Well I just got through watching the VP debate and I must say I was impressed. It is quite clear that Gov. Sarah Palin is no dummy. She was able to digest all of the information she has been fed over the past few weeks and present it in a very intelligent manner. Not once did she stumble on any of the issues that were discussed. She even artfully dodged questions at the beginning of the debate by diverting them to a subject she was more familiar with. Although none of the topics which she had trouble with during the Katie Couric interview came into play, she displayed a lot of poise and composure while answering questions on subjects such as energy and foreign affairs. She seemed to give the impression that she had been cramming for an oral exam over the past few weeks, and tonight she passed the test.
Joe Biden also impressed me. He was also very composed, even when Gov. Palin misstated the facts about his, Barack Obama's, and John McCain's voting records while in the Senate. Yes, she did a lot of this, but as I said, she was only repeating what she had been fed. On the other hand, Biden was speaking from experience and his recollection of facts, because everything that was discussed, in some way he had been a part of it. Despite the many gaffs he had made over the past few weeks himself, he too presented himself as very knowledgeable also, and his knowledge was all first hand. In that respect, I earned new respect for Joe Biden, because frankly, before tonight, I knew less about him than I did Palin.
In my previous blog I listed my expectations. First was the relevance of the questions as to their ability to lead. This question was asked by moderator Gwen Ifill and Joe Biden was more direct and convincing with his answer. At one point Palin referred to the fact that she had only been involved with the campaign for five weeks and she couldn't think of any promises John McCain had made that she would change due to the recent economy crisis. This specifically struck me as an admission that she was not fully aware of everything that McCain had promised. After all, he had just said the economy was fine a week before the big crisis, so there had to be something he would change since he changed his mind about the economy being bad. Second was how did they respond to the pressure. They both did well in this area, and again Biden excelled and appeared more believable. Third was who was more in control and knowledgeable.Well I've alluded to the fact that Biden's knowledge was from experience and Palin's had been learned over the past few weeks.
So my take on the debate is they both showed a higher level of intelligence than I had previously given them credit for based on the way the media had portrayed them. Palin was more gracious and respectful to Biden than McCain had been to Obama, and Biden was just as gracious and respectful to her. But Sen. Biden's knowledge of issues and details stood far above Gov. Palin's. One other telling moment was Palin's repeated referral to the fact that she was your average mom that was just like you and me. Well I didn't know that Joe Biden was a single parent due to the loss of his wife and daughter and had two sons injured in an auto accident. In fact he had a moment where he actually choked up while talking about it. So I don't care to hear any more about how great a mom Sarah Palin is unless you talk about how great a dad Joe Biden is.
The other standout moment was when Ms. Ifill asked if they agreed with Dick Cheney's assessment of Vice Presidential duties, because Palin had previously asked what does the VP do. Biden once again set Palin straight by citing the Constitution's definition of the duty of Vice President, not the made up duties that Cheney had created for himself. It left Gov. Palin without a response because she had just agreed that she would try to be like Cheney, not realizing this was an area for which she had not done her homework. Fortunately for her, time had run out and Ms. Ifill did not pursue the issue. Gov. Palin concluded by saying she liked being able to answer questions and tell the American people what's on her mind. Well, we would like that too, and we hope that happens this weekend on any one of the tough Sunday magazines. because we still got a lot of unanswered questions for you.
Joe Biden also impressed me. He was also very composed, even when Gov. Palin misstated the facts about his, Barack Obama's, and John McCain's voting records while in the Senate. Yes, she did a lot of this, but as I said, she was only repeating what she had been fed. On the other hand, Biden was speaking from experience and his recollection of facts, because everything that was discussed, in some way he had been a part of it. Despite the many gaffs he had made over the past few weeks himself, he too presented himself as very knowledgeable also, and his knowledge was all first hand. In that respect, I earned new respect for Joe Biden, because frankly, before tonight, I knew less about him than I did Palin.
In my previous blog I listed my expectations. First was the relevance of the questions as to their ability to lead. This question was asked by moderator Gwen Ifill and Joe Biden was more direct and convincing with his answer. At one point Palin referred to the fact that she had only been involved with the campaign for five weeks and she couldn't think of any promises John McCain had made that she would change due to the recent economy crisis. This specifically struck me as an admission that she was not fully aware of everything that McCain had promised. After all, he had just said the economy was fine a week before the big crisis, so there had to be something he would change since he changed his mind about the economy being bad. Second was how did they respond to the pressure. They both did well in this area, and again Biden excelled and appeared more believable. Third was who was more in control and knowledgeable.Well I've alluded to the fact that Biden's knowledge was from experience and Palin's had been learned over the past few weeks.
So my take on the debate is they both showed a higher level of intelligence than I had previously given them credit for based on the way the media had portrayed them. Palin was more gracious and respectful to Biden than McCain had been to Obama, and Biden was just as gracious and respectful to her. But Sen. Biden's knowledge of issues and details stood far above Gov. Palin's. One other telling moment was Palin's repeated referral to the fact that she was your average mom that was just like you and me. Well I didn't know that Joe Biden was a single parent due to the loss of his wife and daughter and had two sons injured in an auto accident. In fact he had a moment where he actually choked up while talking about it. So I don't care to hear any more about how great a mom Sarah Palin is unless you talk about how great a dad Joe Biden is.
The other standout moment was when Ms. Ifill asked if they agreed with Dick Cheney's assessment of Vice Presidential duties, because Palin had previously asked what does the VP do. Biden once again set Palin straight by citing the Constitution's definition of the duty of Vice President, not the made up duties that Cheney had created for himself. It left Gov. Palin without a response because she had just agreed that she would try to be like Cheney, not realizing this was an area for which she had not done her homework. Fortunately for her, time had run out and Ms. Ifill did not pursue the issue. Gov. Palin concluded by saying she liked being able to answer questions and tell the American people what's on her mind. Well, we would like that too, and we hope that happens this weekend on any one of the tough Sunday magazines. because we still got a lot of unanswered questions for you.
