VP Debate Thread

[88Mariner]

Break news.....

[Miroslav]

Re: VP Debate Thread

if the basis for judgment is who can show up and look cuter in a skirt.

[shosh]

Re: VP Debate Thread

if the basis for judgment is who can show up and look cuter in a skirt.

then obama wins... (yeah i know he's not in the debate, but he'll show up)

[Miroslav]

Re: VP Debate Thread

then obama wins... (yeah i know he's not in the debate, but he'll show up)

That would be ok with me. Skirt or not, I'd rather face the prospect of Obama in the presidential chair for 2 terms than her for even 5 minutes

[88Mariner]

Re: VP Debate Thread

Interesting comment I just read over at BeliefNet (dont' ask why I was there)

Revenge is a dish best served cold. In 2000, religious conservatives torpedoed John McCain. In fact, he called them "agents of intolerance." He now exacts revenge on them by selecting one of them as his running mate, a choice that made them ecstatic. Selecting Sarah Palin changed religious conservatives from indifferent to enthusiastic McCain supporters overnight. His choice gave them the opportunity to display their shallow grasp of reality. He was unlikely to win this election anyway, so he chose to lose in a way that will make it harder for religious conservatives to be taken very seriously for a long time.

[dylan.lindgren]

Re: VP Debate Thread

then obama wins... (yeah i know he's not in the debate, but he'll show up)

does obama wear a skirt? Pics or STFU plz.

[toasty]

Re: VP Debate Thread

interesting comment i just read over at beliefnet (dont' ask why i was there)

+1

[toasty]

Re: VP Debate Thread

Tell you what, as this thing gets closer, I'm really curious to see what happens. If the same Palin shows up that spoke with Katie Couric, it's going to be an epic fail, but that can't possibly happen, can it? We've seen how bad she can be, but I just can't imagine that we would really be treated to something that dreadful at a national debate.

Surely they have a plan for her. I hear through the grapevine that she's supposed to stay on the attack pretty much the whole time, although I don't know if that means she'll be setting her sights primarily on Biden or Obama. Maybe the strategy is just to say, "fuck it, I don't care if I'm accused of straying from the question asked as long as I get some good digs in." Seriously. Might be better than having her try to bluff her way through topics that we all know she doesn't know a lot about. Better to remain silent and appear foolish than to speak and remove all doubt. I suspect many of her responses will begin with, "I'm glad you asked that, Gwen, but the real question voters are asking themselves is..."

If you're Joe Biden, how do you handle the debate? I'm thinking his best tact would be to effectively just pretend Palin's not there at all and focus exclusively upon John McCain (although he should probably look at her, unlike McCain with Obama). Don't direct a single attack her way, don't do anything condescending, look like a guy who know's what he's talking about, and let her sink herself.

I think ultimately, it's going to depend upon what types of questions are asked. If Palin is given an opportunity to stay on script the whole time, she could do far better than anticipated. On the other hand, if she's asked specific questions that don't allow her to BS, it could be a bloodbath...

[thesightless]

Re: VP Debate Thread

i think a good analogy here is the following.

biden = rotweiller
palin = chihuaha

she'll bark and bark and bark. he will bite with no bark.

[Jenks]

Re: VP Debate Thread

I think she'll do better than expected. Not because she will say anything substantial, but because of this:

Sarah Palin brought something more effective than facts and figures to an agriculture debate in the Alaska governor's race. She packed an engaging disposition.

One of her opponents, Andrew Halcro, had memorized the complexities of the subject beforehand. He was super prepared. He might as well have stared out the window during the proceedings, for all it mattered.

"She did such a great job with just the glittering generalities and filling the room with her presence that people didn't care what she said about agriculture," Halcro says now. "Palin's a master at spending 45 seconds telling you what color the sky is," he adds, "and people will say, 'That's the greatest thing I ever heard.'"

[thesightless]

Re: VP Debate Thread

lmao, that pretty much sums up how i feel about obama.

honestly though, do you all think she stands a chance? biden is a bulldog, and i think he will just smack her around. he knows more, knows how to exress it, and puts things in such a blunt, common sense way, even on par with bob barr. she is just eye candy, and this time around, i think people are looking past it. the only reason they (JMC&SP) are in this race is the pulpit factor and christian and jewish morals. she will likely throw the iraq war numbers at him and i see him easily flipping it rightr back at her. she will say how our forgeign policy and military actions are beneficial and hje will drop russia, south america, the middle east right back at her. you know he has the edge already when discussing economic factors since all he has to say is "you are republican, look around", completly benifiting on teh facts that neo-cons have hijacked what reagon built.

biden's got it in the bag i think.

[toasty]

Re: VP Debate Thread

@ jenks: I saw one of her earlier debates, and she was good, and very engaging. Big difference is that I don't think her would-be constituents were wondering whether or not she might actually be retarded going into that debate. She's got a lot of questions to answer for people that have heard the "Sarah Palin is a moron" theme of the last few days, and I think (hope?) she might be held to a higher standard this time.

[thesightless]

Re: VP Debate Thread

amen.(applause)

Surely they have a plan for her. I hear through the grapevine that she's supposed to stay on the attack pretty much the whole time, although I don't know if that means she'll be setting her sights primarily on Biden or Obama. Maybe the strategy is just to say, "fuck it, I don't care if I'm accused of straying from the question asked as long as I get some good digs in." Seriously. Might be better than having her try to bluff her way through topics that we all know she doesn't know a lot about. Better to remain silent and appear foolish than to speak and remove all doubt. I suspect many of her responses will begin with, "I'm glad you asked that, Gwen, but the real question voters are asking themselves is..."

If you're Joe Biden, how do you handle the debate? I'm thinking his best tact would be to effectively just pretend Palin's not there at all and focus exclusively upon John McCain (although he should probably look at her, unlike McCain with Obama). Don't direct a single attack her way, don't do anything condescending, look like a guy who know's what he's talking about, and let her sink herself.

[toasty]

Re: VP Debate Thread

Don't underestimate Palin -- she's been prepping:

Palin Brushing Up On Foreign Policy At Epcot

ORLANDO, FL—Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin sought to silence those who have criticized her lack of foreign affairs experience Tuesday by announcing plans for a weeklong, 10-nation tour of Walt Disney World's Epcot. According to Palin, the trip—her first past Frontierland—will include speaking engagements at Norway's famous Viking ride, sausages at Germany's Kaufhaus, and, time permitting, a fact-finding mission to Future World. "This ambitious trip should finally demonstrate that I am ready to assume the vice presidency, whether by standing in long lines at Morocco's Tangierine Café or by sitting down face-to-face with Mexico's Three Caballeros," Palin announced during a campaign stop outside a Chinese restaurant in Tulsa, OK. "All of our neighbors deserve good diplomacy, from the Universe of Energy down to the French pavilion." Palin also promised a visit to the American Adventure exhibit before returning home, adding that she hoped to learn more about her own nation and the diverse peoples within.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/palin_brushing_up_on?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

[toasty]

Re: VP Debate Thread

Check out this article from one of Palin's former debate opponents in Alaska:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1001/p09s01-coop.html

Gist of it is that she's the master of dodging questions in a folksy way and has so much personal appeal that no one seems to notice or mind that she never actually answered the question.

Think this would actually work in the current climate? The press' story for her over the last week or so is that when asked a question, she tends to just vomit sound bites regardless of whether they have anything to do with the question or not. With that being the drumbeat, will the talking heads be watching her too closely to allow her to get away with this non-answer thing?