SUN EDITORIAL:

Presidential timber?

Palin was folksy while Biden had command of the issues during vice presidential debate

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

The conventional wisdom among pundits immediately following Thursday’s vice presidential debate was that Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor, did well against Sen. Joe Biden.

Of course, the bar was set so low for what was expected of Palin that it would have been difficult to do worse than what was expected. During the week leading up to the debate, CBS News had been airing portions of an interview with anchor Katie Couric in which the Republican vice presidential nominee often was ill at ease and uninformed.

Republicans were nervous before the debate and a number of conservative commentators started questioning whether John McCain had made a mistake in putting her on the ticket.

Also making Republican nerves jittery were the ailing economy and McCain’s erratic response to the Wall Street bailout, raising more questions about his judgment and what a McCain presidency would bring.

Unlike Biden, who was knowledgeable and seemed in command of the facts, Palin didn’t appear able to improvise and actually answer the questions posed to her, instead sticking to talking points that were drilled into her by McCain advisers.

She smiled a lot and certainly was folksy, peppering her comments with phrases such as “I’ll betcha” and “heck of a lot.” There is nothing wrong with a down-to-earth demeanor — we wish more politicians were like that. At the same time, however, folksiness can’t substitute for substance. The Bush presidency is a case in point.

The first presidential debate was seen as a draw, and, if anything, that debate and the souring economy probably have benefited Barack Obama and hurt McCain. We probably won’t know for days what effect the vice presidential debate will have on the election.

But Thursday’s debate did provide voters with more insight on the qualifications, knowledge and timber of Biden and Palin, one of which, come January, will be the proverbial heartbeat away from the presidency.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By Future2012

10/4/08 at 6:24 a.m.

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Sounds just like Barak Obama when he started his "National" campaign a short time ago.

After more than 30 debates Barak Obama has got the drill down pad and can give the correct media tested response.

Like that "I will meeting with anyone with out pre-conditions" gaff. Now his standard answer is he will only meet after preparation.

Given 30 or so debates and several months on the trail like Barak Obama, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will learn to suck up and give the National Media politically correct answers.

For now we are left with the fact that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is smart with solid core values and principles.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has shown she can quickly assimilate facts and reach decisions based on core values and principles.

The reason that Barak Obama has such high negatives is that for a significant portion of the country we still do not get what core values and principles, Barak Obama uses to make decisions.

Obama knows that raising the tax rate on capital gain will reduce capital formation, yet he must do it to penalize the rich and redistribute the wealth.

Barak Obama rejects lobbyists, yet lobbied to put in the first draft of the bailout bill a slush fund for ACORN.
By JohnF

10/4/08 at 6:54 a.m.

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From a column in today's NY Times by Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard:

"Let's take (this) myth: Governor Palin subjected herself to the most demanding test possible -- a televised debate. By surviving, she won. As the front page of The Daily News of New York screamed this morning, "No Baked Alaska."

"But as a test of clear thinking, the debate format was far less demanding than a face-to-face interview -- the kind Ms. Palin had with Katie Couric of CBS.

"Why? Because in a one-on-one conversation, you can't launch into a prepared speech on a topic unrelated to the question. Imagine this exchange -- based on the first question that the moderator, Gwen Ifill, gave Ms. Palin and Senator Joe Biden -- if it took place in casual conversation over coffee:

"LISA How about that bailout? Was this Washington at its best or at its worst?

"MICHAEL You know, I think a good barometer here, as we try to figure out has this been a good time or a bad time in America's economy, is go to a kid's soccer game on Saturday, and turn to any parent there on the sideline and ask them, "How are you feeling about the economy?"

"Lisa would flee. (This was, in fact, Ms. Palin's response.) In a conversation, you have to build your sentence phrase by phrase, monitoring the reaction of your listener, while aiming for relevance to the question. That's what led Ms. Palin into word salad with Ms. Couric. But when the questioner is 30 feet away on the floor and you're on a stage talking to a camera, which can't interrupt or make faces, you can reel off a script without embarrassment. The concerns raised by the Couric interviews -- that Ms. Palin memorizes talking points rather than grasping issues -- should not be allayed by her performance in the forgiving format of a debate."
By seasinger

10/4/08 at 9:17 a.m.

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Ms Palin did okay with her canned responses and steered clear of having to think on her feet by saying "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also." When she has to think and answer questions without practice she's a disaster.
By car_1

10/4/08 at 3:43 p.m.

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That's a great headline. I needed a laugh like that. Command of the issues....Ha....