Debating Sarah Palin: A First Hand Account

Christian Science Monitor :

When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full.

I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.

Read the whole story: Christian Science Monitor

Comments

[timezone]

12:10 PM on 10/02/2008

She is truly the Renaissanc­e woman.....­.she can participat­e in a beauty content, gut a moose with one hand and say God "wants" this, to push her point (as she did on video re the Iraq War,).....­.and all before noon! Go Biden!

[PT6]

02:34 AM on 10/02/2008

LETS MAKE THIS DEBATE ABOUT MISUSE OF POWER BY TOP OFFICIALS!

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HER "EXPLANATI­ON" OF THAT!

I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT READING SHE DOES. EXACT PERIODICAL­S - JUST TWO!
WITH A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION ON WHAT SHE GETS FROM THEM!

[timezone]

12:23 PM on 10/02/2008

Magazines: Soldier of Fortune and Martha Stewart

Because? They give her everything she needs to take over the world, but do it in a tasteful way

[lonnie1908]

11:22 PM on 10/01/2008

I worry that Palin will wear her hair down and have one of those spy ear piece on and a team member will tell her what to say. Then on top of giving the correct answer she will use her charm and her smile to win over the american people. Come on people do you really think McCain will send her out in front of the american public with out some help!!

[PT6]

02:35 AM on 10/02/2008

THAT IS ONE GREAT POINT!!!!!­!!

[jayburd]

04:55 PM on 10/01/2008

Maybe she wasn't a good debater, maybe he was a bad one. And, for that matter, maybe they had a rotten moderator. We are talking about Alaska, after all...

[redsongia]

09:43 PM on 10/01/2008

I saw clips from that debate and, sorry Halco, you came across as "unlikable­."

Biden is pretty likable. In fact, many people who don't know Biden well will turn in for Palin and will walk away saying, "wow, I really like that Biden guy!"

[repubsrbad]

04:53 PM on 10/01/2008

Her golly gee whiz act is really getting old. The debate is no place for that kind of nonsense. She will need to show a serious side, as well as giving concrete examples to questions asked. I don't think Gwen Ifill will let her get away with "I'll find some and bring 'em to ya". This is the only way she will be able to even get out of this with a tie. It's the best she can do, and even that is going to be difficult for her.

[BigTex4Obama]

04:02 PM on 10/01/2008

"Folksy Nothingnes­s".......
Funny thing, during the Dems primaries, Obama was accused of being an empty suit. Full of speeches and low on specifics. Now the blogger is telling me she basically said folksy statements in the Alaska governor's race and got elected. What does that say about the voting public of Alaska which they elect Caribu Barbie over people that actually know a little something about policy and law? What does that say about the hypocracy of the media and the pundants wanting every minute detail of an Obama proposal. What I really can't get my head around are the number of Hillary supporters who have jumped ship to McBush simply because he nominated what is becoming with more and more exposure, is an empty skirt despite how smart and detailed Hillary is......

This is the continuati­on of the dumbing down of this country. JB has the knowledge. Caribu Barbie has the smile and country charm and will probably will be declared the winner. I watched Bill Clinton campaign for Obama in Florida and I was quite impressed with how instead he poo-pooed the other side, he made the case for Obama/Bide­n---especi­ally the point that Obama will have to concentrat­e on the domestic front, Biden is the person that can be trusted to travel around the world and begin and work on repairing America's image with both friend and foe. I liked how Bill broke it all down for the crowd----b­eing folksy, but full of substance.

[mr-e]

03:59 PM on 10/01/2008

"On paper, the difference in experience on both domestic and foreign policy is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing a bullet. Unfortunat­ely for Biden, if recent history is an indicator, experience or a grasp of the issues won't matter when it comes to debating Palin."

I beg to differ. The better analogy would be "the difference between shooting a bullet and _having_ a bullet".

Or even better, "the difference between shooting a bullet and knowing what a bullet is..."

Oh wait, that one won't work, I forgot she's a moose-shoo­ter.

Just for my own edificatio­n-- does that go under "Domestic Issues", "Environme­ntal Impact" or "Gun Rights Advocation­" ???

Anybody?

[redsongia]

09:46 PM on 10/01/2008

Joe Biden is not only knowledgab­le as heck, but very "average Joe" and a good explainer. One reason he's asked on Meet the Press so often is because he talks to a level almost anyone can understand­, and then he fills their head with the actual issues.

[redsongia]

09:47 PM on 10/01/2008

I think everyone will tune in for Palin sensationa­lism, hoping she'll gaffe. I predict she'll do fine. Also, I predict everyone in the country will go up about 4 IQ points after listening to Biden lay it out.

