Tomorrow's Debate Is Too Little, Too Late for Palin....

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 01, 2008 · 7:25 AM PDT

2008/10/01 · 07:25

Jed Lewison

Why Sarah Palin Is A Better Debater Than You Think

Because the format allows for very little give-and-take between Palin and Joe Biden, her "values"-oriented debating style stands a good chance of succeeding. The central feature of her debate style is that rather than getting bogged down in facts and specifics, she instead says what she is for and what she is against using terms like "healthier," "stronger," "more prosperous," and "fairer."

Andrew Halcro, who has debated her, explains his experiences debating Palin:

I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.

Given the debate's format on Thursday night, I expect Palin will do just fine. I will be quite surprised if she gets caught off guard or has a moose-in-headlights moment.

What was Lewison thinking when he wrote this piece? Its major premise is that Palin's performance tomorrow night, if it's less than an out and out catastrophe, may change the image that every American who has been watching this train wreck has already formed of her. And in so doing, perhaps help keep afloat the McCain campaign which seems to be going down for the third time.

Her super nifty performances in the debates she had in Alaska are irrelevant. The huge issues of how much each Alaskan's share of the oil revenues will be and whether or not shooting wolves from helicopters is fair sport hold little interest for the rest of us who live in the lower 48. And she has proven quite effectively that she has no comprehension or understanding of any of the national and world crises that confront us at this moment in history.

And her folksy, cuddly, gosh-golly style may still wow them in Moosejaw but it has already worn thin with the majority of American voters. If Lewsion thinks that Sarah's batting her eyes is going to cause Gwen Ifill the moderator and Joe Biden her opponent to become putty in her hands he is sadly mistaken. Let's not forget that this is a candidate for the second highest office in the land who can not name one single newspaper or news magazine that she reads. This debate is going to be about substance not style.

After the hundreds of thousands of times Palin's disastrous Couric interviews have been played and replayed on You Tube and after the repeated showings of them on CNN, MSNBC and the broadcast network news shows, only the true believers in the right-wing fringes of the Republican party are left to carry her banner.

Americans who have always seen that she was substance-free and intellectually compromised have been joined by those who have come to their senses. They have envisaged the apocalyptic horrors that would befall the nation and the world should a Vice-President Palin succeed to the presidency.

A funny thing happened on the way to the White House... Sarah Palin.

Poll
140 votes Show Results
What impact will the debate have on the race?

Will help Palin's image and McCain's campaign

Will reinforce her negatives with most voters

WIll be a wash

140 votes Vote Now!
What impact will the debate have on the race?

Will help Palin's image and McCain's campaign

18 votes

Will reinforce her negatives with most voters

73 votes

WIll be a wash

49 votes

This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member.

Make YOUR voice heard!

Comments are closed on this story.