I'm sorry, I have to ask...

M

MCunningham

Cathlete
... What did everyone think of the performances of Palin and Biden? (Can we keep it nicer this time? I KNOW that this wonderful group of individuals can definitely share opinions without attacks!)


Palin - I think she was charming and funny and "down home", and unlike McCain I think she was a bit more respectful in her overall delivery. However, I think she really failed to put forth any new information and seemed to talk in circles and ramble a bit like her Couric interviews. That, and she completely avoided any questions she didn't want to answer. Just completely ignored them. To be honest, I think she should have varied her "schtick"... I'm not sure how many more times I could stand hearing "we're mavericks", "stop the corruption in Washington and on Wall Street", and "put government back on the side of the people".

Biden - He doesn't have anywhere near the charm and good looks of Palin, but he obviously is head and shoulders above her on overall knowledge and grasp of domestic and foreign policy issues. To his credit, he responded to every question asked by Ms. Ifill. I think he was a bit rambling at times, but I liked how he keyed in on and emphasized fundamental differences between the Democratic ticket and the Republican ticket.


My main issue with both McCain and Palin is that it appeared, to me-- someone who was genuinely listening intently to what they had to say and wanted to hear some honest answers on their positions-- that they both just kept repeating the same incorrect information over and over and over, even after corrections were made by Obama, Biden, and even FactCheck.org (non-partisan). They would have held more credibility to me if they had not kept railing on the same things that have already been proven false. It gave me the impression that they were going to hang on to their "lines" whether they were true or not, forget informing the American people they were supposedly there to appeal to.
 
M

Don't apologize - it's an OPEN forum and someone was going to post something about it. You have done a good job in approaching this question on the forum.

That being said that since yesterdays brutal attacks to the point of being told I should leave the boards for good and forever (and not from Cathe but someone who thought they could speak for her) I will refrain from joining in but again I commend you for taking the initiative. It's that time again and there is no getting around it so debate is going to happen. What needs to happen is respect for each person's opinion.

It was fun to watch . . . .

If we all thought alike - it would be a really boring world.
 
I think Governor Palin did extremely well considering the low expections going in. She stated her positions and the positions of McCain clearly. She was able to answer questions clearly and concisely. I feel she also appealed to the "common folk."

On the other side, I really like Senator Biden and have great respect for him. He did a wonderful job tonight. He does well to balance out Obama. Amazingly, as libearl as he is, he is more middle of the road than Obama, which I think is a good thing.

From a strictly PR standpoint, I think Governor Palin came out ahead. McCain/Palin really needed her to do well and thankfully she did.

Carrie
 
I usually watch Fox and they have 5-6 people on after something like this. Tonight I decided to surf to MSNBC and CNN.

Holy Crap - CNN has 12 analysts on it. WTH? How does anyone get a word in?

Anderson Cooper . .makes it easier to watch
 
I will make this one comment . .

. .who in the hang dressed Gwen Ifill? The color wasn't that bad but the style was a poor choice . . .
 
MCunningham;

I think you did a great job summarizing the debate.

They were both very pleasant and respectful during the debate which I liked.

Palin handled herself well, but she still seemed a little out of her depth. I don't think she gave any real answers about what she and McCain were planning to do. And she kept contradicting herself. She says they're going to fix Wall Street, but doesn't say how. Then she says they're going to continue deregulating and get government out of the way. You can fix Wall street or diminish government's roll, but not both.

Biden did an excellent job. I was particularly moved when he was talking about the death of his wife and daughter. I didn't know very much about him before the debates and I was really impressed by him. He really reaffirmed for me why I want to vote for Obama and he made me feel good about the choice Obama made for a running mate.
 
It was a draw but I think the polls will reflect that she didn't win over any new voters. Most of those are going to go with Obama (or a third party) because of the stigma of Bush and his association with our present economic nightmare. I thought it was nice that they kept it civil. One commentator on CNN even said when it was over Palin and Biden were behaving like dear friends and the families of both candidates were hanging out like THEY were running together... I kept thinking about Bill Clinton talking on Larry King last week. He had a lot to say about being able to disagree without ripping people apart. In the end, they're all friends when nobody's looking, anyway. I sometimes wonder if right and left is really just the way They All manipulate US.