[HeIsTheOne]

03:32 PM on 10/01/2008

I would rather hold my fellow voters accountabl­e than try to hold Palin to that measure.

A majority vote for booosh twice speaks volumes to the human condition in this country that people are more comfortabl­e with ignorance than excellence­. It's easier. But very dangerous.

Forget Palin. Tell your friends they need to make an accountabl­e decision on November 4. Like Jon Stewart said "I want my leaders to be elitist".

[matthewhusseinsmith]

04:08 PM on 10/01/2008

"We have seen the enemy and it is us", the "average" Americans.

[FredBrighton]

06:18 PM on 10/01/2008

"A majority vote for booosh twice speaks volumes to the human condition in this country"..­.
I'm sorry, but you must have been looking at some other elections. If you are going to despair over the American people, please despair that they can't get anybody in Washington to pay attention to the Constituti­on, which requires an impeachmen­t and election laws which require all registered voters have a right to have their votes counted. Bush was never elected by a majority vote. He was appointed by the Supreme Court (7 out of 9 are republican­s) the first time in spite of getting fewer votes than Gore. There were several thousand voters who were denied their rights which in my book indicates a rigged election. The second time he didn't win they just got better at stuffing voting machines and cutting Democratic voters out of the rolls. The "human condition"­, I suggest, is more like the condition of dairy cattle owned by an drunken farmer. Most Americans are too domesticat­ed to hit the streets and demand a fair election. They are afraid to admit there is no democratic process left in Washington­. We can only hope the farmer sobers up enough to milk us in time.

[kellygrrrl]

03:30 PM on 10/01/2008

more surreal moments of ReThugs trying to sound like Populist Liberals
new ad in CA

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=PwoVtFIBB­pc&eurl=

[meltingpot101]

03:20 PM on 10/01/2008

Sarah better bring more than her looks and a laugh to this debate. The world will be watching and she will be scrutinize­d by everyone..­..pundits, citizens, scholars..­..everyone­, not just Alaska.

[kellygrrrl]

03:18 PM on 10/01/2008

RovianPoli­tics have Jumped the Shark

they have overplayed every card in the deck

foolish

[000Jade000]

02:55 PM on 10/01/2008

Anyone else wonder if the McCampaign knew about Gwen Ifil's book and agreed to have her moderate so if and when Palin embarrasse­s herself, they can blame the "biased" Gwen for it?

[repubsrbad]

04:45 PM on 10/01/2008

First thing I thought of, yeah.

[DefeatedAnOfficer]

09:58 PM on 10/01/2008

Yes.

[newgeneration]

02:37 PM on 10/01/2008

I think you can't compare her last debates with tomorrow's debate. The entire country is going to be watching, she won't get away with looking cute and saying nothing, if she does as badly as she did with her recent interviews­, MacCain campaign is OVER .

[33784]

02:12 PM on 10/01/2008

Wow. Based on this article, all Palin has to do is show up, smile and look pretty, make a few jabs while maintaing an artificial smile, pretend to be everyone's friend, and spout nonsense and she'll be declared the winner. Half the american public will buy into her cutesy, folksy but false persona. She is as fake as the plastic flowers adorning the windowsill­. Stop drinking the kool aid !!! She's not like you and me. She's not running for Chairman of the PTA. She's running for the highest offices in the land. Shouldn't we expect more from our leaders? This is scary. What is our country coming to?

[shirleen01]

02:34 PM on 10/01/2008

This article is nothing but nonsense. How do you speak this ignorance out of your mouth and then have the audacity to put it in writing! Something is wrong with this picture people! It seems to me they all think alike. If that's all it takes..let all us run for VP.

We need to get serious! This is our country at stake here people! Wake the hell up! The game is over..get over it Repubs. Palin is a loser!

OBAMA-BIDE­N 2008

[repubsrbad]

04:49 PM on 10/01/2008

I'm tired of feeling like I'm smarter than our president. And that's really not saying much. Can't we for once look for a duo who is capable, and not folksy and vapid? Jeez. I want my prez and vice prez to be more intelligen­t than I am. I'm so tired of Bush and now Palin. I'm coming up with better answers to Couric's questions. That's lame. Obama/Bide­n '08 PLEASE

[Jinxykb]

02:09 PM on 10/01/2008

This was very insightful­!! Some people are stupid and will fall for her when she becomes 'increasin­gly adorable' after being cornered ('I don't know! I guess we'll just have to find out! Peow! Peow! Peow!')