Twitter’s big winner from Tuesday’s V.P. debate? Joe Biden

As Twitter users geared up for Tuesday night’s vice-presidential debate, there was less of a sense of dread or excitement that prefaced the first presidential debate of 2016.

Instead it seemed that most people were tuning into the dialogue between Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Tim Kaine out of something resembling grim resignation.

It’s a feeling that only intensified as the debate revealed itself to be 90 minutes of two largely interchangeable, snowy-locked, older men squabbling with each other about what Donald Trump has or has not said.

Gone was the Tim Kaine of the Democratic National Convention, who won Twitter over with his dad jokes and terrible Trump impression, replaced by a serial interrupter. Present was the Mike Pence who seemed to be running with an alternate universe Donald Trump who was well-reasoned and judicious about language.

It was at that moment that Twitter’s collective hive mind thought back on happier times, when a different snowy-locked, older man won our hearts and our attention with his memorable vice presidential debate performances.

And so, a nation turned its lonely eyes to Joe Biden.

Many Twitter users were pondering where Biden was at the moment and how he was enjoying the debate.

Others fantasized about an alternate universe, where Biden rushed the stage and took over the debate proceedings.

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And still others wondered if maybe it wasn’t time to make the role of vice president a lifetime appointment.

In the end, the country has no choice. Barring a third party resurgence, either Kaine or Pence will be the new president’s right hand man come inauguration in January. Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away.

May he live on forever in our memes.

libby.hill@latimes.com

Twitter: @midwestspitfire

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