Right now, I'm just so angry about all the junk that's been added to the Bailout Bill because I just know, now that the Senate has passed this newer, porkier version, Congress will pass it tomorrow. Unbelievable. 1.5 billion dollars worth of crap added on to appease people and get us all to pay for it. I was going ballistic last night watching Lou Dobbs. More and more I start to see everything in terms of US vs. THEM (all the politicians), rather than Republican vs. Democrat. I'm really starting to wonder if it's impossible to keep a good person from becoming corrupt, once they're inside The Beltway.
 
SirenSongWoman said:
More and more I start to see everything in terms of US vs. THEM (all the politicians), rather than Republican vs. Democrat. I'm really starting to wonder if it's impossible to keep a good person from becoming corrupt, once they're inside The Beltway.
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I agree, or those in power vs. those not in power, who's paying them (lobbyists) vs. who's not. There really is no difference between Republican and Democrat besides what they tell the people. Ugh. I think that there are one or two who can manage to avoid the Washington crowd and remain honest and true to their roots and constituents, but none are in the running to be our next president at this point - because they don't poor honey in our ears but instead tell the truth and who wants to hear that?

As for the debate, I really enjoyed watching it!!! I was pleasantly surprised by Palin and I thought that Biden did a great job as well. I thought Palin was very charming, right off the bat asking Biden if it was alright to call him Joe. Neither of them cited anything new, neither really had a plan for how they were going to do what their ticket claims they were going to do (except for raise taxes) - but eh, that's politics. Both made great points about the opposing ticket that they could defend... it was a pretty good debate and I kinda feel like they both accomplished what there goal was. But I am still voting third part. ;)

I just hope that I get to watch two runners really go at it and actually tell the truth as to how they feel about each other and the country before I die - the-honest-to-goodness actual truth. It would be so fun to see two candidates go at it! :p

Missy
 
pink_fortitude said:
I agree, or those in power vs. those not in power, who's paying them (lobbyists) vs. who's not. There really is no difference between Republican and Democrat besides what they tell the people. Ugh. I think that there are one or two who can manage to avoid the Washington crowd and remain honest and true to their roots and constituents, but none are in the running to be our next president at this point - because they don't poor honey in our ears but instead tell the truth and who wants to hear that?
Missy
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rockon-1.gif


Sparrow
 
I think Biden was the hands down winner, which is also reflected in the polls. But I was glad to see that Palin came across as being intelligent and poised instead of how she did in the interviews. But I will say that I was dissapointed that she felt she did not have to answer questions she did not want to and did not speak in specifics. But seriously, how much could YOU learn in 5 weeks? I just do not agree with many of her philosophies.

I think the real reality is that both did well enough to not hurt the Presidental candidates, and as Palin had so much more to prove, while Biden performed better, in my opinion, Palin will gain more from it, but in the long run I think it just put it us back to where we were before those interviews.
 
I was very impressed with both of them. Palin for being able to form sentences and Biden for being remarkably patient with her. I was glad to see how amicable the entire debate stayed.
 
As to the idea of not answering questions and sticking to specific 'points' I think that's pretty common. I remeber being frustrated to the point of yelling at the tv (not something I normally do!) during the debates in the past few elections. The thing is, each candidate goes into the debate with specific things they want to accomplish that have nothing to do with the reasons you and I are watching them. It's not a simple Q&A session, and it never will be. That's not the way politics or the government work.
 
baylian said:
That being said that since yesterdays brutal attacks to the point of being told I should leave the boards for good and forever (and not from Cathe but someone who thought they could speak for her)
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Don't put words in my mouth Baylian. I never claimed to speak for Cathe & never would (however I was speaking for the 25+ forum members who emailed/PMd me to thank me). That was just a flat out lie. Attack me for facts, but don't slam me w/falsehoods.

MCunningham, I think your post pretty much summed it up. I was actually pleased w/both of them, they were relatively rational & reasonable.

