Tonight's debate was kind of a letdown, eh? No embarrassing gaffes (though there's plenty of fodder for parsing and picking). No bumbling or incoherence. No bullying. Not even any bias from the moderator. Kind of bland for those of us who popped popcorn and expected a show. I did, however, come away with some impressions. First and foremost, of course, is that Sarah … [Read more...] about Palin and Biden: Low Bars and High Standards
Quick Takes on the Biden-Palin Debate
Accolades: I've seen every vice presidential debate since they began. This was the best one ever. It was certainly the most substantive. While both candidates engaged in misconstructions of their opponents' positions and records, neither was egregious in this. Sarah Palin Didn't Crash and Burn: I admit that my expectations of Palin going into the evening's debate were … [Read more...] about Quick Takes on the Biden-Palin Debate
VP Debate Reaction from Ohio
I watched the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin with a group of women in my hometown. Three of us are lawyers and one is a speech pathologist who detailed problems in unfunded mandates related to NCLB. The children of our host watched part of the debate, filling out the Palin and Biden Bingo cards (they got FULL!) and the husband of the host watched … [Read more...] about VP Debate Reaction from Ohio
Palin Survives, Biden Thrives
Sarah Palin did not fall on her face or make any major gaffes. If the bar was subterranean, Sarah Palin passed it. But that was not the bar. The bar was: is she a credible Vice President and does she bolster the ticket? In my opinion, Palin hovered around credibility in the early part of the debate. I was a bit surprised at how well she handled herself on the … [Read more...] about Palin Survives, Biden Thrives
Choosing Your Phrases Carefully
Oh, and one more thing on the debate.... Was I the only (Jewish?) person who winced when Sarah Palin repeatedly used the phrase "never again" to refer to how we should respond to the financial crisis? Obviously that phrase has very particular connotations to me that aren't appropriately applied to even the worst economic situation, but I can't decide if I was being … [Read more...] about Choosing Your Phrases Carefully
Palin Wins By Not Failing Utterly
Short and sweet from my tweet: Everyone tuned in to see if she repeats CBS. She does not. Even if he wins on policy, on facts, on points, she wins by not failing utterly. I'll be eager to see the ratings. I expect they'll be substantially higher than last week's debate. I'd bet money on a bounce in the polls for McCain. But no fundamental change: Obama wins in the … [Read more...] about Palin Wins By Not Failing Utterly
VP Debate: How I Saw It
These are off-the-cuff reactions, without having seen any commentary on the debate. In my only post on the subject prior to the VP debate, I talked a little bit about the "expectations game" and the extent to which it's reasonable or unreasonable to use it as a frame for evaluating the debate. The basic theme I tried to lay out was that while beating expectations -- … [Read more...] about VP Debate: How I Saw It
The Biden-Palin Showdown: Winners and Losers
I went into the debate tonight with a few expectations and key points to watch out for. One was to make sure that the moderator didn't go overboard in her treatment of the candidates, either worrying too much about accusations concerning her book and treating Sarah Palin with kid gloves, or heading overboard in the other direction and doing 90 minutes of gotcha questions. Next, … [Read more...] about The Biden-Palin Showdown: Winners and Losers
Naked At The Wall Street…
Even with the global financial crisis looming large on the horizon, and its consequent crippling effects becoming clearer, the US media's/blogs' continued obsession with "what Obama/McCain/Palin/Biden said", and then "what Obama/McCain/Palin/Biden replied" would appear myopic and tragic. The media/blogs have seemingly abdicated their traditional responsibility of … [Read more...] about Naked At The Wall Street…
Show Me the Veeps!
I'm live-blogging the Biden-Palin debate over at The Reaction. I'll be updating frequently over the next couple of hours. If you're interested, click here. … [Read more...] about Show Me the Veeps!
C-SPAN Debate Hubs: Blog Heaven!
