Why was Joe Biden so angry in his debate with Paul Ryan?

Election 2012

YOU MAY HAVE missed it as you watched the Vice Presidential debate. Behind all that laughter, Joe Biden was angry. Go ahead, Google the event, and look at the images that were captured. Most of those that focus on Vice President Biden clearly show microexpressions displaying anger. 

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Granted, the study of microexpressions is a controversial theory that we betray our real emotions involuntarily in brief flashes during stressful situations, especially when we are under intense scrutiny. There's no question that was the case during the Vice Presidential Debate. Obama was beaten in his opening debate with Romney; he's admitted as much. The smart money was on Ryan to beat Biden inasmuch as he is much better prepared to argue the economy, and Biden has a well-earned reputation for putting his foot in his mouth when he gets excited. Yes, Joe Biden was under a lot of stress and his microexpressions were definitely revealing his discomfort.

But, it wasn't just his face that gave Biden away. He also laughed almost constantly, inappropriately, as serious topics were discussed. He was rude. He interrupted his opponent and the moderator repeatedly, more than 80 times in 90 minutes. Joe Biden isn't that type of person ordinarily. Vice President Biden is, by my calculation, one of the most decent men serving in elected office today. He is gracious and considerate to a fault. What else but anger could drive him to react improperly in the midst of a public forum?

I'm not so much concerned with who won or lost the debate as I am in unraveling this mystery: Why was Joe Biden so angry? We could argue until the cock crows in the morning over who won or lost. There are plenty of pundits already focusing on that issue. The polls seem to favor Ryan in measures of likability and clarity, and yet there are plenty who are proclaiming Biden the winner. Those who listened to the debate on the radio scored it in Ryan's favor. They didn't see the maniacal expression on Biden's face. I have my own opinion, but it fades to insignificance as I study Biden's emotional reactions.

Obviously, Ryan's verbal punches hurt. When President Obama debated Governor Romney, he reacted to his opponent's jabs by looking down and flinching away as though he were physically struck. In this debate between the Vice Presidential candidates, Joe Biden's reaction was similarly painful. He too flinched but masked it with a smile. When the pain became unbearable, he began talking over Ryan. How could they not be hurt? They have no factual evidence to refute the claims that their policies have failed.

More than once, Biden accused Ryan of lying. You may agree. However, that assertion is in and of itself more evidence of anger, especially when he cast his anger at the moderator.

Everyone lies. People seem to accept lying by politicians as the norm. However, I don't think that either Biden or Ryan lie more than the average person. I didn't hear Ryan lie. He is renowned for his storehouse of facts and figures, and he used them appropriately. Unfortunately, Joe Biden was forced to lie. It was painfully obvious when he announced that the Administration didn't provide adequate security for the American Embassy in Benghazi because of faulty intelligence. Both the State Department and the White House admitted almost two weeks ago that they knew the Ambassador and three others were murdered in a terrorist attack. Sadly for Biden, his Commander-in-Chief has been repeating the lie despite his own staff's revelations. Biden's loyalty overcame his honor and he parroted Obama's lie. Of course, it made him angry.

Joe Biden is a decent man. I have no question that is true. Unfortunately, the Administration in which he has been participating over the past four years, was elected on nothing more than good intentions. Yes, I know, they and their supporters have compiled lists of accomplishments for your consideration. But, the objective truth is that the economy has shrunk in every one of the past four years. Unemployment has only shown a gasp of recovering in the last month, and only after the Labor Department adjusted the method of calculation. All of which goes to prove that good intentions aren't enough. They result is bad outcomes when good intentions are not accompanied by wise decisions.

That's why I think that Joe Biden is angry. He wanted to help fix America's problems. He wanted to get people back to work. He wanted the economy to grow. Like the rest of us, he was led to believe that Barack Obama would lead us to prosperity, and he supported his Commander-in-Chief to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, the President led us the wrong way and, despite all his good intentions, Joe Biden is complicit in the results.

Yes, Biden was under great pressure to score one for his team after last week's embarrassing loss by Obama to Romney, a loss even the President has been forced to concede. However, as Ryan observed, his repeated interruptions interfered with the event. Even worse, it left him appearing, as one pundit commented, “looking like a drunken lout.” I wouldn't go that far, but I don't believe Biden helped himself or his team. Whether he won or lost is insignificant.