blueollie

Joe Biden Cruises to Easy Win in the Debate

Basically, this looked like a Vice Presidential candidate debating a candidate for a State House; a complete mismatch.

My wife thought that Palin did “well” but to me she came across as cutesy and non-presidential; I could not envision this woman being Commander in Chief. I could see her in a state house somewhere; that is about it.

Joe Biden kept the focus on McCain vs. Obama; Palin talked about herself a bit too much and tried to be a bit too “folksy”.

The charm may have helped in 2000 when times were good, but not now. Sarah Palin appeared to be reading scripted answers to prepared questions and they often didn’t relate to be what is being asked.

The commentators are saying that Joe Biden was more substantive and less rehearsed.

In fact, someone said that Palin had lots of answers but they weren’t to the questions being asked. :)

The CNN internet poll had Biden winning 76-22 and MSNBC had Biden winning 78-19.

CBS poll of undecideds: 46 Biden, 21, Palin, 33 a tie.

CNN poll of all viewers:

Who did the best job in the debate?

Biden 51
Palin 36

[...]

Is Palin qualified to serve as president?

Yes
Before debate: 42
After debate: 46

No
Before debate: 54
After debate: 53

Update Media Curves

Independents: 69-31 Biden
Democrats: 87-11 Biden
Republicans: 80-19 Palin

Update: Kathleen Parker

Well, darnit all, if that dadgum girl (wink, wink) didn’t beat the tarnation out of Joe Biden. Maverick Sarah Palin fersure surpassed expectations and said everything under the sun, also. And Biden smiled and smiled.

Palin is a populist pro. She hit all the notes that resonate with non-elite Americans: family (Hi Mom and Dad!), “Can I call ya Joe?” personal responsibility, Wall Street greed, children with special needs. Her most effective technique was speaking directly to the American people and letting Joe know that’s what she was gonna do, doggonit.

Stylistically, she used the language of the people to great effect. And, you know what? If you want to know what the American people care about, you can go to a kid’s soccer game on Saturday and ask parents how they feel, and “I’ll betcha you’re going to hear some fear.”

I’ll have to go to the transcript to figure out what Palin actually said and try to figure out whose facts were right. But there’s no question: She won the debate on popularity. She did her homework, studied hard, and delivered with spunk. Still, I had the uneasy feeling throughout that I was witnessing a data dump from a very appealing droid. Even the winks and jaw juts seemed slightly programmed. And the question remains: Is she ready to be president should the need arise?

October 3, 2008 - Posted by blueollie | 2008 Election, Biden, Joe Biden, sarah palin | | 8 Comments

8 Comments »

  1. I’m not sure how to read those Kathleen Parker comments. Considering the threats she received after her previous comments about Palin, she may have felt obligated to say that Palin won. Yet, the tongue-in-cheek style and the last paragraph indicate that despite her claim for a “win”, even she’s not convinced.

    Anyone with a brain could see that Palin had no grasp of any real facts or the issues in general. I loved how Biden attacked on the “maverick” issue and how he responded on the number of votes related to taxes. How anyone could think that Palin could attack two Senators on “facts” related to Senate votes when Biden has been in the Senate for so long is beyond me.

    The “soccer game” comment was annoying. Hell, her whole attitude of talking about whatever she wanted and never answering a question was annoying.

    The fact that Palin went 90 minutes and only once had me saying “WTF is she talking about?” means she performed above expectations, so maybe it’s a win. It was way better than anything from the Katie Couric interviews.

    But, I’m tired of morons and rigid non-thinkers running our country, no matter how “folksy” they are. We need the f-ing “elites” running the country, not the morons.

    Comment by Damon | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  2. Oh yeah, by the end of the debate my wife was sitting on the couch, saying “I just wish I could vote for her”. Our time living in Alaska is certainly a factor there. The fact that she’s a female plays a role, as my wife was originally in Hillary’s column, although she ended up voting for Obama in the primary. And, she simply liked her.

    Yet, my wife was also able to see through the lack of substance and depth.

    My son, who has become addicted to Colbert recently, basically complained for the entire debate that she never answered a question. My son is 15 and could see right through her.

    Comment by Damon | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  3. Damon, here are a couple of thoughts:

    I detest Sarah Palin. Why? She reminds me of the student who tries to BS their way out of having to do the course work or out of learning the material. They act as if they know stuff when in fact they don’t.

    Therefore it is hard for me to be objective with respect to how the public at large sees her.

    Funny, but I didn’t like Bill Clinton at first, and the reason was that I found his “folksy charm” to be very off-putting. I grew to like him when it became clear to me how darned smart he is but it still annoyed me that he seemed to take pains to hide his intellect from the public.

    This is also why I love Obama: the guy is very smart and doesn’t try to hide it.

    Maybe, just maybe, if Obama wins, he can do for intellectual people what Reagan did for dumbasses.

    Reagan made it “cool to be dumb” (e. g., Forrest Gump) and maybe, just maybe, Obama can make it “cool to be smart”.

    Comment by blueollie | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  4. Sarah Palin gave me a headache trying to figure out what the heck she was talking about. I don’t find her charming or likable, just evasive and cheerleader cutsey.

    Comment by Rose | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  5. BEST QUOTE EVER!

    Comment by postsimian | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  6. [...] “Maybe, just maybe, if Obama wins, he can do for intellectual people what Reagan did for dumbasses.”  – ollie [...]

    Pingback by BlargenBlog » Blog Archive » Quote of the Year | October 3, 2008 | Reply

  7. Every time I listen to Palin speak for a significant amount of time (ie: the debate) I need to take a few days to reflect lest I begin bleeding from my ears. My favorite moment was when she arrogantly informed us that she was “not gonna answer questions the way that Joe or the moderator want her to answer them”. Did anyone else notice when she would change the tone of her voice to that whisper like sort of thing when she was trying to disagree nicely or explain things to the little people? I break out into a cold sweat when I think of seeing McCain delivering the State of the Union Address and her sitting behind him in Cheney’s old seat smirking and winking. Scares the bejeezus out of me dontchaknow!

    Comment by Punditry | October 6, 2008 | Reply

  8. Well, what would be really cool is when Obama-Biden sends her back to Alaska is if she’d lose her reelection bid for Governor! I’ll “betcha” she gets a primary challenge!

    Comment by blueollie | October 6, 2008 | Reply


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