The debate is over now. You can find full coverage of the debate on STLtoday’s Politics page here. But we want to hear from you. How would you grade the performance of the candidates in the one-and-only vice presidential debate? Did they get across the points they need to make to voters? Did they help or hurt their ticket? Vote on the scorecard below.
Make your vote in our scorecards:
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And don’t forget to visit some of our other poll pages — some serious, some not-so — to evaluate the debate.
Which candidate ‘zinger line’ was the best? [link]
On which issue did each candidate offer his/her best response?. [link]
Who won? And who got in the best shots on the other? [link]
Kurt has been an editor at the Post-Dispatch since August 2002, working on both STLtoday and the newspaper. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
If you value your freedom to ‘blog’ as you choose – you can thank a member of the military. If you hope to enjoy these freedoms in the future – you should vote for McCain. If you are willing to lose every freedom that our country was formed with – LEAVE THE COUNTRY BEFORE NOVEMBER 4TH!
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Wow, so much anger. Thank you Buddy, for pasting that useless W speech. The man has made a career out of giving crappy speeches with no action, so I don’t give that a lot of credit. I in no way say he’s scott free of blame; rather was simply pointing out that we often associate blame to the wrong people, b/c it’s easy. This mess started a decade ago, during the Clinton Adminstration (repeal of the Glass-Steagal Act anyone) and has spiraled since. Congressional committees (chaired by both Rebuplicans and Democrats) failed to do their jobs and exercise oversight, as did regulators and rating agencies.
The truth is, I can’t wait to get rid of Bush. That said, I don’t think the right answer is a Democrat, just b/c he’s a Rebublican. There are WAY too many issues to only have two major parties in this country. I believe it is one of the major weaknesses of our party system – not enough choice.
And the personal attack remarks just prove my earlier point. What does that have to do with the issues? And just for the curious, I am a student, but in night school, working on my MBA.
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Palin is the perfect candidate for the Republican party ticket. I can think of no one better suited to put a face on the unintelligent, credibility lacking, fact challenged, sound bite driven, policies of the the party that has proved beyond any doubt that the modern day version of “conservative” is completely incapable of good governance.
It will take Obama at least two terms to undo the damage done by this crew.
The entire republican party should be brought up in treason charges.
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Only Republicans would call marginal competence a “win”.
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Mr. Newman,
Who the VP is matters quite a bit if the President is a 72 year old who’s had cancer 4 times.
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The next question that Palin answers from last night’s debate will be the first one she answers. That whole “aw shucks” type of stuff is what we have been dealing with for the last 8 years, and why we are in the state that we are today.
She comes off as someone who should be nothing more than the president of the local pta, and that’s probably a stretch.
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Palin and Biden are NOT running for the Presidents seat.”She’s a heart beat away”. Give me a break. It’s O’bama and Mcain that are running for the big chair. That’s what matters. And by the way- where is Cheney? See. no one cares because it doesn’t matter.
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Follow-up debunking: the 1999 bill did not create mortgage-securities.
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bsquared56,
At least you hit all the neocon talking points. For a minute, I was worried that you might be nonpartisan.
I assume you’re in college since you’re taking a “marketing class”. I’d suggest you follow it up with a course on research methods. You really misread the factcheck.org site you mentioned, since it allocates blame to both parties for the fiasco and shows how the bill Biden voted for may have softened the blow of foreclosures. With such a disregard for the facts, its no wonder you favor McCain/Palin.
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Bsquared, you are going to vote rebpublican no matter what and obviously seeing thngs in favor of your side. You say Bush is not to blame huh? Here is the transcript to a 2002 speech Bush gave to HUD pushing for more minority home ownership and the involment of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Remember, Bush gave the speech in 2002 and now we have the resulting problem here in 2008. This happend on W’s watch, not Clinton’s.
http://www.hud.gov/news/speeches/presremarks.cfm
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON HOMEOWNERSHIP
at the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Washington, D.C.
June 18, 2002, 10:30 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much for that kind welcome. I’m here for a couple of reasons. First, I want to thank you all for your service to the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. (Applause.) I’m here to celebrate National Homeownership Month, because I believe owning a home is an essential part of economic security. And I’m concerned about the security of America. (Applause.)
