Again, in salient pseudo-summary style, my takes on last night:
- I probably gave this one away with my post title. With every ensuing political debate I watch, I am convinced that debating is now a lost art. Call me delusional, but the last time I checked, a debate includes: questions, relevant answers, and rebuttals, with a dash of moderation. Last night we got questions.
Score: Biden 5; Plain 3; moderator 4 - A good debate challenges participants to show their skill in critical thinking, accurate retrieval of facts, and yes, performance. One can score amazingly well with just the performance aspect provided for - perception is half the battle. Biden came across calm and collected. Palin nervous, shaky and over dramatic.
On Performance - Score: Biden 6; Palin 3 - Itemized lists are not my favorite means of communication (not for a debate anyhow). Biden loves them. Small but bothersome detail - getting lost in detailing an item in a list and forgetting the count or even that one IS counting.
- Debaters often forget just how much they can sound like broken records. Yes, they are trying to engrave information in our heads, but that can only happen if we keep our attention on them long enough for the sponge action to happen. McCain/Palin just HAVE to find a better word than "maverick".
- Non-sequiturs:
--> Palin wants to address global warming, even though she either doesn't believe people are causing it, or doesn't think that its causes are important in trying to find a solution. Huh???
--> Palin would like us to think that her faith based belief systems would not affect her ticket's stance on such issues as gay marriage/unions. Sadly both candidates are taking half measures on this civil-rights issue.
--> Every politician wants to be the harbinger of change. As I understand the word "change", it is a relative term. You change FROM one thing TO another. And yet every time Biden tried to tar McCain with the Bush brush, Palin would chide him for looking only backwards. Not sure what her change is all about, other than a nice sounding word.
Score: Biden 8; Palin 4 - Spin on facts. Few things these days are true/false. Politicians know how to exploit this ambiguity to support their positions. There were several times last night where there was a disputed fact. Who voted for what and how often was brought up just a little too often, and seldom agreed on. Of course, that is a litmus test that means very little in these pork barrel days. Since few things voted on ever stand alone, one has to sully convictions by taking the bad with the good.
Score: Tie.
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4 comments:
Well spoken, as always, darling. I got the feeling that debate "rules" rarely applied last night. Palin seemed completely focused on getting in all of her talking points, regardless of question. The two high points for me were when Palin referred to Senator Biden as "Obiden" and the unexpected moment when Biden showed a serious depth of emotion.
Interesting analysis. I particularly objected to Biden's
head shaking and sneering smile.
Read more at my blog, Special Needs 08. Palin did better than she would have before the McCain campaign changed the rules to suit her strengths. If someone crammed for their medical exam in a week and somehow passed with a low grade, would you want that person to operate on you?
http://specialneeds08.blogspot.com
Wonderful analysis, as per usual. I feel fortunate to be related to such savvy people.
I agree on all accounts.
And the whole Palin situation? Is it okay that I am deeply offended as an American that the McCain campaign is literally treating the Vice Presidency as though it was little more than a college exam?
I am disgusted with the idea that this woman is supposed to be able to cram for a couple of months and then suddenly be "prepared" for this important job.
I think America might be in big trouble.
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