I must admit, I’m a little disappointed… The Vice Presidential Debate wasn’t anywhere near as exciting as I’d hoped it would be. Joe Biden didn’t foam at the mouth and rip into his opponent, Sarah Palin didn’t stutter and stammer and stare deer-in-headlights style at the camera, and neither of them particularly outshone the other. They both did a fairly good job, focused on their areas of strength, and attacked their opponent’s would-be boss rather than each other. I don’t think very many true undecided voters are likely to be strongly swayed by the performance.
In the end, I think the debate proved to be a mirror to one’s own preconceived notions. I had a few people over to my place to watch the debate, and I tried very hard to stay objective throughout the broadcast. I acknowledge my own bias — anyone who has read my previous entry about Sarah Palin knows how I feel about her as a candidate. So I focused on seeing the flaws in Joe Biden’s performance, and sought to find reason to congratulate Gov. Palin on hers.
And the truth is, I found both. Both candidates showed their flaws, and their strengths. Biden got a little long-winded at times, and used some language that may go over the heads of some people… But he also demonstrated experience, resolve, and confidence. Palin at times seemed unable to give a meaningful answer, and avoided specifics by returning to rehearsed talking points… But she also failed to give the train wreck that lots of people were hoping for, embraced her “folksy” roots, and gave her fans exactly what they were looking for. They both did an admirable job.
Now, having said all of that… I will point out that I laughed my ass off when Gov. Palin said, “I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I’m going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also.” I think that summed it up nicely — but it’ll convey different messages depending on your point of view.
