What they’re saying about Thursday night’s debate:
On television
CNN host John King
The Democrats are happy. If you look in the Twitterverse, if you read your email, Democrats were despondent, dispirited. …They’re happy tonight. The vice president came, he showed fight, he showed his boss what it is to engage and engage and engage and attack and attack and attack. And Paul Ryan came in tonight and had to defend Mitt Romney, had to prove he was a president if, God forbid, something happened [after] they won the election. He will leave just as happy. There was not a wipeout in this debate. Both sides came in and I think they leave thinking they did what they had to do.
Fox News host Brit Hume
The belief on the left and among a lot of Democrats is Mitt Romney had taken over the first debate, overwhelmed Barack Obama, who was more reserved, and dominated the whole affair. One senses that this was perhaps what Joe Biden was doing tonight, to try to dominate the debate. And one could argue that he did that. But Mitt Romney did not seem to me — and I don’t think to many people — to have been rude or overbearing or condescending in his behavior toward the moderator and toward the president. One senses that a lot of people will feel that’s exactly how Joe Biden seemed tonight.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow
There were times when Paul Ryan was holding his own. …. I think there were times when he was well in over his head, particularly when he had no idea how to explain what was wrong with the plan to leave Afghanistan in 2014, which he said was also his plan.
On Twitter:
CNN host @piersmorgan: Joe, seriously, STOP SMIRKING. This is serious stuff. Be Vice-Presidential. #PMTdebate
University of Virginia professor @LarrySabato: In POTUS debate, Romney was clearly having a good time. In this one, Biden is having a good time (and maybe Ryan too).
Slate magazine’s @daveweigel: Is there any proof that interrupting answers is bad for a debater? Isn’t that what cable news is?
After Biden attacked activist Grover Norquist’s pledge against tax hikes @GroverNorquist: Oddly. I never mention Biden in my speeches.
About the Author
