Sarah Palin scored big points tonight winning what some were billing as the Palin vs. Palin debate but hitting Barack Obama hard in the process. Joe Biden hid hard on some issues but couldn’t shake the slick, Washington insider persona.
Gwen Ifill, by the way, was an atrocious “moderator”. You’d think she’d have the intelligence or grace to make some effort at disguising her bias, but she just couldn’t help herself. At the tail end, while still on camera, she gushed to Biden, “You did great!”
My personal political sensibilities continue to recoil at Palin’s calls for new, copious doses of “regulation” as the solution to the banking crisis.
Good write up by Hugh Hewitt who rated “Sarah 2.0″ as “wonderful.”
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Fairy Dog Mother 10.02.08 at 11:31 pm
Sarah kicked his can! She was calm, cool, collected, had a sense of humor, a class act!
txmom77 10.02.08 at 11:52 pm
Did you just watch the same debate that I did? If I hear one more “betcha’ or “gonna” I was going to scream. I am a soccer mom who can throw out a good Texas y’all, but when I am speaking, I use proper English. (This annoys me about Bush as well)
She seemed nervous and that she was basically throwing out a bunch of memorized info. There wasn’t a real depth to it. It was a really boring debate. She’s not ready to be the VP or President.
I like McCain, but I can’t vote for him because she scares the death out of me.
Kari 10.03.08 at 12:19 am
I, for one, like it when someone is who they are, no matter where they are. I got the chance to see her in person, and there is a good, wholesome feel to her. The way someone speaks, unless they change it in each venue–like Hillary, is much less significant to me than their character and their track record.
I watched the debate on NBC, which has not been too kind to either Palin or the McCain campaign. I went into it afraid that the moderator, who is openly pro-Obama, would manipulate the debate against Palin. I was pleased to see I was wrong. I went into it afraid that Palin would allow herself to be boxed into a corner and not defend herself when attacked. Boy was I wrong….She held her own, and then some!
Even on NBC, the worst they could say was that it was neutral, that neither party did any harm. One of them said something along the lines of, “If anyone was watching tonight hoping for a train wreck, they didn’t get it.”
Tom Browkaw said that he thinks Democrats are glad there is only one VP debate.
Geraldine Ferraro acknowledged that she’d come there hoping to see Palin represent women well, to show her granddaughters that woman can do it. She said that she felt that Palin did that very well. She acknowledged that, as a Democrat, she was hoping Biden would get their agenda out there, and she said he did it. Then, she went back to bubbling about Palin. She commented that many have questioned Palin’s experience and qualification, and that she thinks Palin showed she is qualified to be VP and that she can hold her own against men.
The NBC “Truth Squad” pointed out a few areas in which Biden gave wrong information, including that Obama did indeed vote to raise taxes, as Palin had said. The only areas they were able to tag Palin for inaccuracies were in quoting the wrong number of troops in Iraq and in saying McClellan rather than McCarran. But, for a whole hours debate, talking off the top of her head, if those are the only inaccuracies they could peg her on, she’s doing pretty darn well for any man or woman!
The worst that any liberal could say about her was, one pointed out that she said Maverick too many times. I agree, but if that’s the worst you can say…
Wall Street Journal’s lady raved about Sarah’s performance, saying that she’d won the debate from the time she said, “Pleased to finally meet you. May I call you Joe?”
Sarah rocked!
Cosmo 10.03.08 at 12:54 am
When the liberal “pundits” call it a draw or say that neither candidate did any harm to their ticket…you know darn well that Sarah kicked rear!
Kari 10.03.08 at 12:57 am
I missed Ifill telling Biden that he did great. I was busy watching the females in Biden’s family look at Sarah in awe.
Maybe Ifill’s bias did show, but not nearly as badly as I expected it to.
April 38 10.03.08 at 1:28 am
She knocked it out of the park. Even Krauthammer, a Palin skeptic, said she communicated well to viewers, and that on a personal level, she won hands down. He had no specific criticisms. She was extremely well prepped, charming, humorous, confident and Biden really didn’t know what to do about it. It was obvious he was charmed himself, and that doubled his trouble. Dick Morris compared her to Reagan in her ability to get across to viewers. Fred Thompson essentially said he was blown away.