I had the pleasure on June the 12th of speaking to the last President who visited HUD. I wish number 41 a happy birthday. (Applause.) And I’m glad you’ve invited me here today, I really am. I first am really proud of Mel Martinez and Alphonso Jackson. I’ve known Mel for a while, I’ve known Alphonso for a long time. There was no question in my mind that these two fine Americans would do a great job in leading this important agency. (Applause.)
I want to thank all those who have assumed leadership roles, who have left your states and your friends to come and serve America. And that’s important. Service to our country is an incredibly important part of being an American.
I want to thank all those who have worked here for a short time and long time, who will be here after we leave. I want to thank a man named Larry Thompson, who has worked here for — where’s Larry? (Applause.) Larry’s been here for 30 years. And I want to — appreciate your service, Larry, and thank you for setting such a fine example for many others inside this building who serve the country.
Let me first talk about how to make sure America is secure from a group of killers, people who hate — you know what they hate? They hate the idea that somebody can go buy a home. They hate freedom; that’s what they hate. They hate the fact that we worship freely. They don’t like the thought of Christian, Jew and Muslim living side by side in peace. They don’t like that at all. And therefore, they — since they resent our freedoms, they feel like they should take out their resentment by destroying innocent lives. And this country will do everything we can possibly do to protect America. (Applause.)
And that’s going to mean making sure our homeland is secure, and I appreciate the progress we’re making on setting up a Department of Homeland Security. I know it’s going to be hard for some in Congress to give up a little power here and there, but I think it’s going to happen because people realize we’re here to serve the American people, not here to serve a political party or turf in the United States Congress. (Applause.)
But the best way to secure the homeland is to hunt them down one by one. And I mean hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice, which is precisely what America will do. (Applause.)
I want to thank the choir for coming, the youngsters for being here. I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace. We want there to be peace. We want people to live in peace all around the world. I mean, our vision for peace extends beyond America. We believe in peace in South Asia. We believe in peace in the Middle East. We’re going to be steadfast toward a vision that rejects terror and killing, and honors peace and hope.
I also want the young to know that this country, we don’t conquer people, we liberate people — because we hold true to our values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The security of our homeland, the need to make sure that America is safe and secure while we chase peace is my number one priority for the country.
But I’ve got another priority, as well. I not only want America to be safer and stronger, I want America to be better. (Applause.) I want America to be a better place. I worry about our economy, because there are people who can’t find work who want to work. In this town, people look at numbers all the time — you know, such and such a number dropped, or this number increased. What I worry about are hearts and souls. That’s what I worry about. And if somebody is trying to find work who can’t find work, we need to continue to expand our job base. (Applause.)
We also have got to understand, in this land of plenty, there are pockets of hopelessness and despair. You know, I mentioned the word American Dream in Atlanta. I also recognize that some people aren’t sure that dream extends to them. Some people don’t even know what the dream means. And our job — our jobs, our collective jobs, is to make sure that notion of the American Dream extends into every single neighborhood around this country. (Applause.)
I know this isn’t the right department when I talk about education, but education, making sure every child is educated and no child is left behind, is part of making sure the American Dream extends to every single neighborhood in America. (Applause.) And we’re making progress in a practical way when it comes to educating children, because, you know what, for the first time the federal government says, if you receive money, you need to let us know whether the children are learning to read and write and add and subtract. And if they are, we’ll praise the teachers and praise the parents and praise the administrators. But if not, if our children can’t read and write and add and subtract, instead of just hoping something changes, we’re going to use the accountability system to insist upon change, so every child has a chance to realize the dream in America. (Applause.)
But I believe owning something is a part of the American Dream, as well. I believe when somebody owns their own home, they’re realizing the American Dream. They can say it’s my home, it’s nobody else’s home. (Applause.) And we saw that yesterday in Atlanta, when we went to the new homes of the new homeowners. And I saw with pride firsthand, the man say, welcome to my home. He didn’t say, welcome to government’s home; he didn’t say, welcome to my neighbor’s home; he said, welcome to my home. I own the home, and you’re welcome to come in the home, and I appreciate it. (Applause.) He was a proud man. He was proud that he owns the property. And I was proud for him. And I want that pride to extend all throughout our country.
One of the things that we’ve got to do is to address problems straight on and deal with them in a way that helps us meet goals. And so I want to talk about a couple of goals and — one goal and a problem.
