Palin/Biden Debate

[Jugglah]

Well, the VP debate is done now, and we can all heave a sigh of relief. The world has not ended yet.

I thought that Palin was personable, concise, and surprisingly knowledgable, considering what people have been saying about her inexperience. On the other hand, I thought Biden was condescending and tended to run off at the mouth about his favorite subject: "bad Bush administration policy", or better yet, nothing at all.

What say you?

[Trent DeWhite]

I just wasted a half hour of my evening.

But Palin was cool... I especially appreciated all her references to Alaska. Wooton would be proud!

What say you?

We will fight!

[Jugglah]

We will fight!

Yes! We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...oh wait. Wrong politician.

[KristopherWindsor]

What say you?

I say everyone here is a Republican, so why bother bringing it up? To feel better about picking a candidate based on traditional party lines?

[Jugglah]

I'd say traditional is good, considering that this country has a history of some pretty good traditions, like 200 years of freedom and justice (I'm not saying there haven't been hiccups, but overall...). But I wouldn't say that Palin is exactly traditional. I mean, she talks like no politician I've ever seen.

[COWBOY OF TEXAS]

Drill, Baby! Drill!



-Cowboy

[Kait]

I totally loved the debate

I love how straighforward and non-political Sarah Palin is. There were a few things she said that I disagreed with and there were a few things Biden said that I did agree with.

And I don't vote based on traditional party lines I vote based on the issues...and more often than not, I happen to agree with the Republican side

[darcie]

I say everyone here is a Republican, so why bother bringing it up?

I say it's not correct to assume. I'm not affiliated with a party.

And I didn't watch this debate either, so I have nothing productive to add to this conversation! But I actually did hear about it in advance, unlike the last!

[Laura Ingalls]

Yeah, I wouldn't assume everyone here is a Republican or going to vote for the Republican ticket. I'm not voting for either the Dems or Republicans.

I saw the first 40 minutes or so of the debate...I didn't really care for either of them. Since I already know I'm not voting for them, I left halfway through to do other things.

[Arwen]

My thoughts are that I wish I had been coherent enough to watch it last night. I saw two minutes of it in the middle before going to bed...having a cold kind of fogs up my brain.

[The Top Crusader]

Palin did alright. I wasn't blown away or anything, though.

Biden, though, truly lied like there was no tomorrow! There are always statements that can be called into question from both candidates in a debate, but they had a long list of things Biden said that weren't even disputable... he just flat out lied.

I am voting for Perot/Stockdale so I don't really care anyway.

[Kait]

Palin did alright. I wasn't blown away or anything, though.

Biden, though, truly lied like there was no tomorrow! There are always statements that can be called into question from both candidates in a debate, but they had a long list of things Biden said that weren't even disputable... he just flat out lied.

I am voting for Perot/Stockdale so I don't really care anyway.

haha

Everytime Biden said something that was totally false, my dad would yell "AAHG! THAT IS SO NOT TRUE!!" It was funny...

[JesusIsAlive]

Palin did alright. I wasn't blown away or anything, though.

Biden, though, truly lied like there was no tomorrow! There are always statements that can be called into question from both candidates in a debate, but they had a long list of things Biden said that weren't even disputable... he just flat out lied.

I am voting for Perot/Stockdale so I don't really care anyway.

haha

Everytime Biden said something that was totally false, my dad would yell "AAHG! THAT IS SO NOT TRUE!!" It was funny...

I can so totally see your dad doing that.

[Jonathan]

I missed the debate (but it's ok, b/c I missed it to play music )--could folks give me examples of some of what Biden said that wasn't true?

[KristopherWindsor]

Let me rephrase that... either you're Republican, or you aren't voting, or you are voting for some minority party that doesn't stand a chance...

[Dr. Watson]

What say you?

I say everyone here is a Republican, so why bother bringing it up? To feel better about picking a candidate based on traditional party lines?

Yeah, I'm not a Republican. I'm an Independant, and I believe there are some Libertarian and Democrat-ish people on here as well.


EDIT:

Let me rephrase that... either you're Republican, or you aren't voting, or you are voting for some minority party that doesn't stand a chance...

