The other talking point is that she's not a member of the elite- she's one of us. Well, I wouldn't vote for someone who knows less than I do about world affairs or economics. We're in too precipitious a position to have “one of us” running the country.

Right Rico, but anyone who hasn't figured out she is a lightweight by now isn't going to get any more traction from watching the debate. I think most of her supporters realize she is a lightweight but are willing to set that aside in order to remain in step with party or ideology. Then too there are plenty of folks who make their decisions based on whether or not the candidate is someone they think they would like to hang out with, which isn't a terribly rigorous criteria for choosing the POTUS.

And no one said Palin was chosen only because of her gender– it helps that she's a conservative and that she hunts caribou. The base loves it!

“I don't believe that he is being treated with kid gloves because he is black but because he is the democrat.”.

That's in no way what you meant in your “clever” little spoof of Maggie's post, now was it? Remember that? “the nomination of someone who is clearly unqualified and a demand that his lack of qualification be downplayed because he's an african american. ” Kind of in opposition to the above statement, isn't it?

As to Mr. Obama, the notion that he hasn't been treated with kid gloves is laughable. When he has been asked pointedly about his associations with: William Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, The Reverend Wright, Frank Marshall Davis, Tony Rezko – then the gloves will be off. Perhaps he's been grilled about his associations with these people by the NY Times or the Washington Post and I've just missed the story. Without seeeing any such reporting, I'd have to deduce that Mr. Obama is being treated with kid gloves.

I don't believe that he is being treated with kid gloves because he is black but because he is the democrat.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/29/politic...

Oh never mind…he just misheard the question. This debate is going to border on being a circus. Let 'em both loose and see who makes the biggest fool of themselves.

How well do you think McCain would do with vets and blue collar workers if they knew more about his voting record? McCain gets a D with 2 veterans assoc, and we recently found out he owns 13 cars and an unknown number of houses. He 's no friend of unions either. A real man of the people right?

As per the post itself, and particularly DLS's initial comment — I personally would be tickled pink to see both a hilarious gaffe from Biden and a crash-n-burn self-destruction from Palin. However, it would be almost as much fun (and way more surprising) if both candidates do a fantastic job, make awesome points about the major issues, and leave the country feeling like we have two viable choices for VP. Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

Obama is not going to get the blue collar white voters either.

I think that the whole experience argument is a load of crap anyway. Neither candidate looks up to the job at this point, neither has ever had a real job, or any executive experience. Tocqueville was correct that we would end up elevating only the most mediocre people to government roles with our democratic republic. Both candidates being career politicians, I wish either had picked a VP with some real work experience, and success in that experience – imagine if Obama had picked Corzine as his VP, it would be over.

Anyway, it seems to me that in a VP debate one shouldn't attempt to score a knock-out punch. Rather, it is far more important to avoid major gaffes. I think it was David Brooks who said Palin's primary task is to try to rise to mediocrity. I think that's true. If she succeeds in that she can legitimize her place on the ticket, at least for the moment. If she does more than that all she will succeed in doing is shift the focus to the top of the ticket. If she does less than that then she will have a very long row to hoe. Likewise, Biden's primary task is to avoid being perceived as overbearing. If he succeeds in that then the focus shifts to the top of the ticket. If he fails, then he also will have a very long row to hoe.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

He wasn't going to get the black vote. He could have picked MLK himself, and blacks would still pick Obama.

Obama picked Biden to help counteract the experience criticism and to help with blue collar white voters. But at least there was something to Biden besides the demographics! I would faint if something happened to Pres McCain, but would be fairly confident that Biden could take over if something happened to Obama. How is it putting “country first” to pick someone obviously as unfamiliar with national issues or politics as Palin? She is a fish out of water.

He should have picked a black person then, because he is polling very poorly among blacks. Turning the telescope around, one could argue that Mr. Obama chose Mr. Biden because he was polling poorly with older white voters, hmmmm……. So, did Obama's political hacks pick Plugs because they wanted to shore up Mr. Obama's support among older white voters who value experience over rhetoric? You know, because the voters did not choose Mr. Biden as their nominee and given the choice would probably have selected Mrs. Clinton as their VP candidate.

All that Biden needs to do is relax and let Palin be Palin.

Uh, so was Obama–and——

the voters did NOT choose Palin as the GOP VP nominee, McCain's political hacks did- and not on her qualifications. The only “qualifications” that mattered to them was gender and ideology as they were going after women and conservatives– two demographic groups that McCain was not polling well with.

But I agree also with Tony that Biden should give short crisp answers, and let Palin talk for long periods of time. Empty space will make her nervous and she'll try to fill the vacuum with ideological mush.

If Biden accentuates that of the two of them, Palin is the one most likely to wind up in the Oval Office by happenstance, that alone will win the debate for him and the vote for he and Obama this Fall. Then he can go on to reassure voters that in the less likely event he winds up there, of the two, he is clearly the more qualified to lead in this decade of the 21st Century.

Recently we've all gotten a fairly good look at the difficulties of the subtleties of the President trying to negotiate with Congress to get much needed change accomplished. Biden has been in Congress for many years and upon taking office he instantly would know how to approach the different personalities and how to appeal to their idiosyncracies without thinking almost. No matter what, with Palin we will be subjected to this same “waiting period” while we wonder how quickly it will take for her to assess the situation. Will she continue to be sequestered, unavailible at the crucial moment so she can get her act together?

Her perky dismissals of dire issues are disturbing. She waves aside important questions with the sweep of her hand as if people were silly for asking her. She really is Bush in a skirt…lol..