Tonight, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden will tangle in the only vice presidential debate this year. It comes at a time when the McCain campaign is struggling and losing support across the country. Almost all of the polls show Obama comfortably ahead of McCain. The reasons for the problems are easy to identify. McCain is not strong on the issue of the economy and with a bailout bill being discussed and economic depression being mentioned, voters are worried about our economic security.
Obama has not presented any leadership on this issue, but he benefits by being new. Unlike Obama, McCain is saddled by the baggage of his relationship with President Bush. Polls show Bush now at historically low approval ratings.
McCain needs a boost to regain momentum and it could come tonight with a strong performance from his running mate. Sarah Palin is entering the debate as the underdog. She started in this campaign as a rock star, but after a few disastrous interviews, the public impression of Palin is negative. In fact, the interviews were so bad that many people now believe she is woefully unprepared to be Vice President.
The media has been relentless in their harsh analysis of her record. They have successfully damaged her reputation. Tonight, Palin can restore some confidence in her ability to serve in the position which is only "one heartbeat away from the presidency." Palin will be helped because expectations are so low. If she is even remotely articulate and intelligent, it will be considered a successful debate.
Nevertheless, the stakes are very high. If Palin bombs, then it is probably over for the McCain campaign. If Palin performs well, then this presidency race is still competitive. It is just some more pressure that the Governor of Alaska will have to deal with tonight.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m.. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and the Political Editor for NewOrleans.com. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
Ifill was, if anything, very gentle in follow-up pressing for answers when the candidates did not answer the initial question, which was numerous times in Palin's case. At least she was honest in saying that she was only going to answer what and how she wanted to. Yeah, Palin is a fresh face (still, however, a representative of the party which has, for better or for worse, been in power for most of the past 30 years) but once you see her for more than about 15 minutes it's obvious that she has nothing to offer besides her canned party lines. Biden was thoroughly in command of the facts, was very authoritative, especially on the foreign policy matters and proved what's most important in that he was beyond a doubt ready to step in in the event, heaven forbid, that the worst should happen. Palin is Sarah Six-Pack which is not very much unlike the George W. Six-Pack who's been in the White House. This time around, maybe more than ever, I dare say that the voters want something more than that. Written by Richard P.
on 10/2/2008
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I think they both did much more superior than the Presidential Candidates. Disagree with respet. Mature, intelligent, handle the answers and rebuttals well, honorable, and respectful. Each Vice Presidential Candidate in my opinion is much more qualified than their respective running mates. Written by Louisiana Sunshine
on 10/2/2008
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Jeff, your question should include "Is there anyone on PBS that isn't bias towards conservatives"! No, I don't think Ifill will be objective with Sarah Palin. Written by Ben
on 10/2/2008
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Depending on your running mate to be a rock star in order to win the election? Has that ever been successfully pulled off before? What does that say about McCain that he's trying to do that? We also already know what happens when you depend too much on the vice-president to govern. Written by Richard P.
on 10/2/2008
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It will not depend on this debate. Governor Palin has already cooked her own goose. She opposes just about every issue that women support. Her extreme positions falsify any opposition McCain ever pretended to have to all of the most obscene positions of the extreme right-wing of the Republican party. Palin opposes ALL stem cell research (not just the federally-financed kind), ALL abortions, even in the case of rape or incest, and ALL sex education, except the abstinence-only kind, which we now know worked so well for her own daughter. Palin believes in creationism, but not global-warming; she tried to use millions to shoot wolves from airplanes, but didn't spend enough money to fix a state education system with the lowest high school graduation rate in the nation, and she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas
pipeline across Alaska. She also believes that God supports her plan for an
Alaskan pipeline, and George Bush's way of waging war in Iraq. We didn't really need any more evidence of the intellectual bankruptcy of the neocons, but in the wake of Palin's selection, their cup runneth over. Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 10/2/2008
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I was on the fence until the Palin selection. The initial buzz around her puzzled me, because I couldn't understand the fascination. Still, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
But after these interviews, she has shown that she has no grasp of some very important issues. She dodged very legitimate questions about Supreme Court cases (in fact, she couldn't even think of other cases), and about where she gets her news.
Politicians *must* be able to speak authoritatively on many issues, even when they don't understand them. (There's a term for this that I won't use here.) It's critical to building confidence. For Palin to be unable to perform this basic task is tremendously troubling and raises red flags about McCain's judgement as well. Written by Noelle
on 10/2/2008
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Actually it is in better shape their T-dubb...... But then again, I suppose it all depends on what side of the fence you are standing on...... Written by
on 10/2/2008
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I really don't think this should boil down to a popularity contest, Jeff. We have had eight years of Bush's policies, which McCain has agreed with and continues to agree with 90+% of the time. Where have these policies led? Is our nation in better shape or worse shape than it was when Bush took over in 2001? I think the answer is pretty obvious, and that is why Obama will (and should) win the presidency. TW Written by Tee Dub
on 10/2/2008
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