Reactions to VP Debate

People who read me religiously probably realize that I've had different thoughts about what Sarah Palin's strategy should be. I've wanted her to be a policy wonk like Dick Cheney (see Challenges for Sarah Palin), and I thought she could be that, since I'd seen her impressively cite facts and statistics about energy in various interviews. Recently, I thought her best course was to be herself--to speak from her heart about her own experiences (see Sarah Speaks from the Heart, Free Advice for Joe Biden). The latter approach was also recommended by Pat Buchanan, who said "Let Sarah be Sarah."

In writing this, let me first make clear that I don't have the entire debate memorized. I don't even think a transcript is on the Internet right now. And I don't really want to spend a lot of time fact-checking all of Joe Biden's statements about John McCain's voting record, or what General "McClellen" (actually, his name is something else) said about Afghanistan. What follows are just my immediate reactions to the debate, based on what I remember at the moment.

Here we go!

1. Who had the better presence and delivery? Obviously, Sarah Palin. This was the eloquent Sarah Palin of the convention, not the bumbling Sarah Palin of the interviews. Biden did better in referring to specifics, but Palin made more of an impression. I don't know what it was. Her winning smile? That she's hot? That she looked straight into the camera? Her eloquence? Her folksy references to her friends, her family, personal responsibility, her experiences as a middle-class mom, and everyday people's fears about the economy? Probably all of the above.

2. There were times when I wished that Sarah Palin would interject and respond to Joe Biden's criticisms. Biden did so a few times. Palin did not. She just let Gwen go on to the next question. It would have been nice for her to offer clarification about John McCain wanting to tax people's health care benefits (not that I understood any of Joe Biden's complex equation about how McCain's plan will ultimately hurt us). Or McCain voting against heating assistance for the poor. Or McCain voting against alternative energy twenty times. Or McCain opposing a nuclear treaty. Or McCain voting against more federal funds for education, something Joe Biden pointed out right after Palin gave an eloquent call for America to support teachers. But she didn't address those charges. I think she expected us to rest on her being a good, middle-class, salt-of-the-earth person. She's from a family of teachers, so of course she'll support education in a McCain Administration.

Should we expect Sarah Palin to memorize the Congressional Record before she enters a debate? Maybe. Maybe not. But I wish she addressed Joe Biden's charge that she supported a windfall profits tax as governor of Alaska, something John McCain opposes.

3. When she talked about Obama and Biden living in the past and playing the blame game, I thought that was being slightly disingenuous. Biden said that he opposed allowing the West Bank to have elections, since that would enable Hamas to get a greater foothold (which it did). He also wanted NATO troops in Lebanon so that Hezbollah wouldn't thrive there, which was unfortunately what happened.

On one hand, Palin did well to accuse Biden of playing the blame game, since John McCain is not the same as George W. Bush. McCain should not be blamed for all of Bush's failed policies. On the other hand, the Republicans live in the past and play the blame-game a lot. "Obama opposed the surge, which is now working." "John McCain warned about Fannie and Freddie." We heard such remarks from Governor Palin this evening! And they're things to point out. But there's nothing wrong with Biden likewise pointing out examples of his own good judgment. And I wonder what McCain's proposals on Israel actually are.

4. It seems like everyone supports a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But what if the Palestinians use their state as a base to attack Israel? Have people forgotten that little argument?

5. There was a lot of historical revisionism on the part of Joe Biden. I'm not sure if Biden supported the surge, which seemed to be what Sarah Palin was implying. But he did vote for the war resolution, notwithstanding his attempt in the debate to claim it wasn't really about war. He said Obama didn't promise to meet with the President of Iran. Look, I saw the debate in which Obama said he'd do it, and Hillary portrayed him as an inexperienced dunce because of that statement! Biden also never responded to Palin's claim that he criticized Obama for cutting off funding for our troops. Biden acted like he never said it!

6. There was one time when Palin answered the question, and Biden said she had not. It concerned an exit strategy for the war. Palin simply pointed out that the surge is working and that the number of troops in Iraq is now at pre-surge levels. In my humble opinion, that's an exit strategy: win the war, then our troops leave. Palin's stride became slightly broken when Biden criticized her answer. But she still managed to go on with eloquence.

7. I thought she gave good, folksy answers on the economic crisis. But I wish she had responded that it wasn't wrong for McCain to call himself a deregulator. Sure, deregulation may not be entirely appropriate for the financial industry, but that doesn't mean we should burden small businesses with a bunch of rules. There's a wise way to go about the regulation issue. She should have pointed out how unnecessary regulations have burdened her and her family. I think Republicans are conceding too much to the Democrats on all regulation being a good thing.

8. Pundits are pointing out that Palin changed the subject a few times. The topic was bankruptcy, and she talked about energy. She brought up taxes when the question wasn't about that. I liked it when she said that she wasn't going to answer as Biden or Gwen may want, for she was going to speak directly to the American people. She'd let Sarah be Sarah! But I still like candidates to address the questions that are asked.

9. Biden said a surge wouldn't work in Afghanistan, but he wants more troops there. Isn't that what a surge is?

10. On climate change, Palin said that, if Americans become more energy independent, that will help the environment, since Americans care more about climate change than the bad nations selling them oil. I wish she'd elaborate on that, since I don't understand what she's saying. I also wonder how she reconciles "drill, baby, drill" with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Do we increase drilling, and let cap-and-trade reduce the emissions? Palin can point to natural gas as part of the solution, but there's debate about whether or not natural gas reduces the greenhouse effect. I know T. Boone says it's clean, but there are scientists who say otherwise.

11. Palin was friendly when she asked Biden if she could call him Joe. She did well to praise his son's service in the National Guard. She also commended his late wife for being a teacher. One MSNBC pundit criticized her, however, for not responding when Biden choked up about his family and the challenges of being a single parent. Maybe she should have, but I'm not sure what she would have said.

After the debate, I wished she and Biden make more small talk. Instead, she kept saying "thank you." And it also would have been nice if she had extended herself to the Biden family. Instead, it was Mrs. Biden who made the first move to the Palins. These were just areas where my expectations were disappointed. It makes me wonder if Palin's naturally outgoing, or if it's only part of an act, with a Machiavellian self existing underneath a warm exterior. But I may be reading too much into the situation!

It was a good debate, and I think Sarah will gain in the polls because of it. We'll see!