The Highly Anticipated Vice Presidential Debate

We made it safely down the tracks. Both Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin kept themselves from derailment – no train wreck, no “moose in the headlights” for Palin, no “gaffe machine” for Biden. I must admit, coming into tonight, I was very nervous for Gov. Palin. After a very rough couple of weeks where the national interviews hadn’t gone so well, I wasn’t sure how she would do tonight. I knew Biden would be a good debater. He was good in the Democratic Primary, often dismantling Clinton, Obama, Richardson, and others in a single phrase. One of the major reasons Obama picked him as his running mate is because of his ability to debate and go after his opponents. Biden definitely did that tonight. He went after McCain (much of which was not true, but he did go after him). He was the classic VP candidate attack dog. Biden epitomizes Washington politics; his entire adult life has been spent in DC. So it is expected that he will do well. But as well as he did all year in debates, he only garnered 1% of the vote. So does his personality relate to people? Is it helpful for him to refer to himself in the third person? Is it really believable that Joe Biden often walks down the aisles of Home Depot looking for screws or nails? Is it even possible for the 3rd most liberal member of the Senate to enact change and bipartisanship (especially when his running mate is #1)? Overall, Biden was tough and did well in the debate.

At the opening of the debate, Palin seemed a little nervous. But she heated up as the debate went on. Palin is obviously not as polished as Biden. She doesn’t know how to spin a question as smoothly as Biden. And here’s the quandary with her. People criticize her for not being Washington savvy. But where has Washington savvy gotten us? She has been criticized for not being competent. But tonight, she seemed quite capable of handling economic and international issues. Her most forceful response dealt with Iraq and Iran. Her true expertise shined on energy. She spoke well of how tax increases would hurt the already struggling economy, tax increases that Biden refers to as “patriotic.” She rightfully called out Biden and Obama on their flip flops, although not as forcefully as Biden. She stayed away from meandering answers – there may have been one or two, but if she is criticized for that, then Biden needs to be scrutinized for talking in favor of gay marriage before he came back a few seconds later and opposed it. (Also, Palin fell into the trap of agreeing with Cheney on the VP role.) What showed tonight, though, is that Palin is best when she speaks as the common man, as the populist, and as a concerned citizen. While she’s no Theodore Roosevelt at this point, she is the closest thing we have to him in the race.

Palin more than held her own tonight. I am sure the polls will say that Biden won the debate, but most importantly, Palin reasserted herself as the best choice McCain could make for his VP. The polls may not move much after this debate, but Palin has stopped the spiral. And now, if the McCain campaign can, they will begin to get back on message. That will be up to McCain to do.

As for Gwen Ifill, I like her – I always feel a special kinship with PBS anchors. She of course, has a financial stake in seeing Obama win, since her book on Obama comes out Inauguration Day, so her impartiality was questioned going into tonight. But as for her objectivity tonight, I thought she did fine. She really didn’t control the subject, Palin and Biden spoke about whatever they wanted, but she didn’t do the annoying Lehrer thing either, although her questions may have been worse than his.

Next up, the second Presidential debate on Tuesday.