I'm voting for a third party. I have no illusions about their chance of victory--it is nil.

But that is not the reason I'm voting. I'm voting because I want to send a message saying that I am displeased with the Democratic Party and with the way the Republican Party has nose-dived.

I'm well aware that my candidate has no chance of winning. I'm also aware that I can't in good conscious vote for either major party candidate. And news flash--you can vote for other people besides the major party candidates!

[Kairi]

I missed the debate (but it's ok, b/c I missed it to play music )--could folks give me examples of some of what Biden said that wasn't true?

He mentioned that humans are fully responsible for climate change!
Oh, and he said he wanted to answer a question more, but couldn't because the little light was blinking at him, lol.

Palin did very nicely. I think she did win, although there were a few minuses for her because she clung to energy and McCain at the beginning of the debate like those two things were the Rock of Gibralter. Other than that, I think she did fine. (I don't have any problem with talking about energy, however.) I saw some of the fire she had in her acceptance speech, but not all of it.

"The quote is, 'Drill, Baby, Drill,' Senator."
Biden was lying like the world was about to end, though. He made Former President Clinton proud last night!
Something you probably never knew about Senator Biden: he shops at Home Depot.

[Kait]

Oh yes...he spends LOTS of time at Home Depot

Well I hate Home Depot

Lowe's pwns

[Jonathan]

, although there were a few minuses for her because she clung to energy and McCain at the beginning of the debate like those two things were the Rock of Gibralter.

heh, that reminds me; in class this morning the guy next to me was reading news on his laptop, and the story he was reading had a word cloud on Palin's comments last night. McCain was by far the largest

Something you probably never knew about Senator Biden: he shops at Home Depot.

Those stores are a lot of fun Not too wild about the company at large though.

And news flash--you can vote for other people besides the major party candidates!

On that note, I've been reminded of you while reading the newspaper every day this election season.

edit--

pfffsh, Kait, all stores like that are fun

[Clodius Albinus]

I was not impressed with Palin's performance, though I didn't really expect to be. Perhaps the overabundance of folksy charm played well in the Rust Belt (though I'm not convinced), but it did nothing to reassure me of her competence to hold the office she seeks. Too often, she substituted folksy aphorisms and stock responses (Maverick! Surge! Drill!) for considered opinions, and while this is a talent not unknown to politicians, she used it to such excess as to be highly disturbing. I struggle to recall more than a question or two -- if that -- which she answered completely.

She pulled off something I did not wish to believe possible: in the course of no more than thirty seconds, she managed a and I'm fairly certain that she managed to squeeze in "Say it ain't so, Joe," "there you go again," "doggone it," and "God bless 'er, her reward is in heaven, right?" -- thereby setting a new record for the most faux folksy aphorisms in one answer. And, as mentioned by others, she barely were these words out of her mouth before she gave a shout-out to her brother's third grade class.

Even on those rare occasions where she eschewed the "aw shucks" style, her manner was circuitous, and at the end, one slowly realizes that she didn't really say anything. The only thing she was even somewhat clear on was that she's evidently okay with the Addison-Cheney conception of the vice presidency, and accepts it as her responsibility to aggrandize power to the office, not work within its narrow constitutional parameters.

On domestic policy, she came out essentially unscathed only because Biden seemed bored and lifeless. (But then, of course, we're talking about Joe Biden.) On foreign policy, however, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations came alive and ran circles around Palin, whose answers became increasingly confused. On Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, the undecided voter is very likely to conclude that he would rather have Joe Biden advising the President.

No, Biden was not without his gaffes and miscues. He often seemed to forget about Barack Obama, who does, after all, have an important position on the ticket. His assertion that he's always been for clean coal is demonstrably false. The claim that he'll be in the room with Obama whenever there is an important decision to be made should certainly raise some eyebrows.

But, doggone it and say it ain't so, Joe won this debate hands down.

Oh, and Gov. Palin? McClellan was involved in the Peninsula Campaign and led the Union Army at Antietam. That guy in Afghanistan who, yes, said that a surge strategy would be largely ineffective? That would be Gen. McKiernan.