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Sarah Palin and Joe Biden Prepare for Vice-Presidential Debate
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by Rob Walker | October 2, 2008 at 10:35 am
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VP debate moderator did NOT write a book about Obama; Sean Hannity is a partisan hack
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The second debate between the vice-presidential candidates begins tonight, this time it will be between Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden. It's the only time the two will get to face off before the November elections.
If anyone watched the very few interviews Palin gave since McCain nominated her as his running mate (three, senator Biden has done over 80), they'd know that Republicans are pretty concerned about how she'll handle the much more experienced senator from Delaware.
Actually, it just occurred to me that if Saturday Night Live lampoons Sarah Palin again this weekend (and there's no reason they wouldn't), then the number of parody appearances would equal the number of her actual interviews. Yikes.
But I think the real question on everyone's mind is: will this be a train wreck? Palin made a joke before the debates about how she used to listen to Joe Biden speak when she was in the second grade...in all reality, how *will* she fare against someone who has almost her entire lifetime's worth of experience in politics?
How are the two nominees preparing?
Well, Joe Biden has been in a Delaware hotel room for the last week, prepping for the debates:
The Delaware Senator has been holed up all week at a downtown hotel with Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; the former beauty queen played fellow pageant winner and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin in Democratic debate prep, which wrapped up before Biden traveled to Washington for last night’s votes.
Sarah Palin is out at McCain's ranch in Arizona, being coached at an apparently full-sized mockup of the debates, including podiums and, some sources say, an audience. There have been whispers that some of McCain's staff are so concerned about her performances so far they 'don't know what to do':
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis and senior adviser Steve Schmidt are planning to coach the candidate ahead of the debate, according to senior advisers. They traveled Sunday to meet the Republican vice-presidential nominee in Philadelphia. After her appearance with Sen. McCain at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, these top officials plan to fly with her on Monday to Sen. McCain’s ranch in Sedona, Ariz., which they hope she will find a comforting place to prep, these people said…
In recent days, Gov. Palin flubbed quasi-mock debates in New York City and Philadelphia, some operatives said. Finger-pointing began, and then intensified after her faltering interview with CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric.
Some people are suggesting that the GOP has set the bar so low for Palin, even a mild success, or not screwing up entirely, might be hailed as a huge win for them.
Palin has spent the last two days preparing at John McCain's ranch complex in Sedona, Ariz., debating from an outdoor podium against McCain's senior foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann, who is playing Biden.
“But the vice-presidential debate has the potential to be incredible prime-time entertainment, especially for viewers looking for a political car wreck.” ~~ Josh Visser, CTV.ca News StaffVisser’s right. My incredulity began with the Charlie Gibson (ABC) interview and her statement on foreign policy that consisted of knowing she can see Russia from one of Alaska’s islands. Then there was the CBS Katie Couric interview in which Palin in responding to a repeated question, said, “I’ll get back to you on that.”I watched the 29-second clip of her at the UN being told how pretty she is. Wednesday morning, though, I balked when I read her speaking about “six-pack Americans.” What is that?
Since her nomination, Palin has been dogged by her lack of foreign policy expertise and experience. Recent interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric give us reason to worry about her readiness to lead the country, if necessary.
There's some amusing responses to how Palin is preparing here.
Oh, and six in 10 voters see Palin "as lacking the experience to be an effective president."
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 14:50 on October 2nd, 2008
Rob Walker, I like this story. It's good stuff.