I missed the first 25 minutes but saw all the rest. Bottom line: Sarah Palin had evidently been very thoroughly prepped for it, and spoke with much more familiarity about a range of national and international issues than I’ve ever seen her show before. (Though she did make some mistakes, and dodged a few questions.) Lack of self-confidence is not her problem! She has a manner that sometimes seems very attractive, sometimes too gratingly faux-folksy. Including all those dropped ‘g’s, as in “That’s what senator McCain and I are aimin’ to do!”
She also talked a bit about using “nucular” weapons for deterrence, as though “using” them is something quite normal and everyday.
Thinking of her and nuclear weapons made me very scared indeed.
Compared with her Biden looked– I have to say this– old. As old as McCain. And not old-and-distinguished as much as old-and-tired.
To his credit he did not patronize her or try to correct her when, for example, she mis-stated the name of the US commander in Afghanistan. They were both gracious and respectful towards each other.
I thought he did fairly well, but not spectacularly so.
Another very scary thing she said was that she considered that the Constitution would give her some leeway to play an even larger role in “presiding over” the Senate than has traditionally been played.
Think Progress has a good play-by-play here. (It has lots of great links.)
21 thoughts on “Veep debate special”
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The folksiness–ugh. And the winking! I guess it comes across as relatability to some.
This was practically the first time I’ve heard Biden speak, and I was so impressed with his passion, in addition to his knowledge and record. Paired with Obama, Biden makes me want to go out there right now and knock on doors. How fortunate we are to have this ticket, especially after the last 8 years!
I don’t agree that he looked old-and-tired, not like McCain. In praising Palin for meeting the low-bar standard, I hope that his solid performance is not overlooked. He was generally clear, linked McCain to Bush, answered the questions that were asked, defended his and Obama’s record, and defined what he and Obama would do.
And he told it like it is regarding Cheney! Biden is a man who knows what the Constitution is! Bravo.
Biden is a man who helped get the US into Iraq and then lied about it, and helped working people get blasted by toughened bankruptcy laws. But then this is all about appearances and not substance, isn’t it.
Sarah Palin?
And Then:
With God Plane War, She is not more than a lair.
Pentagon just announcing 26000 troops deployment due to Iraq, 8000 US troop by March next year.
Looks that thewitch-hunter speaks to her devil here about Iraq.
The consensus in the press seems to be that Governor Hilton didn’t answer the questions.
NYT
The Republicans have tried to present the negative reaction to Ms. Palin as a matter of liberal elites sneering at someone who does not share their privileged backgrounds. That is a distraction. The problem with Ms. Palin’s candidacy, which she underscored in her appearance at the debate on Thursday night, is not that she didn’t attend a fancy school or go backpacking in Europe after college. It is her disdain for knowledge, education, experience and contemplative leadership
The big news is that McCain Campaign has given up on Michigan.
http://tinyurl.com/45uqm2
The consensus in the press seems to be that Governor Hilton didn’t answer the questions.
Unfortunately Governess Bailout’s opponent DID answer the questions, as for example:
Q: What’s the greater threat, a nuclear Iran or an unstable Afghanistan? Explain why.
BIDEN: Well, they’re both extremely dangerous. I … have been focusing .. for a long time, along with Barack, on Pakistan. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons. Pakistan already has deployed nuclear weapons. Pakistan’s weapons can already hit Israel and the Mediterranean. Iran getting a nuclear weapon would be very, very destabilizing. They are more than – they are not close to getting a nuclear weapon that’s able to be deployed. So they’re both very dangerous. They both would be game changers.
But look, here’s what the fundamental problem I have with John’s policy about terror instability. John continues to tell us that the central war in the front on terror is in Iraq. I promise you, if an attack comes in the homeland, it’s going to come as our security services have said, it is going to come from al Qaeda planning in the hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan. That’s where they live. That’s where they are. That’s where it will come from. And right now that resides in Pakistan, a stable government needs to be established. We need to support that democracy by helping them not only with their military but with their governance and their economic well-being.
There have been 7,000 madrasses [sic] built along that border. We should be helping them build schools to compete for those hearts and minds of the people in the region so that we’re actually able to take on terrorism and by the way, that’s where bin Laden lives and we will go at him if we have actual intelligence.
__
Happy days.
