At the end of last night's debate, I opined that there had been no clear winner. One of the participants in the live blog accused me of being biased toward Governor Palin, suggesting that my, um, attraction for the woman was impacting my objectivity. Perhaps. But let me explain my answer.
If a political debate were simply the sum of its parts, if there were a "scoreboard" evident throughout the event, then I would suggest Joe Biden won. His command of the facts, his inside knowledge of the issues, his steady, calm, articulate demeanor....all suggest a victory.
But a political debate is more than that. It is a comparison of the two in the minds of viewers. Keep in mind....every single legislative issue that found itself in the Senate since January 1973 has come across Joe Biden's desk. Every single one. If he DIDN'T have a command of the facts and issues, he'd look foolish. The man ran for President TWENTY years ago, as one of the youngest men in the race...yet he had been in the Senate for 15 years then! Last night was akin to asking a Supreme Court Justice or a law school professor to take a bar exam.
I called it a draw because he didn't kill her. She didn't screw up any more than he did. She stuck to her guns, she was likable, she was steady, she did her job (defended her man) and she showed a lot of people that she was "just like them" (don't get me started on this as a qualification for office, but I digress). I looked at the whole thing this way....sitting before you are two candidates for COO of the company you are Chairman and CEO of....one has been with the company for 36 years and really knows his stuff, but for some reason, in each of the last few COO retirements, he was passed over for the job. The other candidate is from outside the company. She's actually run a couple of smaller companies, and it is obvious she doesn't know your business quite as well. Make your decision.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
13 comments:
True, that. She get the vote of confidence for standing up to Joe, he gets one for knowledge of the issues. Not too surprising. What tilts the balance for her was that she brought her A-game. Her body language at the end was one of complete relief.
Like in baseball, there are streak/slump hitters and steady hitters. She seems streaky to me.
Is it fair to say that the VP "do no harm" philosophy of the past is dead?
"No Baked Alaska" - Cover of the Daily News this morning in NY.
It's a choice between "Policy Wonk" and "Policy Mom." I'll take "Mom."
I think Gov. Palin missed a huge opportunity for a great humor zinger. Sen. Biden stated that "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had..." A great reply from Gov. Palin would have been: "I agree. I will never shoot anyone while I am VP. Look at the moose pictures. I'm a better shot."
CW - Good points. I'm lukewarm on Palin - I hesitated to watch the debate last night only because I was concerned as to how she would stack up against an old hand like Biden. She had a gittery first ten minutes, but then seemed to calm down and actually appeared to enjoy herself. Despite myself, I like Biden and I didn't think he held back on Palin - good for him. In fact, I thought I caught one or two moments where he actually seemed proud of her, like a doting father. They both carried themselves well. But I came away with a better overall impression of Palin than Biden; in fact, I thought Biden came off as the mercurial tempest that I think the Left was hoping would appear in McCain last week.
FWIW - I can more easy accept Palin as a frequent customer of Home Depot than Biden; and I think that hit home for many folks last night as well.
I don't think there's much question he won more points, but I also don't think there's much question that she won more hearts.
I think Palin did better than expected - after her Couric interviews she has a tendency to speak almost gibberish and look like a complete moron - she only did that once or twice last night. But come on....the debate format was EASY for her - how about this
- did she answer any questions? Either she didn't understand them or just completely ignored them. It was ridiculous
- Gwen Ifill asked no followups - what was her point there anyways?
- she was confident enough to speak out General McKiernan's name is "McClellan"...twice! Wow, unless you never read the newspaper you should know this.
- thinks the VP's role in government should be EXPANDED? Not must of a Constitutionalist I guess.
You guys just have to explain to me how she "won"? Her performance didn't lose the election for McCain but that is not the same as winning. It's a debate folks - that's how you judge it. You can ask later if she garnered more money for the campaign but there's no way she won it.
One more thought just crossed my mind - why are there different standards for Palin and Biden? For a conservative, you certainly change your ideas pretty darn quick. There should be one standard for a VP - I don't care if the candidate has held elective office all his life or never - that is beside the point. The debate is the debate is the debate - how you do should be measured regardless of your past. Jeez, if we had some 8 year old kid up there should be lower the ball and said he did much better than expected therefore it was a tie? Just like performance standards in the military - they shouldn't change for gender. Either you're up to the par or you're not.
On another note - did you guys like how Palin supported civil unions, windfall tax on oil companies and blamed the economic crisis on lenders and greedy Wall Street but not the poor decisions by home buyers? Pretty conservative huh?
As I stated at the close of the debate last night, "I'd give Biden a B+ and Palin a B which considering Biden's inside Washington edge actually makes Palin the winner."
But had I been she, I would have interspersed every answer with comments on Obama’s lack of experience and the Democrats cozy relationship with Fannie and Freddie
Captain Midnight....Different standards for Palin and Biden? You mean like the different standards of what comprises "experience" applied to Palin and Obama? Come on, politics is full of inconsistencies.
