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U.S. Vice Presidential debate not decides, still matters: expert

11 October 2012 00:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Thursday’s Vice Presidential debate in the 2012 presidential election cycle will not decide the outcome of the November showdown but still matters in this close election, said Brookings Institute fellow Elisabeth Jacobs on Wednesday.

Jacobs said in a Brookings web chat that the vice presidential debate will not be a deciding event although it doesn’t feel that way given the media attention given to the debates.

"Debates can change the polls, but typically not in a fundamental way that decides the election," said Jacobs.

But she also noted that debates don’t decide election outcomes doesn’t mean they don’t matter. "They’re a key opportunity for political ideals and policy ideas to be front-and-center in the public dialogue, and they give candidates an opportunity to spell out what they’re all about."

Jacobs expected U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, and his Republican challenger Congressman Paul Ryan to try to bring up issues which they had strong history in.

The candidates are likely to focus on taxes, the economy and the health care issues as it was in last week’s first presidential debate, given how central those issues are in voters’ minds, said Jacobs. But Biden is expected to bring up foreign policy and women issues while Ryan is expect hammer the deficit issue.

The latest Pew survey released on Wednesday found that voters are divided over who will do better in Thursday’s vice presidential debate when 40 percent expected Ryan to be the winner and 34 percent picked Biden.

Another new Pew survey, conducted Oct. 4-7, showed Biden is viewed favorably by less voters than four years ago, while Ryan also enjoys a lower favorable view than the party’s VP candidate in 2008.

The survey found Biden’s image is far less positive than it was shortly before his 2008 debate with Sarah Palin. Now 39 percent of voters view the Vice President favorably while 51 percent offer an unfavorable impression. Biden enjoyed a 53 percent of favorability rate in late September 2008 ahead of the last vice presidential debate.

The Pew survey also showed Paul Ryan, Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s running mate, is now viewed favorably by 44 percent of voters and unfavorably by 40 percent. Fifty-one percent of voters held a favorable view towards Palin four years ago ahead of her face-off with Biden.

Biden and Ryan are both on their last stretch to prepare for their first and only debate during this year’s presidential election, due to take place Thursday night at Centre College, Danville, Kentucky. Voters will see the vice presidential candidates spar about domestic and foreign policy issues.

Biden is also under immense pressure to perform at the debate, after Obama was outshone in his debate by Republican challenger Mitt Romney last week. Polls showed Romney has obliterated Obama’s lead nationally with his stellar performance.