You can debate who scored the most points but if you ask who came off as the more presidential I think Ryan won it going away. Biden's performance may have helped them with their base, short term at least, but I don't think the undecided moderate watched his manic smile, odd outburst of laughter and his interrupting almost uncontrollably and thought "that is the guy I want one heartbeat away from the launch codes".


Ryan did disappointment in a couple of places. He should have defended Romney's call to have GM be restructured through the bankruptcy process. Romney took a strong conservative stance on that issue and Ryan should have defended it instead of telling heartwarming stories. Ryan should also have pushed back harder against the rude behavior. Bidden was so far over the line Ryan could got away with calling him out a little more often instead of just trying to talk over him and getting down in the mud with him. I would have liked to see him ask Bidden if had planned to be rude or is this just another case where he has lost control of his mouth.

It all comes down to strategy and impact though. Ryan needed to convey to people he deserves a place at the table and to come across as someone the average moderate wouldn't be scared to have in the Oval Office. He did both so that is a win. He also needed to show he could go after the Obama record and that he mostly won. It was his first large debate.

Bidden on the other hand needed to satisfy his base that the ticket could be aggressive and convince people that the Romney ticket was too scary to accept. He accomplished the first, even if it will be short lived, but his behavior did the opposite of convincing people the Romney ticket was the unstable scary choice. His behavior was downright bazar. I think Bidden’s biggest error is that two weeks from now what the average undecided will remember from this debate is his behavior and not his words. I think that will be especially true for the older generations who still believe in manners.

Be interesting to see what the polls are doing by the end of next week. I suspect there will not be much change but if there is it will be to the right.