Was Biden too focused on McCain’s past votes? Was Palin arrogant in saying she wouldn’t follow the debate guidelines and not always answering the questions asked? Was Biden too professorial while Palin was too folksy? Which was stretching the truth too much? What would you liked to have heard that you didn’t? What did you hear that you didn’t like?
If the VP were to become President, to redirect what one of the pundits said after the debate, which would you rather have making the decision in the War Room with generals on shooting down a plane that might start a war? Which do you trust with your money, job, health care and all the rest?
Have at it!
One part that irritated me and Biden missed was when she extolled the excellence of the Alaska education system. After her daughter was home schooled for a whole year.
Another was how she reduced taxes in Wasilla. Then left office after running up a huge $22 million debt from 0, building a sports center on someone else land, and charging rape victims for the test kit.
And she is different from Bush … how?
#74 and #80
Palin is a post turtle!
It will be a sad sad day if mcbush or palin ever see the inside of the White House. If you are not familiar with what a post turtle is read on.
—————————————–
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.
The old rancher said, ‘Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.’
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.
The old rancher said, ‘When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.’
The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. ‘You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, she doesn’t know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.
If I had turned the sound off, I would have sworn that she was flirting with me.
Oh no, not again. This was a debate? Is everyone on here a bunch of saps? Maybe the better question is whether everyone one of us in this country are saps?
Once again I am reminded why we deserve what we get in this country. There are those who will spoodge over the democratic candidate “Joe Biden was fantastic”; and there will be a similar response from the republican minions.
I also wonder why the focus on “nucular vs nuclear”, how bloody nitpicking and contrite can a person get. Perhaps a brilliant English literature PhD will venture to weigh in on the multitude of terms in the common vernacular that are “mispronounced” — FYI grammatically correct English is crap. Ever wonder why there are not any spelling bees in non-English speaking countries? I think we are the only country that gets excited about how stinking hard our language is to master — Woo Hooo good for us, our language is so logically screwed up that it takes kids years to achieve semi-fluency, no wonder we are so far behind in maths.
Maybe its just my cynical nature but I was truly hoping that there would be military junta or something — at least I might get some personal efficacy that way. I’m just so darn bored with the junior high style political climate in this country. Maybe we need a good economic depression to wake us up. Until then I prefer to just go back to sleep.
MCP for president 2008.
Bit for VP 2008
As VP debates go, I thought there was a bit more energy than most last night. Unfortunately, not much content. I am happy to see that Palin can string together a cogent sentence -although I would have preferred she address the question asked and not regurgitate 4 or 5 talking points that appeared learned by rote. It’s okay to learn multiplication tables by rote, not foreign and domestic policy. She still has a problem with paragraphs. To my ear, her voice was noticeably shaky for the first few questions then she seemed to become more comfortable. I think Ifill did a poor job of follow up when answers didn’t match questions. The blogosphere may have influenced her performance with conservative claims of bias from Ifill, who is writing a book about black politicians in the age of Obama. Of course no one has read the book ( it isn’t even finished yet), so the tactic may have been to put her on guard not to press Palin on issues for fear of that claims of bias.
Biden was not up to the debating standard he demonstrated during the primaries. Many believed he won some of the debates when he forcefully questioned the answers and positions of other candidates, including Obama, based on his experience. He was likely coached not to be as aggressive with Palin and let the press vet her answers and qualifications. With only 4 previous interviews and few planned, this may have been a tactical error. He missed a major opportunity to rebut any debate over tax reform by informing the audience that yes, Palin cut property taxes, but she raised the sales tax- the most regressive of all taxes. Even Joe 6 pack should understand this each time he swings by the mini-mart to purchase said namesake. Do the math people.
I, too, am annoyed that we have set the bar so low for the ability of a candidate to verbally communicate within the most basic laws of grammar. It isn’t necessarily an indicator of intelligence, but it does indicate a retention of information from the learning process. If you can’t remember how to speak intelligently during formal engagements, what else did you not absorb from all that book learnin’? History? There is a saying about the danger of not understanding the lessons of history..
