Who Won the VP Debate? The Answer's Easy For These Ladies

Just to get the most important question of the night out of the way, they unanimously thought Paul Ryan got the better of Joe Biden in the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2012 campaign.

But that was to be expected from a group of a dozen Midlands-area women who gathered to watch the debate at state GOP headquarters in downtown Columbia.

Among the group, about a third voted for Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary back in January, while most of the rest supported Newt Gingrich, with a couple of Rick Santorum supporters mixed in. But whatever reservations the non-Romney supporters had before, have now vanished as they are firmly in his corner, as evidenced by the 1600 phone calls they made prior to Thursday night's debate to voters in swing states.

During the debate they listened attentively to Ryan's remarks, but quickly became irritated with Biden, whose smiling and occasional laughter they thought to be beneath the office of Vice President.

While most voters count the economy as the most important issue, the women who watched the debate in Columbia responded most to issues of national defense, particularly on the situation in the Middle East.

Which is not to say the group did not respond to economic issues either. They did. And when it came to the entitlement reform both Biden and Ryan said was necessary, the ladies were unanimous in their belief that means-testing was needed for Social Security and Medicaid and the retirement age should be raised.

What was your take on the vice presidential debate?