Who won a debate is a very subjective question. Ryan "won" if what you wanted was a debate on substance and policy, but he lost on optics, because Biden just laughed at everything he said, offered nothing himself, and just treated him like a child, which is what the audience picked up on.
When I see the Biden of today, I look back to that debate and wonder if that was not a debate strategy to counter Ryan, but that that's about all he could offer even then. We would have seen his senility even back then if he had tried harder.
The difference is that I doubt either of them have ever been in a physical fight, but Joe has probably witnessed beatings and thinks he’s a tough guy because of it. Can someone ring up Staten Island dp0622 if I did it wrong? I’d like his take on this.