Election '08: '08, Oh God...
⊆ 9:14 AM by A. Liebendorfer | debate , democrats , eva longoria , farewell , joe biden , politics , pundit , sarah palin . | ˜ 3 comments »I'm partisan!
"Can I call you Joe?" Washington Hall echoed with derision. I took this as maybe the only chance I'll have in the next hour and a half to refill my water bottle. Walking down the hall, every room had the debates on and it seemed like Palin's thick, gerund-decapitating accent seemed to seep through the walls. People had been practicing their impersonations of her all week; by last night they were getting good.
I heard our next cue: "I thing a good barometer here is we try to figure is this a good time or a bad in our economy is go to your kid's soccer game..."
Watching her --not a hard thing to do-- she was bleeding youth. She fidgeted a little behind her podium, stumbled on her words. Don't get me wrong. Biden had his hiccups, namely struggling through pronouncing I think it was "characterized" and dancing around the Alaskan governor a little too much. I love Sarah Palin. She's got the image of who should be president. It's just... she doesn't even know the NATO commander for Afghanistan.
"Governor Palin," we hoped the moderator would've said, "is there any way you could be more vague?" I heard talks of drinking games going on where people would chug or what have you when either of the candidates said their lame signature lines. There were a lot of sirens last night. I figured them to be Team Palin suffering from alcohol poisoning.
With all the pundits declaring Palin won by not losing, I can't help but disagree. I'm with everybody else in the middle class that's completely enamored with Sarah, but she just needs time. She shifted up too many gears too quickly. Not to mention, you win by winning.
I think it was McLellan-McKiernan mix-up that ruined my view in balanced commentary. I realized that I really have specific things I want out this election. Looking at work abroad, the chair of the senate foreign relations committee just appeals to me. And that's that.
So with a heavy heart, I end this commentary series. Punditry has no place anywhere, especially on my blog.
Good thing veep debates barely matter.
October 3, 2008 at 3:57 PM I am glad you brought up the "soccer mom" section of the debate. That was just bizarre and just a blatantly transparent attempt by GOP handlers to appeal to Middle America. "She's talking about soccer moms! That is us!!!"
I thought Palin got better in the second half when she started acting less like the Party Robot and actually starting speaking on her own accord. I think Biden was impressive all the way through. I don't think it is necessary to declare a "winner". The only job both candidates had was to just not fuck things up for Obama and McCain and try to present themselves as different than some of their negative public perceptions. They both did that and I think it was a successful debate for both parties.
October 3, 2008 at 4:28 PM Yeah, it's really tough to figure who the winner is in VP debates. Thank god there's only one.
I tell you what though, being a soccer mom myself, the Republicans have my vote. If I were a woman, I'd feel a little stereotyped.
October 3, 2008 at 10:05 PM Joe Biden did not even know who the American general in Iraq was. Now Palin said his name wrong, but it was close. Even though I don't support any foreign intervention the idea of going into Pakistan is way worse then Iran. Obama and Biden want to go into Pakistan which is a country that already has nukes in the hand of a military dictator. Palin said that going into Iran is better which they do not even have nukes and the government is controlled by religion. Pakistan is also an allie and is helping us keep Al Queda trapped in the mountains. Obama may pull the troops out of Iraq, but who knows how many countries he will go into.