Okay, I think it went exactly how we all knew it would. Gov Palin didnt fall on her face, & Sen Biden didnt say anything to make a negative soundbite. I guess if that is all we are looking for in our future leaders that would be great. The polls show a majority of people thought Sen Biden won. Personally I agree, but he is much more qualified for the role than she. Gov Palin seemed more like an infomercial than a candidate, but that's just my opinion.
In the beginning of the debate I actually felt bad for Palin...seemed she was nervous, and not responding to any questions, but rather giving a quick answer before looking at her rehearsed notes and speaking the paragraph. Oh, and is she from Alaska? She mentioned that like 10,000 times. The pluckiness gets a bit annoying. I know she's trying to relate to the "normal American", but to be honest, and I hope this comes off right...I'd rather have a no-joke, hard-core, political expert in office than a hockey mom...no offense against hockey mom's, just my opinion. All that being said, I think she warmed up and got better as the debate went on, but for sure Biden won. I really like and respect him....I would not have been able to not yell out "ANSWER THE QUESTION" at least 5X to Palin during the early parts of the debate...good thing I'm not running, haha. I think Biden was calm and answered the questions much better than Palin. Palin did what she had to do, which was not embarrass her ticket any more than she did with the recent interviews everyone's talking about. I think it went fine for her...better for Biden.
I have to agree with you Lauren, at times I sighed out of frustration at her because she kept going back to Alaska and oil/energy even though the question she was ask wasn't about that. She even smiled and made a cocky face when Biden was about to break down and cry about his son going to Iraq. She did better than anyone thought she would do, but Biden did way better than she did. She kept answering in generalized pre-planed answers while Biden talked about the issues in his own opinion.
Plus, if she didn't the know the answer to something she would go back to Alaska and oil/energy. One of my college friends stated that they made a drinking game and the only rules where that every time she said something about energy/oil or Alaska they would take a drink of liquor. Just let me tell you they were trashed by the end of the speech some even passed out before the speech ended.\
My mother-in-law didn't even want to watch the speech after ten minutes of it because she said she knows what Biden stands for and she can't stand to hear Palin talk about the same thing over and over again.
I honestly was a little worried that Palin was going to be crushed...but she held her own and Biden definately cemented my vote for McCain...not because I didn't like him but because the issues he said they stood for are definately not how I stand. My respect for Sarah Palin has grown and I like her a lot more now. I kinda got tired of hearing about McCain being a Maverick...he's done some good stuff but none of the 4 running are that great to me. I think she was respectful and I didn't see what Alisa did...I thought she respected him when the issue came up. I didn't see her response as cocky. I like her track record but I knew of it before hand as well. I liked how she took charge and I feel that when she needs to know something that she will go full force. I believe she has done that and will do that in the future. I also found out that I like Biden ALOT better than Obama.
Gov. Palin is absolutely NO MATCH for Senator Biden. Biden answered every question, while Gov. Palin skirted around the important issues. Gov. Palin expressed she was put into this "5 weeks ago". Why would I want someone 2nd in command, who acquired a job description "5 weeks ago"?
I have always stated Gov. Palin is NO Hiliary Clinton. I think America is now starting to see that.
Gov. Palin was FANTASTIC!! As we all knew she would be, after all she does have more experience than Obama. Don't you think the Democratic ticket is so backward? Obama with absolutely no experience running for President. JUST CRAZY!
Poor Biden 36 years in the Senate and he doesn't even know what the responsibilities of the VP are, and yet he is running for it! CRAZINESS!
BIDEN: Complained about "economic policies of the last eight years" that led to "excessive deregulation."
THE FACTS: Biden voted for 1999 deregulation that liberal groups are blaming for part of the financial crisis. The law allowed Wall Street investment banks to create the kind of mortgage-related securities at the core of the problem now. The law was backed by Democratic President Clinton.
BIDEN: Warned that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's $5,000 tax credit to help families buy health coverage "will go straight to the insurance company."
THE FACTS: Of course it would, because it's meant to pay for insurance. That's like saying money for a car loan will go straight to the car dealer.
BIDEN: Said McCain supports tax breaks for oil companies, and "wants to give them another $4 billion tax cut."
THE FACTS: Biden is repeating a favorite saw of the Obama campaign, and it's misleading. McCain supports a cut in income taxes for all corporations, and doesn't single out any one industry for that benefit.
BIDEN: "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry -- deregulate it and let the free market move -- like he did for the banking industry."
THE FACTS: Biden and Obama have been perpetuating this distortion of what McCain wrote in an article for the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain, laying out his health plan, only referred to deregulation when saying people should be allowed to buy health insurance across state lines. In that context, he wrote: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
PALIN: "Barack Obama even supported increasing taxes as late as last year for those families making only $42,000 a year."
BIDEN: "The charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way."
THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding budget resolution that assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000. But Obama is proposing tax increases only on the wealthy, and would cut taxes for most others. In the March 14 budget resolution supported by Obama and Biden, McCain actually did not vote.
