Form Over Substance...

The much anticipated Vice Presidential debate has just come to a close and I'd have to say that neither candidate committed a fatal "gaffe." I think that both campaigns are happy about the way that their candidates performed last night, and each side most likely thinks that their candidate won the debate. I think that this debate can be boiled down to form vs. substance. I think if you liked Sarah Palin before the debate, chances are this didn't change your view of her and probably helped. I think if you were going into this debate looking for more depth and substance in the answers then you probably liked Joe Biden.

I truly find it comical that the media and the American people think that this debate was as close as they're portraying it. I haven't gone back to the debate yet, but it appeared to me while watching the debate that Sarah Palin never really answered ANY of the questions that were asked of the candidates. She would often say "Yes, I do" and then completely change the subject and revert back to her scripted talking points or energy where she is most comfortable. Joe Biden called her out on this a couple of times but not nearly enough.

I do think that both candidates did what was expected of them. Sarah Palin did not hurt her image and did her best to put to rest the doubts and fears that the American people had about her after the embarrassment that were the Katie Couric interviews. Joe Biden stayed middle of the road and did his best to stay on the topic of McCain, and Obama's policies; although sometimes it appeared that "Joe Biden," as he referred to himself, was running for President. I also think that he often let her get away with too much. Certainly both candidates were guilty of their distortions of the other's policies and positions.

From a political standpoint, to Palin's credit, she did OK. She stayed on message and stuck to the political talking points that were prepared for her.  But at a point in the campaign where the American people need more than just political rhetoric Biden unquestionably had the advantage. Biden was confident and knowledgable in his answers particularly around foreign policy.  He layed out specifics in his answers as to how an Obama administration would deal with the most important issues that our country is facing today.  Palin simply dodged the questions such as when she answered one question this way: "That is not so, but because that's just a quick answer, I want to talk about, again, my record on energy -- your ticket's energy -- ticket also.  I think that this is important to come back to, with that energy policy plan, again, that was voted for in '05."  Let's be serious, are these even complete sentences?

I think that this type of answer characterized Palin in this debate.  She was sort of all over the place, her mind cluttered from the three days of rigorous debate prep.  She reminded me of a student who had spent the previous night cramming for the test only reach "the dreaded essay question" where you must provide specifics.  Instead of actually answering the question at hand, she found a way to turn back to the areas where she was, or at least she thought she was, most comfortable.  She often did this by outright changing the subject and at one point early on in the debate she mentioned that she may not answer the questions the way the moderator wanted her to, but rather, would speak directly to the American people about her record.

I think for those middle of the road voters this strategy didn't really pay off.  If you look at the two candidates, Biden clearly offered these voters a stance on the issues, while Palin did not. Being in the senate as long as he has, Biden had a long voting record to talk about as well his vast foreign policy experience, for better or worse.  Often times Palin looked like she was grasping at straws and pleading with the American people to give her a second chance.

When the candidates were asked about their weaknesses, Biden again offered several, and explained that he was not going to change.  Palin, instead, decided to focus on her strengths and once again never answered the question.  Does this remind you of anyone?  If it doesn't, why don't we explore her response to the powers of the Vice President when she actually proposed EXPANDING the powers of the Vice Presidency beyond what Dick Cheney has done.  Indeed, this a scary thought.

I think overall the selection of Gov. Palin for Vice President could be one of the greatest political blunders in history, but if the McCain/Palin ticket wins they will be lauded as geniuses and it will be a sad day for American politics and the country as well.  Clearly, Gov. Palin, is not nearly qualified to be Vice President, let alone the President.