Biden has been studying Ryan’s policy positions

>>> there it is, abraham lincoln , the statue here at center college. he's got a debate credential. we want to know what fraternity or sorority is going to plot to steal that credential later tonight. we're here in the thrill in the ville part two. here's what ryan had to say about his opponent.

>> joe biden 's been on this stage before. he's been on these big stages. this is my first time. what he can't run from is president obama 's indefensible record.

>> let me bring in my kentucky debate panel. sans burr bohn. and from the washington examiner susan. welcome all. it's a little chilly. we could use a little nip.

>> just a little. what's in your cup?

>> i'm kidding. just coffee, and it's now cold. congressman, let me start with you. you know paul ryan a lit bit. you served with him. you know joe biden well. how much pressure do you think joe biden is feeling that, if anything, he needs to make the base of the democratic party feel good about again.

>> the base has been demoralized. there's no question about that. he will do that without question. that's really not a big burden on him. i think the real burden is on congressman ryan . because he's taken positions that he now either has to repudiate, walk away from, or explain. kwun of the things that i think is a great opportunity for the vice president tonight is the more he highlights the ryan budget and the devastating cuts he makes to programs that benefit hard working, middle class americans, that's going to help democratic candidates across the country because every republican incumbent voted for that budget .

>> susan, it's interesting. i was asking dan senor about it. you know the ryan budget is going to come up and there are differences between the romney budget and the ryan budget . not major ones, but enough that there are some distinctions, and ryan has to walk that line. hey, wait a minute. i'm defending the romney ticket here, not my own, but he's going to be tempted to defend his own budget , has he not?

>> i've listened to him talk about this now since he became the vice presidential pick, and he does a really good job making it not about his budget but about romney 's budget and showing there's not a lot of daylight between the two of them. he manages to pull that off pretty well without stumbling. i'm confident he'll be able to do that tonight, and what differences there are have been lost on the public. this is really getting into the weeds once you get into that budget stuff. i'm not worried about that part of the debate.

>> speaking of wooeeeds, do you think it's going to be as weedsy as it was last time. they know this stuff three, four inches deep.

>> the medicinal kind or some other?

>> i think you make a very good point. this is the danger for both of them.

>> they can't speak washington.

>> can't speak washington. this is the challenge, i think, for ryan , and i think he can hit it. is to, yeah, put the facts and figures out there but relate it to somebody. make it relevant to real people . that's something that the romney / ryan ticket has not been effective at doing up until this last debate.

>> romney was pretty good at it. he pulled a clinton. clinton was always so good --

>> came out of the box right at the top.

>> and romney did that. i want to ask you two guys very quickly. this expectation game that ryan has to deal with. the base of the democratic party has no respect for joe biden the same way they had no respect for dan quayle . you have that same feeling. how does ryan handle losing to joe biden , would hurt his personal politics a little bit?

>> i don't think so. paul ryan , everybody gets what he represents both now and in the future for the party. i think they expect him to come out and do well. as long as he stands toe to toe and demonstrates that he's got the gravitas to be on that stage.

>> that is a little -- that is going to be -- we have seen the senior looks on a vp stage. because a lot of people simply watch the debate. they want to know, what does he look like? could he be president?

>> that's right. biden's got the foreign policy creds. what really does paul ryan have? there's a 27-year age gap . he's going to show that he's up for the task, and even though biden's got more experience than him, he could be equally capable of handling foreign policy .

>> we've got a slough of polls that have come out that show, i think, big picture this race is back to where it was maybe pre-convention. very close race. now it's hand to hand combat . is that fair?

>> i think that's pretty fair. i looked at real clear politics this morning, and it looked like there was a lot more blue on it than there was yesterday. important senate races where it looks like it's returned to the margins. before last week, tim kaine up seven in one poll in west virginia . i think things are settling a little bit from the furor of last week and the jobs numbers that came out last friday. it will be a dogfight. there's no question about it. i wish we had a campaign in kentucky.

>> are all the bumps gone? it feels like everything is gone now. or do you think the bump is still there for romney ?

>> we've got two more debate ds. anything can happen. in two debates, he's got momentum. i think, to discount that.

>> we'll keep talking about this