So, who won vice presidential debate???

[rocks 494]

Palin won the personality contest, Biden won on policy.

you mean redneck, not personality right? hehe

[nowhereman 1]

Everyone was expecting a Lloyd Benson/ Dan Qayle moment & there wasn't one. However Independents polled felt Biden won & that's what matters (the left & right cancel each other out).

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Palin won the personality contest, Biden won on policy.

you mean redneck, not personality right? hehe

No her established brand is basically that she comes across like someone who isn't part of the political class - hence all the references to Hockey Moms and Six pack Joes (in the debate and her RNC speech). That seems to be the root of her appeal - McCain's campaign needed a charisma transplant to sell itself as new and different. Shrewd thinking - but risky when Palin shows herself to be out of touch on policy issues.

The debate was much more stage managed than the Couric interview - you could tell because all of the answers were very middle of the road and didn't really address the specifics of the individual questions (and in the interview of course - Palin seemed caught off guard by every question. She had no facts whatsoever to show that she is in touch with issues affecting the nation).

Biden at least tried to reference the questions in some of his answers so that it would seem that he was indeed providing an answer to them - but that made it more obvious IMO, and I'm inclined to think that both he and Palin were basing a lot of what they said on prepared scripts.

It wasn't really a debate as much as a media-event sideshow. On that basis it could be argued that Palin did very well indeed. It depends on what you expect out of these things.

As far as policy went the revised format ensured that things never got beyond the superficial.

Edited October 3, 2008 by Paul Daniels

[LaL 418]

I am sick of the "maverick" speak. We freaking GET IT.

[rocks 494]

Palin won the personality contest, Biden won on policy.

you mean redneck, not personality right? hehe

No her established brand is basically that she comes across like someone who isn't part of the political class - hence all the references to Hockey Moms and Six pack Joes (in the debate and her RNC speech). That seems to be the root of her appeal - McCain's campaign needed a charisma transplant to sell itself as new and different. Shrewd thinking - but risky when Palin shows herself to be out of touch on policy issues.

The debate was much more stage managed than the Couric interview - you could tell because all of the answers were very middle of the road and didn't really address the specifics of the individual questions.

It seemed to me that Biden at least tried to reference the questions so that it would seem that he was providing an answer - but it seemed to me that both he and Palin were basing a lot of what they said on prepared scripts.

it was horribly obvious that she had rehearsed all of her replies. she didn't answer one question with a relevant reply other than the one on gay marriage. she kept looking down and reading her notes because she had no clue what she was talking about. i am yet to find out how she and mccain will differ from bush. i started counting how many times she mentioned alaska or "my state", must have been over 10 times. imo, all the stupid things she would say like "doggoneit" and "darn right" exposes her for the unprofessional under qualified moron that she is. also, who is she to judge biden's comments by saying his joke was lame? she is the one with the lame jokes. i wanted to pull my hair out for the entire duration of the debate.

i liked how at the end of the debate her children came on stage and she held her baby for about 10 seconds before palming it off onto another child. the husband paid no interest in it at all. what a lovely family.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Irritating as it may be - her informal language is all part of that carefully managed brand, as I said.

Essentially they're not gambling on her as a genius on policy issues. Essentially she needs it to get by.

Its risky - but it depends how much people are honestly swayed by such things. It would be a mistake to say it doesn't have its attractions.

[rocks 494]

Irritating as it may be - her informal language is all part of that carefully managed brand, as I said.

Essentially they're not gambling on her as a genius on policy issues. Essentially she needs it to get by.

Its risky - but it depends how much people are honestly swayed by such things. It would be a mistake to say it doesn't have its attractions.

i'm insulted that the republicans think that because i am female i would want to vote for this stupid troll

because i am female i want an informal, poorly educated woman as vp who wants to cuss at every moment but replaces it with stupid phrases like doggoneit so that it isn't offensive?

ya, because that's exactly how i am...? i don't understand why she was chosen at all. the way she treated her baby was nothing short of disgusting, who wants a bad mother for vp?

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Irritating as it may be - her informal language is all part of that carefully managed brand, as I said.

Essentially they're not gambling on her as a genius on policy issues. Essentially she needs it to get by.

Its risky - but it depends how much people are honestly swayed by such things. It would be a mistake to say it doesn't have its attractions.

i'm insulted that the republicans think that because i am female i would want to vote for this stupid troll

because i am female i want an informal, poorly educated woman as vp who wants to cuss at every moment but replaces it with stupid phrases like doggoneit so that it isn't offensive?

ya, because that's exactly how i am...? i don't understand why she was chosen at all. the way she treated her baby was nothing short of disgusting, who wants a bad mother for vp?

Would you vote for her if she had an abortion?

[LaL 418]

the way she treated her baby was nothing short of disgusting, who wants a bad mother for vp?

You think she is a bad mother for seeing a 5-10 minute clip of her holding & passing her child to her daughter? That is quite a stretch. I don't like Palin in the least, but surely if one is going to attack her, don't base it on seeing 10 minutes of her "family life".

