What Sarah Palin Must Do

My last post focused on Biden’s task: stay disciplined, ignore Palin, and go after McCain.

Now for Palin’s task.

First off, ignore the expectations game. It doesn’t matter how poorly people think she’ll do, there is a real threshold that she must cross. Completing a sentence won’t be enough. Not making a complete fool of herself will not be enough. She must be a credible Vice President, as increasing numbers of Americans believe she is unqualified for the job. A “better than expected” performance will not be enough.

So how does she do this?

Simple: Prove the “Free Sarah Palin” people correct. The interviews with Katie Couric (and John Gibson) have been disastrous for her. But conservatives insist that Palin performed poorly not because she is incurious or ignorant of basic American policy matters. No, they say that McCain aides sequestering her from the press have hurt her confidence and caused her to freeze up in interviews.

OK, let’s see if that’s true tonight. A press conference would put those questions to rest, but a debate will do just fine. Prove to all the detractors across the political spectrum that Sarah Palin really is well-informed and qualified to be VP. Show that her Couric interviews were more a factor of lacking self-confidence and not an actual lack of basic political knowledge. Show that she really does understand basic issues of national and international importance.

That’s her threshold.

Attacking Barack Obama won’t do it, though she’ll certainly get zingers in.

Being charming and full of heart won’t do it, though it will have appeal for her core supporters.

Speaking in complete sentences may exceed the soft bigotry of low expectations, but it won’t pass muster for Vice President.

No, Sarah Palin must perform well enough on substantive questions – offering the sort of specific responses that ALL major party candidates are expected to give – that critics will accept the “Free Sarah Palin” argument and conclude that the Couric interviews reflected little more than momentary stage fright.

Sarah Palin must prove that she is a credible Vice President tonight.