The debate has concluded and while I don’t think Democrats can really claim a victory, he was better. Sarah Palin did do quite well, even exceeding my expectations which were actually somewhat high after seeing her in past debates. Why I think Biden won is that he seemed more in line with the public, a stance that the McCain-Palin ticket has consistently seemed to own. This isn’t because he made repeated references to an growing up in somewhat small towns or his cute quotes from his parents, but because there is need for finger pointing and reflecting on what got us to this point.
The Republican ticket has usurped the “change” theme and distorted it to mean something entirely backwards. Instead of realizing past mistakes that this administration has made, Palin suggested that change is accepting that governments make mistakes and we should move on with different strategies. In part, that is true: governments make mistakes, many as Bush and Cheney have demonstrated, but understanding the past is key to shaping the future. I thought Biden answered her comment beautifully taking Shakespeare’s “what’s past is prologue.” Both Biden and Obama realize that this administration’s decisions and policies have not been in line with the American people and this is why they are proposing greater changes from Bush and Cheney than a stronger energy policy.
The only real slip that I saw was Palin’s apparent confusion over the question of Cheney’s role. I don’t think it’s going to be very damaging, especially compared to this comment on Cheney: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/10/02/palin-on-che...
What did you all think? Was Biden boring, old (kind of helpless in that category I suppose) good? Was Palin too folksy (Joe Six-Pack?) not knowledgeable on some things, well-spoken and smart?
On a side note, I just came across this blog: http://blog.beliefnet.com/reformedchicksblabbing/2008/10/slam_dunk_comme...
where the author wrote "Another BTW, did O'Biden (Sarah's name for him :-) have botox? His
eyes looked weird. It was funny that the girl wasn't the one crying
during the debate." Okay, so when did mocking someone for an emotional moment over the loss of his daughter and wife become acceptable political dialogue? One of the comments: "Biden is emo...lol. Cry more. Strong leader? No, just a baby. Libs are so pathetic." Hm. This kind of deplorable talk makes me want to suspend both campaigns.
