Column: Biden, Ryan both accomplish goals

• Vice presidential debates rarely provoke much interest. But this one did.
• Biden gave a strong performance to make up for Obama's weak showing.
• Ryan showed he was capable of the job, as well as defending Romney.

Vice presidential debates rarely provoke as much interest as those between the presidential candidates. However Thursday night's debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan proved to be a classic.

Both candidates focused most of their energy on articulating their own policies -- or, when necessary, rebutting their opponent's. Both men presented themselves quite well, acting (for the most part) in a civil manner throughout.

Those who were viewing this debate in search of a clearer difference between the two tickets were treated to 90 minutes of fairly detailed discussion of both domestic (the economy, taxes, jobs, Medicare, social security, abortion) and foreign (Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria) policies.

Throughout the evening the contrast between the Republican and Democratic tickets on these issues could hardly have been clearer. From a democratic citizenship perspective the debate was an unqualified success.

For Biden, the vice president's mandate was fairly clear heading into this debate: to stop the bleeding that was incurred after President Obama's lackluster performance in the first presidential debate last week in Denver. In this regard he was, without question, successful.

Biden's approach to his debate with Ryan could not have been more different than his 2008 debate with Sarah Palin. In 2008, he appeared to pull his punches, afraid that appearing too aggressive -- as he did Thursday night -- would make him seem like a bully.

In Kentucky, Biden operated under no such constraints. He fulfilled the dual role of any vice presidential candidate, staunchly defending his president while eagerly attacking the opposition. While his demeanor during the first two-thirds of the debate may have seemed overly aggressive to some, this likely served to re-energize a disheartened Democratic base. Overall, the debate was a success for Biden and the Democrats.

Ryan, on the other hand, had to demonstrate to the American people that he could be a capable president were the situation to arise. In this, he too seemed successful. He appeared collected and composed throughout the debate.

The GOP vice presidential nominee also had to demonstrate that he was conversant in foreign policy, given that his expertise is in domestic policy. This was perhaps his biggest challenge, especially given Biden's extensive background with foreign policy. Here, too, he seemed to hold his own.

While Biden frequently challenged Ryan, the challenger remained calm and appeared at ease when parrying with his opponent.

Expectations this evening were probably higher for Biden, a far more experienced debater than Ryan. On substance, Biden showed a greater and more detailed command of the issues. However, in terms of presentation, Ryan was arguably a bit more "presidential," as Biden appeared somewhat agitated at times.

On the whole the debate was a draw, which means that both camps are probably happy. However the Obama campaign probably had the most to gain in terms of reversing negative momentum. Therefore the tie probably goes to Biden.

Jody Baumgartner is an associate professor of political science at East Carolina University and author of The American Vice Presidency Reconsidered.

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