I also disagree about Joe B. “looking old.” Maybe it’s my Delaware roots (where I got one of my degrees), but I thought it was one of his best performances…. He kept insisting on “substance” in his responses (except for that pandering section to Israel — alas, but what else he figures could he say — sad. More evidence that there’s far better debates over Israel in Israel, than in America)
I found the debate, ok Sarah, painful to watch. The “winking” from Sarah was especially repulsive. I guess her handlers figured that,
“Sarah dear, when you get the inevitable question about John McCain only 2 weeks ago saying how strong the economy was, well honey, just wink at the “Joe Six-packs” and “hockey moms” out there and say that John-boy was really referring to the health of the American worker…. “wink wink, wink” — and smile real sexy now.”
(It’ll confuse Joe-six-pack enough — but not the Joe Bidens — the “elitists”)
I have a hunch that the more Sarah’s run-on responses get deconstructed, the more it will be great fodder for the Daily Show & SNL. But what about serious analysis on the corporate media? (ah, they’re still scared of losing market share back to the Bubba-network)
JHM,
It’s very simple. Biden, unlike “John”, understands that the primary threat to the US is the guy in the cave in Pakistan which is where he lives. That’s where he is. That’s where his agents will come from. So we need to support the democracy in Pakistan by building schools along the border. (Heck, if it works in Pakistan we could try it in Mexico instead of a fence to defend us from our neighbors to the south!)
Now this schools-along-the-border idea is probably news to Obama, who has said that if elected he would be willing to attack inside Pakistan with or without approval from the Pakistani government. Obama’s remarks have presumably contributed to the current disappointment in Pakistan about the US bombing and killing of their citizens.
Perhaps Biden and Obama should have a debate, if they have actual intelligence.
“Sarah Palin…spoke with much more familiarity about a range of national and international issues than I’ve ever seen her show before.”
Methinks you are working too hard at being positive her. Admittedly she did a far more competent job than previously of reciting the canned answers and delivering the pre-planned zingers that her handlers have spent the last several weeks cramming into her head. Whether her memorized responses actually matched the questions, or how well they related to the actual discussion was not terribly relevant, but she performed them well – if you don’t mind that carefully rehearsed, every move and inflection planned, stiff, plastic acting style (I have to say, the TV sportscaster experience did show clearly in her performance).
“Lack of self-confidence is not her problem!”
Agreed. I would suggest that hubris and self-absorption is more her problem.
“She has a manner that sometimes seems very attractive…”
I guess – if you enjoy listening to a very smug, self-satisfied high school cheerleader giving a campaign speech for homecoming queen.
“…sometimes too gratingly faux-folksy. Including all those dropped ‘g’s, as in ‘That’s what senator McCain and I are aimin’ to do!’”
Well, yeah, and doncha just love watchin’ her goin’ all cute ‘n’ adorable while she is recitin’ on serious issues – ya know, with those little cutesy looks and the cutesy voice inflections, and all the winkin’, and all that stuff? Makes ya really wanna take her seriously, don’t it?
Errrrrrgh! How did they manage to find someone who was even more of an embarrassment than W?
In response to Don about strikes in Pakistan:
Biden _was_ in accord with Obama on this issue of targeted strikes in Pakistan. I think he used the stock phrase about having Bin Laden “in our sites”, and the US would “strike” (bomb) with or without Pakistan’s permission.
Maybe i’m making an assumption here, but i think the difference b/w Obama and Bush is, Bush is now desperately trying to kill Bin Laden before the election, and indiscriminately violating Pakistan’s sovereignty. My take of Obama’s policy is, if he had reliable intelligence, he would ask Pakistan’s permission first, then bomb whether he got it or not. You can disagree with that policy, obviously.
But i don’t think he would be doing this border-incursion run riot that’s going on now and possibly screwing up our relationship w/ Pakistan big-time.
Palin denies it, but in her interview with Charlie Gibson and her “ropeline” comment, she was in agreement with Obama’s policy. And, like most things, has no idea what her running mate has gone on the record saying, or what her ticket’s platform is.
Well, golly gee, an’ I’ll be doggoned! Sure is lookin’ like she”>http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/03/palin-can-read/”>she was readin’ offa a set o’ well-concealed cheat sheets!
lucie 13,
I was just going after Biden the seasoned foreign policy “expert” on the quote above that the solution to the Afghanistan mess is to build schools along the border, a stupid idea, which is not a new twist for Biden.
The idea that all of this is to counter a guy in a cave is of course also stupid. We live in a bizzaro world where the truth has no meaning.
If we have “actionable” (Obama) or “actual” (Biden) intelligence (intelligence??) on which cave OBL is in I’m sure that the USA will get revenge, now. Bush would have done it sooner if OBL hadn’t been god-sent to give him the enemy he needs. They are a match.
