Only in America could a candidate for high office like Sarah Palin win by not losing like she did last night. Her debate performance evoked comments like "folksy", and "connecting with average people". The fact she made no major errors other than not knowing the name of the US commander on the ground in Afghanistan is seen by some as a victory. Really? Was there anything in her arsenal other than stock answers? Was she that much better than she was in that series of awful interviews with Katie Couric?
Well, it depends on who you talk to. Scan the breadth of American media Friday morning, and you might easily conclude Palin won, Biden won, and they both lost. Spin is an amazing thing to behold, whether it comes from spiders or pundits. Was I the only one that thought not nearly enough time was spent on the economy? Would it have been totally out of line to ask about equal pay for equal work for women? Did I miss the part where Palin was asked about her views on abortion in the case of rape or incest?
The very concept of winning a debate by not looking like a complete idiot should shame us all. It's the ultimate expression of style over substance. As soon as the debate ended, I turned the television to something other than analysis. I would recommend this for all Americans. The punditocracy should not control how you analyze what you see and hear for yourselves. I waited until this morning to look at any debate analysis at all. This way, my own opinion was formed without input from people whose agendas I don't know (and don't care about).
My conclusion about last night was much the same as it was after the first presidential debate. Joe Biden, like Barack Obama, did a serviceable job. He could have done better, much better. That doesn't mean browbeating Sarah Palin. It means articulating a vision for the future that Americans believe can be accomplished. In these tough economic times, we deserve at least that.
What we got last night was genial sparring around the edges.
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2 comments:
Like you, I wanted better questions. I listened on the radio,then looked at some video this early morning. My opinion at the end was that both did OK and something has to be done about debates. (Campaigns have total control of format.)And include 3rd party candidates, one or two, for some "push".
How about questions/moderator Dr.J. Malvo PhD at a debate? She's got a lot of media experience,too. (I remember her great work on Pacifica Network.)
The V.P. Debate between Gov. Palin and Senator Biden was sort of BORING! It was like they were given an open book test - with Palin being the only one to use Index Cards. She was prodded that wheneven you're in doubt, talk about something you know about (which she did quite frequently).
Max(ine Lewis)
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