Real Winner of the Debate: Katie Couric
First, it should be noted what a great job Joe Biden did last night. I wanted him to attack a lot more and eviscerate Sarah Palin. He didn't go with my strategy and he wound up looking fantastic. If it was a surprise that Sarah Palin didn't lose the debate, it was an even bigger surprise to me that Joe Biden won it.
Not that I didn't think Biden had it in him or wouldn't be effective in a debate. It's just that he looked so overwhelmingly competent that it changed my mind about his strategy. He single-handedly accomplished the Obama-Biden campaign goal of setting the American voters' minds at ease. These guys are going to take us in the right direction. The country is safe in their hands.
In this sense, Sarah Palin's competence, or lack thereof, became irrelevant. She was shadow boxing with herself trying to stay on her feet as Biden was telling the American people why it was okay to vote for his ticket. She was in the wrong game.
But as an aside, it is instructive to see how she stayed on her feet. Here is a woman who through her other interviews clearly demonstrated that she has absolutely no grasp of the issues. That didn't magically change over night. No, what changed were the questions.
I hate to say this because Gwen Ifill seems like such a wonderful and competent woman. I want to root for her. But it has to be said. She was awful. In fact, one our viewers nicknamed her Gwen Awful. At the time, I thought that was way too harsh, but now reflecting back on it, she really didn't do the job.
Why? Because all she did was pose simple questions that were easily deflected with prepared talking points. That's not a debate; that's a boring, fairly useless, series of mini-speeches. If you don't probe beyond the initial non-answer, you are simply not doing your job. That's a disservice to the American people who came to find out if these people know what they're talking about and what their real plans for the country are.
Here is where Katie Couric comes into the picture. Her interviews with Sarah Palin were excellent for one simple reason - follow-ups. She did what, unfortunately, so little journalists do these days - she asked pertinent, revealing (yet polite) follow-up questions. This allowed us to see behind the veneer of Sarah Palin and realize it was backed up by absolutely nothing. Real journalism led to real facts we would not have otherwise seen.
Imagine if Couric had not done those interviews - or had not asked those tough follow-up questions - and all we had seen were Gwen Ifill's standard queries from Thursday night, we might never have known how very little Sarah Palin really knows. And that's relevant. It's important for the voters to understand how much or how little these candidates actually know. They are applying for the most important job in the world.
Of course, this shouldn't be directed at only one candidate. Every candidate should have to answer tough but fair follow-up questions in all of their interviews and all of the debates. Without it, all we have is an opportunity for a politician to drone on without ever being challenged on their position. Ifill did not find that balance on Thursday night. And thereby, inadvertently, showed us how good and how important Katie Couric's interviews with Sarah Palin really were.
So, if there was any clear cut winner from last night's debate, it was Katie Couric.
Read more reactions to the Biden-Palin Vice Presidential debate from HuffPost bloggers
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I thought everybody knew that debate formats don't do follow-up questions. Rather, they give extra periods to allow candidates to challenge the points made by their opponents in previous statements. That's just how debates work. And it's a reason that debates, interviews and press conferences are all part of the total package that journalism needs to do during a campaign season.
Given the format allowed, I though Ifill did an awesome job. Her questions were surprisingly good. But you can't expect a debate moderator to do more than what's allowed in the debate format - present the questions and watch the time.
Cenk, the only thing I disagree with here is the posit that the Katie epsiode somehow proved what might not have been known.
Katie scored some points in her interview. But really she was only doing what we used to expect as routine from purported journalists. WHAT ANY ONE OF US WHO THINKS WITHOUT A FAT CORPORATE SALARY WOULD DO.
Unless you lived in Alaska beforehand - and let's remember, those that do told us everything we needed to know immediately when she was selected - it's been unwaveringly clear from the pick onward that she is impossibly lost and thoroughly overextended. Hilariously deferential spinning notwithstanding.
Thank you to those of you who realize that the debate format had been consented to by the campaigns.
Next week, the paragon in journalism, Brokaw.... Let's see how stilted his follow-up are. Let's see how commited he is to covering or uncovering the truth.
Does that excuse the insane lack of relevant questions to begin with? I'm sure a majority of Americans still have about a hundred (or more) unanswered questions about Palin.
Obama was about about Ayers, Wright and Rezko in his primary debates but did Palin get a single question about her crazy religion (the rapture, witch doctors, anti-semitic speakers, etc.) and how it might influence her in office?
Nothing about why she tried to get her brother in law fired? Nothing about Wasilla rape kits?
Come on. These would have been relevant questions even IN the context of that terrible 'agreed upon' debate format with no follow-ups.
Cenk, how right you are! I was sooooo disappointed in G.I. Who gave her those questions to ask.....Ro
I have a crush on Cenk.
ahem..sorr
Yes, gwen did throw softballs with very little followup but its probably because mccain starting complaining BEFORE the debate about her being biased, she had to protect herself.
You never protect yourself by being allowing bullies to pressure you into modifying your behavior to appease them. A dispute with a Bully is not a disagreement that can be resolved by mediation or compromise; it is a power struggle.
The best way for the media to protect themselves, and the American people while they're at it, is to ignore all spin and act like real journalists. Most of them have been regurgitating talking points written by the bullies they don't even remember how journalism is supposed to work.
By just doing some very basic journalism Katie Couric showed us what a sham Palin is and reminded us of the power journalism has to expose fraud. It is sad that even the basics of the profession are now such an exception to the rule.
Thank you Katie.
Kudos to Katie! She deserves a break.
For once I have to admit she did a great job.
