The Vice Presidential Debate, what did you think?, page 1

If you would like to discuss the VP Debate join me in this thread and tell me where you thought both candidates were strong and weak.

First I’ll go over my opinion of Palin’s performance and the points she debated:

I think Palin did well at pandering to her base and those who might be unsure of her like Jewish voters (who are likely to trust a ticket involving Biden). She mentioned personal responsibility while also showing compassion for Americans who are in need of assistance, and she put the two together- showing that the two ideas don’t have to conflict.

I couldn’t tell if her comments about the not sane and not stable foreign leaders were good or bad honestly. Her base will agree probably, however slowly but surely Independents like me seem to be anxious about how often the Republicans allude to wanting war with Iran and I think many would agree invading Iran would be far more dangerous and thoughtless than sitting down with Iranian leaders with out preconditions.

I think the strongest point Palin made was when she went after both Biden and Obama, pointing out that though they claim to be the change ticket they keep bringing up the past, bringing up Bush or the Bush administration any chance they get and criticizing McCain on a war they opposed yet voted for.

As for what Sarah Palin was weak on addressing I think the problem lied in some of her robotic, gimmicky statements that seemed utterly scripted, so much so that she wasn’t willing to adjust to the way the moderator wished her to address the questioning. I thought her “I’ve only been at this for five weeks” comment sounded like an excuse to not address a question Biden answered with ease.

When it came to Global Warming Biden swiftly pointed out how her statement was flawed and she seemed to have trouble countering him, it was like this supposed energy pro was trying to please conservatives while being strong on energy, which made her position seem slightly crippled by partisanship.

Then she allowed Biden to tie her to Bush as well as McCain when she stated the same old tired logic that Iraq is the central most important area to tackle in relation to terrorism, despite the fact that terrorist organizations have been on the rise and are more powerful now than ever since we invaded Iraq.

Then she kept brining up a funding bill for the troops that Obama opposed while trying to ignore when Biden hit her back, pointing out more than once that McCain voted against the same bill. Since McCain is now well known in many veterans groups for not even bothering to vote for the GI Bill I think this line of questioning continued to hurt him and the ticket Palin shares with him, it seemed like she just couldn’t dig herself out of that trench so she decided to keep repeating the same statement.

In conclusion I think the worst part of the debate for Palin was when she expressed a desire to expand Vice Presidential power while Biden denounced the enormously unpopular Cheney.

Secondly I’ll go over my opinion of Biden’s performance and the points he debated:

The apparent great moments in the debate for Biden were when he got to mention fighting against the violence that still plagues many women in the US today and his efforts in Bosnia. I think he fell flat when he mentioned “fairness” when it comes to cutting tax cuts, however when he went in depth and explained his meaning I think he did well, but many will only view the “fairness” sound bite and I don’t know how they will interpret it. I also think he appealed to Independents well, arguing against divisive tactics to distinguish the civil rights of gay couples.

The strongest parts of the debate where when Biden pointed out that McCain has yet to tell the American people how his policies differ from the Bush Administration’s failed policies. I think he appealed to Middle America as well when he kept bringing up McCain’s proposition to deregulate health care, something Palin had trouble countering or addressing; it was the only time Biden seemed to really make her squirm. It is a topic even McCain has trouble addressing.

The best sound bites that will come out of this debate for Biden will be the “ultimate bridge to nowhere” comment. The best sound bite I think in relation to foreign policy will involve one of the statements he made about Pakistan however I fear the American people will not comprehended it as easily as Palin’s stance, I was watching this debate with someone who didn’t even know that Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
The worst moments of the debate for Biden were when Palin kept bringing up his own words, especially the strong statements he made about Obama not being ready to lead before he became Obama’s running mate. At the same time he was reluctant to attack Palin on her record or own statements, instead deciding to attack John McCain, which I think was a mistake. She would hit him hard and then not only would he have trouble defending himself he was also hesitant to hit her back. I also think if you aren’t as into politics as I am many “Average Joes” would find Biden boring and less fiery than Palin.

I thought they were both strong when they addressed Middle America and I liked how they both made clear how their tickets fundamentally differed. I however have trouble seeing how an undecided voter would feel like this debate made their mind up. So far I think both debates were virtually a tie, I agree with Biden on more issues however Palin did not lose the debate and she seemed quite competent.