Joe Biden and Paul Ryan to Debate Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan will debate each other on Thursday evening at a nationally televised event at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 p.m. EST and will be streamed live on BET.com.

The two vice presidential candidates will discuss topics related to domestic and foreign affairs. In this debate format, the moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.

The debate represents the first time the two men will appear together to discuss issues in this year’s presidential campaign.

After the lackluster reviews of President Obama’s performance in last week’s presidential debate, there is a good deal of pressure on the vice president to speak decisively about everything from the nation’s economy to the turmoil in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Paul Ryan, who has been a member of the House Budget Committee, is known for a strong speaking style, coupled with his iron adherence to small-government economic principles.

There are two more debates between President Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. The next debate will be on Oct. 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The following debate will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

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(Photos from left: Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)