The VP Debate - The Winner: Sarah Palin of course

[Warph]

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/10/02/the-winner/
by Aaron Bruns
Who took the head-to-head match-up in a presidential (or vice-presidential) debate matters a lot less than what impact it has on the state of the race. When Joe Biden beat Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in primary debates, no one paid much attention; they both won, since it was clear that they remained the front-runners regardless of his slightly superior performance.

From that perspective, Sarah Palin won this debate.

Her poll numbers had been sinking even with Republicans, thanks to wide-eyed and widely panned performances on national television. There were calls from the conservative National Review for her to step aside after flailing answers on the Supreme Court and foreign policy. The Palin Bounce that propelled John McCain to the front of the polls two weeks ago had cratered.

Now, Republicans have something to be hopeful about again.

She more than held her own against a 36-year senator — though the bar was set pretty low by her previous forays onto national TV. She delivered McCain's talking points well, and was comfortable enough to go on the attack (her "planting the white flag" line about the Obama/Biden Iraq plan was particularly harsh). And her folksy demeanor and straight-to-camera style polled well with Republicans.

Palin is a Rorschach test; voters project a lot of themselves onto her. She didn't answer too many questions directly, and her answers were significantly weaker at the end of the debate (not sure how many people were watching by then). Her performance no doubt angered and confounded many Democrats and Independents who already disapprove. But those folks weren't necessarily her audience tonight.

Biden came out on top in my book in a head-to-head match-up; he ignored any problems that may have been created by gender, delivering forceful attacks on the McCain policies that Palin supported, and taking on her answers directly when it was called for. But it was very, very close — and that's all that was required for an overall Palin win.

That said, this doesn't have much impact on the overall race; the base gets fired up again until Sunday, when they start thinking about Tuesday's Presidential debate — and McCain doesn't have to defend another pool Palin performance. But his campaign still pulled out of Michigan today, and has a lot to be concerned about in other key battleground states.

[Warph]

What They're Saying:

CNBC's Larry Kudlow: "I Think She's Going To Be The Clear Winner In This." "I think she's going to be the clear winner in this, and oddly enough, it's directly symmetrical to what happened with McCain and Obama. In this case, she held her ground. She was informed and she was strong. ... And I'll tell you what, she made very strong distinctions on energy drilling for lower prices and lower taxes not higher." (CNBC's "The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch," 10/2/08)

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire Blog: "A confident, folksy Sarah Palin attacked the Democratic presidential ticket on taxes and partisanship, holding her own against her senior vice-presidential rival." ("Who Won The Vice-Presidential Debate?" The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, blogs.wsj.com, 10/2/08)

The Wall Street Journal's T.W. Farnam: "Joe Biden tried to critique Sarah Palin's call for using successful techniques from Iraq and moving them to Afghanistan, but her response seemed to leave him uncharacteristically at a loss for words." (T.W. Farnam, "Palin Gives Biden Pause On Afghanistan," The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, blogs.wsj.com, 10/2/08)

NBC's Savannah Guthrie: "She really played to her strengths saying in words and demeanor, I'm one of you, and she was not afraid to go on the attack." (NBC's "Vice Presidential Debate Coverage," 10/2/08)

National Review's Andy McCarthy: "She's the real deal." (Andy McCarthy, "Sarah," National Review Online's "The Corner" Blog, www.nationalreview.com, 10/2/08)

National Review's Mark Levin: "I have been involved in and observed politics for a long time. Governor Palin is a truly unique national figure. She is down to earth, personable, and smart as hell. That's right. She has been on the national scene for a little over a month, she has been campaigning everywhere, she has had to bone up on all kinds of national issues, and she has shown class throughout. Too often too many are persuaded by the mainstream media's opinion and react to that. This should be another lesson in that regard. As for some of her populist views, she cannot openly campaign against the positions of her presidential running mate. She is the bright light in this campaign from my perspective." (Mark Levin, "Palin Tonight," National Review's "The Corner" Blog, corner.nationalreview.com, 10/2/08)

NBC's Ron Allen: "The [Obama-Biden] campaign was saying today she's a very skilled debater, and that's what they got." (NBC's "Vice Presidential Debate Coverage," 10/2/08)

Democratic Strategist Paul Begala: "Sarah Palin's strategy was to defend Sarah Palin and repair her damaged image and I think she did pretty good job of that." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 10/2/08)

The Washington Post's Charles Krauthammer: "I am speaking as the resident Palin, and representative of the effete Eastern establishment, I thought that she did extremely well. ... I think over all, as an impression, she left a very good one" (Fox News' "Vice Presidential Debate," 10/2/08)

CNN's Alex Castellanos: "[W]hen you look at Sarah Palin, you saw America, you saw outsiders, you saw Main Street, not Wall Street. The Republican brand needed to see that tonight and they got it." (CNN's "Debate Coverage," 10/2/08)

Castellanos: "There were two debates, the first on economy and energy. I thought Palin won that. In that, she established herself as a legitimate contender for the vice-presidency of the United States." (CNN's "Debate Coverage," 10/2/08)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "AND THE WINNER ISÂ ... Sarah Palin is the breath of fresh air on the political scene so many hoped she is. And she'll be honored to beat the guy who's been in the Senate since she was in the second grade." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "And The Winner Is," National Review's "The Corner" Blog, corner.nationalreview.com, 10/2/08)

[sixdogsmom]

(Wink) (Wink)!

[Catwoman]

I would agree...Palin more than held her own...but...that WINK is going to be the death of her with me.  It was almost as if the woman had developed Tourret's Syndrome and couldn't prevent the thing from slipping out.  I admire her in every other respect...it's just that the physical affectation needs to be gotten rid of, IMO.

[Teresa]

sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh... women!     **shaking my head**

[Catwoman]

Nah...it's just the speech teacher/debate coach in me coming out...you don't do anything to distract the audience from your intended message.  You concentrate your efforts, rather, into making sure you've made your point in such a way that the other side can't come up with a rebuttal.

[greatguns]

I'm not a Hockey Mom or a Joe Sixpack, so I don't know.

[momof 2boys]

One fabulous thing about this election is Saturday Night Live!  I am LOVING it!

Check this out!  Too Funny!

[sixdogsmom]

I agree Gina; Tina Fey has got down pat! Too funny!