Polls & pundits are saying Palin got points for connecting w/the "average American," Biden for issues. CNN poll had Biden as winner, 51% to 36%.

Personally, I don't want the average American in one of our highest offices. I want an ABOVE average American. ;)
 
I am one of those voters who have been on the fence for months. I really liked what I saw at both Conventions and have been watching and reading everything about this election (it's almost become an obsession:eek:) to make the best choice possible next month.

Since the conventions I have been one of the many people disappointed in Palin and her lack of knowledge and dodging questions. I really wanted her to do well last night so that I could form my opinion on issues and choose between the Presidential candidates rather than voting for Obama, just to keep Sarah Palin from becoming "one heartbeat away from the Presidency."

So this is my opinion on what I saw last night. Yes, Sarah Palin did exceed expectations but I felt that is only because expectations were set so incredibly low. It's almost as if my daughter was expecting to fail a test simply because she wasn't prepared and then manages to get a D. To me, the D is still not good enough. I felt her avoidance of some of the questions was because she didn't have that answer and wasn't prepped well for the specific issue. To me, she memorized "the material" but didn't quite have an understanding of it.

Again, I really liked her at the GOP convention but she went from being articulate and strong there to being cutesy and glib last night. She talked in circles so much that several times I had forgotten the question.

Biden impressed me last night. He spoke from a true understanding of the issues and only looked down several times it seems to pull a specific number or fact. Sarah Palin on the other hand, looked down a lot and seemed as if she were reading answers given to her by others.

I think politics are politics and they all get wrapped up into them as even Sarah Palin would once she hits the Washington World. But I want my leaders to know much, much more than I do and I want to feel they are completely competent in their mission. I am not looking for experience, I just want qualified, competent and knowledgeable people in office that can hit the ground running in January.

I knew enough about McCain and Obama and as I said, I have been on the fence. But in light of the last month with last night being the icing on the cake, I now will vote with confidence.
 
PERFECTLY states my view.... Expressed so well !:)

Worknprogress said:
I am one of those voters who have been on the fence for months. I really liked what I saw at both Conventions and have been watching and reading everything about this election (it's almost become an obsession:eek:) to make the best choice possible next month.

Since the conventions I have been one of the many people disappointed in Palin and her lack of knowledge and dodging questions. I really wanted her to do well last night so that I could form my opinion on issues and choose between the Presidential candidates rather than voting for Obama, just to keep Sarah Palin from becoming "one heartbeat away from the Presidency."

So this is my opinion on what I saw last night. Yes, Sarah Palin did exceed expectations but I felt that is only because expectations were set so incredibly low. It's almost as if my daughter was expecting to fail a test simply because she wasn't prepared and then manages to get a D. To me, the D is still not good enough. I felt her avoidance of some of the questions was because she didn't have that answer and wasn't prepped well for the specific issue. To me, she memorized "the material" but didn't quite have an understanding of it.

Again, I really liked her at the GOP convention but she went from being articulate and strong there to being cutesy and glib last night. She talked in circles so much that several times I had forgotten the question.

Biden impressed me last night. He spoke from a true understanding of the issues and only looked down several times it seems to pull a specific number or fact. Sarah Palin on the other hand, looked down a lot and seemed as if she were reading answers given to her by others.

I think politics are politics and they all get wrapped up into them as even Sarah Palin would once she hits the Washington World. But I want my leaders to know much, much more than I do and I want to feel they are completely competent in their mission. I am not looking for experience, I just want qualified, competent and knowledgeable people in office that can hit the ground running in January.

I knew enough about McCain and Obama and as I said, I have been on the fence. But in light of the last month with last night being the icing on the cake, I now will vote with confidence.
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About last night...after I heard her mispronounce NUCLEAR my ears started to bleed...so I switched over to a South Park rerun.

Doggone it!
 
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Yeah, what is with that? Why is that word so hard for some people?

I heard one commentator say this morning that Sarah Palin helped Sarah Palin, but she really didn't gain any ground for McCain. Another said, "She stopped the bleeding." I think those two comments pretty much sum it up.

Personally, I'm glad she didn't crash and burn, but she didn't do a thing to change my mind.
 
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