Amen. The conservatives made a joke out of Ifill. She was a great disappointment. She had been attacked for having penned a book and successfully hamstrung her. BUT now that Palin "held her own" even if she lost debate, she's fair game in ads and direct criticism for what she said. It's no longer gotcha journalism but just fair coverage. In a way, it might be better. A new Obama ad showcasing what she said about McCain's health care plans and Biden's great response to her...is fair and normal b/c she didn't spit up on herself. Thanks to Couric as you said, we know "how" she managed it -- heavily rehearsed. But she did string coherent sentences together and must face fair judgments now with no whining! Wasn't Joe Biden great. They can't claim sexism either. Wow. This IS progress.
I salute you for offerng the first compliment for Katie Couric since she left Today. That you had a good point is almost a bonus.
Incredibly, no one is giving Sarah Palin credit for the most breathtaking campaign promise since the invention of politics: Not once but several times, she promised that she and John McCain would "end greed and corruption on Wall Street."
If someone could, somehow, end Greed on Wall Street, the next item on the National Agenda would be New York City's request for emergency assistance in coping with the outbreak of tumbleweed clogging the streets of lower Manhattan. Greed makes Wall Street necessary. Some of Greed's byproducts are good; some are not, including Corruption, which follows Greed everywhere.
No one can "end" Corruption, which most religionists acknowledge. One can reduce Corruption by creating deterrents to it--increasing the likelihood that those engaging in it will be caught (oversight) and enacting appropriately stiff penalties for those who are caught. A decent example is Senator John McCain, who became a less corrupt Senator after he got caught in the Keating Five Scandal. Although he escaped serious punishment because of the bipartisan composition of the Five, my guess is that he sensed he had used his one and only "Get Out of Jail Free" card.
pretty safe to assume Ms. Palin will NOT be doing any further interviews.
it will be speech times from here to November.
Concerning no follow up questions- where were you people when they changed the debate format a couple of weeks ago, This is exactly what the McCain campaign wanted and got the O campaign to agree to. This is exactly what I expected to happen. You can't blame Ms. Ifill for the format that was agreed upon. Discerning viewers took note that all Palin did was attack, attack, attack and avoid answering the questions. No substance. And she can't answer follow up questions because she has such superficial knowledge of the topics. I'm more concerning about her saying she wants the power of the VP expanded. She wants to take over the Senate. Good Luck with that !
We should not be fooled by Palin's Acting abilities to sucessfully weave and bob and her canny ability not to answer questions she does not like in contradiction to her being able to answer intelligently complex questions on the spot! It seems as if she feels the American people have no need to be given intelligent, thoughtful answers to the pressing questions of today, and that we would rather be winked at and called hockey moms and Joe Sixpacks while our economy is in ruins!
Starting to question McCain's mental fitness
McCain's interviews have become increasingly angry, hostile and unhinged. He seems to be on the verge of some kind of mental collapse. A big part of McCain's erratic behavior is due to Obama having gotten deep, deep, deep inside his head. If McCain's brain was x-rayed, it would reveal Obama sitting comfortably upon McCain's cerebral peduncles. But, it is more than that. I believe McCain's increasing instability is being caused by the stress of the campaign and his 72 year old body not being able to get the rest that it requires to function properly. That isn't ageism—that is a simple fact of life. I wondered how McCain, being in advanced years, would respond under the grueling pace of a general election. I think we are all beginning to find out and it really isn't a pretty site. He is on the verge of some kind of mental collapse.
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I agree.....
Poor Gwen had the cards stacked against her from the get go....no matter what she did, she was screwed.
I do agree that she should have had more f/u....BUT if she would have been to hard on Palin it would have just looked bad for us (Biden). "They " would have claimed "we" ganged up on her and we didn't need that.
Palin looked shallow w/o Gwen being tough and
Sen. Biden did a wonderful job!!
I watched the debate on C-span and when Palin walked over to Gwen after the debate, Gwen said something like "Now see, that wasn't so hard" or "I told you the questions were going to be easy"
"If you don't probe beyond the initial non-answer, you are simply not doing your job". Couldn't agree more! I just kept waiting for the follow-ups or at least cut short the non-answers but it never came. Palin smartly used the time to talk about the only thing she knew: energy, as in oil and gas, not renewable energy.
Yes, without Couric, voters would never have known how shallow Palin is for VP. Couric's palin interview is the single most important interview in this race. Afterwards, McCain even had to chaperon Palin for another interview!! DON'T GAMBLE YOUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE WITH McCAIN-PALIN'S RECKLESS JUDGMENT, LIES, BIGOTRY, FAKE FAMILY VALUES, SECRECY, CRONYISM.
With the qualification that the agreed-upon debate format might have affected what Ifill could do, I have to enthusiastically agree with your words, Mr. Uygur. The knowledge America gained because of Katie Couric's (and CBS's generally) work quite probably changed American history... and indubitably for the better!
(And may I say, sir, that you have one of the coolest names in politics!)
As another poster already pointed out, the debate commission set the rules of order. Gwen Ifill may thus have to share in the criticism of all the "moderators" thus far. However, given that, I think she was admirable in holding that position. There were a number of times that she re-asked the questions when they weren't answered - most notably the "Achilles Heel" question which Gov Palin completely brushed aside. (I thought it was a silly question, by the way & Biden's answer disingenuous EXCEPT that he brought up in answering it the importance of IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONING in public service.)
Gwen Ifill was a real presence as was Joe Biden. She was not totally subsumed in her role. She had
force but did not abuse it by drawing attention to herself the way some famous moderators do by sending out the "vibe" of how weighty they are. She gave the real attention completely to the candidates.
Oh, by the way, not to kill how strongly I feel about the other things in this post - she looked GREAT in turquoise!
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