The goal is, everybody who wants to own a home has got a shot at doing so. The problem is we have what we call a homeownership gap in America. Three-quarters of Anglos own their homes, and yet less than 50 percent of African Americans and Hispanics own homes. That ownership gap signals that something might be wrong in the land of plenty. And we need to do something about it.
We are here in Washington, D.C. to address problems. So I’ve set this goal for the country. We want 5.5 million more homeowners by 2010 — million more minority homeowners by 2010. (Applause.) Five-and-a-half million families by 2010 will own a home. That is our goal. It is a realistic goal. But it’s going to mean we’re going to have to work hard to achieve the goal, all of us. And by all of us, I mean not only the federal government, but the private sector, as well.
And so I want to, one, encourage you to do everything you can to work in a realistic, smart way to get this done. I repeat, we’re here for a reason. And part of the reason is to make this dream extend everywhere.
I’m going to do my part by setting the goal, by reminding people of the goal, by heralding the goal, and by calling people into action, both the federal level, state level, local level, and in the private sector. (Applause.)
And so what are the barriers that we can deal with here in Washington? Well, probably the single barrier to first-time homeownership is high down payments. People take a look at the down payment, they say that’s too high, I’m not buying. They may have the desire to buy, but they don’t have the wherewithal to handle the down payment. We can deal with that. And so I’ve asked Congress to fully fund an American Dream down payment fund which will help a low-income family to qualify to buy, to buy. (Applause.)
We believe when this fund is fully funded and properly administered, which it will be under the Bush administration, that over 40,000 families a year — 40,000 families a year — will be able to realize the dream we want them to be able to realize, and that’s owning their own home. (Applause.)
The second barrier to ownership is the lack of affordable housing. There are neighborhoods in America where you just can’t find a house that’s affordable to purchase, and we need to deal with that problem. The best way to do so, I think, is to set up a single family affordable housing tax credit to the tune of $2.4 billion over the next five years to encourage affordable single family housing in inner-city America. (Applause.)
The third problem is the fact that the rules are too complex. People get discouraged by the fine print on the contracts. They take a look and say, well, I’m not so sure I want to sign this. There’s too many words. (Laughter.) There’s too many pitfalls. So one of the things that the Secretary is going to do is he’s going to simplify the closing documents and all the documents that have to deal with homeownership.
It is essential that we make it easier for people to buy a home, not harder. And in order to do so, we’ve got to educate folks. Some of us take homeownership for granted, but there are people — obviously, the home purchase is a significant, significant decision by our fellow Americans. We’ve got people who have newly arrived to our country, don’t know the customs. We’ve got people in certain neighborhoods that just aren’t really sure what it means to buy a home. And it seems like to us that it makes sense to have a outreach program, an education program that explains the whys and wherefores of buying a house, to make it easier for people to not only understand the legal implications and ramifications, but to make it easier to understand how to get a good loan.
There’s some people out there that can fall prey to unscrupulous lenders, and we have an obligation to educate and to use our resource base to help people understand how to purchase a home and what — where the good opportunities might exist for home purchasing.
Finally, we want to make sure the Section 8 homeownership program is fully implemented. This is a program that provides vouchers for first-time home buyers which they can use for down payments and/or mortgage payments. (Applause.)
So this is an ambitious start here at the federal level. And, again, I repeat, you all need to help us every way you can. But the private sector needs to help, too. They need to help, too. Of course, it’s in their interest. If you’re a realtor, it’s in your interest that somebody be interested in buying a home. If you’re a homebuilder, it’s in your interest that somebody be interested in buying a home.
And so, therefore, I’ve called — yesterday, I called upon the private sector to help us and help the home buyers. We need more capital in the private markets for first-time, low-income buyers. And I’m proud to report that Fannie Mae has heard the call and, as I understand, it’s about $440 billion over a period of time. They’ve used their influence to create that much capital available for the type of home buyer we’re talking about here. It’s in their charter; it now needs to be implemented. Freddie Mac is interested in helping. I appreciate both of those agencies providing the underpinnings of good capital.
There’s a lot of faith-based programs that want to be involved with educating people about how to buy a home. And we’re going to have an active outreach from HUD. (Applause.)
