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Originally Posted by raytri
So here's what I saw:
Both candidates did better than expected. Biden was focused and knowledgeable, and Palin didn't freeze up.
It was obvious that Biden's strategy was to all-but-ignore Palin and attack McCain, while Palin's strategy was to all-but-ignore the actual questions and "speak directly to the American people." Indeed, at one point Biden called her for not answering the question, and Palin openly admitted that she wasn't going to. At another point, Gwen asked a question and Palin said "I'd like to talk about energy some more."
So if you were paying attention to that sort of thing, you'd see that Palin failed to answer many of the questions and was giving canned and scripted answers to others. She did handle some answers pretty well, and showed more depth than her media interviews conveyed. But she was obviously going for "likeable." She was so intent on not getting off-script that nearly all of Biden's attacks on McCain went unrebutted.
But for the average viewer, I think they saw two people sparring and neither landing a killing blow. Biden always answered the questions directly and in detail. Palin didn't, but she didn't embarass herself either. So the general impression was that she could hang.
Some detailed comments:
1. I kept wishing Biden would say "Gov. Palin didn't actually answer the question. I'm willing to give her 30 seconds of my time if she will, for once, simply answer the question directly and clearly."
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But he couldn't, considering he didn't answer some questions either and certainly not many "directly."
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
2. Every time there was a complex question, Gwen directed it at Biden first. She did this three times in a row near the end of the debate, rather than alternating between the candidates. This struck me as odd and infuriating: Palin should have had to answer at least one of those questions without getting to hear Biden's answer first.
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Imagine if we said that in reverse. You'd be saying we were "whining" and expecting to get special treatment because she's a woman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
3. I think Biden chose some odd points to stake strong ground on. The windfall-profits tax is populist, for example, but a small thing that many reasonable people disagree is a good idea. I would have picked stronger points to emphasize.
4. I lost count of the times Palin used the word "maverick." Once or twice would have been effective; after the fifth time she had worn it out, exposing it for the gimmicky phrase it was. I think she lost viewers there.
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Yes, she emphasized that. But not nearly as much as Biden kept saying "Bush" over and over and over again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
5. Similarly, it was almost comical the way Palin transparently steered the topic to energy any chance she got. I think she mentioned "energy-producing state" at least five times as well. And like with "maverick", I think it wore out the phrase.
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That's the sign of a good debater. She said what she wanted to say and said it well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
6. Gwen never asked a follow-up question to force Palin to actually answer a question.
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I don't recall her asking Biden any either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
7. Speaking of Gwen, does anybody think her performance was in any way biased against Palin? If anything, I think she coddled the governor.
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She was professional and fair.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
8. The "gay rights" question was the most interesting of the entire night, forcing both candidates to address an issue that plays strongly one way with their bases but another way with the electorate at large.
9. Biden scored an effective hit late in the debate when he nearly choked up talking about his wife's death and his injured kids. That did a great job of canceling out Palin's efforts to claim the "I'm a woman and a mom who understands what you're going through" mantle. I think they both came off as in touch with average people.
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Yeah, crying is always good. I just kinda expected it to be the woman; not the man! <G>
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
10. Anyone else chuckle at Palin repeatedly calling the general in charge of Afghanistan "McClellan"? His real name is McKeirnan. McClellan is the Union general that Lincoln fired because he seemed uninterested in actually fighting the Confederates.
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I thought it was McClellan as well. Not a huge gaffe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
11. Similarly, Biden nearly suffocated trying to get a phrase out at one point -- I can't remember what the actual phrase was!
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Yes, and he also slurred some words. Some people I watched with thought he might be going to have a stroke as much as he slurred.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raytri
Given the totally different expectations of the two candidates, I don't think either candidate decisively won or lost. But since Palin had more to lose, she probably came out looking better than she did going in. I don't expect this debate to move the needle very much, but if it does it might move it slightly in McCain's direction.
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Since you didn't cover very many of the postive things about Palin, I will do so:
1) Palin looked more relaxed than Biden
2) Palin looked squarely into the camera, directly at the people she was addressing. Biden looked mostly at Ifill. Therefore, she made a connection; he did not, IMO.
3) Paline knew her stuff; didn't stumble, didn't get flustered, and didn't make faces. Biden DID make some faces while she was speaking----even doing one of those "Al Gore" sighs that was heard over the microphone.
The one area I thought Palin could have done better on:
1) When Biden said McCain had supported deregulation---instead of ignoring that comment by him and moving on to taxes, she should have come back blasting away at the Democrats for their support of deregulation----EVEN the last Democrat President who signed it into law. She should have said, "Well, Joe----since you were a Dem Senator under a Dem President in 1997, did you go have a talk with Pres. Clinton and beg him not to sign it?
10-03-2008, 04:50 PM
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