Actually this debate to me was one to let us see who our VP's are. Palin said that she was going to do exactly what she did. I applaud her for it. She said that she and McCain have talked about her strengths and weaknesses; she laid out how she was going to deal with her strengths, made sure the public knew about her and her track record (which made me more happy to have her), and what she wanted to do in Washington. I am happy to have an outsider, one who will stand up for herself and I believe the public! Go McCain!
We also learned how great she is under incredible pressure!! No other candidate has ever been scrutinized and attacked as much as she has. They even go so low as to attack her parenting skills!! If I had to do a debate with 70 million people watching, as soon as I was finished the first thing I would want to do is feel the comfort of my baby in my arms!!! Nothing feels better than holding your baby!! Maybe, to feel better about their own shortfalls as a parent they have to criticize her. When people have no valid point they just attack you. It is very sad.
I don't know... I want to like Gov Palin, but I am really unable to do that.
First, what *really* bothers me, as a woman, is her all attitude with the winking, doggonit, sayitaintsojoe, I find that degrading. We have so many strong, insightful, credible conservative women, that do not feel the need to speak folksy or flirt with the males in the audience with that ridiculous winking.
Would you imagine Condie Rice doing that? How about Olympia Snowe, Kay Baily Hutchinson, Christie Todd Whitman? Even Hillary Clinton? These women are proud and smart and patriotic and would never be acting in such an manner that I think is unworthy of the VP office.
I really like John McCain, I really do, but I cannot ignore his age, and I am very very uncomfortable with having Gov Palin maybe become our PRESIDENT... She's great in rallies, I think she is a good Governor, but I don't want to put her in charge of our economy or our relations with foreign countries... what would she do? I don't really know, she does not answer these types of questions... So would she wink to the iranian president?
So now you are attacking her personality and her accent? Pres. John F. Kennedy (who would be a Republican if he were alive today) had an accent. Were you there? Maybe, she was winking at her husband. Wow what a horrible woman, flirting with her husband. I don't think she would "wink at the Iranian guy" Obama might though. He wants to sit down with him without any preconditions! DANGEROUS It would be disastrous to put him in charge of our economy WITH ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE. As for McCain's age he has released his full medical report and is perfectly healthy. Did you happen to see his young mother at the convention? Obama a heavy chain smoker has not released his full medical report.
I didnt notice an "attack" on anyone. I agree with Jenny that Dr. Rice or Sen Hutchinson or Sen Clinton wouldnt tolerate being told what to say & how to say it. Perhaps that's why they weren't picked on either side. In my opinion,Sen McCain has a knack for keeping pretty women around him. Both the first wife he left afetr her disfigurement & Mrs. McCain were former beauty queens. Gov. Palin fits his thoughts on women beautifully.
Ellen, I am sorry if my post offended you but I said nothing about her accent or personality. Also, for the record, I am not an Obama supporter. I was actually until recently a McCain supporter... now I am in a situation that never happen in my life... I just don't know how to vote.
Re Gov Palin, my husband showed me this video that shows how serious, effective and professional she was in a debate in 2006 when running for governor. No winking, no doggonit, no youbetcha.... I think think Sarah Palin, when she knows her subject can be a terrific debater, but I don't why she decided to act this way, maybe the campaign asked here, I don't know, I just find it offensive and i feel sad for her. I hope she will recover from it because she the potential to be much better than that.
I actually liked her mannerisms. She's been attacked for about everything she's done in the past month and a half....why not have fun with life and a debate. People thought she was going to screw up so she turned things around on them. I read the transcripts of some of her interviews...and lets just say that a lot didn't get aired and a lot got twisted....gotta love reporters and news stations.
With her little wink and her folksy way of speaking, she is like a barbie doll in a box wrapped in cellophane, a cutesy misinformed puppet of the Republican Party.
All she could do was recite her talking points, like a bad actor reading a bad script.
Right now, as the polls reflect, McCain and Palin's ratings are slipping in battleground states that were once Red States are now becoming Blue States.
Ms. "Yokel" of Alaska and the "Fossil" from Arizona is about to FOLD.
I really liked the link to Palin's gubernatorial debates. What a completely different personality! I was also a bit offended by her "you betcha", "sayitaintsojoe", etc... it reminded me of the girls in high school who acted dumb to get boys to like them. She is a well educated intelligent woman, but hasn't been acting like it. Maybe she is just 'star-struck' (for lack of a better term) and hasn't quite come to grips with her reality yet (if so, she needs to pretty quickly or the opportunity might pass her by).
I liked the end when the families joined them on stage, but was a little irritated when her young daughter ended up holding the baby. She didn't look very secure walking him down the stairs and off the stage... it made me a little nervous (and I'm not normally an overprotective mom).
Overall, I thought they both did well (and made a few mistakes... but wouldn't we all if we were in their shoes). I don't think this debate will have a whole lot of impact on the election simply because they were both able to hold their own and not present themselves as a liability. The next two presidential debates are going to be much more important. I'm looking forward to them (and hope they are better than the first one).
