VP Debate?
Submitted by Jerseyguy406 on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 21:31
Any thoughts on the VP debate?
Lets discuss?
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Is there any real question?
Didn't anyone else notice that Palin was rading from cards? Isn't that against the rules? I was totally put off by the folksy tone Palin employed. I thought it condescending.
agree Bill
Bill,
Couldn't agree more about Palin. Her folksiness seemed so over the top and contrived.
I saw that she came out today and said Obama is pals with terrorists....now she's reached the despicable phase of the campaign with outrageous lies. I expect to see a lot more of this as the Republicans get more desperate over the next month.
Rev. Wright
As it looks bleaker for McCain I expect to see more commercials featuring Rev Wright damning America and if they are really slimy, trying to establish some sort of Obama/Muslim connection .
Palin Scripted
She was scripted all the way. Her training is as a News Reporter and she reported what she was prepared for.
Palin and the Debate
For the skills she has to work with, Palin did as well as she could against a veteran like Joe Biden. If you noticed, she often disregarded the questions or touched on them briefly, then went off tangents. She was obviously well rehearsed on her talking points and worked them. She trained to be a news reporter and worked that as a skill. She had good camera eye contact and of course she is bright, spunky, and attractive. I like Angelo's comparison with Reagan. As Nancy Reagan (not some left winger) said "President was the biggest and best role Ronnie ever played." She did the down home stuff too, right out of the Reagan playbook. I hit the net and the surfed the cable news shows this morning and other than the hard core right wingers most agree that it went to Biden but Palin was a success in that she didn't screw up hugely and came off well. I have seen Biden better. Substance wise, as Frank and Jersey guy pointed out, no comparison, Biden blew her away. But remember Americans don’t vote with their brains, they vote with their hearts and emotions. She says she is doing no more Katie Couric style interviews. In other words all responses are going to be scripted and she won't have to think on her feet.
BTW, McCain is pulling his resources out of Michigan! The polls are so lopsided to Obama, that there is no way he is going to catch up.
Biden, The Hands Down Winner
After we remove all the pundit spin how "Palin held her own," it was clearly Biden's night. Unlike the Alaska governor's talking points, Joe gave detail.
If you judge the winner on who most sounds like one the characters in the movie "Fargo", I guess you give it to Palin. But if you judge it upon clarity, experience and command of the important issues of the day, Biden won hands down.
It depends on what you were looking for.
The winner is -- Biden on substance - Palin on style.
While Joe could not match her on style she could not match him on substance. It depends on what you were looking for. No gottcha's, no knock out punch. The fact that Sarah hung in there, made no Katie Couric like gaffes must make the Republicans a bit relieved.
I thought the most poignant moment was when Joe almost lost it when he recalled being there while his son recovered from his injuries. It made him much more human, not totally the wonkish pro. Being a single Dad helped counter her Soccer Mom image.
At one point, as Joe was making his presentation, I was stuck by the image of him being President. With her I had the image of her being President - of the local PTA. Nice lady, good Mom, but one step away from holding arguably the most powerful position in the world. Not a chance!
Biden won, but Palin held her own
Jerseyguy I think Biden clearly won the debate and had a better command of the issues, but Palin wasn't nearly as bad as her interviews recently. She was terribly vague on the issues and after a fairly strong start she went ran out of talking points.
With all the focus of Sarah Palin, I think we shouldn't lose the fact that Joe Biden was very, very effective.
Not sure Biden won
Yes, I agree that Biden had better command of the issues and was much, much more specific on the topics. However, Palin did hold her own and since the bar was set so low for her she ended up looking like she somewhat knew what she was talking about. To that end I think she helped McCain more than Biden helped Obama.
Her "awww shucks" persona helped her a bit. It drove me insane and is what I believe to be a tool of the ignorant, but none-the-less was an effective tool.
Joe Biden definately held better control over the issues, but the question is, "How are we to measure this debate in terms that can allow us to label an individual as have won or lost?"
I think Joe did what he had to do to be successful, but I'm still not convinced that he won... Prehaps that's the answer he definately didn't blow it and in not blowing it I guess one could say that it was a small victory...maybe?
Great Debate by Both V.P. Candidates
I too didn't have high expectations of Palin because of the Couric interviews, but tonight I thought both Palin and Biden did great. In fact, I thought tonight's debate was better than the Presidential debate last week. Both Biden and Palin were sharper, more focused in their answers than McCain and Obama.
I think Steve is right that Biden clearly knew more about the intricacies of bills and issues that Palin. His answer about Darfur, on economic and foreign issues, on the Supreme Court, were impressive. But I think Palin has what Reagan had, that natural ability to connect with the viewer. Her winks at the camera, her folksy way, were effective, as Jersey guy noted. I think on energy issues, she held her own, but on foreign and economic affairs, she spoke in more general terms.
I think both were smart in realizing that the important thing wasn't winning the debate on issues, per se, but in connecting with the viewers in America. Biden had a touching moment when he talked about being a single parent and taking care of his two sons. He was doing what he could to connect with main street Americans, as he kept referencing the small towns like Akron, Ohio. It sounds authentic coming from Biden.
When the debate was over, I liked how they seemed to genuinely like each other as they shook hands and introduced their families. I watched the debate with two close friends and we agreed it was a good debate.
Angelo