Vice President Joe Biden will face off against Paul Ryan in tonight's first and only vice presidential debate of the election season. The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and will be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each.
The debate will take place from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on all major networks.
We have compiled a list of important things to pay attention to.
1. Who is Paul Ryan?
Until Mitt Romney announced his young vice presidential running mate, most of American didn't know Paul Ryan. A little background: He's in his seventh term in Congress, representing Wisconsin's First Congressional District. He is also Chairman of the House Budget committee. He gained popularity in 2008 with his "Roadmap for America's Future" proposal, which was planned to "eliminate the federal deficit, reform the tax code and preserve entitlements for future generations," according to Romney's campaign website.
Tonight is the deciding factor on how Americans will view Ryan. Can the fresh-faced Wisconsinite hold is ground against the seasoned Biden?
The Washington Post says the Ryan has never been on a debate stage of this magnitude before, and his strength is his reputation as a numbers and policy geek. Well he be able to hold a strong political conversation?
2. Biden's words
Biden is known for being aggressive and straightforward in his views and stances. Whereas Obama may sugarcoat and water things down as not to offend the masses, Biden isn't scared to speak his mind. CNN says to look for Biden to bring up Romney's controversial "47 percent" comment, Bain Capital and Romney's tax returns.
"The vice president likes laying out the contrast between the Romney-Ryan extreme agenda and the plans he and the president have to move this country forward and we fully expect that to continue Thursday night," an Obama campaign official told CNN.
After last week's debate, the polls are bringing the presidential candidates closer in numbers, so either candidate will probably play it safe tonight.
3. Foreign and Domestic policy
One of the official topics per the Commission on Presidential Debates is domestic policy.
Just how much does Ryan know about foreign policy? Sarah Palin received substantial heat and mockery on her views of foreign relations in 2008. Ryan appears to be a bit more seasoned on the issue, however. Being vice president, Biden has a bit of an obvious advantage in this category. Ryan's voting history on foreign policy includes a 2010 "commitment to unbreakable U.S.-Israel bonds," a "yes" vote on deterring foreign arms transfers to China and said foreign-owned national debt puts US at risk during crisis.
4. The age gap
Biden, 69, has almost three decades on Ryan, 42. CNN says Biden is known for his charm and exuberance, so he may not seem staunch for his debate opponent.
The article said the birthdays might not matter much, but it will "crystalize" the arguments being presented by both campaigns. Will voters want to stay on the path we're on with Biden, or choose a new direction with Ryan?
5. 2016
The Washington Post says Both Ryan and Biden are "perfectly content to serve as 'the next guy.'" Insiders believe both candidates do have intentions on running for president one day, although the subject probably won't be mentioned in the debate tonight, the Post says it will be a subtext for every political operative. It said the debate will be "tryout of sorts" with millions of people watching and subconsciously noting who will make the next best president.
The Commission on Presidential Debates will ask questions and each candidate will have two minutes to answer. The remaining time will be used to discuss that question.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