And that he was there, in the Senate, during many of the votes Biden claimed to be citing, but that Biden was wrong in his accounts again and again. Karl Rove counted ten times that Biden was demonstrably wrong, mistaken, false, whatever word you choose, and six more that could be challenged. So lots of material there to call him on. And she did, on several of those, in no uncertain terms.
Anyone who thinks Palin did not win this debate is a registered Democrat.
Kleighlights 10.03.08 at 1:41 am
She was terrific. Biden was at a loss to know how to respond, and it was obvious as the hour and a half moved on, that he knew she had him where she wanted him. She called him on his errors, without venom, and used humor effectively. She related to Main Street in a way Biden could not possibly.
April 38 10.03.08 at 1:45 am
This should put McCain back in the game.
At one point, perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, she called Biden OBiden, and she called him on when he had taken positions in the Senate or during the primary quite opposite to those he is taking now — now that he is “OBiden.”
Kleiglights 10.03.08 at 1:53 am
TxMom77 — She “seemed nervous’? What debate were YOU watching? Not the one I was. She was in charge. She knew she had won, before it was over.
Frank Luntz’ focus group thought so, too, and overwhelmingly thought she had won, like 90%. And many of them indicated they had changed their opinion in her favor.
mdallinm 10.03.08 at 2:14 am
Did anyone else notice how he had a tendency to smile and nod, smile and nod as she was talking? A couple of times I saw him doing that, as if in agreement with her, and then he realized she was slamming him. His smile would then fade, and his head stopped nodding.
I really liked that she had the confidence to not feel obligated to answer the questions as they were put to her. She wasn’t at all intimidated…She was in charge.
Kurt Schulzke 10.03.08 at 7:21 am
Yeah, the “betcha” and “gonna” thing grates on me as does “nuculer weapons.” But Joe Biden has slime and rough edges.
But I’m vastly more comfortable with Palin than with Barack Obama whose superficial polish covers a multitude of policy and character sins. A cabinet put together by Palin would be far more likely to deliver good governance than one assembled by Obama. His groupies walk in the door dripping with Chicago corruption, black liberation theology, and marxism. The thought of a President on the level with ACORN, William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn — not to mention Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko — is unthinkable.
Palin is a bright lady with lots of common sense and charisma. If she had to, she could put together a solid management team in Washington.
Cosmo 10.03.08 at 12:37 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that when Ifill insisted that they answer whether or not they knew what the role of the VP was, the general gist of what Biden said was that he would be Obama’s babysitter, right? To me, the wages of a VP are a bit high to have him babysitting the President.
He said that he would be in on everything that Obama did, and then he clarified that Obama would be the president, but went on to suggest that, just like the add for the “My Buddy” doll–“where ever he goes, I go”, he would be where ever Obama is.
Now, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be because Biden doesn’t have anything better to do with his time or because he can’t be trusted on his own, so I have to believe it is because Obama is not competent to take on the role President without constant supervision.
Palin on the other hand explained the important tasks she would be dealing with, without McCain to hold her hand or vice versa.
If we’re going to be paying VP wages, I’d like to get VP level work out of the VP, rather than paying twice the money for the output of one.
Maybe the point in all of that was to attempt to convince voters that are concerned about Obama’s lack of experience that it would be okay because they’ll really be getting the experience of Biden? I’d still rather vote for the ticket with two leaders who are experienced enough to work without supervision.
Johannes Steiner 10.03.08 at 5:15 pm
Palin did very poorly at the beginning in my view. She seemed nervous, mechanical, and canned. Some of that can be expected however. It’s not like she’s done that many nationally televised debates.
Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, sat down, and Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, Sarah Baracuda woke up. She tore Biden to bits. Anybody who watched it saw that. Spin it though the drive-bys might, Sarah destroyed Joe Slime in the second half. Fourth Quarter she drove it home. She called him out on his hypocrisy in being Obama’s running mate, called him out on his flip-flopping on the war, and called him out on being a hypocrite in the calls for unity.
