"Answer The Question!": Miami's South Beach Party Fed Up With Palin

South Beach, Florida could hardly be considered a hotbed of political activity, what with its sun-drenched days and liquor-soaked nights, politics are generally about the last thing on anybody's mind. But you've gotta hand it to Sarah Palin, she sure can galvanize a crowd - especially when it consists of folks who completely disagree with her.

And to be sure, last night's debate watching party here at a Haitian restaurant called Tap Tap was packed with people who completely disagree with the moose-hunting Governor from Alaska. Then again, that's pretty much to be expected when the event is sponsored by MoveOn.

What might not have been expected was that the polyglots in attendance actually don't like Palin -- personally or otherwise. They don't like her grating accent, they don't like her coy winks, they don't like the fact that she stared at the camera and spoke as if she were selling used cars, and, of course, they don't like her politics.

But what they really don't like is the fact that the Governor didn't seem to answer one question asked by moderator Gwen Ifill, and opted instead to spout platitudes. Again and again, "answer the question" became the refrain. And over and over Sarah Palin failed even to do that.

"It's insulting," said a 27 year-old South Beach resident. "She's insulting. For her to think that women -- or anybody else - would fall for the rhetoric. I didn't hear a plan, I didn't hear a proposal. Most of all, I didn't hear an answer -- to anything."

Another Beach-dweller said she "kept waiting for her to say: I'm Sarah Palin, and I approve this message."

And though in the end one man in the crowd did think the Governor "did stronger than expected," most thought she was "well-briefed," "well-prepped," and "stuck to the script," but "offered absolutely nothing" and "sounded like a sound bite."

There was even concurrence among the foreigners in attendance, which included Line Prasz, a reporter for the Danish newspaper Politiken, (who didn't think Palin did better than expected at all - and "didn't expect much" to begin with), and Miami-based French designer Daniel Venissac, who "cannot stand her," and "thinks she should be the vice-president of Alaskan tourism."

This being Obama country, everybody was behind Biden, who received cheers for the "Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere" slam against the McCain/Palin healthcare plan, his crack about Palin's position on climate change ("if you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with a solution"), and again when he declared "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history."

By far the most resounding cheers though came when Palin misspoke and said McCain "is the man that we need to leave." A Freudian slip? The crowd sure thought so - and laughed out loud accordingly.

Biden did receive some small criticisms. A North Beach man "felt [he] held back on a few too many points," especially about Palin not answering questions, except for once when he called her on deregulation. And his friend wondered why Joe never brought up Rick Davis when Palin mentioned Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac.

Still, it was Sarah Palin who everybody came to gawk at, mock and deride, and the Governor provided no shortage of opportunities for all that and then some. Her misremembered sentences, her sham folksiness, those doggone "doggone its," each elicited bigger and bigger cackles.

A consensus: If Palin was playing this for laughs, she certainly won.

Follow John Hood on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jhood

Comments

[TonyOnly]

"But what they really don't like is the fact that the Governor didn't seem to answer one question asked by moderator Gwen Ifill, and opted instead to spout platitudes. Again and again, "answer the question" became the refrain. And over and over Sarah Palin failed even to do that.".... Do you think if we started calling her Stonewall Palin, someone in the McCain might get the message?

[mikemiami]

Well you see a lot less Republican bumper stickers than there were in 04 and those who once said they would never vote for a black man for president, are now singing a different tune. Miami is in the top five of cities nationwide suffering the most foreclosures and Florida is one of the states with the most foreclosures overall. We have a tourism dependent economy which will disintegrate if the national economy keeps going south. Let's not forget that this was the city where votes were purged to give Bush the election in 2000, so it's not like Miami was ever a sure thing for the right. Now that we're suffering the consequences of the republican administration I think people will see a dramatic change down here. The polls are showing Obama is leading in Florida by a slim margin at the moment but what people can't really see on a poll is how former Bush supporters are openly disgusted with the GOP.

[ryalphoenix]

Squawk!!! Palin/McCain 08! Seriously anyone willing to vote for those two, deserves them and the mess they will continue under the Bush legacy.Its enough to make you want to move to Canada. All those Palin supporters out there that say she did well in the debate were definitely high on the Republican Koolaid. Ever since this woman hit the national stage she has been playing in left field with a football bat. She gets points for evasiveness but loses them again once she tries to charm her way out of the next answer with her country talk, which sounds as rehearsed as her canned answers. I can't remember the last time i watched a debate and found myself yelling at the idiot i saw on the screen. After the first 10 minutes I thought my head would explode. Palin didn't even have a grasp of her candidates record let alone the economy or foreign affairs. And another thing, in what universe does 20 or so months of gubernatorial experience turn you into an expert on energy? On what plane of existence can you solve real world issues without understanding the problem or root cause ( global warming)? Who in their right mind, applying for the 2nd most powerful position in the United States gives a shout out on National TV in order to dodge a question? Palin the parrot, that's who.

[filo]

I think Obama will win the electoral college with near 300 votes.

Anything over that is a landslide victory.

[xansam]

I love Miami. Now will those excellent citizens of South Florida please make sure as many people as possible are registered to vote?! We need to counter-act the Republican north part of the state, which you can do because you are much more population dense. Please make sure to register to vote!!!!!!

[MsCanadian]

I love Florida, and I agree. Please get out and register to vote - then get out and vote. For Obama, of course!

[bitterindependent]

yep... the pull string with karl rove's fingerprints all over them....

[Ldyandrea]

I threw a debate watching party up here in WPB, and basically got a lot of the same reactions. Myself, I was looking for the pull-string in her back that is frequently seen with all other talking dolls.

[Pupadup4oBama]

or a receiver in her ear.