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

[jbrinkmeyer]

Why this is a poor indication of how she will do tomorrow night. Here's why:

1. She knows Alaska and could speak with confidence in this debate. She doesn't know squat about the other 49 states; only what her handlers have put in her mouth. No matter how well she has prepared she will come across as wooden and scripted.

2. She knew her audience in Alaska and the right wing gatherings she spoke to at the RNC and on the road. When faced with an audience who are unfamiliar to her she will come across as she has already come across - as testy and wooden. Her adoring fans will give her a thumbs up. She'll be a wash out with most others who have seen the real Sarah Palin on Katie Couric.

3. She will be unable to erase the Couric interview from peoples' minds. That is the measure by which she will be judged.

[dnno1]

I would have to agree with you on all three points. In addition, anything she says can and will be used against her on SNL the following weekend. The only chance she has is if they debate on administrative experience (which Biden has lots of), talk about abortion or gay marriage, discuss energy, oil or drilling on Anwar, or the format gives her the opportunity to question or challenge her opponent. We should all keep in mind that Biden is a gaffer himself and this debate will go to the person who gaffs the least.

[Kremfresch]

Biden has Gaffs.
Palin has lies, and non answers.

Big difference.

[elr50]

The average educational level in Alaska is tenth grade. TENTH grade!!!!!!! No wonder she was elected THERE. Of course, it might also work in Florida, Mississippi, and other parts of the inbred deep south.

[SaltySaltillo]

Clearly Palin's biggest problem is that she is not free to speak for herself or be herself as VP candidate. In all of these debates, she comes across good precisely because she is at the top of her ticket, running for herself, making her own policy positions, etc. Now she is in a role she doesn't understand, having to pretend she is John McCain's alter ego.

[jazzchantoozie]

good point. you may not agree with what she's talking about in those above debates, but she does at least know something about what she *is* talking about. she doesn't have a clue about big national or international issues - so that's where she'll come a cropper in tomorrow night's debate.

[LiberalDemIda]

Palin is as glittery as "fools gold" - and just as worthless. Then again, she can still wow her fans... which isn't that hard to do.

GObama/Biden '08/'12!!

[Track23]

You're missing one crucial element: in these clips she actually knows something about the topics she's discussing, whereas recently she has shown that she has no knowledge of or experience with most topics larger than Alaskan state government. I don't foresee her doing nearly as well as she did here "in her element."

[guntotinganglion]

She's going to be going for the Reagan-esque one-liners...ala "there ya go again!". The best thing Biden can do is to keep it on McCain's record, and especially his culpability in the Keating Savings and Loan debacle. Hammer McCain, and ignore Palin. She's a sock puppet, and her approach is going to be, in their words, "gotcha" answers. Lame humor usually wins the day for the dimwitted American public...the same one's who voted for Reagan, regardless of what an empty vessel he was.

[asmabintmarwan]

REZKO! WRIGHT! AYERS! ALINSKY! DAVIS!

[RadCenter]

You, sir, have a future in cheerleading!

[InfiniteShibumi]

Keating Five. Casino-gate. Vicki Isenman.

[guntotinganglion]

KEATING FIVE!!! WITCHES!!! WITCHCRAFT!!! DINOSAURS AND PEOPLE...TOGETHER AGAIN!!! "INTELLIGENT DESIGN"!!!! ILLEGAL WAR!!!! TORTURE!!!! MURDER!!!! FRAUD!!!! POLITICIZING THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT!!!! FASCISM!!! 100 YEARS IN IRAQ!!!! BOMB BOMB BOMB IRAN!!!! NUKE RUSSIA!!! FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP McCAIN!!!! ELEVEN HOUSES....13 CARS!!!! ELITIST!!!! SIBERIA CAN BE SEEN FROM ALASKA!!!!

Shall I go on...there's lots more.

[guntotinganglion]

IF HIS EYES AREN'T BROWN HE'S A QUART LOW!!!!!

[guntotinganglion]

This creep is a mole. He's got a total of 16 posts, all one liners meant to stir s"h*i*t up. He comes in, drops a t*u*r*d then leaves and doesn't have the b*a*l*l*s to reply.

[ko21]

IT will be very clear when Biden and Palin face off, just how little substance Palin has as a person and as a so-called politician. Up until a month ago she wasn't even sure what a vice president does in office. Let the issues speak for themselves.

I only hope that substantive issues are brought up, especially around women's rights, health care and the economy.

[springsm]

well Jed, how can we THINK anything. She has made a few inane remarks publicky, done that stupid interview with Katie Couric , which are all fodder for an opinion...but since she has been muzzled and leashed...we haven't heard enough to THINK anything about debating. Altho debating means making a statement and defending it. She can't do that on her own. WHERE O WHERE will the mic be...and the earpiece. LOL

[Hedonist88]

The point we should all be looking for is not who is the better debater. The VP postion is not to join the White House debating team at the UN.

