Palin vs. Biden - A Debate Preview

[stevenleser]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Palin-vs-Biden--A-Debate-by-Steven-Leser-081001-819.html
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October 1, 2008

By Steven Leser

By now, most of us know that on paper, there is no way that Palin could debate Biden and have a successful outcome. If you have watched any part of the Palin interviews with Katie Couric or Charles Gibson, you know that she is far from up to the job of Vice President, let alone President. When informed of McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate, Alaska' State Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican, said of Palin, "She's not prepared to be Governor. How can she be prepared to be Vice president or President?"

Republican/Conservative Pundits, when they are talking amongst themselves and thinking that no one is listening say things about the choice of Palin like:

Mike Murphy & Peggy Noonan: 'It's Over', (Why Not) 'Engler, Whitman... It's not going to work', 'Don't you think this Palin ticket is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson', 'I think they went for, excuse me, this political bullshit about narrative', 'cynical and gimmicky' Watch and hear Murphy and Noonan in this YouTube video.

If the video embed doesn’t work, click this link--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg

So, what is going to happen in this debate? We've all been built up to believe that what we know to be this completely incompetent lightweight is going to get beaten up in this debate against one of the most experienced people in American politics, Senator Joe Biden. If whoever got the most answers right won a Vice Presidential or Presidential debate, this would no doubt be what happens. However, Palin's handlers have prepared her to try to play this differently. She is going to try to blend what she did at her Republican National Convention speech with how a similarly inadequate George W. Bush debated Al Gore in 2000. What do I mean?

You are going to hear plenty of meaningless, inane, or outright untrue non-answers from Palin like:

A - "I am not running President to make the press happy; I am running for the people!"

Who ever said she was running to make the press happy? The press gave her several interviews so she could introduce herself to the people. It was up to her to make those introductions good ones, or bad ones. This kind of confrontational populist rhetoric works if it comes from someone who is bright and knows how to run a country. Coming from someone like Palin, it is the equivalent of someone trying to B.S. their way through a job interview claiming they have the specific experience being sought and not directly answering any questions about it.

B - "The Democrats are going to raise your taxes"

They're not; it is already documented that 95% of the people in the United States will not see higher taxes. Only the top 5%, those making over $250,000 per year will see a tax increase under an Obama administration, and the vast majority of Americans will see a tax cut under Obama. That will not stop Palin from lying and making this claim.

C - "The Democrats are going to appease XYZ countries and/or their leaders"

Standard GOP rhetoric from the past 30 years against any foreign policy they don’t like.

D - "It's fuzzy math"

Or a 2008 variant. Any kind of statement that is in response to economic facts and figures that does not directly address those figures.

E - "McCain didn’t cut and run in Iraq, the Democrats want us to lose there"

Just remember when you hear this that there is no one to whom to lose.

F - "It's not the government's money; it's the people's money"

Or a 2008 equivalent. Remember the last person who made this kind of statement about taxes bankrupted the government and trashed the economy

G - "There is a time for politics and a time for leadership ... a time to campaign and a time to put our country first."

Palin will likely try to cast McCain's non-suspension of his campaign to rush to Washington to participate in the bailout discussions as some sort of altruistic gesture, even though McCain never really suspended his campaign ads, butted into bailout negotiations where he didn't belong, and created more of a problem than a solution.

H - "My family...kids serving in the military...special needs child..."

There are many great and wonderful families out there in this country. That doesn’t qualify anyone for a particular job.

I - "I'm always proud of America, the best times are ahead of us"

Again, this is not a qualification for anything. It will take an ultra bright and skilled person to fix this country's problems and she is not it.

J - "We're Mavericks; he's a war hero, bipartisan but anti-earmarks"

Don't forget that this anti-earmarks person wanted to spend $400 million Federal dollars on the Gravina Island Bridge, also known as the Bridge to nowhere boondoggle. This maverick is embroiled in an abuse of power case in Alaska.

K - "Candidates who use career to promote change vs. use change to promote career"

Aside from the fact that this cutesy phrase doesn't really mean anything, part of the change we need is change from politicians like McCain and Palin who deregulate industries like the Financial industry who use that freedom to rape the country blind.

