Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan, right, shook hands before the Vice Presidential Debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky.
Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and Republican challenger Paul Ryan clashed in a battle of two distinctly different personalities Thursday night — a fight between a dogged political veteran and a scrappy, young congressman.
The candidates’ debate at the Centre College in Danville, Ky., was the first time the two sparred face to face, and Ryan calmly fielded questions about many facets of domestic and foreign policy as his opponent rebutted.
“Did they come in and inherit a tough situation? Absolutely,” Ryan said. “But we’re going in the wrong direction. Look at where we are: the economy is barely limping along. … We need real reforms for real recovery.”
Biden used President Barack Obama’s record on the auto industry bailouts and a slowly improving unemployment rate to counteract Ryan’s firm stance on curbing the federal debt, often interrupting Ryan to interject his views.
“I shouldn’t be surprised by a guy who says 47 percent of Americans are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives,” Biden said, referencing a leaked video of Romney making comments about his campaign. “These people are my mom and dad, the people I grew up with, my neighbors.”
Ryan’s emphasis on job growth and future generations has served as a key point of contention throughout the campaign, especially to students who might find a younger candidate more relatable, said Doug Roberts, director of MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research.
“Clearly, there is an age difference,” Roberts said. “I really do believe one of the reasons they picked (Ryan) to be the candidate is to do a better job of reaching out to younger voters.”
At 42 years old, Ryan is nearly three decades younger than his 69-year-old opponent.
Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have courted young voters with talk of reducing student loan interest rates or ensuring a vibrant job market for young graduates, respectively.
Roberts said it’s unlikely students will show up at the polls in the same droves they did in 2008, and the question now is how much enthusiasm young people will bring.
MSU College Republicans Vice Chair Cody Hibbs said the youth vote is a relatively small part of the total electorate, and focusing on one demographic won’t help either candidate overall.
MSU College Democrats President Stephen Wooden said he expected to see lively debate between the experienced public speakers on opposing political philosophies, especially on how to connect with the middle class.
“We’ve been having a larger debate for four years about how we’re going to get America out of this recession,” Wooden said.
Despite the playfully aggressive back-and-forths of the candidates, Hibbs said he doesn’t think the debate will cause much long-term polling fervor, adding that vice presidential debates have a limited effect on voter consciousness.
“I (didn’t) expect fireworks to come the next day like what happened last week,” Hibbs said.
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