And so this ambitious goal is going to be met. I believe it will be, just so long as we keep focused, and remember that security at home is — economic security at home is just an important part of — as homeland security. And owning a home is part of that economic security. It’s also a part of making sure that this country fulfills its great hope and vision.
See, I tell people — and I believe this — that out of the evil done to America will come some incredible good. (Applause.) You know, they thought they were attacking a country so weak and so feeble that we might file a lawsuit or two, and that’s all we’d do. (Laughter.) That’s what they thought. We’re showing them the different face of America. We’re showing them that we’re plenty tough. When it comes to taking somebody trying to take away our freedoms, we’re tough, and we’re going to remain tough and steadfast. (Applause.)
But I also want people to see the deep compassion of America, as well. I want the world to see the other side of our character, which is the soft side, the decent side, the loving side. I want people to know that when we talk about dreams, we mean big dreams. And when we talk about a free society, we want a society in which every citizen has the chance to advance, not just a few.
And part of the cornerstone of America is the ability for somebody, regardless of where they’re from, regardless of where they were born, to say, this is my home; I own this home, it is my piece of property, it is my part of the American experience. It is essential that we stay focused on the goal, and work hard to achieve that goal. And when it’s all said and done, we can look back and say, because of my work, because of our collective work, America is a better place. Out of evil came incredible good.
Thank you all for coming by.
END
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I found her to be somewhat insulting. I felt like she wasn’t willing to actually discuss WHAT McCain would do, just say well we WILL do something, but no HOW. I also felt like she was talking down to the public, like we were children rather then intelligent adults.
As for all her antics and comments about the average person, I felt they were forced and preplanned. They didn’t come across as genuine.
She sounded very rehearsed and scripted and while Biden did as well, her’s came off much worse because she was scripting things that should have come pretty natural.. the stories about her everyday life.
She was very nervous and you could easily tell when she got a question she knew nothing about. Her eyes got bigger and her voice faltered. The bankruptcy question REALLY threw her off guard and she blundered that question horribly.
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Such a great debate, I believe we should now flip the ticket to Palin/McCain. Come on Nov. 4th.
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Palin will go back to Alaska and be the Governor of the wealthiest State in the country. And if Alaska was a separate country they would be the 4th wealthiest country in the World. –johnh
Johnh, if the Palin’s had their way Alaska would be a seperate country. The simple fact that her husband was a member of the AIP, and therefore supported Alaska seccesion should disqualify her. Could you imagine the uproar if Obama or his wife were members of such a group?
Also, Palin stated that Alaska residents have the lowest tax burden of any other state. She failed to mention that is because of the taxes placed on the oil industry. Funny that she did not propose that tax strategy for the lower 48.
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This is very interesting. I’m actually taking a marketing class and we recently discussed how in politics, the majority of people will see things dramatically in the favor of thier “side” and not actually look at the facts. Seems pretty accurate, given the polar opposite interpretations offered so far! As someone who despises all politicians in general, because their job is to stay employed-not run the country-I find Sarah Palin’s “newness” to Politics a good thing. Anyone who argues that one side was lying/spinning is crazy, but they both were. And as far as staying on message, I actually stopped watching the first Pres. debate b/c no one was answering the questions. I think Palin did a good job of showing some originality – that she is not just a copy cat of John McCain, and that she is intelligent by attacking Biden (much more difficult b/c it opens yourself up for a counter from a more skilled debator). Biden clearly knows his stuff, but he came across as a bit stuffy and “know-it-all” to me, much like a professor giving a lecture. And did anyone notice how many “home towns” he mentioned? He must have moved a LOT! And I agreew with an earlier post, that while he seemed to continually harp on George Bush’s policies, he didn’t seem to discuss many of his own. In my fact checking (MSNBC.com and factcheck.org) I discovered that Biden himself voted for the 1999 law that allowed the creation of mortgage-backed securities. A law that was signed by President CLINTON (not Bush). I also found out (NY Times) that it was Clinton that pressured Freddie Mac to lend to lower income people – not Bush. And then there’s Barney Frank telling everyone two months ago that Fannie and Freddie are just in great shape, only to completely deny any responsibility when the went belly up. I’m sick of people blaming Busc for this stuff. True, the guy’s a terrible President, but he didn’t do these things. In fact, he hasn’t done much of anything (now that’s something to be upset about).