First half she gets a 2-out-of-10. The only plus was she didn’t faint. Second half she gets an 11-out-of-10.
Johannes Steiner 10.03.08 at 5:15 pm
Excuse me, paragraph two should begin “Midway through”.
April 38 10.04.08 at 10:30 pm
Interesting to see Biden described as Obama’s babysitter. He has a had a long list of them, only he calls them “mentors” or “spiritual advisers.” Someone else is calling the shots, Obama is just the willing puppet. As seen with Obama’s hand signals and gestures to someone out of sight at the Obama/McCain debate. As a respected friend put it to us the other night, “the number and character of the people who have their hooks into Obama is enough to give him nightmares.”
Hooks, strings, whatever, he is not his own man, he is theirs. We can only begin to guess who “they” are, but they are no doubt more of the same — Muslim terrorists, Chicago thugs, and black nationalists.
Regina 10.05.08 at 8:27 pm
I must have watched a different debate than most of the posters, here.
I saw a Sarah Palin who came out pumped….but the minute I heard her give her little ‘noise’ and ask Biden if she could call him ‘Joe”, I knew we were going downhill.
I also wanted to puke with all the folksy, wink, wink crap. There is a place for that and a place to be the consumate professional. After her problems with other interviews, I would have thought she would have at least tried to behave as a professional worthy of the Vice Presidency….
And she barely answered any direct questions. She clearly had practiced using anything as a segue into anything else…no obvious blank moments..so I guess that was a plus…but everything she said was canned. And if she didn’t have a canned response to whatever was asked, she simply moved past the question.
It was embarrasing. I know I could have done a better job answering the questions posed from a Republican perspective than she did….and I’m a die-hard Democrat…
Now, not to sound as though I think she’s stupid…I don’t by any means think that.
No one gets to be governor, even of a podunk state, without having cut a few throats along the way…..
I’m sure she is reasonably bright…not brilliant…but bright…and she may, in the long run, be a power player in the GOP, but she ain’t there yet…not by a long shot…or short shot…or chop shot….
william kuhlman 10.06.08 at 8:24 pm
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Subject: FW: Obama’s Not Exactly’s……..
1.) Selma March Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google ‘Obama Selma’ for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)
2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.
3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.
4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya . It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Obama, is Odinga’s follower. You interrupted your New Hampshirecampaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone.
Obama’s cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia Muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the election, his followers have burned Christians’ homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google ‘Obama Odinga’ and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.
5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5 am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn’t allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.
6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and ‘Baraka’ (from which Barack came) means ‘blessed’ in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother’s side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father’s side. While Barack Hussein Obama’s father was from Kenya , his father’s family was mainly Arabs. Barack Hussein Obama’s father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father’s birth certificate even states he’s Arab, not African Negro). For more go to:
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25 African
7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article ‘Obama was ‘quite religious in Islam” :
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?a=PAGE.view&pageId=60559
8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as ‘one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.’ This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says, ‘Obama’s narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.’
9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.
10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia , I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn’t even speak the language. What did you learn except how to study the Koran and watch cartoons?
11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.
12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.
13.) An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn’t, and never did, exist.
14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn’t, and never did, exist.
15.) I Won’t Run On A National Ticket In ‘08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.
16.) Voting ‘Present’ is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not any others have 130 ‘NO’ VOTES.
17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.
18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn’t write it, introduce it, change it or create it.
21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.
22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.
23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.
24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens . You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.
25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.
26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.
27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.
28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.
29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction of Israel .
30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.
31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.
32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn’t write yourself.
33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.
34.) I Don’t Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.
35.) I don’t Have Lobbyists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.
36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.
37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren’t in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.
38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 (many illegal) who don’t have to buy it.
39.) My uncle liberated Auschwitz concentration camp - NOT EXACTLY, your mother had no brothers and the Russian army did the liberating.
So, who EXACTLY is this Obama guy and what is he trying to sell us?! Please get to work now…not enough of your loved ones and friends know about this fraud.