Why Sarah Palin Is A Better Debater Than You Think

Sarah Palin might not give a good interview, and John McCain's advisers might not trust her to give a press conference, but in a highly structured debate like the one we are going to see on Thursday night, she has the ability to be dominant.

Because the format allows for very little give-and-take between Palin and Joe Biden, her "values"-oriented debating style stands a good chance of succeeding. The central feature of her debate style is that rather than getting bogged down in facts and specifics, she instead says what she is for and what she is against using terms like "healthier," "stronger," "more prosperous," and "fairer."

Andrew Halcro, who has debated her, explains his experiences debating Palin:

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.

That sounds like a backhanded compliment, and perhaps it is, but that doesn't change the fact that Palin's debating style works, as you can see for yourself in this video that I edited together.

For the video, I looked at her past debates and randomly grabbed six answers that I thought were pretty good. These weren't cherry-picked answers, they were just the first six answers that I thought she handled effectively. (I only rejected one answer in which I felt she was too defensive about her experience.)

Given the debate's format on Thursday night, I expect Palin will do just fine. I will be quite surprised if she gets caught off guard or has a moose-in-headlights moment.

I don't think she'll display much in the way of specifics, but she will get the values-oriented language right, and that should be good enough at least for a draw, and that will mean she beats expectations.

Of course, the real political issue in the debate isn't whether or not Palin meets or beats expectations, it's whether she is able to make a case for John McCain that John McCain hasn't yet been able to make for himself.

That's something no vice presidential candidate in history has been able to do, and should serve as a reminder that in the end, this election is still between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Comments

[snippetz]

SHE'S a better debater than I think? where? In my really nasty nightmare? What I do KNOW from just watching and listening to her from one of her two speeches, is that she is an energetic and ethusiastic public speaker. But of course, only if she is readin off from screen prompters and if everything else said is pretty much rehearsed. And it is not about underestimating her, she is just not a deep person, more like shallow.

Joe Biden who ran for president twice in the past will absolutely crush her in any debate, don't let Obama get near her in a debate either....­or else!

[ObamAtomic]

Her daddy besides her,her preacher still she will stump herself,,,,,
She got problems answer questions,,we'll see tomorrow,,­,,,herself stumped!

[florishes]

Sarah Palin has come very far and risen very high. At this point what's her sex got to do with it?

Palin's playing in the big leagues now, vying to lead the world stage. She needs to show Americans that she can articulate the issues and effectively handle conflict and confrontation.

The onus is on Palin to make everyday people believe she will make a competent president.

[ObamAtomic]

Haha! where is the Broom?
Every day people are amused,,,,,,,,,

[Jamchinadian]

Does she ever fillibuster?!!! Her opponents couldn't get a word in edgewise!

[KayDGee]

Well, she talks a lot, but really doesn't say anything..­. and if she does manage to squeek out something, quickly repeats it two or three times. She employs the weardown theory of debate. Her monotonous drone has the same effect on me as an airplane enginnnnnn­neeeeee.zz­zzzzz

[Kirby]

She'll come on as a bundle of energy, dressed well to show her shapely legs, and she'll have cutsey remarks and one or two liners,. She'll have little anecdotal stories to butter the roll, and she will show some attempt at humor, and she is going to relate to the so-called common man. Her pitch will be alternatively high strung nervous squeals and move to a guttural pitch. McCain's staff will have her beautifully primed, and she'll bait Biden to get him on the defensive.

[ahalenia]

Maybe this says more about Andrew Halcro's debating skills than anything, because Sarah Palin has demonstrated time and time again her inability to communicate or string together basic coherent thoughts.

[noradunn]

Sarah Palin may be able to hold her own on local Alaskan politics, and do it well. But she is not a mind. She is not a creative thinker. That has been exposed in her pop quiz with Charlie and her slumber party chats with Katie, probably the only two really deft "interviews" those two have ever performed. But Palin's handlers don't seem to care that she's been exposed. They don't care that we know she is now cramming for a test, as if that is all leadership requires, and won't really be able to connect her answers with any kind of knowledge or meaning. They are counting on us not caring about that, and on Wolf Blitzer blathering at how poised she was when he grades her later. But just like George Bush, she has no intelligence. The millions who bought his act knew that, and came back for more. Her presence on the national scene is scarier than it is funny.