In my opinion, our President needs integrity, intelligence, a strong work ethic, and the ability to communicate effectively with the American people. We can’t expect the President to know all things about everything – that is why he has a cabinet. We must require however, that the Presdient clearly evaluates all choices before him and makes the best decision possible with the information given. For that, I applaud John McCain. While I don’t agree with all his policies, he has shown at least some willingness to disregard party lines to do what he thinks is right. And while his pick of Sarah Palin is w/o question a bit of a play for women voters, I applaud it for bringing some new life into a city stuffed with people that have been there too long.
As far as the vote last night, I think Ms. Palin proved that she has the core values necessary to be President if it came down to it, although I hope it wouldn’t. All I hear from Obama is “change,” and he’s defined that as taking more of the money I work hard for to give it to others because they don’t EARN as much as me. I’m 100% taking care of children, the sick/handicapped, and the elderly, but as far as everyone in between is concerned, we should work to make sure that everyone has access to education and training, and let the chips fall where they may. If you choose to learn and work, you win. If you don’t want to work as hard, that’s fine, you’ll just have less. If you don’t like that system, move to Canada or France.
I definitely don’t agree with McCain/Palin on all issues, but I respect their generally straight-talking style (well, for politicians anyway), so at least for now, he’s got my vote.
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— johnh
“Palin will go back to Alaska and be the Governor of the wealthiest State in the country. And if Alaska was a separate country they would be the 4th wealthiest country in the World.
Finally, honest words
You know that’s “It’s Over”
“Palin will be the President of the United States 4 years down the road.
if she chooses to be.’
I thought you’d quit smoking that stuff?
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I made up my mind some time ago that I am voting Dem, so the debate was wonkish entertainment for me. On the other hand my wife, who really wanted to vote for Hillary, came into the debate undecided and wanted to take a good look at Palin. Towards the end of the debate my wife was upset that Palin was avoiding the questions asked. When the debate was over my wife said when Hillary talks she is concise, informed and to the point, but when Palin talks it reminded her of a female George W. Bush. She said that if Obama would have chosen Hillary as his VP, that would have been a slam-dunk ticket for her, but there was no way in hell she could now vote for McCain because of Palin. It looks like the hockey mom lost the vote of my wife the football mom.
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Wow! Did you left wing whackos actually watch the debate or did you craft your posts before it happened and simply post it after the fact? Both candidates did well.
Even split on the outcome
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Palin’s comments about the role and authority of the vice president – the Cheney Doctrine – were absolutely terrifying.
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Personally, I feel Sarah did fine, and read the Honolulu Advertisers pull of those watched. Hawaii has not sent a Republican to federal office for 25 years. Their poll showed Sarah won the debate by 82 percent to 9% and the others thought it was even.
She did well in Southern Illinois, great in Evansville, and Columbus. Go look for yourselves. Oh she great in Utah. Does that bode well for her. Of course not, The Liberal media has decided Hussein is some kind of God. So be it. Let him be worshiped for the the next year or two and see people begging on the street. He was a street organizer in Chicago. Maybe he can organize them to get food stamps? Or is that above his pay scale?
Palin will go back to Alaska and be the Governor of the wealthiest State in the country. And if Alaska was a separate country they would be the 4th wealthiest country in the World.
Palin will be the President of the United States 4 years down the road.
if she chooses to be.
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Quote: Tim Hogan “Palin’s not like us,”
I’m afraid I have to agree with you Timmy, no, Thank God,
she’s not like you snobby left wing liberals.
She’s is a real woman that represents the values of most Americans.
She’d probably do more to clean up Washington in 1 month,
than ole JoJoB has done in 36 years.
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I was disappointed that Gov. Palin was able to exit the stage under her own power. I was also dismayed by the lack of follow-up questions by the moderator, when the Governor ignored the question, changed the subject, and returned to her indoctrinated talking points. This clearly shows bias on the part of the moderator. Just another case of the gals sticking together! (Umm… I’m joking.)
Did anyone else regard with alarm the Governor’s proposal to increase the powers of the Vice President, enabling her to encroach upon the legislative branch, becoming a de facto 101st senator? Constitution? We don’t need no steenking Constitution!
