama said that "Joe just needs to be Joe" in the vice presidential debate, he may have been expecting the forthrightness and populist appeal Vice President Joe Biden delivered Thursday night. He may not have expected so many snarky smiles or eyerolls.

While his debate against Republican Paul Ryan was substantive, it was Biden's animated attitude that stole the headlines. For those who are familiar with the vice president's style, his aggressive posturing wasn't a surprise. But the snickers and grimaces that punctuated his performance broadcast the pressure he was under to win back the momentum from the Romney-Ryan campaign.

Ultimately, Biden's performance is unlikely to move the race that much: Democrats called his performance bold and inspiring while Republicans dismissed it as boorish and off-putting. Those in the middle are simply unlikely to pick a side based on the vice presidential debate.

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Biden, Ryan go head-to-head in VP debate

In the immediate aftermath, it appears that Biden's aggression may have helped him more than hit hurt him: A CBS News instant poll of uncommitted voters showed that 50 percent considered Biden the winner of the debate while 31 percent called Ryan the winner.

Democrats, of course, wholeheartedly agreed.

"Tonight Democrats got the show they wanted -- and President Obama may have gotten the boost he needed," Jonathan Cohn wrote at the left-leaning New Republic after the debate. Biden, he said, "gave one of the most aggressive, passionate, and substantive debate performances I can recall." He acknowledged that Biden interrupted Ryan frequently and was "at times openly dismissive of Ryan." Still, Cohn swooned, "Oh, Biden had some great liners."

Liberal MSNBC blogger Steve Benen concluded, "Ryan was simply overpowered -- where Biden was on the offensive; Ryan was on the defensive. Where Biden was direct; Ryan was evasive. Where Biden was confident; Ryan was in over his head."

Republicans, meanwhile, charged that if Biden "won" the debate, he did so by acting like a bully.

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[Jayjaybe]

Evidently, it smarts when someone makes fun of ridiculous fiction. That's what VP Biden was doing. The concoctions that Rep. Ryan was peddling are fraudulent on their face. There's no respect due to such blatant reality distortion.

[walkthetalk]

I don't like Joe it always me mad when i see a guy in that high office with I.Q. 79 points below mine,and my teacher said that i was limited.

[skithebumps]

Joe Biden reminded me of one of those old uncles we all have who always show up at the family parties and proceed to drink more than he should and then make everyone a bit uncomfortable by leering and laughing too much at his won private jokes.
Uncle Joe should not be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

[JV1970]

My mother nearly broke one of that types' jaw once for making jokes and hateful remarks about a cousin of mine. She didn't hit him, though, but she was sure tempted!

He was married to one of my mother's stepsisters and NOBODY liked the guy!

My grandpa said that many times he wanted to throw him out of the house but didn't out of love and respect for his wife. We tolerated him until one day his wife had the good sense to kick him out and divorce him and he was out of our lives.

[matt6052]

The debate highlighted another narrative to Biden that often goes unsaid. Biden won election to the senate at a young age from a small, safe state. He has served many, many terms in the senate. His close proximity to his small constituency permitted him to amass a political base that made him senator for life. Joe just being Joe is the outcome of the senate's version of too big to fail. There's virtually nothing Biden could have said or done through the years that would have cost him his senate seat. He has been a perennial candidate for president and secretary of state too. The happy warrior some describe him to be is really just the result of no competition and an easy political life.

[USSAmerikan]

If Obama wins, he will make the list of things/people I pray for. I would not want anything to happen to Barry Soetoro, AKA Barack Hussein Obama and risk the chance of crazy Joe taking the big office.

[Jose1a2b3c]

You mean annual trillion dollar deficits, "change" in the Wall Street conducts business or Healthcare which will put 15% of all small businesses, out of business?

We can look forward to a smaller military in the face of an ever-increasing Chinese military, a constant threat in the middle east, a resurgence of the Taliban and Al-Quaida (sp?)

The next four years will see, should Obama win, the fall of the US as a Superpower replaced by the Chinese Communist Regime....Go Obama!!! sheesh

[EugeneCoetzee]

aka choom gang

[Kraven1]

I have always known that whenever you hear the comment that that's just somebody being somebody in this case "that's just Joe being Joe" really means that its really that the person is an A$$hole.. In this case substitute "that's just Joe being Joe" for "Joe is an A$$hole" and the picture is complete

[tweaver1945]

Mr. BiteMe's pearly whites and manical cackling were entertaining; however, the fact checkers say that the rooster laid 17 big eggs. While as, Ryan, demonstrated a plan to extricate the nation from Obummer's mess.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Dear Fellow Americans,

It is much easier to destroy something than to repair/restore it.

Republicans along with Bush/Cheney destroyed the country and looted our treasury. They block legislation to make corporations, big oil, big pharma and the super rich pay their fair share to restore revenue. They want you to replace President Obama with Romney as they continue fight and block anything to help struggling Americans and revive the economy.

Republican behavior is nothing short of treasonous including their bogus voter I.D. laws designed to strip voters including longtime voters of their right to vote by making it unreasonably difficult to obtain the added paperwork new I.D. laws require to vote. That alone is reason enough not to vote for the republican party which has thrown our constitution in the trash. In fact republicans have more allegiance to the GOP and Grover Norquist than our constitution.

[angusbeef]

Absolute rubbish. I have to show my ID for a hundred other things I do in a given day; why shouldn't something as important as voting require the same?

How has Obama been all the different than Bush? Gitmo closed? Nope. Wars ended? Nope. Surplus? Nope. Spent more in four years than Bush's eight? Yup. Fewer employed now than four years ago? Yup.

[AOCGUY]

POST-AWAY says: ENOUGHOFZEROBAMA replies: linkiconreporticonemailiconThe truth should bug you WASTING-AWAY, joe biden 5 draft deferments and obama zero of military service really shows their commitments to the country.
joe should should asked his son what it is like to sacrifice for the country and relay it to barack so he will know.
Back to BSNBC for more programming.......
==================================================
Dearest Uninformed One:
Your hero, Mittens Romney dodged the Vietnam draft.
Those who live in glass houses (even if YOUR "house" happens to
be in a trailer park) should not throw stones.


OK Both you need to grow up. Having a draft deferment (Biden and Romney) is not "dodging" the draft. I had one when I was in college and the went on to serve 28 years including multiple tours in combat. Nor could Obama or Ryan dodge the draft as there was no draft by the time they came of age nor is military service a prerequisite to serving as President.

[AOCGUY]

Of course it was Joe being Joe. It was also Paul being Paul. Really a stupid discussion.