ST. LOUIS — Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate, hitting Joe Biden for what she will call his foreign policy blunders and penchant for adopting liberal positions on taxes and other issues, according to campaign officials involved in prepping her for tonight’s showdown. The Palin camp is projecting surprising self-confidence in the pre-debate hours, despite the vice presidential nominee’s uneven — and, at some points, peculiar — performances in recent television interviews, the officials say. Top advisers to John McCain privately say Palin’s recent CBS interview was a borderline disaster, especially since it played out in several segments over several days. Tonight will be different, they say. “This is going to finally put her back into a position where we see her like we saw her the first couple weeks,” a McCain official said. “She was herself. She was authentic, and people related to that. ... Tonight, she’ll get into a rhythm. You’re going to see her in a way that you haven’t seen her yet.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/14220 I posted yesterday that this was going to happen (I know easy predeiction, but even with those I'm only 50% right). Should be fun to watch tonight.
Seemed to me that McCain hurt his cause by being too aggressive (obnoxious?) in the first debate, particularly among undecideds. And Palin plans on going on the attack even more? Hmmm. I don't know that this is the best strategy for her. I guess they don't have a lot of other options, though. She doesn't seem to do well in the interviews where the focus is on her, so maybe making it all about Obama/Biden is the lesser of two evils.
She has to be strong and decisive, not like the interviews she had this weak. If she can rip Biden's nutsack off, so be it! mumbly joe won't know what hit him!
That's because in the Presidential Debate the roles are reversed. McCain is the experienced one and Obama is the PYT.
Maybe it's not about the roles, but about the voters. A lot of these undecideds aren't real partisans, and they are looking for consensus. My wife is much more moderate than me (although she says she'd vote for Obama anyway.) But she was really turned off by McCain's attitude. I don't think she'll be very turned on by Palin attacking Biden/Obama either. Essentially, governing is a constructive task. You have battles, but in the end you are trying to build something that helps America. We've had a lot of destructive, scorched earth politics over the past 8 years, and look where it's got us. I have no doubt that if Palin does a great job of attacking, she'll bump up her numbers in solid Red states. I just have a hard time seeing how it's going to help in the swing states. Anyway, there's also a real risk of Dilbert Manager effect (as I call it). The reason the Dilbert strip is so funny is because you have this incompetent manager who is always sniping at everyone, but he's so clueless that it mostly just blows back as making him look more idiotic. It's going to be tough for Palin to attack if she can't establish that she has a solid understanding of the issues. Which she hasn't so far.
Her problem is that she hasn't seemed to retort follow-up questions well. To paraphrase: "Exactly what Supreme Court cases do you disagree with? Tell me what in McCain's tenure proves claim X? Tell me specifically what you read? Why is it important that you're near Russia and how does that validate previous comment X?", and the like. She has talking points, but once one gets past that she's had trouble continuing the conversation.
Obama is a wonderful consensus builder...as long as you agree with his position. What's funny is that for all hate directed toward his memory, Barack Obama has more in common with Ronald Reagan in terms of skills than any other candidate. He can say really stupid things, but they just sound so nice he never gets dirty.
SHe may have simply not been willing to show her hand to anyone yet. She has failed to give Biden any ammunition worthy of using in a debate.
I find Oba,a so realxing that you just kinda nod and say "yeah" but if you actually pay attention to what he says much of it IMO has too many loose ends.
Let's be clear about what Sarah Palin is debating for tonight--her national political future. I believe this campaign to be lost for the Republicans, but she could make it closer. What's good for her is good for her ticket, so she should state her position--even if she disagrees with Sen. McCain--and state that she's allowed to have different views but will pursue her boss' platform with vigor. If she blows it tonight, she goes home a punchline. If she does well, she stands a chance for running again in 2012 or at least perhaps could replace Ted Stevens in the US Senate.
She said she has foreign policy experience because Alaska boarders Russia She has said she is against the bridge to nowhere when in fact she was for it for a period of time She says she is against earmarks when she as a goveror has utilized earmarks She has said she would cross boarders and attack the Taliban in Pakistan when McCain ridiculed Obama for saying that he would do the same Biden doesn't plan to attack Palin . . . but not because Palin hasn't given ammunition.
What the hell was McCain thinking? In a crisis election, you don't select someone who can't handle the job on Day One. The issue of experience was one of McCain's greatest assets and he gave it to Obama simply because he had a personal dislike for Mitt Romney.
I wondered how Romney would effect the election right now. At the time I heard there were concerns about his religion and other aspects that would push independents away. But now that the economy has many independents freaked out, would Romney had been a good choice given his that apparently he is dynamite with economic issues. I don't know who McCain could have picked to win this election. He took a shot with Palin, who I mocked but then backed off after the polls. And everything is easier in hindsight . . . but could he possibly think Palin could stand up to the test. I actually don't think McCain had a lot to do with the choice, I think it was campaign headquaters who said let's take a shot on this one and convinced him why it would work. That is probably the most disappointing part of McCain's campaign for me . . . he let politcs pick his running mate. I get why someone would do that, but it is still disappointing. If the debate doesn't go well tonight, McCain has to somehow get credit for the bailout bill to win this thing. I know you don't think it can happen and I have no idea, but that is what I think it takes. Unless he has a picture of Obama smoking crack in a hotel with an old highschool fling.