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I was disappointed that this was such a scripted debate. Both candidates knew the questions in advance and their responses were curtailed by the time limits.
That said, I am worried that Gov. Palin would seek to expand the powers of the Vice President. Her support for Dick Cheney horrified me. I did not find her style and constant winking cute, either. Too reminiscent of Bush’s folksy ways. I want change and reform, but I want competence too.
Biden seemed poised, calm and knowledgeable across a range of issues. I’m more comfortable with the Obama ticket now than I was before this debate.
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I watched the VP debate last night. If our country is stupid enough to elect a man who has chosen Sarah Palin as his VP, then God help us all. She may be the most under-qualified vice presidential choice in our nation’s history. She did not provide a straight answer to questions, because she did not have the answers. She tried to be cutesy and folksy to make up for her lack of knowledge and substance. Impressionable people will fall for her act and vote for McCain, despite his obvious lack of judgement in choosing her for a running mate, and his questionable policy plans such as the “privatization of health care”. Intelligent people will vote for Obama because they understand that McCain’s/Bush policy’s are more of the same, and we cannot continue on the same economic disaster ride that we have been on the last eight years. Intelligent people see through Palin and are smart enough to realize that she does not have the experience or knowledge to lead our country if called upon. Joe Biden, does and that was obvious last night.
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Well, as a registered democratic voter. I STILL have not made up my mind on this election. I am waiting to hear a realist plan, or goal that is going to get our country rolling again. There is very little substance with these parties. I am very disappointed with this election, and the fiascle it has turned into. Waiting on the presidential debates. Not much time left to make a decision on this one. “STILL fencing” I am concerned about our country, and it’s national security, and financial economic future not a show that I can catch on SNL, or Comedy Central.
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Biden has been in Congress for 30 years so I expected him to be very adroit in his debate, which he was. He was excellent in his facts, although I understand he was misleading, if not false, in his facts a number of times (McCain’s voting record for instance). He did not talk down to Palin and I thought he was professional.
Palin has been at this for 5-6 weeks now. Prior to that she was a governor and mayor. I didn’t expect her to be as knowledgeable as Biden and certainly didn’t think that she could hold her own in a debate with this senior member of Congress, yet I think she did an admirable job. Sure there were talking points and that she was “coached”..but if you really think that Biden wasn’t coached nor used democratic talking points, then you haven’t followed debates and are uneducated in the typical debate process.
Palin came across as folksy and down-to-earth. If you want a Washington insider who will continue to do the same things over and over again, voting along party lines and getting us no where, then Biden is your man. If you want someone who is more in touch with your own life and hasn’t been jaded by Washington politics, then Palin is your woman.
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@jen
You have to remember that the primary purpose of the VP debate is to create a forum for the VP candidate to attack the positions of the other Presidential candidate. They are not supposed to be there to promote their own platform. Palin obviously feels that ignoring political traditions is her best way to position herself as a maverick and outsider, but basically you had Biden following tradition and agreed upon rules; hence why he focused on McCain’s platform and not Obama’s. Meanwhile, Palin launched off in a strongly rule-breaking debate strategy. It hit well with her base, but seems to have really bombed with undecideds who probably anticipated the traditional form.
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Biden did well. Palin avoided answering questions she didn’t want to answer. I wish the moderator had included more questions on the environment such as about animal welfare and human population growth. Of course, Palin would have addressed something different anyway
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— Scott_Simon
“And Watcher, while you are criticizing Palin for her answers, how about Biden’s answer to “how would your Presidency be different?” He said it would be the same as Obama’s.”
I do not understand the logic of your criticism
o My memory is that the question involved how their presidency would be different if they had to take over for their #1
o Each gave a perfectly understandable, logical and defendable answer – they would continue with their #1’s plan
o Continuing the plan of their #1 is really just executing the desire of the American voters who voted for their plan by electing them.
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This is the one aspect of the debate Palin won hands-down. Many people just comment that she just repeated slogans; actually, she implemented an effective debate strategy – repetition of key campaign points. Palin made it much easier for a viewer to come away with a clear focus of the main ideas of the McCain/Palin ticket.