[VJSleight]

I think Palin makes a GREAT governor for Alaska--let's keep her there!!
Vote for Obama and lets put him where he belongs ---in the white house.

[PeaceOnEarth62]

She's accepted the nomination (the shovel). Let her dig her own hole. These types always do.

Sen. Biden just needs to stick to the facts which I've seen him do successfully many times and he'll do very well. The guy's not a woman hater; he respects his mother, wife, daughters and daughters-in-law, comes off as a pretty decent guy and as long as he stays within his comfort zone in regards to the opposite sex, he should be a shoo in.

Go Joe.

[ajax2]

"Why Sarah Palin Is A Better Debater Than You Think"

She'll certainly be a worse President than anything in your wildest nightmares could imagine. Think GW Bush squared.

[Whinger]

All Joe Biden has to do to win the debate is to conduct it like an interview!

Jump out of the bushes like a Moose out for revenge!

[CommieLeftistLiberal]

I hope Gwen Ifil asks her why she doesn't think much of community organizers. Dr Martin Luther King was a community organizer. Susan B Anthony was a community organizer. Our founding fathers were community organizers.
Wasn't it the Republicans who were promoting social programs through faith-based organizations? Wouldn't those be community organizers? Wasn't it part of their argument that these organizations (community organizations) are better than government at gettting things done?

[urweatherman]

Hitler was a community organizer too! Thats more like the Obama kind, not the others you mentioned.­.

[CommieLeftistLiberal]

If Palin shows up with her pull-my-string talking points like she has been during her interviews I don't think Biden will have any problem. I think that is perhaps why interest in her has been waning. Maybe she understands the need for votech programs in an economy that is probably largely dependent on a blue-collar work force. I don't think that takes a genius to figure that one out. But I think it is pretty obvious she doesn't have much to offer when it comes to larger issues. I think the stay-on-me­ssage-parr­oting is what Tina Fey was making fun of in her latest SNL skit.
I don't think the Democrats have anything to worry about if they just let her hang her self with her rote ideas that don't really say anything.
The Republicans must be worried if they are trying to raise the idea of a possible conflict of interest because Gwen Ifil is the moderator. I have watched Ifil for years and I have little doubt she is a well-respected and fair journalist.

[J-to-the-K]

this won't be a debate, there is barely any room for back and forth like the pres debate. palin will talk nonsense about god knows what, then biden will rip on mccain and highlight a couple semi relevant things ... like the economy, and iraq / afghanistan.

i dont think all of this recent noise about trying to bring expectations down is worth it. ....i mean, would you try to screw up at every turn in a campaign with about a month left? maybe they're being triple secret sneaky this time.....i­t doesn't seem plausible as a tactic...o­r wait...is that strategy??

[luckyrico1]

This is not the woman we saw with Katie Curic. Maybe because she actually has paid attention to Alaska over the past 13 years and ignored national politics. Has she been able to bone up enough in these last 8 weeks on national and international affairs to be as effective as she was during the debates in Alaska? We will soon find out.

[IneptitudePrideB4Fall]

It doesn't matter how well Sarah parries the questions and "spouts" her scripts, she has shown that she has NO KNOWLEDGE WHATSOEVER of extremely important national and international issues. And why does Palin not know anything about these vital issues? Because she is NOT INTERESTED in these subjects.

So it matters not how well Palin "performs" in Thursday's debate. We've heard what a quick study she is. That's good??? I think not. It means that lots of ReThugs are busy brainwashing our pretty Sarah's empty little head. She's had all this time to cram for the "debate". But we already have learned she started out as a know-nothing. Let's stop discussing how well Sarah performs. Like an actress??? She's already revealed her lack of preparedness.

Scary Scary Sarah!

!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

[urweatherman]

Your words above sound just like Obama!