L - "I'm not a Washington Insider..."

What sarah Palin isn't is 'competent' and no matter what geography she asserts as hers (or NOT hers), that doesn't change.


Additionally, her handlers will make sure she has memorized the names of the leaders of most of the countries she could be asked about and she will try to impress people with this knowledge.

Debates only have a few dozen questions and many of them can be predicted and rehearsed. If one is asked for which she does not have a rehearsed answer, look for one of my A-L non answers. If/When Palin is asked about her poor performance in the interviews, watch for item A above. One of the times the economy comes up, she is going to talk about how a bad economy is the wrong time to raise taxes and then she is going to say item B. The next time she is going to say item F. When foreign policy comes up, look for C. When Palin gets confused or doesn't know enough about an answer Biden gives about the economy and how things add up, look for item D. When the discussion turns to Iraq, look for E. and cut and run, etc.

Incidentally, that George W. Bush "It's fuzzy math" comment came from Bush in an election 2000 debate when then Vice President Al Gore warned about the proposed Bush tax cuts bankrupting the country and putting us in a situation where we were raiding the Medicare and Social Security Trust fund. It looks like we should really start putting some credence into that 'fuzzy math'. That point of this is that these meaningless, inane, or outright untrue non-answers have real consequences if they fool a sizeable amount of the population.

Most of the time, Palin will play the cute beauty pageant, miss congeniality contestant. Occasionally, she will attack Obama and Biden. She will put plenty of folksy and cutesy phrases in there to try to endear herself to the people watching and try to get everyone to ignore that she isn't saying anything much about anything, like here

If the video embed doesn't work, click this link --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8__aXxXPVc

Will she be able to pull off a good performance? That depends on the pundits and the people. The short answer is, no, she is not going to out debate Biden on the issues with real answers that add up. The long answer is, she can throw up a big enough smokescreen and flash her smile at the cameras enough to distract people from the fact that she doesn't know anything. See, it doesn't take any knowledge about anything to say any of those above A through L statements and similar garbage. Anyone is capable of being taken in by a snake oil salesman if they aren't paying attention and the expectations for her are so low that if she doesn't dribble on the microphone or start speaking in tongues, she could be seen as exceeding those expectations. Your job, if you are reading this, is to help make sure that everyone knows to pay attention and knows what to watch. Spread this article and similar sentiments far and wide. Our country depends on it.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

1. The problem is that she is going to have to give more than 10-word responses.

Thoughtful article, but she is going to quickly run out of
land on every subject & will find herself out suspended over the
cliff a la Wile E. Coyote with her legs spinning & gravity ready
to click in.

[stevenleser]

2. I agree, those comments are not going to be the entire answers

just like "It's Fuzzy Math" was not Dumbya's total answer to that question on what Gore said. He added filler, and so will Palin, but it is those little phrases that she and her handlers will try to get people to remember.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

3. Her "filler" is her killer.

She has nothing beyond the 10-word responses.
She is lost in the desert of the English language.
We have yet to see just how mentally barren she is,
but it won't be long now. It'll be amusing for a while,
then just painful. Like watching a mismatch in boxing,
where you're yelling "Stay down! Stay down!"

[stevenleser]

4. That is definitely how it will seem to US, but the point is

(and my concern is) how will it play in middle America. Will the soundbites be enough and will much of the filler be ignored. That is why we all need to talk about this and set everyone's expectations.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

5. I share none of your concern.

I know a person who is LOST IN HER OWN LANGUAGE when I hear one.
It won't matter what diehards think. The game is over.

[stevenleser]

6. Just remember, we all said the same about Bush vs. Gore

and idiot boy Bush has been in the WH for 8 years bumbling over the english language, having nothing intelligent to say about anything.

There is a reason for my concern. History.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. This is the VP debate. It's meaningless at worst, a bump for Obama/Biden at best.

The landslide has begun. I'm going to enjoy the debate,
but you do as you think best. :hi:

[stevenleser]

8. Kicked for the Wed Afternoon crowd

:kick: