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

[snapper310]

Empty skirt.......

[Maynerd]

Since Palin is an Alaskan native, she had more or less a better command of the state's issues. Debating on America's issues has no comparison. She has proven so far that she does not understand the complexity of any issue facing the United States. I am not criticizing her for not having that knowledge, but she is not ready, period! Maybe someday she will be, but now is not the time. The fact that she accepted the nomination shows she is either grossly naive or completely arrogant to believe she could step up to this monumental order. Sadly, most of all, she doesn't see that she was being used as a political pawn by McCain. Once it was clear Hillary was not the VP choice, he made a huge error in judgment thinking that women are just surrogates for each other. Pop one in and we'll all come running. That's arrogance to the nth degree. In the last few weeks, especially, he's proven he makes decisions out of political need not because it's country first. Pahleeze!

[jhwkr]

She's not a native, her husband is. She was born in Idaho and didn't move to Alaska until she was in grade school.

[LemonMeringue]

The debates are not going to make one whit of difference. Any Palin fan not turned off by the Couric interviews is unshakable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg5tl87rEE4&eurl=http

[FirstShirt]

She is what she is and she has never pretended to be otherwise. Some find her PTA mom exterior hard to take but those kind of people aren't mainstream anyway.

It is a democratic year when even a yellow dog could get elected. Half the american public is willing to place their lives and those of their loved ones in the hands of a man who has done absolutely nothing. Such is the impact of rose colored glasses. It won't last. Voters are fickle. In two years watch what happens.

This will probably be her year to be on the national stage...like Obama was at the last convention before he was a Senator.

However, she has infused McCains campaign with new energy and has won against entrenched and powerful men in her own party. Patronizing her and disregarding her strengths are rookie mistakes made only once.

[AlohaMark2]

It's not her PTA mom exterior that's hard to take; it's the hutzpah that she thinks she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. I like PTA moms; we need more parents involved in their child's education. So quit trying to frame this like Democrats hate PTA moms. I hate the fact that she feels she is qualified. Six years, 5 different colleges to get a journalism degree. Mayor of 5,000. Governor for less than 2 years of a state with less than a million people; and she used that position in questionable ways. Popular? SHE WAS GIVING AWAY MONEY!! What happened the last time the country elected someone who we felt comfortable having a beer with?

And I think you meant to say winning by throwing people under the bus.

[jhwkr]

She has repeatedly made her "rookie" mistakes. If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.

[Stoppassingthebuck]

She does not debate well, but what she does do well is look at the camera and smile and act as though she is just like you and me. I hope that Joe shows everyone how smart and compassionate he is. She is not fit to lick his boots as far as I am concerned.

[ImpalaSuperSport]

Ifill will start off with a short statement aknowledging her conflict of interest. Anything less and she gets hammered by her colleagues. She would avoid presenting McCain with a campaign issue if she stepped down, but that hardly seems likely.

Palin should ask for an autographed copy when replying to her first question.

[jesuslovesObama]

I predict Palin will do slightly better then expected, but not have a game-changing performance. Her base, the evangelicals, will love her and claim victory.

I think Biden will be the real winner. It's estimated that 100 MILLION people may tune in to the debate. America will see Biden for as a solid professional, just the kind of leader we need in these uncertain times.

[drec1500Madrid]

I've been seeing this in Palin's interviews with Couric....she says nothing. Ask her a specific and you get a generality or a bold faced lie. Biden has to box her in and nail her to the wall if he wants to win this thing definitively. I fear however that he's going to be "nice" to her and be gracious. A person like her is a threat to the security of this country. She needs to be treated as such during the debate.

[Bitsko]

Master of the nonanswer? She'll go far in politics.

[Americanium]

With all due respects to the people of the great White North, that is exactly why she is doing poorly and will lose if she continues this way.

Non-answers are unacceptable in a time that requires solutions and answers. If I were a Palin supporter, I would worry about her penchant for the non-answer.

[MourningDude]

That description of Palin makes her seem even more like Obama, the king of the glittering generality.

Lehrer: What is your position on this bailout, Senator Obama?

Obama: Well, folks are hurting. They're trying to pay the bills. Main street is feeling the pinch...

Etc, ad nauseum.

[AlohaMark2]

Maybe he should have "suspended" his campaign to immediately fly to the Couric interview-I mean to Washington to take credit for solving the crisis before it was solved and then blamed the other guy when his "leadership" did not work. Nauseum, indeed.

[mydoglucky]

Stick to the talking points, Joe. Your superior knowledge will come through. Sarah's problem: she doesn't see a moment of silence she likes, she finds the need to fill it up. Let her hang herself.

[jelly450]

I think that after the release of this last Couric interview a lot of people are going to be looking for this non-answer tactic. Her inability to answer a specific question and fill the silence with babble is the main reason why some of the Republicans are turning against her. While this worked in a relativity "quiet time"
in the country, things are different now. There seems to be a big unease with the idea of her being only a 72 year old heartbeat away from being President.

[IncredulousGeezer]

How much of a burden does this place on Gwen Ifill?

Can she keep Palin on the topic and call her up short when she digresses?

Gwen is going to have a much tougher job than Joe, methinks, surviving the spin that will inevitably follow this "?debate?"

[Bitsko]

Gwen has always done a good job at these things.

[undecidee]

I think that the American people will not be as impress with her as the Alaskan are if she cannot answer a question because we are not voting for a governor but for the potential POTUS! How would she govern the country if she needed to step up to the plate.

I am sure that she will be giving SNL lots of new materials. It will be one interesting debate. But, no matter how good she does, she is not on top of the ticket so it won't make much difference in the outcome.