Vice Presidential Debate Thread

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

First, I am no Palin fan. There were clearly many more competent choices for McCain. To me, she is a sop to the social conservatives of the Republican party.

With that said, I thought that when asked questions in her comfort zone she gave sharp answers delivered in fairly concise fashion. Outside that zone, her answers were vague generalities or the repetition of talking points.

The problem, of course, is that her comfort zone is smaller than Herve Villechaize's strike zone

That's how I see it too. She was a political choice more than anything. My sense is still that she was selected by McCain (begrudingly selected) in order to get him into office. Once they are elected, she will be a very minor player in the administration. Problem is a) while her selection has rallied one group (social conservatives) it has alienated others so the idea that she would help the campaign may be backfiring, b) she's an unknown who was met with a lot of skepticism when selected so there is absolutely no room for error (but there have been errors) on her part, and c) a lot of people are convinced with 100% certainty that McCain won't be alive for another four years so the election has, for all intents and purposes, become Obama vs Palin.

I thought her performance was average. She was obviously coached to make sure she got her points across which led to her curious decision to brush over some of the moderator's questions. When she did answer questions, it seemed to catch Biden off-guard as it seemed he wasn't expecting her to do so. Ultimately, we'll see if people remember more what she said or what she was asked.

Biden was solid. I think he's always solid. He says stupid shit sometimes (as I noted a couple of posts ago) but that shouldn't be magnified over his experience and credentials. I thought he had opportunities to go for the kill on several instances but either he decided to take the high road or is waiting for another time. Or he didn't realize he had those opportunities.

Both sides fudged or ignored the facts in some instances, which is unfortunate, but seemingly the norm at debates. The debates are for "oooh" and "ahhh" moments.