We need to see who has the true leadership skills to help and advise the next president through the awful mess in USA is in right now.

Mindless cliches and crammed soundbites just won't suffice.

[Planetag]

Palin's strong performance in the gubernatorial debates in now way presages a strong performance against Biden. Palin may be well versed in the narrow range of issues related to her state of Alaska. Armed with this insider knowledge, she knows how to project confidence and bravado. However, her interviews with Gibson and Couric reveal that she is painfully ignorant of matters on both the national and international stage. No amount of last-minute cramming or the use of sweeping values-oriented generalities can make up for this.

[SaltySaltillo]

Her problem is partly that she is part of a ticket that is not hers - she has created trouble for herself by contradicting McCain and by not knowing where McCain stands on some issues. It seems to me that if she were running for herself, you would see a person freer to speak her mind.

[mr-e]

I'll concede, Sarah Palin is most certainly a Master Debater.

[ekn]

Ifill should not be the moderator for the Pailin / Bidine debates. She is definitely neutral. Stop Ifill or stop the debate!!

[Badfickle]

She will DESTROY Biden. Absolutely DESTROY him.

She's gonna come in there and string two maybe even three complete sentences together. One of them may even be a coherent thought. While Biden gives his "informed opionion" Palin will obliterate him by NOT melting down into a puddle of jelly in the middle of the floor. And when it is done the Acolytes of Palin will bow down and worship her.

[huffyfan2]

That's "WISHFULL THINKING"

[Krikkit]

Sounds like Biden will win if he can combine both specific facts and values-laden answers. 2 for 1.

[Ave-Gabrielle]

No one believes this woman isn't intelligent. My question is her beliefs and her experience to be President, not Governor or a Mayor. So she knows Alaska, great (though I don't hear from them you notice). We are now in areas of a serious war and possibly further wars with other countries who DO have nuclear weapons and they DO not fear us (and no longer respect us). My fear about this debate is Biden coming off as overbearing/ snide, and, America loves pretty women and no one likes a man being mean to a pretty woman. Will Biden stick to the areas of expertise and his long experience and foreign policy knowledge and yes call Palin on her continuing to state that Russia being near Alaska gives her any kind of foreign policy experience or knowledge. Biden has already made errors by running his mouth-- I doubt he'll listen to his camp about "keep it calm, cool, short, and please keep it nice." Let Palin be the snide one. But see folks, maybe everyone here is about power and abuse and none care about us no called little people who live paycheck to paycheck and, there are no second cars and vacations. The house is cold and oven on because we can't afford to turn the gas on. Crime is up when people are down and out. All these politicians do not care they only appear to have one to get elected.

[Tom Joad]

i believe she is unintelligent. So do many others. She may be clever with the 'glittering generality' - but that should not be confused with intellect.

[Agathena]

Speak for youself. I know hundreds of people who think she is of low-normal intelligence.

She could not name ONE periodical, newspaper, magazine that she reads to keep up-to-date on current affairs. We know she reads a Running magazine from her interview with Charlie Rose.

In her answer to Couric regarding democracy. She did not know what Hamas was but more than that her mind cannot entertain a paradox, a duality, a dilemma, an ambiguity...

[helenwheels]

I agree. Not very bright. She was too stupid to know when she made a stupid answer, fer chrissakes!! I don't know how Couric kept a straight face, frankly.

[curly2]

It could go either way. The thing is, a lot of people expect Palin to fall on her face after her debacle appearances on network TV. And I don't think she'll do that. After listening to these clips, I can see why she was picked-- she sounds good. She looks good. I don't really know what she's saying, but she makes you want to nod your head "yeah." She would have beaten GW hands down.

[helenwheels]

She sounds good? Oh my gawd her voice really really bothers me and I absolutely hate that kitshy "down home" way of talking where she substitutes "ing" for "in" - it's totally aggravating. She talks well? I was completely and utterly put off by her RNC speech. Wow, I guess there's no accounting for taste.

[snesich]

Expect Palin to do much better than expected on Thursday night. Prepare for it. She isn't in a courtroom, answering the questions of a skilled prosecutor who has an airtight case against her. She's essentially on a TV show, where she has the freedom to ignore the questions she doesn't like and just pull out well-rehearsed talking points and right-wing cliches, designed to sound good and placate the public.

I fully expect that after the debate is over, we're going to hear from the media, "Palin held her own.", "Palin looked like Biden's equal.", "Palin was surprisingly well spoken.", "Palin beat all expectations.", "Palin had Biden on the defensive much of the night.", etc.

So be prepared for it. And continue to remind people that it isn't about what kind of show she put on during this one evening, but about whether or not you think she's really qualified. And more important, it's about whether America wants another 8 years of the same or something different.

[Agathena]

No debate can erase her very few interviews that were unmitigated disasters.

[helenwheels]

I concur!