Thursday, October 2, 2008

Veep Debate

Any thoughts on the debate?

9 comments:

Cass. Just Curious said...

I thought it was really telling. If people can vote for McCain in good faith knowing that he is an older man and that she could be president then we're in bigger trouble then I thought. So if he wins those passports will be taking us out of here and pronto.

Robyn said...

2 thoughts actually:

-- The word is NUCLEAR, not "NUCULAR" and

-- Why is Palin incapabale of answering a question? She was asked about the change in bankruptcy legislation and she said, I'm going to talk about energy and what I've done in Alaska. What???

Emerald said...

I agree with Robyn. She just can't answer a question. While her folksy verbiage may be charming around the kitchen table; not so much in the Oval Office. John-Boy what were you thinking?

Nancy said...

I only watched the 1st half hour (I have it taped though) and thought Sarah Palin articulated what she was saying well - she just wasn't answering the questions asked. She had an agenda and she was going to get through it By Jingo! I certainly can picture her using that expression.
I liked Joe Biden - I don't really know much about him either only that he can be long-winded. I was impressed by his answers, calmness, he has a great smile and I would feel quite secure if God forbid, he ever had to take over the presidency. Sarah, not so much. I still think by that selection, John McCain and his cronies think we're a bunch of dopes.

Mark said...

We are in election mode here in Canada as well and had a debate between the leaders last night. I didn't watch it (nor did I watch the Biden/Palin) debate but I did read the articles on the web after for each. It strikes me that people see what they want to in these debates. If you wanted to see Palin fail, you will have seen it last night and if you want to see her succeed you probably did. We watch to confirm our own biases, we can't escape them! Those with conservative bias will think Palin did much better then expected and upheld her "she's one of us" persona and those with a more liberal bias will see her as confirming her ineptitude. There are a very small percentage of people who haven't made up their minds ahead of time - I'm curious to know what they have to say about the debate. Just one Canadian's thoughts on the matter!

Moxymama said...

Thanks for all of your comments. You all made excellent points. I agree with Mark in that the people who have made up their minds to vote weren't going to be swayed by the debates last night. I also agree with all of you who felt Palin wouldn't/couldn't answer a question. Despite my lack of confidence in her I find myself secretly hoping she'll prove us wrong. I thought she was articulate last night, but just didn't answer any of the questions directly. She kept going back to what seemed like a script and wouldn't veer from that, even if the question dictated so. I was surprisingly impressed with Biden. I thought he substantiated his position with voting records and statistics, something Palin couldn't/wouldn't do. It will be interesting to see how both sides view the debates (since both parties will surely be claiming victory).
Thanks again for all of your comments.

Gypsy Gal said...

The bar was set so low that many felt Palin did well in the debate because she didn't say anything too embarrassing. Remember the Couric interview?

Michael Gray said...

I know I'm weighing in late, but I just can't resist after reading a few of the other comments.

Let me get it out in the open now, I am a McCain/Palin supporter (for some of you that may mean you'll stop reading now). I think that Palin did a great job in overcoming her previous two less-than-excellent on-air interviews, and I think she was both clear on her positions/values and came across as an affable but driven leader. Biden did very well too. He kept himself pretty low-key, represented the party platform well, and treated newcomer Palin with a great deal of civility and respect.

All in all, the debate was probably a wash for both parties, though I think that Palin showed a good deal more political prowess than she did in her "gotcha-style" interviews in the days before.

Let me respond to a few of the above comments above that got me going:

Cass - I get that you don't like Palin, but please don't use the worn-out "I'm moving to Canada with Alec Baldwin" routine unless you really mean it. Let's talk specifics: what would happen in America under McCain/Palin that would be so bad that you would choose to pull up roots and move your family to another country? I certainly wouldn't leave if Obama won, and I disagree with him on just about everything.

Robyn - I know based on posts at your blog that you think your two-year-old could have done at least as well Palin did in the debate. Why is attacking people's intelligence considered a legitimate point of argument for some? I don't generally agree with Biden, but would never say that he has the intellect of a toddler. You can disagree with a position, but playing the stupid card is not a compelling argument to me.

Mark/Moxy - I thought you both provided a very balanced argument and I'm glad neither of you chose to argue that Palin is nothing more than a musket-toting Caribou Barbie. It shows character to look at something (especially politics) with true objectivity.

If anyone would like to push back against some of what I said above, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!

Moxymama said...

Michael,
Thanks for stopping by the blog and commenting. I appreciate your perspective and observations. I think it probably ultimately comes down to, at least for me and probably many of my readers, although I don't speak for them, the way Palin presents herself and her inability to demonstrate true knowledge about the issues beyond what she has been coached to say. She doesn't seem comfortable with or truly capable of any type of impromptu discussions on subjects that I would like my President or VP well-versed in. I don't agree with McCain on most issues but he is as qualified to be President as Obama (many would argue more so). I just don't believe Palin even meets the minimum requirements of what most would hope for in a Vice President or a potential President.

In defense of my other readers/commenters they too are entitled to their opinions and many honestly doubt Palin's intellectual capabilities (which for many at this point is a legitimate concern). I don't think she portrays herself as exceptionally bright and fair or not people judge based on what we see of a person. As far as the Canada comment goes I made a remark pertaining to that on Cass's website; she merely echoed that in her response. I think we would all agree that it was in jest based on the frustrations of a potential McCain administration and the implications of that and not an actual intention if he were to be elected.

I hope my rebuttal will not deter you from commenting in the future. I always love to hear another differing perspective.
Thanks.