Stakes are high after the first presidential debate, and tonight’s vice presidential debate is sure to see some bites on each candidates’ political rump. Known for their willingness to be attack dogs, tonight’s debate is sure to reveal each candidates true political acumen. Join us at 9 p.m. ET tonight as we take you to Centre College in Danville, KY.
UPDATE 9:08
Debate starts up with a feisty Biden providing more punch than Obama’s entire time on the floor: “With all due respect, that was all a bunch of malarkey?” said Biden responding to Paul Ryan. First Twitter fest line of the evening.
UPDATE 9:12
Topic: Iran. How effective would a military strike in Iran be?
Ryan: You think Iran’s not brazen? Look at what they’re doing, they’re stepping up the their attacks. In order to solve this peacefully…you have to have the Ayatollahs change their mind. The way to do this peacefully is to make sure we have credibility.
Biden response: You wanna go to war? Is that what you wanna do? These are the most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions. We feel quite confident we could deal a serious blow to the Iranians.
UPDATE 9:18
Ryan takes shot at Obama for being on the View instead of meeting Benjamin Netanyahu. “Instead of meeting him he went on a daily talk show.”
Clearly Biden has been practicing his “Can you believe this guy?” look.
UPDATE 9:27
Martha Raddatz doing well out of the gate with hard-hitting questions: “Can you get unemployment to under 6% and how long will it take?”
Biden slams Romney hard for the 47% comment.
Biden: These people are my mom and dad. They are the people I grew up with. They pay more effective tax than governor Romney pays on his income tax. I’ve had it up to here with this 47%. It’s about time they take some responsibility here.“
Ryan response: Romney is a good man. He cares about the people. I think the vice president knows that sometimes the words come out of your mouth the wrong way.
Biden agan: If you believe the 47% comment was a mistake, I’ve got a bridge I could sell ya. Stop talking about how you care about people. Show me something. Show me a policy where you take responsibility.
UPDATE 9:33 SOCIAL SECURITY
Biden’s gruff laugh could be creating the illusion of confidence, but it’s working. He’s keeping up.
Question: Will benefits for Americans under these programs have to change in order for them to continue? (Again, Raddatz impressing all. Many upvotes on Twitter asking her to moderate the next debate.)
Ryan: “We will honor this promise and the best way to do it and the best way to do it is reform it for our generation.” Give younger people guaranteed coverage options, choose your plan, subsidize your premiums, more coverage for poor etc.
Biden: Got the two finger pointer looking into the camera. Bringing on the sass. “Every single presidential debate I hear this stuff about panels.”
Question to Biden: “If it could help solve the problem, why not raise the retirement age as Ryan says?”
Biden: “We made the system solvent to 2033. We will not be any part of any voucher plan eliminating the program.
Sassy Biden: “Folks use your common sense. Who do you trust on this?”
UPDATE 9:51
Biden: “97 percent of small businesses make less than $250,000 per year.”
Biden: “We can’t afford $800 billion going to people making a minimum of $1 million. They do not need it. Middle class people need the help.”
Update 9:54 National Defense
Question to Ryan: “How you do the math and do this defense spending?”
Ryan: “You don’t cut defense by a trillion dollars, that’s what we’re talking about. If these cuts go through, our navy wil be the smallest it has been since WWI.”
Update 9:57 Afganistan War
Question: “Why not leave now? What more can we really accomplish?”
Ryan: “We don’t want to lose the gains we got. We want to make sure the Taliban doesn’t come back in and give Al Qaeda a safe haven.”
Biden for withdrawal: “We made plans to be out of there by the year 2014… It is the responsibility of the afghans to take care of their own security.”
Ryan talking about Janesville, again.
Ryan against withdrawal: “We don’t want to broadcast to our enemy a date, wait us out and then come back.”
Biden to Afghan military: “We’re leaving! Step up! Step up!”
Update 10:07 Syria
Biden: “What would my friend do differently? If you noticed, he never answers the question.”
Biden and Ryan don’t act like friends.
Update 10:14 Abortion
Raddatz: Tell us what role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion.
Ryan: “I believe that life begins at conception…I respect people who don’t agree with me on this.”
Biden on his Catholic beliefs: “I accept my church’s position…I just refuse to impose that on others.”
Ryan on Supreme Court’s decisions on abortion: “We don’t believe that unelected judges should make this decision. We believe that the people should make the decision through the democratic system.”
Update 10:21
Question: What would you say to a soldier looking at this campaign who is dismayed by the negative ads and negative tone? What would you say to him?<
Biden keeps bringing up the “47 percent,” unlike Obama at the first debate.
Ryan quotes Obama from 2008: “If you don’t have a good record to run on, you paint your opponent as someone to run from.”
Ryan on Obama’s first four years: Too many speeches, too little leadership.
Look at Biden’s record. Seriously, look at it.
Closing statements
Biden: “The president and I are not going to rest until the playing field is leveled.”
This concludes the first and only vice presidential debate. Tune in next Tuesday for the second presidential debate, which will be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.