This was a great debate. It wasn’t a barn burner, it wasn’t as antagonistic as McCain V Obama, but it was very interesting, and very enlightening.
The biased interviews she had taken part in produced misrepresentations about Governor Palin and minimized her abilities to lead and her knowledge, through questions which pressed her unnecessarily, and through convenient editing by the networks.
Palin did very well. She did what McCain did not do in his debate, she addressed the camera directly, and she addressed Biden directly. She showed not only knowledge, but understanding of what she’s talking about.
There were a few things I took issue with concerning her responses. Biden laid the door wide open for Palin when he addressed the needs for clean coal in China. Palin didn’t take the gaping opportunity presented to her to point out his remarks to an environmentalist in a crowd when he thought nobody was watching. She failed to point out that he said no coal production in America, let them build plants in China. Big issue to pass on.
Edit on the previous: It has since been pointed out to me that she DID call Biden out on his coal statements. It was an issue I was paying close attention to, and did not see. However, I am waiting for video or transcripts to show me wrong, and if those surface I will admit I was wrong (and gladly so).
Edit 2: It has been pointed out her exact comments in reference to Biden’s remarks on coal, the transcript being available here: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/transcripts/vice-presidential-debate.html
The exact quotes were:
PALIN: “I was surprised to hear you mention that because you had said that there isn’t anything — such a thing as clean coal. And I think you said it in a rope line, too, at one of your rallies.”
BIDEN: “A comment made in a rope line was taken out of context. I was talking about exporting that technology to China so when they burn their dirty coal, it won’t be as dirty, it will be clean.”
Her statement I still believe was soft considering how much stronger his words were concerning his opposition to coal plants in America. But, she did bring it up, and that’s a very good thing.
Biden was overladen with facts about McCain’s voting history (and knowing Biden, we can question his facts offhand). Palin failed to address these remarks, which is understandable on one hand because when people throw out lies out of the blue it’s near impossible to refute unless you have readily prepared knowledge that the lies are going to be made. Palin glossed over many questions, instead addressing other issues.
But, this battle goes to Palin. Her job was simply to show she’s not the bumbling unprepared politician the MSM had made her out to be. She exonerated herself, she showed herself to be very capable, she showed that she can speak out of wisdom rather then simply knowledge. She addressed the American people, and she had very relevant criticisms about Biden’s position before he was picked and his turn around since.
Palin was affable, and it was easy to relate to her. She reinforced her post convention status as being very likeable, and very underestimated.
Knowing all of these things, I believe Palin has provided a great boost to her ticket after tonight.
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
You are a joke
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I thought Palin got off to a very very rough start but that she pulled it out in the end. Both candidates (Biden especially) really rattled off a lot of very inaccurate facts and statistics at the beginning. Biden came out strong but failed to finsh…Palin was visibly nervous at the start but had a great finish. My 2 cents…
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
If class was an indicator, Gov Palin whupped the britches off Biden!
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Sarah won 55/45. Wish it was more, honestly.
Why didn’t she call Biden out? — it was Biden and his cronies that were the cause of the mortgage/credit crisis. *They* caused this mess. Why do Republicans just sit by and take it on the chin?
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I am a conservative but even I have to admit that it might be a bit more complicated than the infamous youtube clip appears. The collapse of the housing market ALONE wouldn’t have brought us to a $700 B bailout (I’m sorry…rescue!). A lot had to do with the unregulated financial industry. I think the rep. are letting the people sort out the blame on this one.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Sarah Palin didn’t score a knockout punch against Joe Biden tonight, but for a person characterized by the MSM and the lefty bloggers as a rank amateur who is totally unqualified for the job as Vice President of the United States, she held her own nicely. Biden landed a few rhetorical blows, and Palin landed just as many of her own.
Palin debated well for the entire hour and a half, never embarrassed herself, and was competitive against a US senator who has been in Washington for thirty years. In my book, if for no other reason than that, she won.
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
First a short word to commenter George. Skrappy’s not a joke, I am. Did you type that with your man on man action site minimized? Just wondering.
Anyhoot, well said Skrap, I too am baffled why she or McCain won’t go for the throat when both Biden and Obamallah expose it on a daily basis. Were it me, they would be crying in the corner soiling themselves.
I knew Palin would do fine, look at the nincompoop she was debating. Being hot doesn’t hurt either. Call me sexist all you like, but any man when confronted with a good looking woman is always a knocked a little “off balance”. Its who we are. Unless of course your Barney Franks.
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hey Buffoon, I’m curious as to how you really feel about her running the country, in complete control as leader of the greatest country in the world? Be honest. Does she have what it takes? I dunno. She’s got charm, looks great in a tight skirt and she’s even got some political experience (running one of our least populated states where not much happens). But does she have what it takes to run our country at this time when we have a war, financial crisis and Russia acting out?
Don’t get me wrong. I know it’s a choice between us or them - but this is a serious concern. We need to let the Republican party know that we need more. She was good twice in public, at the convention and last night’s debate. But she worked long and hard for days to do it. She will not have time to practice once in office. When filming live interviews she failed miserably. Whether the news-reporter is biased or not, she fumbled over and over again. I am not impressed. I expect more. I was greatly embarrassed and then scared of the fact it only took Katie Couric questions to make her look the fool.
Three times last night, in the debate, she refused to answer questions and just bounced back to her pat answers of her experience in Alaska. That is unacceptable and I’m surprised the press hasn’t brought it up yet. Well that’s gonna get old soon because she has got to work harder than anyone else in this race to show she has an intelligent and functioning brain behind those beautiful big brown eyes.
