The Vice-Presidential Debate: My Wrap Up (Updated)

The line that spoke to me most came from Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin:

“I think we need more of Main Street Wasilla in Washington, so that these people, these middle-class, hard-working people are heard in Washington.”

Contrast this to the line that almost made me cry with laughter:

“I go down Union Street, and speak to folks in Home Depot…”

On to the serious stuff, I think Palin nailed this debate. She spoke in a way that showed that she’s far outside Washington circles, using some very homely expressions such as “doggone it”, “ya”, “Say it ain’t so Joe”, and she sounded nowhere near as rehearsed as Joe Biden, plus Governor Palin didn’t rely on her notes almost every sentence. Certainly, she looked at notes (although hers were clearly in dot point form, whereas Biden’s can’t possibly have been) yet she spent the majority of her time making eye contact with the camera.

The use of the expression “It is my executive experience…” absolutely nailed Biden. He had no comeback for that. Mostly because he has no executive experience. It was beautiful.

Palin also puts forth some of the hardships her family has been through, and is currently going through. “We know the hardships of a son in war, a special needs child, Todd and I having once not having health insurance, the worry of children going off to college and how are we going to pay for that, and so many other things that connect myself and my family with the heartland of America.”

Palin:

• Had strong body contact, including strong shoulders;
• Focused more clearly on the camera;
• Referred to notes only when absolutely necessary;
• Answered questions clearly;
• Willingly looked at her opponent when Biden was speaking; and
• Didn’t shuffle papers while Biden was speaking.

Biden didn’t focus on the camera at all. I don’t think I saw a single point where he was focused on the camera rather than on the moderator, who as we know, was already squarely in the Obama camp.

Biden:

• Had weak posture;
• Never focused on giving a realistic answer;
• Rarely looked at Palin;
• Was busy reading his notes when Palin was speaking;
• Bluffed whenever he was asked an easy question; and
• Never did anything which would connect Senator Biden to the American people, such as looking directly at the camera.

UPDATE (Beef): The wink.

The Palin Wink

Any guy who doesn’t fall for her is certainly no All-American retrosexual male. As Beldar said, scoring this debate on points is like counting raindrops in a hurricane. Palin was shining like a blinding star by the end of the debate, and that’s what most people will remember – this was the most watched political debate since the early 90’s, and that includes presidential debates – while Biden looked “senatorial” (Which is a bad, bad thing the way he does it), mucked up the Constitution, and told over a dozen howling lies.

No contest. Palin eviscerated Biden, but she was just “so darned nice” about it, that most pundits didn’t notice because they were looking too closely at the content (There’s a really beautiful forest over there, too bad the view is obscured by all those damnable trees). Mom and Apple Pie Americans noticed, though, as the scientifically organized Luntz Focus Groups demonstrated.

I’m glad now that she got those painful MSM interviews out of the way before the debate. Nobody will remember those now, and Palin is free to go into full lipstick-clad pitbull mode for the next thirty days.

I’ll be in my bunk. 🙂