The shame of it all, of course, is that we have presidents who have been given a license to torture and kill anybody anywhere, without penalty. This is unique in the world, isn’t it?
Regarding Palin, I have no sympathy with her politics, but I have a weakness: Anybody that isn’t a US Senator (Feingold excepted) gets home-field advantage with me. Has there ever been a more useless and destructive crop? The Congress has only half the popularity of the dunce Bush with good reason, after all.
Ah yes! Biden’s much vaunted “foreign policy expertise”!
He is such an expert that he actually talks about kicking Hezbullah – a Lebanese nationalist group – out of Lebanon. Yeah, Lebanese out of Lebanon! Send them back to where they came from. and how is that worse than McCain talking about how Iran is helping Al Qa`ida?
Oh yes, and then there is the way Biden has displayed his expert knowledge of how to handle Iraq by deciding that Congress should divide it into three distinct geo-ethno-sectarian parts. Iraq has never in all of history been divided that way, but yeah, that’s a good idea! And of COURSE it is the business of the Congress of the United States.
Good Grief. The silly airhead has just Self Destructed.
http://tinyurl.com/3uvz7x
–from an email I recently received from Biden:
“We need to focus on defeating al Qaeda and the Taliban and restoring America’s standing in the world — not an unending commitment in Iraq.”
–but the foreign policy “expert” seems to be a bit out of touch:
LAHORE/WASHINGTON: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has advised Taliban leader Mullah Omar to return to Afghanistan and join him in the political process, Geo News reported on Friday.
In an interview with the channel, Karzai said, “I propose that Mullah Omar return to Afghanistan as I will be responsible for his security and answerable to the whole of the world on his behalf.” According to AFP, the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and France on Friday voiced support for Karzai’s bid to hold talks with the Taliban.
Talking to reporters at a Pentagon news conference, General David McKiernan, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said, “I think that’s a political decision that will ultimately be made by political leadership.” “Ultimately, the solution in Afghanistan is going to be a political solution not a military solution,” he added. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that in some regions in Afghanistan, there must be contacts with the Taliban at the local level, AFP reported.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has advised Taliban leader Mullah Omar to return to Afghanistan
Don Bacon, there is more that Hamid Karzai asked Saudies to be amnadate Taliban leader Mullah Omar to bring them to rundtabe and nogaciate peace deal!
meanwhile read this:
Why Sarah Palin is Bad for American Women
Good Grief
Even as satire the concept of a Palin McCain ticket is scary.
http://tinyurl.com/5xhde8
It will alienate floating voters like Shirin.
Oh yes – floating voters like Shirin, who will definitely be voting AGAINST McCain/Palin, but has not yet decided next to whose name she will be placing the X.
I felt an ominous chill Thursday afternoon when I read Palin’s response to the “most admired vice president” question. If there had ever been any doubt about her true goal (there hadn’t), that confirmed it.
And that was right after I had nearly cracked a rib reading her response to this question:
Couric: What do you think is the best and worst thing that Dick Cheney has done as Vice President?
PALIN: Worst thing I guess that would have been the duck hunting accident–where you know, that was an accident. And I think that was made into a caricature of him. And that was kind of unfortunate.”
So, the bad thing was not that he shot his friend in the face, but that it was made into a caricature of him – rich, and typical.
At the risk of getting another dressing down for making a diagnosis without a proper workup, hubris/grandiosity is among the DSM criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. So is a lack of empathy (e.g. her complete lack of reaction to Biden’s emotional mention of his personal tragedy – she couldn’t even utter some formula like “may they rest in peace”). And narcissists are often very good at turning on – as if flipping a switch – a certain kind of artificial “charm” – the winking was a nice touch, no?). I’m not diagnosing anyone here, I’m just sayin’…
She is going to have to find a new hairdo to avoid the associations with this video.
http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=2161
Pass the crow pie please.
This will tell you everything you need to know about the Palin debate strategy.
Study it carefully and you will know everything you need to know about how Sarah Palin operates.
Campaign check: Lies and half-truths outed
Amid the chaos of a collapsing European banking sector, the glamour of the American way of doing things seems to be wearing off.
One suspects that this is a killer insight from Paul Krugman.
In short, the McCain plan makes no sense at all, unless you have faith that the magic of the marketplace can solve all problems. And Mr. McCain does: a much-quoted article published under his name declares that “Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.”
I agree: the McCain plan would do for health care what deregulation has done for banking. And I’m terrified.