Open Book Test
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The debate went about like I suspected it would.
I knew that Sarah Palin was going to do exactly what she did. She basically showed up and went on automatic pilot. She answered the questions she wanted to answer and went back to her talking points when she felt like deviating. To me, it felt like she took the debate opportunity to make a memorized speech. It almost seemed as if she had her notes in front of her and was reading off a script. It was almost like an open notes test for the Republicans.
I honestly don't know how any objective observer can claim that Palin won the debate. We now have the FOX, CBS, and CNN focus groups data in and each of them declared Biden was the winner. They all claim that she did better than they thought she would, but that's more a product of the pre-debate expectations game and her botched interviews on CBS than anything else.
Biden was on top of his game and appeared presidential, in some ways more than Barack Obama has been able to do up to this point. This isn't to say that Barack hasn't seemed presidential, but Biden's really knowledgeable about...well, damn near everything. You just feel complete and total comfort with Joe Biden in a position of leadership. I'd go so far as to say that Biden's the best Vice Presidential pick that the Democrats have had since LBJ.
Probably the best thing he did was to debate John McCain and his record more than he debated Sarah Palin. I'd like to see data on this, but I bet he mentioned John McCain by name more than he mentioned Sarah Palin. That move simultaneously put Biden on equal footing with Obama and McCain and lowered Palin down a notch. The way he played it, it's like there's a poker game with three-seasoned veterans and one person who's just learning the rules of the game.
I thought a couple of the answers Palin gave were actually pretty good. If she hangs in this, she can be a player in the Republican party for years to come. She just really seemed out of her element last night. You can only cram so much for something like this.
The best answer of the night was Biden's listing of how McCain wasn't a Maverick. That was greatness. That should be an ad.
Good debate. I'm already chomping at the bit for the Tuesday debate. Can't wait.
- Matt
I knew that Sarah Palin was going to do exactly what she did. She basically showed up and went on automatic pilot. She answered the questions she wanted to answer and went back to her talking points when she felt like deviating. To me, it felt like she took the debate opportunity to make a memorized speech. It almost seemed as if she had her notes in front of her and was reading off a script. It was almost like an open notes test for the Republicans.
I honestly don't know how any objective observer can claim that Palin won the debate. We now have the FOX, CBS, and CNN focus groups data in and each of them declared Biden was the winner. They all claim that she did better than they thought she would, but that's more a product of the pre-debate expectations game and her botched interviews on CBS than anything else.
Biden was on top of his game and appeared presidential, in some ways more than Barack Obama has been able to do up to this point. This isn't to say that Barack hasn't seemed presidential, but Biden's really knowledgeable about...well, damn near everything. You just feel complete and total comfort with Joe Biden in a position of leadership. I'd go so far as to say that Biden's the best Vice Presidential pick that the Democrats have had since LBJ.
Probably the best thing he did was to debate John McCain and his record more than he debated Sarah Palin. I'd like to see data on this, but I bet he mentioned John McCain by name more than he mentioned Sarah Palin. That move simultaneously put Biden on equal footing with Obama and McCain and lowered Palin down a notch. The way he played it, it's like there's a poker game with three-seasoned veterans and one person who's just learning the rules of the game.
I thought a couple of the answers Palin gave were actually pretty good. If she hangs in this, she can be a player in the Republican party for years to come. She just really seemed out of her element last night. You can only cram so much for something like this.
The best answer of the night was Biden's listing of how McCain wasn't a Maverick. That was greatness. That should be an ad.
Good debate. I'm already chomping at the bit for the Tuesday debate. Can't wait.
- Matt
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