Palin is an ignorant, uneducated fool-The VP debate thread!

[Kataphraktoi]

Palin won the debate by virtue of not losing it horribly, IMO

She got a loose approximation of a draw in what i considered a no win situation

[MarkG]

Palin was saved by the McCain camp's change in rules to prevent follow-ups by Ifill.

good lord i just realized it. no follow-ups! imagine if that was allowed what nonsense we would hear...
why did the obama side accept this?

[Guynemer]

The rules (and moderators, for that matter) were agreed to long before the VP picks were made.

[Ramo]

The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/21debate.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1221944424-M80ol3HyyXHv4YOA0dtK0w&oref=slogin

[Kirnwaffen]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
Palin won the debate by virtue of not losing it horribly, IMO

She got a loose approximation of a draw in what i considered a no win situation

I just don't think that's true. It's great that the American people saw that she's generally capable of speaking for 90 minutes without giving an answer so abysmal that Dan Quayle is the only comparable figure. She might even have stopped her image slide.

The problem is that Joe Biden's answers were so much more relevant and well thought out (yes, I understand that everybody uses canned talking points, but your ability to weave them together into a coherent narrative does speak to your understanding of the topic) that Palin simply doesn't hold a candle to him. I'm not one to give the American electorate a lot of credit, but it was blatantly obvious, and, though some still won't see it, I think a lot of people will.

It is a little amusing to watch the media song and dance right now. They're way too caught up in the expectations game. I thought they mostly got the first debate right in calling it for McCain, but it just seems a little ridiculous to me to be giving this one to Palin.

[Ramo]

why did the obama side accept this?

Basically, because it's a negotiation with a (non-governmental) third party, the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Obama campaign had little leverage in the negotiation since the CPB has a vested interest in seeing the debates go forward.

[Ramo]

[Wiglaf]

That's unfair because she had no index cards, nor are any kind of notes allowed from the outside.

[Asher]

Doggone it, I betcha she had some index cards smuggled in there. BETCHA.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


Aaron Burr actually killed Alexander Hamilton.

[Ming]

Ramo



That is classic... THANK YOU!

[Elok]

I concur

[Kirnwaffen]

You know, I wonder if Palin's 'folksiness' turns out to be a net liability in the end. I mean, sure, she's likable and all, but this is the conversation I'm picturing right now:

"Gee golly President Ahmadinejad, that sure isn't a very nice thing to say about Israel. Do ya think maybe you could tone it down a bit and play nice together. I mean, gee whiz, it sure would be sad if they ended up bombing you over all of this nonsense. By the way, do you hunt moose?..."

[Barnabas]

Originally posted by MarkG
fox "undecided" group. everybody loves palin!

btw, i've never seen a political discussion with a large beer sign at the back

WTF? Those lines were clearly memorized, they are actors

[OzzyKP]

I think it was a wash. Both of them were very good. I'd give Biden a slight edge, but not as much as many here believe. Either way I agree with most of hte media pundits that this could have been very, very bad for McCain/Palin but instead it was just inconsequential for both sides.