Asia Poole

    Who won the debate? Vice President Joe Biden won the debate tonight. He won due to substance, much like Obama last week, and energy alone. When I say energy I'm just talking about alertness, I'm talking about the vibe he brought on and carried on stage. He had a very confident and sure of himself attitude which was way more demanding than Ryan's attitude. Ryan was clearly nervous because he continually drank water. One physical reaction to nervousness is having dry mouth. Knowing this, and seeing the constant worry in his eyes let the viewers know that he was nervous. Unlike last week's debate, this one was clear for the most part. The viewers were able to get a more in depth insight into foreign policy, abortion, and medicare.

    Biden did have an issue with interrupting throughout the debate. We all know he is a man that speaks his mind and does it instantaneously. Tonight he was able to control that a lot better, but he still struggled. Romney had this same type of problem going on last week. He would often cut off the mediator and President Obama. This is when candidates need to be reminded of debate etiquette. They just need to wait their turns. For me, this matter a lot because I need a leader that can conduct their selves properly. Hence, why, in some part, Romney did not win the first debate and Biden barely won the second debate. Of course, etiquette is more important in a President more than a vice president.

    One big factor for this debate was the topic of abortion. For the first time in history both candidates for VP are Catholics. Generally, I would say that the religion of a political figure should not matter since legally religion should not affect government. When asked the question how does their religion affect their stance and choice of laws on abortion, the two of them gave half-different answers. Paul Ryan said "The policy of the Romney administration will be to oppose abortion with the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother." Because as a Catholic he believes life begins at conception and is taking that theory and applying to the policy on his and Romney's ticket. The "incest" comment seems to me to be touching on the subject of eugenics. Whereas Biden has the same PERSONAL beliefs, key word being personal, but he and Obama choose to be pro-life. He said "Life begins at conception, that's the church's judgement, I accept it in my personal life. But I refuse to impose it on [others]". This is in large part why Biden did so well. He was able to give his personal opinion and keep his political opinion separate, in which Ryan was not. We need a government that can keep America's best interest in mind without clouding their judgment with personal beliefs, whether they are religious beliefs or behavioral beliefs.