Who Won the 2012 Vice Presidential Debate: Joe Biden ate Paul Ryan's Lunch

After President Obama's abomination of a first debate, tonight Joe Biden looks to outgun Republican Paul Ryan. The Democrats are trembling after the first Presidential debate led to catastrophic falls in many polls. Joe Biden is known for dropping careless remarks, a trait that could prove lethal. But Republicans have to wonder about the aptitude of their attack dog as well. 

It would not come as a surprise for some Republican circles to be thinking, "I am excited for Paul Ryan to show us what he's got, but we thought Sarah Palin was a good idea too." Surely, it is hard to imagine tonights Republican contender will fare worse than the atrocity of a candidate that was Sarah Palin. 

However, Ryan's reputation as a brilliant economist and budget hawk is underscored by his voting record. Paul Ryan voted "yea" for the following: the $700 billion bank bailouts, Medicare Part D ( the biggest expansion in Medicare's history) and the auto bailout. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his voting record, it is hardly accurate to characterize Paul Ryan as being keen on the problematic deficit. 

Another caveat: Paul Ryan holds a Bachelor's Degree from Miami University in Ohio. Many people hold Bachelor's degrees in Economics, but do not tote themselves as "economists."

Nevertheless, many dismiss Biden as being too old and John McCain-like. Vice President Joe Biden carries a lot of weight on his shoulder entering this debate. Romney recieved a much-needed bump in his polling numbers after crushing the President, and now is winning the general vote by a slight margin according to Real Clear Politics. This spells pressure for Biden, who some say enters the debate as the underdog. Obama's poor showing not only increased pressure on himself, but his running-mate, too. 

The moderator for the debate will be Martha Raddatz, Senior Foreign Correspondent for ABC News. We can expect some hot topic questions as a result. Let's cross our fingers she's better than Jim Lehrer! 

This is a Live (real-time) blog, that will be updated as the debate progresses. Please bookmark this page and hit refresh for all a mix reaction, analysis, and quotes from students at Wake Forest University!

8:08 pm:

9:04 pm: Biden starts off punching with foreign policy; juxtaposing Obama's views with Romney's, concludes first remarks, "the last thing we need now, is war."

9:08 pm: Paul Ryan: "We should have acted sooner."

"With all due respect that's a bunch of malarky."- Joe Biden

9:17 pm: Thus far, Biden has gone on the offensive. Ryan has left some audience members looking around asking each other what he is talking about...

The foreign policy aspect has kept the tone of the debate quite somber so far. Ryan on Iran: We cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, "the administration has no credibility." Senior Gerard Neely "Does Ryan know what he's talking about?" Ryan claiming to want to avoid war, but advocates to build military. As history demonstrates over and over, further militarization by any country intensifies international tensions and often leads to violent conflict as a result. 

9:20 pm: VP Joe Biden's response to Ryan's accusations of being soft on Iran: "these are the toughest sanctions in the history of sanctions."

9:31 pm: So far, Biden has come across as more relaxed and has called Ryan out on several accounts, including jobs. Ryan continues "Romney is a car guy," which just does not seem to correlate with Mitt Romney's op-ed in the New York Times, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt."

"Sometimes the words don't always get out the right way"-Ryan (raises eyebrows at Biden). Laughs all around!

Biden: "Show me a policy that shows you care about the middle class." This one is gettin' fiesty folks!

9:42 pm: 

9:44 pm: BREAKING: the letter from Paul Ryan in support of, and asking for money from, the Stimulus. 

9:56 pm: Moderator Martha Raddatz to Ryan: "What are your specifics?" Ryan says Obama wants to raise taxes. Biden on Ryan's tax plan "that's mathematically not possible." Indeed, Paul Ryan needs to show audience members that he has a detailed, specific, plan. Ryan has been claiming that he wants to lower all tax rates, but Biden refutes, how does that (decreasing government revenue) decrease the deficit? Ryan has not stated a concrete way to cut spending beside cutting loopholes. Raddatz back on Ryan about the Defense Budget. Ryan, the budget-hawk, wants to increase military spending. Huh? Interestingly, the Simpson-Bowles Bipartisan Commission Deficit Reduction Plan supports drastic reduction of size of military's budget. 

10:07 pm: Trending on Twitter....#LyinRyan #VPDebate #FactsMatter Joe Biden, Martha Raddatz

"The Onion" Headline: 

Ryan Handed Romney's Latest Political Positions Before Walking On Stage

10:21 pm:  Ryan stated that he opposes abortion, but that the Romney Ryan ticket supports abortion in some circumstances. Keeping them Honest: The GOP Platform explicitly states: "Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed."

10:26 pm: Paul Ryan states: "President Obama has given us speeches, not leadership" adding "Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified"for the presidency. 

10:53 pm: 

11:00 pm: WHO WON THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Thursday’s Vice Presidential Debate ended just as clearly as the first Presidential Debate, however this time the Lefty’s will be taking home the trophy. Indeed, Joe Biden tore Paul Ryan apart on foreign policy. Many audience members noted Ryan’s inability to offer any substantial plans. Despite fear Ryan would come off as too-wonky and numbers oriented, Ryan sputtered rhetorically. 11:07 pm: As Biden schooled Ryan on foreign policy, this is how Paul Ryan must have felt during the debate. 11:12 pm: Post-Debate ReactionsFact Check: As tonight's debate illuminted, Paul Ryan went completely against the GOP Party Platform in stating he did support abortion in certain scenarios. This inconsistency appears to be a theme on the Romney-Ryan ticket:11:44 pm: Both sides should be grateful for Mod. Raddatz's performance tonight. She stuck to the time limits fairly consistently, implored both candidates further, and raised critical doubts. Meanwhile, what if Joe Biden and Paul Ryan switched hair?  10/12/12 10:23 am UPDATE: ReactionThe Problem with the GOP SolutionRomney-Ryan on which views they will express11:21 am: One millenial's take on the Vice Presidential Debate, Masters student at Wake Forest University Jordan Lee: "When Barack Obama got his a** kicked in the first debate, we (the liberal community) all acknowledged as much. (If you doubt this, watch Chris Matthews rip the President on MSNBC immediately after.) But now, after Biden wrecked Ryan's existence, the GOP is crying "foul play!" Come on. If you praise Romney for interrupting and smirking, don't vilify Biden for doing the same thing."