Friday, October 03, 2008

Pathetic

That's my view of the VP debate last night. Biden didn't commit a gaffe, and Palin showed that she could get through a debate, but I don't think we learned much about them or their positions.

I'd say it was pretty much a toss up. Biden won against Biden, because he was pretty sharp and avoided all the pitfalls. Palin won against Palin because she showed that with a week to prepare and a ridiculous debate format she could sound coherent.

I'm most annoyed about the format, and somewhat with the moderator. The format was set up to be mostly a series of 90 second speeches, and that's what we got. Gwen Ifill asked only a couple of questions that Palin didn't anticipate, and on those two Palin did stammer and give non-answers, but just the two.

Palin flat out refused to answer several questions, or gave quick non-answers, then got back to her mini-speeches. I think Ifill should have cut her off and said, "You're not answering the question." Example; Ifill asked "What is your Achilles heel." Palin just rattled off a list of her strengths. Ifill should have cut her off and refocused Palin on the question.

The debate agrees on a format, centered around somebody asking questions, and the candidate answering them. That's the deal. I ask in the structure we agreed on, and you answer, in the agreed structure. Questions on certain agreed topics, set times for the answer, set times for the rebuttal. But, once somebody breaks the deal, I say all bets are off. That is, once a candidate refuses to answer a question, I think the moderator is then free to conduct the debate however she or he desires.

Palin on one hand talked about how Joe Six Pack and hockey moms need to band together and make sure nothing like the financial crises ever happens again. That's it. That's the extent of her thinking. When she also touted herself and McCain as reformers who believe that "government needs to get off our backs and get out of the way," she wasn't asked to square that anti-government stance with the need for Wall Street regulation.

These debates are, mostly, a waste of time for informed voters. Low information voters might some better sense of the candidates, but won't learn anything specific. Could anyone listen to Palin say "you betcha," watch her wink at the audience, and think "There's the leader of the free world?"

Update: Palin came across to me as one of those dolls where you pull the string at its neck and the doll recites some sound bite. No thought, just recitation.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alan,

Sorry, but the contrast beween Biden and Palin could not have been greater. Given the limitations of the debate format, Biden was informative, thoughtful, responsive and articulate while Palin was "wink-wink," "ah shucks," rotating, memorized talking points.

It is just wrong to say that a voter would not have learned anything for yesterday's debate if they were listening to Biden and not distracted by Gidget.

Bubblehead said...

Yes, you've convinced me. It's clear that Sen. Biden didn't recite a single Democratic talking point, and all of his answers were completely unrehearsed and off-the-cuff.

So, Alan, who do you think Gov. Palin's replacement on the Republican ticket will be? It's gonna have to be soon, because they're already voting in some places...

fortboise said...

Debate winners:

(1) Palin, for clearing the bar (which was laying on the floor after her debacle with Couric), and thereby preempting her getting kicked off the ticket.

(2) the Democrats, see above.

Anonymous said...

Agreed that Biden was the better debater between the two, but that doesn't seem to matter given this context.

TVA stated it exactly right.

I guess I'm going to have to give up on predicting Palin is toast, at least not until Nov 4. I failed to anticipate her genius in looking so incoherent in the Couric interviews that anything other than speaking in tongues on stage would seem an improvement, thereby making her acceptable to the R base.

Anonymous said...

Hey fortboise, in my opinion Palin did not clear the bar, she did a cutsie Limbo and and went under the bar without knocking it off wich was good enough for her fans. For Style 8.5, for substance 6.0 (well coached) and for dodging questions, well thats a hard one, isn't that what politions do?

Anonymous said...

She makes Vandals look bad.

Unknown said...

Well, then the GOP should be happy that we've accepted at least one of their talking points.
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teffjohn

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Unknown said...

No, that is what the GOP is doing to itself. So the other side just calls it like they see it.
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mathew

Sport betting guide