[symbiosis 0]

Palin won the personality contest, Biden won on policy.

you mean redneck, not personality right? hehe

No her established brand is basically that she comes across like someone who isn't part of the political class - hence all the references to Hockey Moms and Six pack Joes (in the debate and her RNC speech). That seems to be the root of her appeal - McCain's campaign needed a charisma transplant to sell itself as new and different. Shrewd thinking - but risky when Palin shows herself to be out of touch on policy issues.

The debate was much more stage managed than the Couric interview - you could tell because all of the answers were very middle of the road and didn't really address the specifics of the individual questions.

It seemed to me that Biden at least tried to reference the questions so that it would seem that he was providing an answer - but it seemed to me that both he and Palin were basing a lot of what they said on prepared scripts.

it was horribly obvious that she had rehearsed all of her replies. she didn't answer one question with a relevant reply other than the one on gay marriage. she kept looking down and reading her notes because she had no clue what she was talking about. i am yet to find out how she and mccain will differ from bush. i started counting how many times she mentioned alaska or "my state", must have been over 10 times. imo, all the stupid things she would say like "doggoneit" and "darn right" exposes her for the unprofessional under qualified moron that she is. also, who is she to judge biden's comments by saying his joke was lame? she is the one with the lame jokes. i wanted to pull my hair out for the entire duration of the debate.

i liked how at the end of the debate her children came on stage and she held her baby for about 10 seconds before palming it off onto another child. the husband paid no interest in it at all. what a lovely family.

Agreed, that folksy schtick was so rehearsed -- she wasn't even sure how to deploy it. She used up two of her prepared lines "Say it isn't so, Joe" and "there you go again" in one fell non sequitur.

I thought it was telling that she asked if she could call him Joe to make sure her line would work.

She seemed pretty pathetic and any Republican speaking objectively would say the same thing. But what others have said is correct -- the only thing that matters is the undecided, and they clearly thought Biden won.

It's all over, folks ... baring massive GOP vote fraud.

[Peikko 1,575]

Calling a foreign leader mentally deranged isn't a gaffe. Amazing!

As if anyone thought she would have a 'deer in the headlights' moment under the 'dabating' conditions as they stood last night. It was obvious what the game plan was, to every question say anything, and say it convincingly and they rehearsed her on answers she could give if she wasn't really sure on the answers. What was significant to me was how often she used these fail safe memorized rotes.

Still, it seems like a lot of people just 'like' her and the fact that she hasn't a clue on any issues except some minor points that stem from her knowledge of life in Alaska doesn't seem troubling at all. Bah, humbug if that's what you expect from your politicians.

[nowhereman 1]

I just watched Fox News & their take on the debate and I was left wondering if perhaps they watched a different debate

[rocks 494]

Irritating as it may be - her informal language is all part of that carefully managed brand, as I said.

Essentially they're not gambling on her as a genius on policy issues. Essentially she needs it to get by.

Its risky - but it depends how much people are honestly swayed by such things. It would be a mistake to say it doesn't have its attractions.

i'm insulted that the republicans think that because i am female i would want to vote for this stupid troll

because i am female i want an informal, poorly educated woman as vp who wants to cuss at every moment but replaces it with stupid phrases like doggoneit so that it isn't offensive?

ya, because that's exactly how i am...? i don't understand why she was chosen at all. the way she treated her baby was nothing short of disgusting, who wants a bad mother for vp?

Would you vote for her if she had an abortion?

no. i think if she has a child she should love it, which she clearly doesn't. nice message to give to all those other people with children they don't want. ie, its ok to palm them off onto other people and ignore them. i thought she was selected because of her family values? nice values.

[Minya's wife 25]

Check out the transcript - looking at it now I am struck by some of the answers.

The first couple of questions were basically about the partisan divide and the performance of Washington (specifically in getting together and passing the bailout bill). Isn't it odd that two campaigns who have made a centerpiece of how broken the Washington establishment is and how it is in dire need of reform fail to elaborate on that as much as toot the horn for how marvellous the presidential candidates are.

Palin won the personality contest, Biden won on policy.

And since being the second-in command is not about personality, but about policy...Biden won!

People are often swayed by personality. I think that's the thinking.

They'll buy into the image that Palin projects, not necessarily what she represents underneath.

I'm see that Palin has been termed as 'folksy' and 'down-home', while Biden showed discipline and a much more vast knowledge. Hmm...I seem to remember that not-so long ago there was another 'folksy' and 'down-home' candidate that shrouded his lack of "strategery" in a lot of down-home y'all(ish) mumbo-jumbo. It worked, but look where we are now.

-P

[rocks 494]

the way she treated her baby was nothing short of disgusting, who wants a bad mother for vp?

You think she is a bad mother for seeing a 5-10 minute clip of her holding & passing her child to her daughter? That is quite a stretch. I don't like Palin in the least, but surely if one is going to attack her, don't base it on seeing 10 minutes of her "family life".

she already neglects the child to run for vp... she just had a baby... i am not solely basing it on that at all, but what i saw reinforces everything that is wrong about her family values.