So I tried to watch the vice presidential debate last night. I really did. In the end it was hard to stomach. I wanted to see Joe Biden debate Sarah Palin, not Joe and Sarah debate about McCain and Obama. The difference is subtle but important. There are those who believe that if McCain wins, Sarah Palin could be president because McCain might not survive 4 years in office. Others assert that if Obama wins, some lunatic racist will assassinate him and Biden would be president. Thus, for me, I wanted to hear what Joe and Sarah believe and I wanted to see them challenge each other. I didn’t see that and, for the second debate in a row, I saw candidates not answer the questions they were asked. My thoughts in a nutshell:
On Sarah Palin –
1. She is attractive. I know that bothers people but when she walked out on stage she looked good in that suit and, just for a moment, every man in America watching the debate thought the same thing.
2. He voice is absolutely grating.
3. I cannot stand her stupid, folksy way of talking. I don’t want a vice president talking to foreign leaders saying things like “darn tootin’.” Okay she didn’t actually say that but she might as well have. People say this is her being “real.” Please, that schtick is so well rehearsed I can’t believe anyone falls for it. She was told to talk like this, plain and simple.
4. If she says “maverick” one more time I’m going to throw the toaster at my TV.
5. Palin is the only candidate I know who gets credit just for trying. Everyone is saying she scored just by not screwing up. Wow. I love the way America cherishes its mediocrity.
6. Nothing I saw last night change my opinion that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Yes, she parroted back all the buzzwords and talking points. No surprise there. She’s been practically sequestered and in boot camp for several weeks. But you could tell that if she was actually probed about anything she said, she’d be completely lost.
On Joe Biden –
1. He looks older than I thought.
2. While he did make his points without droning on like he usually does, he was not always coherent. I thought that too many times he tried to throw too much into one short answer rather than simply picking one main theme and expounding on it.
3. There were several places where I was just dying for him to challenge Palin but he just wouldn’t do it. I’m sure that’s how he was instructed but it was disappointing and I think he lost points for it.
4. He came across like a slick career politician. He actually has a more humble lifestyle and finances than most career politicians. He’s more like Palin in that regard but I didn’t think it showed as much.
5. To be honest, he also did nothing to instill confidence in me. Like Palin, he seems like an ok guy. But he doesn’t have any real charisma. He doesn’t strike me as a leader.
I think it’s going to be another disappointing election. I have not seen one great president in my lifetime. None of the presidents who’ve held office while I’ve been alive will go down as a Washington, Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, or Truman. Not one. Like those guys or hate them, they were leaders. There’s no one like that on either ticket this year.
On Sarah Palin –
1. She is attractive. I know that bothers people but when she walked out on stage she looked good in that suit and, just for a moment, every man in America watching the debate thought the same thing.
2. He voice is absolutely grating.
3. I cannot stand her stupid, folksy way of talking. I don’t want a vice president talking to foreign leaders saying things like “darn tootin’.” Okay she didn’t actually say that but she might as well have. People say this is her being “real.” Please, that schtick is so well rehearsed I can’t believe anyone falls for it. She was told to talk like this, plain and simple.
4. If she says “maverick” one more time I’m going to throw the toaster at my TV.
5. Palin is the only candidate I know who gets credit just for trying. Everyone is saying she scored just by not screwing up. Wow. I love the way America cherishes its mediocrity.
6. Nothing I saw last night change my opinion that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Yes, she parroted back all the buzzwords and talking points. No surprise there. She’s been practically sequestered and in boot camp for several weeks. But you could tell that if she was actually probed about anything she said, she’d be completely lost.
On Joe Biden –
1. He looks older than I thought.
2. While he did make his points without droning on like he usually does, he was not always coherent. I thought that too many times he tried to throw too much into one short answer rather than simply picking one main theme and expounding on it.
3. There were several places where I was just dying for him to challenge Palin but he just wouldn’t do it. I’m sure that’s how he was instructed but it was disappointing and I think he lost points for it.
4. He came across like a slick career politician. He actually has a more humble lifestyle and finances than most career politicians. He’s more like Palin in that regard but I didn’t think it showed as much.
5. To be honest, he also did nothing to instill confidence in me. Like Palin, he seems like an ok guy. But he doesn’t have any real charisma. He doesn’t strike me as a leader.
I think it’s going to be another disappointing election. I have not seen one great president in my lifetime. None of the presidents who’ve held office while I’ve been alive will go down as a Washington, Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, or Truman. Not one. Like those guys or hate them, they were leaders. There’s no one like that on either ticket this year.
1 comment:
LOL. That was a goodin'. The winking caused us to remove the sharp objects from the room. Actually, I think she DID say "darn tootin'"--whatever it was, it was close. Her repeated use of it and of "maverick" made for a pretty good drinking game.
Biden scored big with me on three occasions: his use of the word "theocracy," the fact that he called Dick Cheney the worst Vice President EVER, and the smack down on being a single widower dad. Scranton can't be all bad.
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