In a trendy apartment along Peachtree Street in Atlanta, five young voters watched the vice presidential debate to critically examine the candidates' platforms, while also looking to be entertained. The viewers in the room agreed that Gov. Palin exceeded expectations, but they also admitted that didn't mean much.
"She did better than I expected," said David Lewis, a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology. Lewis joked, "She could actually speak English sentences." Before the debate, he said he didn't think there was going to be much competition, since Sen. Biden was so much more experienced.
A small part of Lewis's impression of Palin came from his relatives' Alaska vacation experience, after which they received a 'thank you for visiting' letter in the mail from the Alaska Travel Industry Association with a message from Gov. Palin. Although the material did not explicitly mention voting for the Republican ticket, it seemed to be sent with political intentions.
Kim Wadelton, Lewis's classmate, hosted the debate viewing in her living room, where guests sat amidst modern art wall hangings and a lamp made of blue wine bottles. Wadelton, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, could be heard occasionally chuckling at Gov. Palin's remarks throughout the 90-minute debate.
"I love reading the question on the screen," said Wadelton, referring to the scroll along the bottom of the MSNBC broadcast, "and then listening to her actual answer." At this particular moment, Palin had been quoting Reagan by calling America a "city on a hill" when the question scrolling by reminded viewers that the question was about Palin's Achilles' heel. Wadelton and others exchanged looks and laughed again when Palin misspoke and said "McCain is the leader we need to leave."
Jaime Fischer, a civil engineer, remained much more quiet and pensive during the debate. In fact, she was taking copious notes. Fischer never talks about her political views, so sharing her thoughts after this debate was a surprising first.
She had tentatively decided on Obama/Biden prior to the debate, but insisted that in every possible situation, she would continue gathering information about the candidates with a critical eye and open mind.
With composition notebook in hand, Fischer said, "I did appreciate what she was saying about her experience in Alaska." Fischer found that the debate made her better informed about Gov. Palin's background and about Sen. Biden's policy.
But of course most American voters are not like Fischer and do not take the time to scrutinize the policy of the candidates. Fischer's husband Joe is undecided and said of his family back in Ohio, "I know enough about my family's mentality. There wasn't anything Biden pushed that could have moved them."
Joe Fischer said he identified more with Biden's background from a blue-collar community, but the debate itself did not help him reach a conclusion. "I truly didn't know who I was going to vote for (before the debate)...and I still don't know."
But he said that once Palin joined the Republican ticket he's been leaning slightly to Obama because McCain's decision in choosing Gov. Palin seemed purely politically motivated. Joe Fischer said he thought Palin did "better than normal" in this debate, but her interviews by other journalists on television made a poor impression on him. Referring to her clashes with the mainstream media, Fischer said, "She needs to be able to talk to people...she hasn't proven anything."
Barely any critical new information was gleaned from the vice presidential debate, but perhaps it was good television, particularly due to Palin's colloquial manners and round of high-pitched "thank you, thank you's" after the debate, to which Wadelton said, "That was her Miss Alaska moment right there."