Vice Presidential Debate 2012 Preview: Analysts Say Biden Must Be Better Than Obama To Beat Ryan
Vice president Joe Biden will square off with his challenger, Paul Ryan, in the 2012 vice presidential debate on Thursday night.
The debate, which will be the only contest between the vice presidential hopefuls, begins at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Even before the action began, analysts were already discussing what Americans might see in the debate and what each candidate needs to do in order to secure a decisive victory.
Pressure is high, especially after the first presidential debate, held last week, defied expectations when Mitt Romney's performance wowed voters and closed the gap in polls to take away President Barack Obama's lead.
A widely-circulated Associated Press debate preview outlined the meeting of Biden and Ryan as such: "Vice President Joe Biden must be everything President Barack Obama was not: energetic, aggressive and concise. Rep. Paul Ryan must meet the moment and keep things going Mitt Romney's way. And voters must figure out whether an evening with the running mates even matters to them at all.
Analysts say Biden bears the burden in the vice presidential debate, as he must make up for the ground Obama lost when voters perceived his first debate performance as agitated and listless. Many commentators agree Biden has the policy chops to blow Ryan out of the water, but some Democrats fear Biden may seem too aggressive, which could peeve voters.
Though Obama received criticism for his debate performance, Biden was among his supporters. The vice president released a statement following last week's debate in support of his running mate.
"If you finished watching the debate like I did, I am sure you are as proud of President Obama as I am," Biden said. "The president did a good job in laying out his concrete plan for restoring the middle class, from ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, to giving tax credits to companies that bring jobs home, to preparing 100,000 new math and science teachers, and training two million workers at our community colleges so we can continue to have the best and most productive work force in the world."