Yet another candidate that refuses to properly pronounce ‘nuclear’ weapons? Please…Minimum Standards alert: If you can’t pronounce ‘em, you can’t control ‘em. I am tired of world ridicule of the US executive branch. I want everyone in the White House to be smarter than me. I want candidates who were educated at renowned institutions. I want candidates who can demonstrate critical thinking before being coached for weeks. I want candidates who will speak forthrightly when they disagree with SCOTUS decisions (any) and help me understand their own position. I want candidates who I can proudly stand behind and support when America faces troubled times. I want candidates who will confront me when the best science says we need to modify behavior for the greater good.
And I only want Palin in the White House w/i the same roped off areas the other tourists can visit. I disagree with McCain on issues. I disavow his good judgment in choosing Palin. As I type I am becoming solidified in my belief that Palin should be a deal breaker on the McCain ticket for any serious minded American voter. I guess that makes me an elitist.
Past is prologue.
You betcha’ it is!
Fact check on statements made in debate:
http://tinyurl.com/3qom95
#98, wumpy,
Go back to sleep. If the future of the country doesn’t mean that much to you, then you don’t mean that much to the country.
Listening to Palin is like listening to nails on a blackboard. Thankfully she’ll be gone soon.
As to the debate, I see she’s been taking pointers from that scam artist Sylvia Browne:
“If they’re stupid enough to believe this ****, then they deserve to be taken.”
#77 ECA said, “4. ALL questions were supplied to the candidates, BEFORE the debate. LOTS of practice.. ask any actor.”
You should probably watch the debates. No one but the Mod knows what the questions will be.
#100, Cow-Paddy,
Right, as if FOX SPEWS would give a “Fair and Balanced” assessment.
Try Fact Check .Org for some balanced facts.
#103, Cow-Paddy,
The questions were easy enough to guess. Go ahead, pick any ten questions you would like to see the two candidates answer. Now, check them against those against what the moderators have asked.
But then none of the moderators ever claimed the Constitution forbade Congress to regulate wages.
#104 Mr. Confusion said, “Right, as if FOX SPEWS would give a “Fair and Balanced” assessment.”
Fox produces the material for AP? I’ll remember that.
Oh yeah, you told me to remind you when it’s time to take your meds. Sorry, I was busy this a.m. and forgot. You’re a couple of doses behind. Sorry ’bout that. 😉
I can’t stand Biden at all, but I’d have to give him the debate simply because by the end of it, I was having to press the mute button any time Palin started to speak.
Palin seemed pretty nervous to me, might do better when she gets more comfortable in the national spotlight.
I DO NOT want to hear the word ‘maverick’ for a long time.
I was surprised that Biden didn’t do better; for a veteran ‘b.s.’er of the senate he seemed too stuck on vote tallys and numerical rote facts, which are boring, in excess. I thought that with his experience, and knowing that Palin would get ‘folksy’ that he’d shine by speaking ‘off the cuff’ more himself and not use so many long-winded talking points.
According to factcheck.org, they both were blowing the b.s. around pretty evenly.
‘Nucular’ vs nuclear: My advanced chemistry teacher in high school said ‘nucular’. He was a very bright guy. Elitists like to point these things out, feeling very superior in doing so. People speak differently in different parts of the country. For some reason, everyone in Montana calls a creek a ‘crick’. You can immediately tell if someone is not from here if they say creeek. Everyone here also says ‘you betcha’, for ‘certainly’. We like it. We live in a much nicer place than most of you. shutup.
#105, Cow-Paddy,
Yes, FOX is biased. Just because the source might have come from AP does not mean it has not been filtered or edited by FOX.
Don’t worry about my meds, asshole. When are you going to tell the world which part of the Constitution does not allow Congress to regulate wages? Then maybe you can explain your flip flop when you stated Obama tried to convince other Senators to vote against the bailout.
You keep demonstrating why you are a fool. Please don’t keep it up.
#108 “Don’t worry about my meds, asshole.”
I’m truly sorry. I know how sensitive you are about your fragile mental state.
BTW if you checked, other papers are using exact same quotes from AP reporter Calvin Woodward. But, I know how hard it is for you to concentrate without the medication.
Get well soon.
Kung Fu Election
It cracked me up when Palin slipped up and said something like. “We need John McCain to leave…I mean lead Washington…”.
103,
BULL..
Give me Stewart and Maher to ask the questions..
112, Na, try Stewart and Colbert as moderators. Although I would like to see Dennis Miller and Bill Maher have a verbal spat.