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Did Biden's behavior help or hurt President Obama?

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    Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. weighs in

  • Duration 6:13
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I have watched almost every presidential and vice presidential debates is the first four.

Kennedy Nixon debates in 1960 and thinking back over the last few minutes.

I don't believe that I have ever seen a debate in which one participant was is openly disrespectful.

Of the other.

As Biden was to Paul Ryan tonight and that's what it was heated up about the smirk the smiles ahead taking the mugging.

It was openly -- it contemptuous and disrespectful.

That was of course Chris Wallace longtime veteran political reporter and anchor of FOX News Sunday.

Getting some attention with his comments last night about vice president Joseph Biden.

And Chris Wallace should know because he has seen just about every presidential and VP debate over the past five decades but.

Do you agree.

Peter Johnson junior is a Fox News legal analyst and he sees a tactic in the vice president's approach.

This tactic was I guess did provide energy and excitement to a failing campaign in many respects that debate.

That Obama had did some ten days ago or something was devastating to the campaign.

So instead we had this.

Episodic.

Is smiling laughing smirking scorn and contempt as Chris Wallace was was saying.

And it became almost a pathology he became more than a strategy it became -- almost obsessive.

Behavior this kind of impulsive behavior -- he couldn't control himself.

And so it is speaking to people.

They -- I really couldn't watch.

Parts of it because I was trying to listen to congressman Ryan.

And I saw on the split screen that Joseph Biden was having an absolute.

Meltdown in in terms of his face movements and injuring -- laughing.

And then there was a lot of there was offensive frankly.

When you talk about I ran and the risk of nuclear war when you talk about -- and the death of four great Americans.

To see the vice president laughing.

Openly laughing and laughing and -- hostile aggressive.

Scornful way.

That's disconcerting.

And disturbing and maybe even.

Alarming so I think it started out with a strategy that he wanted to be.

Getting an Atta boy and when he returned to the White House hey -- you really put -- to -- we picked up two points you made the points to women about abortion and your great been.

But I think it I think it fell apart.

Because it's more than disrespect it's more than -- it comes down to temperament.

It comes down to.

-- It's for office you have to watch out you can be disrespectful I guess to your hat opponent in a political race in a -- pentagon do.

But yet to be respectful of the audience that's where you you can get into the danger that if you disrespect their right to hear both sides.

But we on your point about smiling when we're talking about things like Iran getting a nuclear bomb and if you don't wiping Israel off the face of the map.

Even Tom Brokaw not exactly known for his conservative principles said this on MSNBC this morning.

I just don't think he should be laughing during a discussion about thermonuclear war with Iran having -- that total in this very serious issue and how however amuse you are it's about tone as well so what do you -- You could see the host disagreed with him -- not a psychologist or psychiatrist but there's political inappropriate.

Affect.

Acting inappropriate way under appropriate conditions.

You -- superb lawyer and we talked about this before.

You can disagree with -- witness you can disagree with an opponent the courtroom you can disagree with some of the City Council race.

But when you're sitting in front of millions and millions of of of Americans and you're discussing.

Serious issues it's not about you and it's not about your ego.

It's about imparting a message -- the messages score and disrespect.

Contempt and perhaps hatred -- dislike for your opponents when their positions.

And that sends an important signal to viewers -- they say well here's a guy.

If we need to compromise in this country and I think we do on a lot of issues.

He's not gonna force that.

Well that's the debt that's sitting in the courtroom you can go after a witness you can't.

And -- from partner -- -- But they have to earn it otherwise you risk alienating the jury and in the same seems to be true in a debate you you can go after your opponent hard.

But you you better not be contemptuous.

Unless you have assurances that the audience feels the same way about the first you're going right in in doing and he became a parody of himself.

In doing it people understand that these gifts that he's committed in the in the past these so called gas.

Some of them are not guests and a lot of them have been lovable I think a lot of when he not not a lot of what you you can forgiven you know he said that the -- that guys what mother had died and he's out she's a lot of Africa right now you know and that is Fernando ball and that's real life but when you win when you say you you'll -- -- Now is that for you mobile or is that intentional we've seen eroding.

Favorability numbers for the vice presidency -- he's made comments like that what do you think he did last night on that.

Thought favorability I think he he he he went down I think.

This is kind of a throwback to a period that really didn't exist.

Perhaps she's watching too many episodes of boss and on cable television.

Perhaps he's watching old Huey Long tapes perhaps he believes that this is the way -- a vice president.

You should act I think them.

More than embarrassing himself and nothing political about it.

He embarrassed the office of the presidency and the vice president United -- when you do that and I talked about it this morning.

You know you you can't become a cartoon character you can't become a movie character he should not be channeling doctor evil.

In his last thing he should have been serious about it the American they're gonna make the decision the based upon the issues and how they're feeling.

But they shouldn't be making it based upon what we saw.

Yesterday unfortunately we are again making that decision based upon what we've seen.

Does he have the judgment and temperament to step into the presidency.

-- a hard hard time this is a tense moment.

But there are more tense moments as the president and vice president now thinking that the stimulus that team Obama says that he is a happy warrior and that that is what we saw last night Peter Jackson junior -- the theater.

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