Let’s stop fooling ourselves and get back to expecting what is right for our country. I want someone to be proud of who can take on the world at the very moment needed. It’s time to insist the Republicans wake up and grow up. This is not a beauty contest this is the real deal!
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
George: I’ll wait to find out if you’re an Obama, McKinney, or Ron Paul supporter before deciding whether your comment is a compliment or not. I do love it when ignorant people criticize me, it’s backwards validation.
To Buffoon: My fear is this IS his site for “release” . . . I may have to remove my pic. And Reagan’s.
To Buffalo: I don’t know about Buffoon (I do know he really likes her that’s for sure), but my opinion is Sarah Palin has the best judgment of the four running. When are you going to realize that a politicians ability to answer every question isn’t based on some political ‘ability’, it’s based on their ability to BS. Or their desire to, or a combination of both. Either way, Sarah Palin just doesn’t BS, the other three are just very good at it (well Obama really sucks at it, but he sure tries hard). That makes her even more attractive.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
What exhibition in judgement are you talking about? What has she done or said that shows any real substance that would allow her to garner such unquestioning devotion from so many? She hunts and belongs to the NRA - who doesn’t these days? She oversees a country where not much happens. She obviously isn’t too busy with her average workday as she brings her baby to the office with her. Look, she could not answer simple questions by the mildest of media. She appears to be learning on the fly what McCain is all about. If she is in this game soley to take over when McCain becomes incompassitated or just croaks in office - then you are right, she plays a good game of BS. But we don’t need another puppet figure head to run our country. You see how Putie-Putin has his puppet now and hte direction they’re going and he got the idea from our last eight years with puppet George W.
This game has to tighten up now to get our country on track. Palin has already given up any backbone she may have with allowing herself to be played as the Republican Barbie-doll. She lets the handlers tell her what to say and when to hide and to pose for the cameras. I do expect more from the leader of our country. We have had great leaders in the past so why are we just settling now? That is un-American. We do not settle for second best.
So Skrappy, you’re young and bright and you have answers. Clue me in on this one. What does Palin do that makes her qualified to run the United States of America?
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Her judgment is backed up by her beliefs and her execution of those beliefs. The most glaring example is choosing not to abort a child which will be very difficult to raise. She lives her life based on morals and values, and makes decisions for herself, her family, and those who she governs based on those values. The only gap here is experience. Barack Obama has this same gap, except his judgment is so poor it’s not only remarkable, it’s horrifying. Any single individual who is not horrified at the thought of President Obama is not well studied concerning this election, and no one who is lacking knowledge concerning the candidates should vote.
As far as her interviews, her weak points were driven at hard, over and over. Barack Obama has not had a tough interview. O’Reilly? Please. Did you see the difference between when John McCain was on the view and when Barack Obama was? They called John McCain a liar to his face. They called Barack Obama sexy. Are you missing the bias here? Are you so blatantly fooled by interrogators who can easily skew an interview to make someone look bad? If one person has a thousand drawbacks, and another person has maybe 50, and the interviewer concentrates on none of the first person’s drawbacks but concentrates on all 50 of the second person’s drawbacks, the second person will look 50 times worse.
Personally, I do hope that we’ll see President Palin, and I wouldn’t mind if it was by February 2009. I don’t hope it happens through misfortune to John McCain, but I hope it happens. This country needs another Ronald Reagan, and she is it.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Sorry, I missed the View TV show - I hate that show, it’s just noise and I’m surprised you quote it.
Sarah Palin could not answer the question of what newspapers she was reading. She is a 44 year old woman who does not understand the cycles of her body and does not practice birth control. She hid this last pregnancy for as long as she could which shows some sort of embarrassment for being pregnant at her age. She may hunt with the boys - but she believes in cheating at it. Chasing down animals with helicopters to exhaustion in order to shoot them to death is the most lazy and unsportsman like behavior. She is suing our government over the polar bears being on the endangered species list. She is a creationist who cannot grasp the concept of evolution existing along with religion. Personally, I feel God managed that and a whole lot more that we will never discover on this world.
She has received world wide attention and I understand that can be daunting, She may well feel like one of those wolves being chased down by a helicopter. However she continues to allow herself to be mocked every day as she does AND says what she’s told. (like a good woman should?!) That will continue with her in office as she is clearly not her own person. Not in this arena. And she is no Ronald Reagan!
The choices we have are difficult. Clearly we have a black man on one side and a hot woman on the other and there are folks not comfortable with voting for either due to color or gender. This is 2008 and a choice must be made. I hear everyone touting change. I hear McCain rewording the same dogma as the past eight years. But then I hear the other side’s answer with cutting taxes for companies who keep the jobs in the USA and tax those who don’t. I hear the other side’s answers to a reasonable healthcare for everyone. I like the other side’s answer to growing technology; if we don’t - China will and they already have our jobs! These issues are huge and addressed properly will help our country no matter who they come from.
I turned to your blog, and others, to get perspective with what I missed about Sarah Palin. What I found with your answer is to vote for this woman solely because she did not abort her baby. What she does in her personal life is personal and does not affect us. What affects us is that we have a mess in the middle east, the financial crisis, Russia stirring. We have the worse healthcare in the entire free world. We are still loosing our jobs to China and India. How are these issues being addressed.
Think, it’s only for four years until we can choose again. In the meantime these issues, which are good answers can have a chance to grow and the USA will begin to prosper again. Then we can get back to a Republican course.
Hey, you are right with getting the knowledge and I’m just saying we need to taqke off the blinders and look to the future. You look strong and healthy, so I’m sure you understand weight and strength building… at times we must to give in for a little time in order to build the ultimate overall strength and power. That’s the beauty and basis of our Democracy.