Sarah Palin didn’t do as poorly as I’d supposed she would do. She didn’t fall apart. She didn’t ramble incoherently as she did in her recent interview with Katie Couric. So when I say, “She did well,” I mean, “She did well in comparison to what I expected her to do.”
Joe Klein’s article for Time online really sums up the evening quite nicely: Palin Was Fine, But This Debate Was No Contest. Read that article and tell me what you think.
I watched the debate at my friend John’s house. John’s not really all that interested in politics, but he indulged my desire to see what the VP candidates had to say. We watched Biden and Palin banter back and forth as we munched on a delicious meal prepared by John’s girlfriend. Before I had a chance to express my opinions, John was the first to say, “He’s kicking her ass!”
At the beginning, Palin looked like a deer in headlights. She loosened up as time went on, and was entertaining to watch. But let’s face it: John is right… Biden kicked her butt. Only the most stubborn, die hard Republicans will claim otherwise. Her personal victory was in the fact that she didn’t crumple into a pile of nerves. As Joe Klein said, “She displayed an ability, for the first time since her convention speech, to repeat with a fair amount of credibility, the formulations that her handlers had given her.” That was very obvious.
She avoided questions to which she didn’t have answers, going off in a totally different direction than what was asked. She used plenty of “fluff” that makes a person like her, but she didn’t really provide any meat. She said absolutely nothing to persuade me that she’s ready to step in as President should that be necessary. But she did reaffirm that she’s a regular, everyday person just like the rest of us. She’s quite likable, and I’d have a beer with her while watching NFL football, but I’d still have to say she’s simply not ready for the VP position.
I have to honestly admit this: I have been looking for reasons to change my vote to the Republican ticket. As I converse with Christians around the country, there are and will be many who think it’s downright sinful to vote for Obama. It would be much easier to say, “I’ve changed my mind and am voting for McCain/Palin because of __________.” But the truth of the matter is that I have yet to see anything from those two that changes my opinions. I am still a Christian and former Republican-Ticket voter who will be punching my ballot for Obama/Biden.
What say you?
If you didn’t have a chance to see the debate, here it is in full (1 Hour, 32 Minutes):