I posted quickly last week about C-SPAN's Debate Hub, an improved version of their very successful Convention Hubs. Since then I've had the opportunity to spend some time getting to know the site better with Leslie Bradshaw, the Communications Manager at C-SPAN project partner New Media Strategies and President of the design agency, JESS3, which created and built the … [Read more...] about C-SPAN Debate Hubs: Blog Heaven!
‘Casino Capitalism’ & World On The Edge, But…
I agree with the The Economist that in this global crisis the governments must work together. But no one talks of the world's ordinary people who have to bear the additional burden in the wake of this and other crisis, which in the first place can be attributed to the callousness and greed of the governments/leaders and financial institutions themselves (especially the … [Read more...] about ‘Casino Capitalism’ & World On The Edge, But…
What Would Happen if ‘Santa’ Was Elected U.S. President?: Argumenty i Facty, Russia
It's that time of year again! Here's a recent article from the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Facty that examines the question of what would happen of Santa Claus was elected U.S. president. And why would a Russian newspaper examine such a thing? According to the article: "The United States has a new presidential candidate: His name is Santa Claus. More precisely, he is a … [Read more...] about What Would Happen if ‘Santa’ Was Elected U.S. President?: Argumenty i Facty, Russia
Report: Palin Will Go After Biden In Debate Bigtime
With the minutes ticking down to what many are calling the most important Vice Presidential debate in American history, The Politico reports that Republican Vice Presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin's new strategy is to go after Biden -- bigtime: Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate, hitting Joe Biden for what she will call his foreign policy … [Read more...] about Report: Palin Will Go After Biden In Debate Bigtime
Last Minute Thoughts on Tonight’s Debate
As a Democrat sick to my heart over almost eight years of the Republican Bush administration's squandering of our human and financial treasure and resources, of course I hope that Barack Obama will be our next president. And, to that end, I hope that Joe Biden will do well in tonight’s important debate. His opponent, Governor Sarah Palin, has spent the past three or four … [Read more...] about Last Minute Thoughts on Tonight’s Debate
Racism and the Union Voter
The blogosphere is abuzz about this speech by AFL-CIO chief Rich Trumka, talking to the United Steelworkers about racism in the labor movement and how they need to fight against it to get the right candidate, Barack Obama, into office. My thoughts, and the reactions of other bloggers, over at The Debate Link. … [Read more...] about Racism and the Union Voter
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Registration Wars & Senate Sensibilities
Rhodes Cook on DEMOCRATS WINNING THE REGISTRATION WARS The presidential debate season is just underway. The polls are in flux. The issue agenda--which has already shifted in the last month from the Sarah Palin effect to "lipstick on a pig" to the nation's worst economic crisis since the Depression--may shift again before Election Day. But one important factor has remained … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Registration Wars & Senate Sensibilities
More Live Veep Debate Coverage
While the Politico notes that Sarah Palin's new plan is to "go after Joe Biden" we shall all have to draw our own conclusions. Tonight I will be working on an analysis of the debate as it happens, to post here shortly after the conclusion, but there will also be another live chat taking place. Over at Hot Air, I will be moderating and participating in a uStream TV chat as the … [Read more...] about More Live Veep Debate Coverage
Civil Rights Roundup: 10/02/08
Your daily dose of civil rights and related news A Nebraska law intended to stop the abandonment of newborn babies is now seeing parents drop off older kids -- including teenagers -- saying they can no longer care for them. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will decide whether to leave the national church in protest of its ordination of a gay bishop. GLBT voters in … [Read more...] about Civil Rights Roundup: 10/02/08
Sarah Palin on a Motorcycle
Waiting for tonight’s vice presidential debate is like being passed by a motorcycle on the freeway. I’m going 70 and the motorcycle is going 90. This is very aggravating because nobody should be going 90 on four wheels, much less two, and if this guy cracks up right in front of me, I am going to be stuck with a dreadful nightmare for the rest of my life. You can say jeez, … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin on a Motorcycle