Phew... it's finally over. While talking with Tim yesterday prior to the debate, I gave him my views on how I "thought" it would all play out. He suggested I put it on here before it started so that people would know it ahead of time, then I could contrast it after the fact. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for that. But here is what I thought before watching...
Sarah would come out pounding on Biden and be exactly what we saw in the RNC speech. It would be full of jabs and sarcastic comments and then if she was lucky enough to goad him into any retaliating comment, we'd hear her and the whole right scream sexism. I did believe she would come out much more coherently than she has in her previous interviews, but that was either going to be because she had so much debate camp... or that the previous interviews were just a ruse to get the expectation game where they wanted it.
Now after the debate... how well did I predict? In my mind, she did come out full bore ready to fight him on most any topic... albiet she tried it in a cute sort of way. It was kind of like watching a teenage girl trying to flirt with a boy, but not quite being sure exactly how to go about it. She was full of what they are calling "fokesiness", but still comes across as sarcastic to me. It's what I have been telling my kids forever "it's not what you say, but how you say it". In her case, I think I could amend it and also add "and how you mean it". I understand the need on her part to want to "seem" like the average person, and I believe a lot of "average" people will fall for it. But like I've said in the past... I don't want someone just like me running the country... I want better, smarter and actually more informed. I don't think she came across much more informed last night... just much more coherent. She obvioulsy learned a couple of more talking points at McCains ranch, but just a couple. Other than those, she used almost word for word, the exact same verbiage that she has since that convention, and in every stump speech she's given. She just had to figure out where to plug them in based on what was asked.
On to point 2... the problem with them being able to scream sexism, is that Joe Biden didn't give them any reason to even try (although to be fair, I haven't listened to that wonderful am talk radio yet). Joe Biden was exactly what I expected him to be... he was very very good. He always has been. In fact a couple of years ago, when I tinkered with voting for McCain before he morphed into his current version of himself... I mentioned to someone that the only thing that could get me to do that would be if he reached across the isle to pick his running mate... and that running mate was Joe Biden. Joe can claim much more expert status on many of the issues and wouldn't trouble me at all if the President died and he had to step in. So... I was wrong on how that part of the night would go. Way to go Joe for staying above the respect line.
Overall, I think Palin completely ducked far too many questions, and even as much as admitted that she would not answer some as they wanted her to. She couldn't answer some simply because she couldn't... she didn't know how. So whenever that happened, she just simply turned it back to energy... something she likes to believe that she can not only talk to, but is an expert in. That point is still out for debate. I found all of the tactics of ducking questions and throwing in instead the "I'm like you" talking points, a bit annoying.
The absolute most telling point last night was her answer to questions about Dick Cheney. In the debate, she thinks he's right with the kind of power he has or has tried to have... in fact she'd seek to have more of it if she were VP. That's frightening. He has so much power and as much as I don't like him, he had at least had some real intelligence and ability to think thru issues (whether we like his thoughts or not) to go along with it. She wants more power, and doesn't have the intelligence to know what to do with it. In that regard, she should be more frightening than Cheney. And on the Katie Couric interview last night prior to the debate, she was asked what was the worst thing that Dick Cheney did for our country. She replied "the duck hunting incident". Really??? That was bad for his friend, but the worst thing he did for our country. Wow... I'm sure there are worse things than that.
I think the debate was good... it was engaging, they were polite enough to each other and actually you came out of it thinking they had some sort of respect for each other that might become genuine. I think she did a good job and I wanted that for her if for no other reason that we could stop looking so bad for standing behind her, but also that maybe they'll let her off her leash now. I think she did a good job simply because she looked better, not because of any substance behind anything she said. I think them letting her out now will still be the telling point. Put her on Meet the Press and Face the Nation and see if she can still speak to questions without flash cards or if she falls on her face again... or can say anything we haven't heard from her before. They really really need to do this... not just campaigning, really answering questions... real questions on policy. Debating has been her thing for a long time as she can turn things around and answer what she wants. I still want to see her in the real settings answering more policy type questions. However... it still won't make me vote for that ticket, as she's still not ready, and McCain still doesn't have a clue either. I'm still in it for someone intelligent.
The bottom line is still this.. she isn't like us... but she isn't smart enough yet to be one of them either. She still shouldn't get there. One commentator said last night, she didn't do McCain any good really... no change. But she did herself good for 2012. We won't see the last of her regardless, so hold on to your hat folks, she could be around for a long time. If they win, it could be many many years of her.
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