Sarah Palin is obviously a quick study. Her performance in tonight’s debate rescued her (at least for now) from a growing concern arising from her television interviews, especially those with Katie Couric. In fact, she pretty much nailed it, far better than anybody had a right to expect her to do in this situation. This is one gutsy lady! She took the stage in front of tens of millions of viewers and held her own against a well-seasoned veteran. She was even able to get in some great lines, not so much because of the content, but because of her delivery.
The aforementioned situation, however, is insurmountable for her. It really does not matter what she says or how she says it. Nor does it matter how much I might admire her, and my admiration for her took a huge leap tonight. This is still a woman who has learned most of her talking points from crash courses in interview and debate preparation. She has been intensely rehearsed and indoctrinated on pertinent national and international issues for a grand total of five weeks.
She did a great job tonight of showing that she had internalized most of the raw material. But I have no desire to see how she would put it to use in a real-world crisis scenario. It should be said, in all fairness, that Joe Biden also brought his ‘A’ game tonight. And that is a man who I want sitting in that conference room with Barack Obama and lending his experience. And, while it is true that Obama’s resume is thin, he has been involved on the national stage for four years, starting big-time with the 2004 Democratic National Convention. During that time, he has been in the Senate which, by definition, has to deal with national and international issues.
Even so, having Biden to back him up makes me feel much better about Obama. Having Palin backing up McCain has the exact opposite effect. She may eventually be qualified to be a VP or even President. But it is pure fantasy for anybody to pretend she’s qualified today regardless of how well she handles herself in a debate. That is not a knock on Sarah Palin. It’s a reality in the same way that it is a reality that you would not deliberately choose to put a Cessna pilot in the right seat of a 777 on a transatlantic flight. That Cessna pilot may have a great personality and be very likable. But maybe you’d want to see some jets on the resume before putting them a heart-attack away from piloting the 777.
Nevertheless, Sarah Palin has earned some respect (I suspect from a lot of people) for her courage and her articulate communication. Even veteran public speakers (I have done a bit myself) may have been excused for feeling a little sick before going in front of that many people with so much at stake. She could have put a quick end to any chance McCain might have had. But she didn’t. She did her part to keep the race alive and, for that, Republicans owe her a huge “thank you”.
Your right on the money Dad. I think that she did wildly better than I expected. However, she did not get pressed one bit by the moderator or by Senator Biden. I think Gwen was a little soft on her when she absolutely refused to stay on topic or answer a question. She was less of a moderator and more of a question asker. I think Biden felt that he had to concentrate on a clear message and direct it a McCain. He didn’t want to go back and forth with Palin, but I am not so sure that was the right strategy.
I missed the live debate, but caught part of it at 10. I agree that Sarah Palin sounded like she had her stuff together, but when she throws in “you betcha” and “darn right”, it is hard to take her seriously. When she was looking directly at the camera, she struck me as more of a news anchor than VP candidate. I was also very disappointed in all the mudslinging. I understand that it is a part of the whole process, but they talked more about how the opposite Presidential candidate voted against this or for that than about the questions specifically directed at them. I finally had to turn it off because I felt like I was having to dig through the BS to get to their answer. Maybe I am just not schooled enough in politics, but I was unimpressed by either party.
Your mom said almost exactly the same thing about the “you betcha”s. And your comment about her looking like a news anchor is right on. I got that vibe but couldn’t find the right way to describe it. Great observation!