Joe Biden has studied and debated every single piece of legislation that appeared in the Senate for 36 years. I think it is obvious why folks would apply a different standard to him.
Winning elections isn't like winning merit badges in the cub scouts. It is about people deciding that they like you more than the other person. I wish it weren't so, but it is.
As for Palin's positions...do you not read this blog? Have you not seen the countless times I've said that my support for John McCain is tepid because of his thumbing his nose at conservative ideals? Should I be surprised that he picked someone who toes the same populist line he does?
Biden is certainly more experienced than Palin. He is a much better debater having spent decades in the Senate. But, as you said, a debate is about more than that. It's about values and leadership and a thousand intangibles we can't describe but we know are there. For me Palin won, hands down. Biden is the past. A past many have not lived yet, but it appears they soon will. I lived through the Johnson/Nixon/Carter years. I know what a bad economy feels like. If Obama wins get ready. It will get ugly quick and this time we might not have a Ronald Reagan to save us from ourselves. Please God let Palin be this generation's Reagan.
Mr. Hammer, do you call this a good economy? Or has it been a "booming" economy based on the extra $5 trillion credit injected into the markets by the Federal government? ($9.5 if you include deficit spending prior to Bush II) Not to mention state debts? I recommend reading “Their Party Crashed. Ours May Too", by Robert McElvaine, in this past Sunday's Wash. Post... it’s a good piece that highlights some points that are often overlooked in conservative circles. It’s not perfect but a decent description of the dangers of cutting high end taxes.
Regarding who won or who lost -- well it’s pretty clear to me, whoever you were predisposed to vote for, you found evidence that endorsed that choice. As for me, I am one of those strange birds who is undecided ( know CW cannot fathom why). My read -- Biden won on experience and confidence. Palin did enough to save herself, but not enough to save John McCain. My thoughts.... Joe H
Here are some poll numbers, which i think are on target:
ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- Sarah Palin stared criticism straight in the face Thursday, telling opponent Joe Biden and moderator Gwen Ifill that she would answer questions and address issues on her own terms during the vice presidential debate.
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin traded barbs Thursday in the only vice presidential debate this election year.
"I may not answer the question the way you want to hear, but I'll talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record," Palin said.
Since being picked as Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, Palin has been under fire for not being accessible enough to the media and delivering tightly scripted speeches during campaign appearances.
Palin did not veer off-course during the 90-minute debate, but her stand on principle appeared to hurt her, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll of debate watchers.
Only 26 percent of those surveyed said that Palin was more intelligent in the debate, compared with 57 percent who chose Biden, according to the poll of 611 adult Americans who tuned in to watch it. The poll had a sampling error of 4 percentage points. Watch the world's reaction to the Biden-Palin battle »
Overall, 51 percent of the debate watchers said that Biden did the best job in the debate, but 36 percent gave the nod to Palin. iReport.com: Who do you think won?
However, the Alaska governor, who repeatedly sought to emphasize the maverick credentials of the McCain-Palin ticket, overcame expectations, as 84 percent of the debate watchers said she did better than expected. Watch entire debate: Part 1 » | Part 2 » | Part 3 »
Don't Miss
'Morning Express' viewers pen debate headlines
Heading into the debate, both Republicans and Democrats said that Palin needed to convey to voters that she understood the problems they face every day, which have been exacerbated in recent weeks by the financial crisis. She met her match in Biden, who went toe-to-toe with her when discussing the problems of everyday people. While Palin talked about her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, Biden countered with Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware.
For Biden, Democratic and Republican strategists said it was essential that he direct his fire at McCain and stay clear of being overly aggressive in his criticism of Palin.
The debate watchers polled by CNN said that by a 7-point margin -- 43 percent to 36 percent -- Biden spent more time attacking the opponent. Still, fears of the Delaware senator being overly aggressive never came to fruition and certainly did not hurt him when it came down to the bottom line: who won the debate.
The conclusions of those surveyed in the CNN poll cannot be welcome news for the McCain-Palin campaign, but Republicans have to be happy with Palin's performance, which was gaffe-free even as it was short on substance. Full coverage of the debates
The theme of the debate was change as Palin and Biden sought to convince voters that they would shake up the status quo in Washington, a popular theme as approval ratings for the president and Congress are dismally low.
On this point, Biden, a 35-year veteran of the Senate, was more successful in selling this message. Fifty-three percent of debate watchers said Biden seemed more likely to bring change; 42 percent chose Palin.
Another troubling number for Palin is that only 46 percent of the debate watchers said she was qualified to be president, compared with 87 percent who picked Biden. Grade the candidates' performance in the debate
However, Republicans can take solace in knowing that a vice presidential nominee does not win or lose a presidential election. Palin will continue to be embraced by conservatives and, perhaps, even energize them more in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Post a Comment