The only faceoff between VP candidates has voters talking about issues and expressions
MARQUETTE -- The buzz from Thursday night's Vice Presidential debate continued into Friday. Joe Biden and Paul Ryan squared off in the one and only match up between the sitting V.P. and the Congressman from Wisconsin.
Many said last week's presidential debate lacked fire and energy, so Biden and Ryan looked to increase the tempo of the race when they took the stage in Danville, Kentucky.
Paul Ryan took the first swing after the debate's opening question about last month's attack in Libya. The incident at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
"What we are watching on our TV screens is the unraveling of the Obama foreign policy, which is making it more chaotic and us less safe," said Ryan.
"With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey," Biden replied, in one of the most memorable remarks of the night.
The debate took off from there, with further topics including Iran, social policy, job creation, and the stimulus.
"Was it a good idea to spend taxpayer money on electric cars in Finland and windmills in China?" Ryan asked.
"This was exactly what we needed to stop this from going off the cliff," Biden said of President Obama's stimulus package.
Voters were reacting Friday morning at Jeffrey's Restaurant in Marquette.
"From everybody, things get stretched and exaggerated," said Jessica Butina of Marquette.
"I thought it was very interactive, and I thought it was a great debate format," said Negaunee resident Mark Heinlein.
As a self-employed small business owner, Heinlein was particularly interested in the candidates' discussion about the economy. Many voters knew what to expect from Biden, a longtime Democratic insider. But several heard the younger Ryan for the first time.
"It made me solidify the fact that Paul Ryan clearly doesn't have women's views and points of mind in his mind when he's looking at things," Butina said.
"He did his homework on foreign policy, things like the economy," replied Edward Janca of Lyons, Illinois.
Biden's visual reactions during the debate generated a lot of discussion on social media. That conversation continued this morning over coffee.
"That's part of a person's personality," Heinlein said. "There were good visual cues of what was really felt."
Janca listened to the debate via satellite radio, but he could still sense a difference in the candidates' approaches to the debate.
"I thought Ryan was taking a more serious approach and the Vice President was just sort of just laughing it off and didn't take the debate as seriously as Congressman Ryan did," he said.
Responses to the debate seem to be mixed everywhere, with no clear "winner."
Whatever impact last night had might be short lived. President Obama and Mitt Romney will face off in a debate on Tuesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Voters like Janca are looking forward to the second of three debates between Obama and Romney.
"I'm waiting for the next presidential debate to see how the President is going to act moving forward," he said.
Heinlein anticipates a better performance from Obama.
"He is going to have to make more time to prep," he said. "I think he's a great debater, and he'll show us a fine performance next time."
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