On the opposite side, however, Biden’s performance leaves a viewer coming away with his criticism of McCain’s plans – with very little idea of what Obama’s key campaign points are. Biden attempted to answer all of the questions first by indicating what is wrong with McCain’s plans, and then presumably intended to address his ticket’s key points. While this may be a good debate strategy for some other politicians, the Obama/Biden camp should have realized that Biden’s track record of “long-windedness” and getting tied up in his responses would not provide him enough time to implement this tactic. He should have stuck to talking up his ticket rather than just arguing about how bad the opposite one is.
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Biden was factual and professional. Palin was, once again, focusing on her personal life trying to tie in into the election. Circuses and cotton candy do not win Presidential Elections.
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If pandering, style and overused catchphrases are what a debate is judged on then Palin will be the greatest Republican Vice-President since Quayle.
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I agree that her folksy attitude was insulting. My good friends are hockey moms, but they’re not qualified to be president either.
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I was amazed that Palin did as well as she did. She was obviously well-rehearsed. But her answers didn’t necessarily reflect the question asked. And when–early on–she brazenly told the moderator that she wouldn’t directly answer every question asked, I thought she was either extremely arrogant or pre-emptively covering her posterior. Either way, not good. I am also annoyed by her “warm folksy” approach. Some people carry that approach off very well. But it doesn’t work for someone who basically comes across being as cold and calculating as a cobra.
Biden avoided his main pitfall, overrun of the mouth. By keeping his answers short and to the point, he scored big time. He definitely came across as well-informed and experienced. I give the debate “win” to Biden.
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THE REAL QUESTION: PAST PERFORMANCE IS A PREDICTOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE. We can clearly see what we will get by looking at each candidates past. Voters will vote on their hot button. For some it is a warm and fuzzy fealing, others it is a single issue at the cost of all others. The informed will make a decision based on many issues and past performance.
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If I hear another Republican say nucular I’m going to scream. I swear they do it on purpose. They are simply trying to get the vote of the undereducated and ignorant in the country. Sarah even struggled to say it that way a couple of times. she kind of flipped and flopped. sometimes sounding like nuclear and most times sounding like nucular. It has become a republican code word almost. It’s embarrassing watching supposedly educated people screwing up such an important word.
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Gee, thanks Tim Hogan, we didn’t know you didn’t like Palin or Republicans until now.
So what if she wears $3,000 suits and her family is comfortable???
Why are you so jealous???
And Watcher, while you are criticizing Palin for her answers, how about Biden’s answer to “how would your Presidency be different?” He said it would be the same as Obama’s.
He didn’t answer the question.
Nevertheless, both presented their side well.
Fact is, Palin kept McCain in the race. It’s now up to him.
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This sounds brutal but she is simply just not an intelligent person. At this point I can’t take anything she says seriously. McCain would have been WAY more potent with Tom Ridge or even Joe Liebermann, but he rolled the dice with a gimmick pick who is looking very foolish these days. I truly feel sorry for her in being thrown into a position that she has no business being in. For me tonight was the visible separation where the race really starts to separate in Obama’s favor. Its all but over now people.
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I fully expected the next words from sarah’s mouth were gonna be “Palin wanna cracker ” she reminded me of a parrot,after the election fully expect her to dissapear as suddenly as she came.
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Biden is the winner…..and it wasn’t even close. I guess that makes Sarah 1st runner up (again)
Obama/Biden ‘08
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Give me a break…you GOP supporters, did you see the Couric interview? I actually felt sorry for her. She can’t even name a Newspaper she reads off the cuff. Biden may have been dry but at least he actually stated policies instead of just spouting off index cards. Does she have an original thought? Or will she “send ‘em later, folks.” Palin did better than I thought, I will give her that. But because she didn’t totally ***k up, her supporters think she won the debate, yah no trainwreck so she is obviously a winner? WTF? What about the issues? Her actual own ideas?
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Palin was absolutely cringeworthy; almost as bad as the commentators after the debate who agreed that she failed to answer questions put to her, splattered generalizations and memorized talking points almost at random, but, gee, wasn’t it splendid that she didn’t come off just like Tina Fey? That must mean that she won! As for the “folksy” colloquialisms and the cute little winks, couldn’t she please give it a rest already?
And, by the way, I know that Biden had to avoid condescending to her, but somebody should tell her the head of the armed forces in Afghanistan is named McKiernan, not McClellan–and Cheney’s claim of legislative vs. executive status has nothing to do with her executive experience in Alaska.
