In the debate tonight, Palin looked like a Hollywood actress playing the role of a polititian in a movie. She has that kind of charisma, and it was like a flashback to the Reagan era when Ronny would call on his experience as an actor when making speeches. The fact that Sarah stepped up to the plate at least on a personal and superficial level says a lot about her character. She was not intimidated. She did not come across like the new kid on the block. In fact, she just might be able to make it as an actress in Hollywood as well as a VP in the White House - she was that good.

But that, of course, is beside the point - or is it?  As a male, I find myself attracted to her in a way that has nothing to do with her politics (I'm liberal). That is the problem. The problem being that I didn't actually LISTEN to what she said as much as I listened to what Biden said. I suspect that many others may have reacted in the same way. But that is being a little unfair to her. Unlike Reagan and Bush Jr, Sarah comes across as though she actually has spent quite a lot of time thinking about issues. Like her views or not, she was not simply reciting slogans.  That was refreshing, as we've grown so accustomed to blathering Republican airheads masquerading as heads of state. So what if she lacks foreign policy experience. Did George Jr have any when he took office? Does he have any now, eight years later?

On substance, Sarah was no match for Biden. But she did a hell of a lot better job than BUsh Jr did against Gore back in 2000 in that department. 

She is like a young, female version of Ronald Reagan with a much bigger political brain. I think she is a force to be reckoned with, and may continue to be for some time. I was very impressed with her tonight. Again, as a liberal, I do not share her views, but somehow those views coming from her seemed a lot more palatable and sincere than if they had came from a typical conservative talking head. Just my take. She may have won the debate in the sense that she had the most to prove and the party the most to gain by a good performance. 

aldri7@comcast.net

Palin was a parrot for McCain and she offered little straight answers.  She dodged answers like someone would dodge bullets.

"I may not answer questions the way Biden or the moderator want me to."  Code for, "I'm going to stick to my talking points and not directly answer any of these questions."

It was a poor performance in my opinion, and Biden without a doubt won this one.  I go off a bit in my article because her pandering to the "sixpack Joes" and "hockey moms" was so thick and obnoxious I almost wanted to quit watching.  That kind of bullshit rhetoric is intolerable to me.  Did she answer questions? Not really.  Do I have faith in her as a leader? No.  This debate only solidified my lack of faith in her and her knowledge of politics. 

That cutesy small town crap might appeal to some, but it's a damn farce.  I live in a small town and I ain't swallowing that bullshit.  "American workers are the greatest." "Blah blah, Patriotism." "Blah blah emotional appeal without actual content."  I saw through it all.  Biden actually made some points, had some statistics, could actually address the issues without hopping around to every subject under the sun besides the one asked.

Palin failed, in my opinion....there's no question about it.

~Zoo

Don't politick with your dick, my friend.  Palin may be hot...but she ain't got this VP thing down.   Biden ripped her up.

~Zoo

I don't politic with my dick. It is apolitical and has a mind of its own. 

As for Palin, The things you didn't like about her are all the same sort of things people didn't like about Reagan. The small town talk, the "Ah shucks" stuff. Whether or not it is calculated or not, and it probably is - it will attract millions to her just as it attracted millions to Reagan. I didn't offer an opinion on all that, but the way she came across did not seem overly calculated. In otherwords, it may just reflect who she truly is, and that should spell success for Republicans. I think that when you combine the substance of her performance with the personal touches (looks, homelies) etc - it was a formidable effort, much better than I expected. 

I did, however, cringe when "soccer Mom" came up in, like, the first sentence out of her mouth. It was a little over the top, like she was so intent on putting that out there that all else took a back seat. THAT was calculated and I didnt like it. But the rest.......hey......Dems better look out......Too many are suckers for "Cutsie, small town crap". 

BTW - the comment about "not answering questions like the mods may want me to". Sure, you may be right, but that was a clever and original dodge and you have to give SOMEONE credit for coming up with that one. I fell for it at first - thinking "hell yeah, she's a straight shooting maverick too."  

Silly me.....

aldri7@comcast.net

Despite the salivating predictions of Joe ripping her brain out & downing it with a nice chianti, she confounded her critics again.  I would call the debate a draw, which is a victory for Palin.  Those predisposed against Palin, such as Zoo, obviously disagree, but I think they may doing some wishful thinking.  Based on her record as Governor and her performance tonight, I would trust Palin to be a responsible public servant & to actually think about whether a decision on an issue was right or wrong.  I wouldn't trust Joe to do anything but what was in Joe's interest - he's demonstrated he's as big a chameleon as you'll ever see, without core principles that I can deduce from his words or actions - and I believe that 'right or wrong' would only be considered by him in the context of 'useful to me or not.'

Palin should have been as forthright & confrontational with Gibson & Couric as she was with Biden tonight - she hurt the ticket by not doing so.  Granted, neither Gibson nor Couric would have even come close to being as sceptical & condescending in questioning Obama or Biden (perhaps I missed it but I don't recall hearing Couric say, "Not to belabor the point, Senator, but I want to get this right.  Did you just say that President Roosevelt went on national TV in 1929 to reassure the American people about the crash of the stock market?" while looking down her nose at Joe with a screwed up face), but she should have put them both in their place about how ridiculous their efforts at 'gotcha' were.  Nobody's played that gotcha shit interviewing either Obama or Biden; some, like Stephanopoulos, have even gently helped them lift their shoe out of the shit & licked it clean for them.  The Obama media sycophants are so transparent; they should be embarassed but don't have a clue.

So did Joe.  Talked about 'improving our image in the rest of the world' without a word about how he or BO would do that.  Obama's a lot like Peter Sellers - thinks all he has to do is 'be there.'

What I saw....

Palin was very positive and optimistic.

Biden was negative, and wanted to spread blame.

Thank you aldri7 (both replies).  That is the best analysis I have seen of the debate yet.  As you correcvtly point out, Dicks are apolitical, but eye candy is eye candy!  And at least a refreshing change to look at in Politics.

I like Palin a lot, but I find it hard to vote for the bottom of the ticket.  I know I will not vote for Obama because of Biden, (not actually a contradiction since I did not say I would not vote AGAINST the bottom of the ticket) but with all my infatuation about Palin, I am not sure I am going to vote for McCain simply because I dont see a dimes worth of difference between him and Obama. (yea, I know all the talking points - but the proof of leadership is what still gets me - they will govern the same).

I give your analysis a 9.  Presenting Bias up front and then analyzing the debate with the understanding of the bias.  If we only had a media that was that good.

It's nice to have low standards, I guess. 

Except against those darn "corrupt Wall Street businessmen" that took advantage of those poor average Americans.

~Zoo

That is probably the shortest yet correct way to discribe the debate.

That is also what has me thinking as well. But to be honest, Obama is just not the guy for me (please don't confuse this line ), and although McCain and him do not differ much, I don't want to be a part of those who voted Obama in. I would rather vote for Nader, a last resort I am sorry to say.

There is the argument that a vote for a 3rd party is a vote for one of the 2 major candidates.  But since my vote is not committed to either of them, I reject that line of thinking.  Nader will not get my vote, but then the libertarians might.

Yeah, for some strange reason you can't call people that don't know they can't afford a loan a moron. Voters don't seem to like it, even if it's true. Wall Street, now that's something most everyone can despise.

The 'standards' were set by the media vultures, not me.

Gotta love when "get through an hour and a half without freaking out" = "VICTORY!"

~Zoo

They should've put on hockey pads and boxing gloves and duked it out.

I'd have watched the hell outta that "debate".