Explain how Palin could've won that debate last night

[Juche]

As a caveat, I am a pretty strong progressive and the democrat party represents my interests most of the time. When it comes to debates people view them partisanly, dems generally think the dem won, repubs think the repub won. So naturally like alot of dems I think Biden did better.

Partisanship aside, how can people believe Palin won? I really cannot wrap my head around that logic. She evaded most questions and recited a laundry list of cliches, flirty behavior and folksly behavior. She didn't seem to understand the issues on more than a superficial level. Alot of her attacks on Obama were directly counterpointed by Biden very effectively (McCain raised taxes 400x by Palins standards, McCain voted against funding the military, etc).

Maybe my definition of 'win' is what this comes to. My definition of win is who is qualified to run the country should the situation call for it and who understands the issues and the solutions the best. By that standard Biden won by a mile. If the definition of win is something else like who can you have a beer with then I can see some people saying Palin won by that standard.


I remember when I was about 16 and Bob Dole was on Suddenly Susan after losing in 1996. He made some jokes and I thought 'heck I would've voted for him had I known he had a sense of humor'. I was 16 at the time so I wasn't too mature and can be forgiven for thinking about voting for Dole because he made a few jokes on TV, but I suppose I forget that alot of people never grow out of that phase of picking or voting on personality characteristics rather than the issues. I didn't know anything about Dole's positions, his views or Clinton's either. I was going on superficial personality issues.

Am I just assuming wrongly that people are picking the winner based on who is most qualified? I don't see how, using that standard, anyone can think Palin is more qualified or competent than Biden. So how can people say she won?

[Hellataz]

1. Exactly.

I'm so sick of reading how it was a Win/Win...NO it wasn't!

Biden was articulate, intelligent and prepared.
Palin was rehearsed, overly coached and too "folksy" to be taken seriously.

Just because she didn't fall flat on her face does not mean "it's a win"
Are our standards so low that we will due with a leader who just "got by"?

This women had to go to "debate camp" to be taught how to be articulate, Biden just is.
Without all her notes and coaching it would have been the Couric interviews all over again only worse.

[Buzz Clik]

2. Winning or not winning the VP debate is not particularly meaningful.

[Juche]

4. Yes it is

It shows the values and agenda of the electorate. If someone can be an uninformed valley girl ditz who doesn't understand the serious issues facing our country and millions of voters look on and say 'thats exactly what I'm looking for' then that is important. Deeply important.

[Buzz Clik]

6. I agree, but that demeanor was nearly absent in the debate.

If, prior to the debate, Palin had been interviewing like a genius rather than an idiot, then her performance would have been written off as a bad day. In the debate, she came across much better than when talking to Gibson or Couric.

Lloyd Bentsen blew away Dan Quayle; how exactly did that turn the tide for the Democrats that year?

I am amused at all the giddiness over this debate. In 24 hours, no one will remember it at all.

[MN Treehugger]

3. I'm right there with you

I haven't met one person in real life on either side of the coin that thought she won last night. Which leads me to believe that any responses to the contrary online or in the MSM must be from Repuke borgs implanted with the "Mavrick" chip to spew out RW rah-rahs at random.

I thought her just folks speak and cutesy mannerisms were so obnoxiously OTT that she actually BECAME a 90-minute long SNL skit.

Then again, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would be undecided at this point. Some of those focus groups last night were enough to drive me to the drink, headfirst.

I am hopeful that the public has tired of the bar room buddy, overgrown frat boy type of president and the ensuing clusterf*ck of the last eight years that they are ready for someone smarter than them that can actually lead.

[louis-t]

5. Did you really say "democrat party"?

'Democrat-IC' and it should be capitalized. Thank you.