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Steve – What fact checking site are you using? Because the two posts I read on CNN’s fact checking site actually state that Palin’s comments were misleading. She cut taxes in Alaska, but she also raised some. And Obama wasn’t against funding for troops. He didn’t support the plan because it didn’t ensure an end to the war. He actually supported a different version of the troop-funding plan, one that McCain was against.
Palin spun the facts.
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Now the true station FOX NEWS had Palin winning at 86%.You watch no other station will say that she won. Democrats will lie again and say not true…liar biden won.
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Biden simply could not have done any better at this debate. Palin did about as well as she was capable of, but that just isn’t saying much. Biden was the clear winner, and he nailed her on every false thing she said. What an idiot she was to criticize Obama’s voting record in cases where McCain voted the same way. Is she that coached on the talking points that she doesn’t even bother to look at their voting records in order to make an informed statement? She didn’t do as poorly as I had expected, but nonetheless, she is unqualified, and the thought of having her in charge of the country is simply terrifying. I am glad that many conservatives are stepping up for the good of the country and saying that she has no business as VP. Thank you.
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Early results on the factual statement do not look good for Biden. Biden seems to have had a great deal of very clear “false” statements within the debate from the early fact checking, Palin not so………………………….. “donkey kicking occurred”…………………………as did lying……………….
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Palin’s family makes over $250,000.00 a year, she wears $3,000.00 suits, $600 glasses and has had five weeks to prpare, AND still didn’t come through for the lies of the GOP!
Palin’s not like us,
http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/09/17/john-mccain-and-sarah-palin-ongoing-campaign-of-lies/
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Wow, what a complete “donkey kicking” by Palin. I can not remember a more lop sided debate win that I have ever seen in my 43 years.
Biden looked like an old insider. Palin, is one of us, I felt I got to know her and I really liked her, and I feel she will fight for me and us.
With the record that McCain has as the Maverick that does what is best for me regardless of the issue, and Palin’s “donkey kicking” tonight of Biden………………………………………….I’m voting for McCain & Palin.
Signing off & Voting…………….
I also love the MSM down dressing Palin connected with the full country on, very nice………………….
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Joe Biden clearly won this debate
by providing many answers with substance and depth
Sara Palin was a distant runner up
and the time limits allowed her to exceed expectations
It built slowly, ever so slowly
I didn’t note the exact time, but there was a tipping point
The last 30 minutes were excruciating
Shallow talk, double talk, maverick talk, circular talk, folksy talk
Excruciating
His judgement was that she has credentials to be #2
The issue is John McCain’s flawed judgement
He is willing to put the safety of our country at high risk with her at #2
One heartbeat away
on day#1
His judgement was that she should be one heartbeat away from having authority to
o run our country in a crisis
o give a state of the union address
o sign or veto legislation
o make decisions on complex problems
o nominate judges to our Supreme Court
o negotiate with foreign leaders
o be commander in chief
o press the big red button
His judgement was that she has credentials to be #2
A slap in our face
Slap him back on 4 Nov
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Palin constantly repeated slogans, while Biden went into concrete ideas. It was eerie to see her actually answer specific questions with slogans on unrelated topics – I guess she hadn’t been coached on those topics. I’m sure she rallied the true believers with her constant harping on campaign slogans, but if you were undecided, she gave almost no information on what she and McCain would actually do. Biden on the other hand really came out with some serious proposals. Yes, the true Blue were probably invigorated, but more importantly, there was plenty there to help sway the critical undecided voter.
An excellent job by Biden, a missed opportunity by Palin.
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Palin did better than a lot of folks expected, truly.
But as a female resident of a small town–like her–and part of a family with financial concerns talked about at the kitchen table–like her–I was insulted by her overly folksy “hey, I’m just like your neighbor driving my SUV to the hockey rink.” She did not answer the questions posed to her, she just changed the subject to make it what she wanted to be. As an ordinary person, she did not connect with me.
As for Biden, he may have been too restrained. I greatly admire his comments about questioning judgment, not motives. And I truly felt that he was smart and detailed in his answers. But at times,
I feel he was a bit too cautious.
John McCain is a 72 year old man who has had the deadliest form of skin cancer four times. That scares holy he&% out of me.
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