# Vice Presidential Debate Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 7, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999 "2012-10-07T16:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/361 "2012-10-12T03:39:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s headline news. If you don’t know what it was, it’s because you’re here and not on the news sites. It may be “headline news” in the kind of web sites you frequent, but it’s not showing up on the top page of Google News. There’s a link to a video clip on CNN’s top page, but no story. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/362 "2012-10-12T03:41:41Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > BREAKING: CNN-ORC post-debate poll of Registered Voters: 48% said Ryan won. 44% said Biden won. Sampling error: ±5%. #CNNDebate > > [http://politicslive.cnn.com/Event/vice\_presidential\_debate](http://politicslive.cnn.com/Event/vice_presidential_debate) I am impressed, **adaher**. You nailed it. Biden didn’t get to 47% 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/363 "2012-10-12T03:42:15Z")
That wasn’t a gaffe. That was the truth. What it always should have been was a tragedy, and a foreign policy issue. Romney (and now the House GOP) made it into an issue of campaign politics (while incidentally broadcasting classified information on cable television, in the case of the House GOP). But I guess if your ideology requires Obama to be a feckless, incompetent, naif then it’s to be expected that you’ll see things that way. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/364 "2012-10-12T03:43:06Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Well, Obama can’t do what Biden did. It would be out of character for starters so it would just seem weird. > > The next two debates won’t allow Obama to really attack Romney on the stuff Obama’s been hitting him on. Townhall debates are a bad venue for attack politics and a foreign policy debate isn’t an appropriate time to talk about the 47% or tax returns. But Libya will be a big part of that debate. Romney’s Senior Foreign Policy Adivsor spend most of his time in the spin room on CNN talking about Biden’s “demeanor” and said on Afghanistan withdrawl in 2014 “we - Romney, Obama - agree”. Libya will be a bigger part of that debate than most people can probably imagine. Obama needs to figure out how much “Biden” he needs to bring to the next debate. Since it’s a town hall, “Bill Clinton”, too. The next two debates will allow Obama to catch Romney off guard. The question is: Will Romney attack? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/365 "2012-10-12T03:43:10Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s headline news. If you don’t know what it was, it’s because you’re here and not on the news sites. Hm… not on [cnn.com](http://cnn.com)… not on [msnbc.com](http://msnbc.com)… oh! there it is - [foxnews.com](http://foxnews.com). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/366 "2012-10-12T03:43:14Z")
Well, if the media buries it… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/367 "2012-10-12T03:43:42Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I am impressed, **adaher**. You nailed it. If that turns out to be final numbers (and, Og forbid, in November) then this country will have officially gone insane. Reality doesn’t know any Republicans anymore, apparently… ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/368 "2012-10-12T03:44:06Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Who is the cartoon character that Ryan looks like? I can’t figure it out. [Squidward](http://nick.mtvnimages.com/nick-assets/video/images/spongebob-squarepants/artist-unknown-1.jpg?format=jpeg&matteColor=white)? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/369 "2012-10-12T03:44:24Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > That wasn’t a gaffe. That was the truth. What it always should have been was a tragedy, and a foreign policy issue. Romney (and now the House GOP) made it into an issue of campaign politics (while incidentally broadcasting classified information on cable television, in the case of the House GOP). > > But I guess if your ideology requires Obama to be a feckless, incompetent, naif then it’s to be expected that you’ll see things that way. They lied about the attack. That’s a legitimate political issue that needs to be addressed. And will be the most important part of the third debate. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/370 "2012-10-12T03:45:27Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If that turns out to be final numbers (and, Og forbid, in November) then this country will have officially gone insane. Reality doesn’t know any Republicans anymore, apparently… Just because you enjoyed Biden’s disrespectfulness doesn’t mean everyone else did. Geez, even Biden has to know who is intended audience was today. It wasn’t swing voters. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/371 "2012-10-12T03:46:57Z")
True or false: People should respect lies and liars. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/372 "2012-10-12T03:47:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Well, if the media buries it… Heh. I was wondering why my new cube-mate randomly started talking about Libya today, at least now I understand why he’s was pushing a “scandal”. I was genuinely confused why an attack on a US consulate was a political issue. As to the debate I only caught the tail end on radio. Nothing is more pointless than a VP debate, except perhaps the vice presidency itself. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/373 "2012-10-12T03:48:15Z")
I’m no Obama supporter, but I think Biden did great. The highlights for me were his “But I always say what I mean” parry on the issue of gaffes, and the “Oh, now you’re Jack Kennedy” line. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/374 "2012-10-12T03:48:16Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If that turns out to be final numbers (and, Og forbid, in November) then this country will have officially gone insane. Reality doesn’t know any Republicans anymore, apparently… Eh. People will probably vote in the poll based on who they want to win, and we already know that the country is divided fairly evenly, with just a few undecideds in the middle. Not surprising the debate poll reflects that. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/375 "2012-10-12T03:48:49Z")
It is a scandal. They lied. Repeatedly. The worst part of the lie is that they blamed free speech for the attacks and insisted it wasn’t a terrorist attack. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/376 "2012-10-12T03:50:14Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > we already know that the country is divided fairly evenly Yet another symptom of societal insanity… ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/377 "2012-10-12T03:51:22Z")
Biden pissed me off tonight, his laughing was disrespectful to such a huge degree. Respect, they both deserve it, treating one like a child is so unprofessional. Half the nation likes one or the other for various reasons, you will never unite when acting like a dick. Not enough to make me cast a vote for Romney, my dislike of his policies is far deeper than the childish behavior of Biden tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/378 "2012-10-12T03:52:22Z")
> [@vd](#): > > [Squidward](http://nick.mtvnimages.com/nick-assets/video/images/spongebob-squarepants/artist-unknown-1.jpg?format=jpeg&matteColor=white)? He reminds me a little of [this guy.](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-shgj0m6fQ6A/UAP744vMufI/AAAAAAAAEKg/gjU1sqjvqwo/s1600/Saber-toothed+Rat.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/379 "2012-10-12T03:53:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If that turns out to be final numbers (and, Og forbid, in November) then this country will have officially gone insane. Reality doesn’t know any Republicans anymore, apparently… This is hardly a surprise to me. Remember, we elected Bush twice. Regardless whether you think one of those elections was stolen, it still was right down the middle. This is exactly why I don’t understand the general feeling of inevitability that I’ve seen in threads here about Obama’s re-election. Finally, the attitude is starting to change with a healthy dose of reality. Look, I’ve donated several hundred dollars to Obama’s re-election both this election cycle and the last. I just don’t want to see the electorate and, most of all, Obama getting complacent. I still think Obama has the edge, but he’s incredibly vulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999/380 "2012-10-12T03:53:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It is a scandal. They lied. Repeatedly. > > The worst part of the lie is that they blamed free speech for the attacks and insisted it wasn’t a terrorist attack. Your desperation to push a fox scandal in the middle of an unrelated thread tells me way more about this debate than any snap poll could. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-debate-thread/636999.md?page=20)