Send in the clown; in the Biden/Ryan Vice Presidential debate on Thursday night, Joe Biden decided to play the role of the Joker. He entered onto the stage with a Texas-sized grin that displayed a huge set of unnaturally white teeth. Joe Biden is not a man who smiles and it showed. His expression appeared severely pained.

That was largely the definition of the Biden’s debate performance. He laughed uproariously while Paul Ryan spoke of unemployment, war, and the future of the country. Paul Ryan was his usual self: open, honest, intelligent, and gracious. The contrast could not have been clearer.

It seems Biden was sent on a mission to try to annoy Ryan or something like that. He interrupted Paul Ryan around 80 times, and spent much of the time laughing inappropriately.

Biden’s night was full of grossly bad acting, but I suspect that his base, at least, was happy. He was boorish and that’s just what they wanted. Somehow, I do not think the rest of the country feels the same way.