Is anyone else going to watch the train-wreck?

[GrimJack]

This 'debate' tonight might be a competition of who can dig themselves to the bottom the fastest. It will happen in slow motion. The master of the non-answer vs the master of foot-in-mouth.

[sneekula]

Beauty vs. the Beast?
Most voters are not smart enough to figure the questions out themselves. Sarah can answer with whatever she wants, as long as she does it with her usual charm!

[Ezzaral]

Yeah, she was pretty charming as she vacuously stumbled through the Couric interviews.
:-/

Talking Point Wind-up Doll is a pretty apt description. Maybe she'll get lucky and they'll ask about hockey and moose hunting.

[scru]

Well how else am I going to be able to talk about SNL next week? Certainly not by watching SNL....

[sneekula]

My kind of girl!

[Ancient Dragon]

I hope Sarah does well tonight -- I don't like seeing girls cry.

Aside: As you all know (or should know) I'm from St Louis area where the debate is going to be held in an hour or so. The city is filled with cops from all over the state and secret servicement. Today, someone robbed a bank in St Louis, escaped the cops around the back, then ran smap dab into a bunch of secret servicemen :) At least that's the story I heard on our local talk radio today.

[GrimJack]

Well, cue the talking heads! I am watching on PBS.

[GrimJack]

DW just walked in and said this is just too annoying and changed the channel so let me insert one more dig and forget about it. er

[Ancient Dragon]

The debate's over now, I thought Sarah did a lot better than most people throught she would. To my knowledge neither of them made any major gaffs.

[Dave Sinkula]

My assessment (baseball analogy):

Hm. Not outta the park. But it was a 2- or 3-run double or triple, leaving her in scoring position.

[R0bb0b]

Well thank God that we elect people based on how well they can flap their lips.

[bumsfeld]

Sarah clearly won the ALSO debate. Biden was factual and boring, she was also sparkling fresh, and as also folksy as also Bush used to be.

[Aia]

Joe Biden's View, from the Floor
As the author proposes: "Getting knocked out has its advantages."

[Ezzaral]

Well, she didn't fall flat on her face, which is what I was hoping to see, but she certainly gave a lot of non-answers and rabbit-trailed off into "folksy" patter that had absolutely no real content. Irritating to listen to if you want a real answer to a question, but it does appeal to her "base". Certainly can't pin the "intellectual elitist" label on her.

>>"Getting knocked out has its advantages."
I guess Joe missed his chance then, because she didn't even wing him, much less knock him out. She did manage to stay on her feet to the end though, doing better than I expected going in.

[Aia]

[...] She did manage to stay on her feet to the end though, doing better than I expected going in.

Well, isn't that a disappointment?!

[chococrack]

She spoke more to idiot America, with a cheerful, emotionally charged, do-gooder attitude that people love. And its true that America votes for the best speakers, because psychologically we're stuck in a deferential society based on emotional response from debates and speeches.

Like one of the previous posters said, Biden was factual and boring. Basically, all he came back with was "let me answer that... blah blah blah buhh buhh buhh."

Sarah won this debate.

[Aia]

>And its true that America votes for the best speakers
Or for cutest. Since the beginning of televised debates, looks is a winner.
However, I want to point out is only Half-America (56.70%) which votes. The other half prefers another pastime entertainment.

[GrimJack]

America does seem to vote for the most attractive - Nixon vs Kennedy was the first tv debate and Nixon thought it would be 'girly' to wear makeup. No on doubts that his permanent 5:00 shadow and profuse sweating under the lights doomed him.

But I think that the American public has matured since then.

[Ezzaral]

But I think that the American public has matured since then.

Really? Is there another American public I'm not aware of?
:)

[chococrack]

Really? Is there another American public I'm not aware of?
:)

rofl. The other other America!

[Ancient Dragon]

If Americans votes for cuteness then John Edwards would have been the nominee with his $500.00 USD haircuts.

utube I Feel Pretty

[Aia]

America does seem to vote for the most attractive - Nixon vs Kennedy was the first tv debate and Nixon thought it would be 'girly' to wear makeup. No on doubts that his permanent 5:00 shadow and profuse sweating under the lights doomed him.
[...]

And the irony of it:

"In substance, the candidates were much more evenly matched. Indeed, those who heard the first debate on the radio pronounced Nixon the winner." ~ From the same link.

[Aia]

If Americans votes for cuteness then John Edwards would have been the nominee with his $500.00 USD haircuts.

Hey, he didn't have the right "cuteness". Americans are "maturing" in other taste. They prefer more exotic, instead of the Ken doll type.

[Dave Sinkula]

Heh:

Jimbo says that Palin won but not by much.

The long time political junkie in me sort of agrees. But it wasn't people like me that was the target of last nights debate.

Given the billing of the event (Will Palin faint? Will Biden come unglued?) huge numbers of viewers were attracted and a great many of those could not tell you what state Biden is from.

These are the political rubber-neckers looking for a train wreck.

Sadly, there are quite a voters in this country who are more than uninformed, they are totally ignorant. The good news is that these people make up a large portion of the often illusive "Swing Voter" bloc.

These people didn't catch that Palin got the commander in Afghanistan's name wrong. They also didn't catch Biden's many untruths that he casually threw out a facts (Article I of the Constitution, McCain's troop funding votes, etc...)

These people do not vote on any intellectual basis, they vote on how they feel. A La Reagan, the best communicator wins.

Biden came across as a condescending professional politician (which is what he is), while Palin came across as warm, genuine and gutsy (which is what she is).

So what did I think?

Click here to see the result in a nutshell.

[Emphasis mine.]

[Ezzaral]

while Palin came across as warm, genuine and gutsy (which is what she is).

I guess if "warm, genuine and gutsy" means "vacuous, disingenuous, and smarmy", then yeah, I suppose so...

[Aia]

I guess if "warm, genuine and gutsy" means "vacuous, disingenuous, and smarmy", then yeah, I suppose so...

No ifs. "Warm, genuine and gutsy" means that, warm, genuine, and gutsy. And if "vacuous, disingenuous, and smarmy" is how she came across for you, well then, that's how it came across for you, but not necessarily means you can change the meaning of the statement to accommodate YOUR truth.
[Edit:] Unless you want to come across as a "vacuous, disingenuous, and smarmy" kind of guy.

[Ezzaral]

Perhaps you need to look those words up, Aia.

[Aia]

Perhaps you need to look those words up, Aia.

Naw, I like my smarmy with peanut butter.

[Lardmeister]

Let's lay this thread to rest with one of W's famous quotes:
"If you're a younger person, you ought to be asking members of Congress and the United States Senate and the president what you intend to do about it. If you see a train wreck coming, you ought to be saying, what are you going to do about it, Mr. Congressman, or Madam Congressman?"

[Lardmeister]

She spoke more to idiot America, with a cheerful, emotionally charged, do-gooder attitude that people love. And its true that America votes for the best speakers, because psychologically we're stuck in a deferential society based on emotional response from debates and speeches.

Like one of the previous posters said, Biden was factual and boring. Basically, all he came back with was "let me answer that... blah blah blah buhh buhh buhh."

Sarah won this debate.

I am 500% with you there! Except I think that America votes for the name that is easiest to spell.