Call it as you see it here. The purpose of this thread is to quarantine the kind of partisan name-calling that is the hallmark of live debate discussion from the main thread, so I won’t quite be holding commenters up to this site’s normal high standards. The other thread remains open for those wishing to discuss the presidential race more broadly.
Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth
Palin versus Biden debate thread
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292 Comments
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Gusface put yourself into his shoes, oldest son heading into combat. i’m parent to 4 children, oldest is 22 and currently is a member of the Michigan ANG (Biden’s son is in the Deleware ANG) ……. I would do the same in his shoes.
“LOL” isn’t even in the ball park with that issue ……
Isn’t this the key to winning any debate?
she’s a catchphrase Pez dispenser..
“Barack Obama’s Intrade value will increase more than John McCain’s following the VP debate” is now up to 63.4
Palin offers a Marxist critique of the operation of the mainstream media.
Curiously, she refuses to adopt Marxist economic policy.
The problem is all of this tactical stuff might be obvious to politics junkies, but many of the punters will get virtually no other exposure to her and may not pick up on the technique of avoiding the questions she’s being asked. The average voter might well come away thinking she’s down to earth, interested in energy policy, and generally ok otherwise.
Yeah, but a really huge one that dispenses cans of SPAM.
That’s crazy, it was down to 40 in the middle of the debate.
Biden! Don’t say “great work toots” at the end!
I can see a new game show coming on Channel Ten “Are you smarter than a VP candidate?” For those who find the Fifth grader show too intimidating.
Are you guys watching the same debate as Ben and Jonathan at Politico (I’m not watching at all)? They say Biden is killing her, and they’er hardly Dem supporters. Ben said McCain beat Obama.
You must have missed Bush being elected twice
Yes. But the expectations for Palin were so low that most pundits will probably say it was a close Biden win.
I just think Biden was in a different class.
Is it over yet?
Yes finished a few minutes ago.
First polls should be out in 2 hours.
Dio @ 211: I’m on a couple of US blogs and their reaction is the same. They are saying Biden has shot the moose right between the eyes. !
Watching Sarah Palin and Joe Biden is a bit like watching a person running for President and a person running for Govenor.
Watching this debate shows the quality of American politics Vs Australian Politcs, the questions are more complex and the answers are more direct and more detailed
I reckon Salah Palin would beat most of our Pollies, yet her answers are not has developed and detailed as Biden.
Image our Pollies being asked what promises can you see you not keeping?
William,
now how long do we stay on this thread before moving back to the generic US thread?
No 213
The interesting thing I found, despite my Republican inclinations, is that both candidates have charisma in their own ways.
It’s hard to see that Palin’s performance – as solid as it was – will make any difference to the drift to Obama.
Where you watching it? I’m watching the one (our) ABC is linking to
IMO, with such a low bar…Palin did ok. No real game changes..
juliem,darn
the ‘tears” comment was because last week I thought palin would tear up
(ps have no pictures only going off this blog)
any offence caused, I apologise
Ben Smith’s closing comment seems on the money to me:
“My quick take is that Palin passed a pass-fail test, though she flagged as the debate went on. Though she was chosen for her emotion connection, she was the drier of the two candidates. But if the central worry was that she’d be a drag on the ticket, she likely returned herself to the same status as Biden and every other running mate in memory: Not, ultimately, a major factor at the polls.
Biden, meanwhile, was — as he should have been, given his experience and skill at this — a more effective presence, and a more lucid one. He effectively, and emotionally, used the forum to drive the Obama campaign’s core message that McCain isn’t the man for the economic moment.”
Where can I find authoritative determinations on who won? eg. Who’s been taking a credible poll of undecided voters?
I completely agree.
This is a benefit of having an INDEPENDENT bi-partisan debate commission that sets the rules for the debates, instead of essentially the Prime Minister having a veto power over any of the rules.
I told you Palin would do well if she stuck to being herself!
On ya Sarah!
Someone on the CNN panel just said Joe Biden just gave the best debating performance of his life.
I have to agree that it did seem pretty good.
David Gergen (?) on CNN said this has been Biden’s single best debate performance ever …….
Yes, I thought about the contrast between American and Australian political debates while watching the first debate on Saturday. Australian politics comes off looking shallow.
Best comment from the Slate twitter feed:
Cheers Gusface. No offence taken.
Drudge Poll, always the most impartial guide, calls it for Palin 76-24.
I think he got it mixed up with yesterdays Senate vote.
I think we can safely say the moderator did her job very well. Even the republicans would find it hard to fault her in any way.
I was surprised at female reaction to Biden. Pretty strong.
Palin is a better debater than McCain!
ehehhehe Biden said Bosniac?
In terms of who ‘won’ the debate, only the genuinely random polls that come out in a few days will tell you that. All of these focus-group style polls that the different networks fall over themselves to be the first out with are pretty much a joke.
I just thought yesterdays rumour mongering was an attempt to soften her up so she asked easier questions.
She just “doesn’t understand”…
Didn’t give McCain about an 85% win for the first one? Makes you wonder why they bother…
Yeah, but they set up the narrative before the actual polls come out.
So they create a perception of who won.
Fox news are asking a room full of ‘undecideds’. “who won?”
only a couple are refusing to say that she won..
It’s just a silly web poll thing. It isn’t randomised or a representative sample.
The point is not that she is an idiot, but that her values are bad and that is where Biden needs to step up.
US progressive media guru George Lakoff laid out what the Democrats have to do, how to ‘not think of a Maverick’ etc but Biden and the Democrats are too value-neutral. He let Palin off way too easy.
So is this a “Palin effect”?
I think based on what we’ve just seen, we can safely say Biden and Palin will be a great team at running the USA. They work so well together.
Now who are these other candidates? They’re on toast.
Biden of course won hands down as you would expect. But that is not what is being measured.
Where are they? Alamaba? lol
CNN are doing the same (see my comment above), ‘cept with the opposite result.
That shouldbe Alabama of course
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