Queen Latifah Moderates the VP Debate

The Huffington Post has scoop that Queen Latifah may appear on Saturday Night Live to play the part of Gwen Ifill. I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!

Palin's Closing Statement - Still Blaming the Media

PALIN: Well, again, Gwen, I do want to thank you and the commission. This is such an honor for me.

And I appreciate, too, Sen. Biden, getting to meet you, finally, also, and getting to debate with you. And I would like more opportunity for this.

I like being able to answer these tough questions without the filter, even, of the mainstream media kind of telling viewers what they've just heard. I'd rather be able to just speak to the American people like we just did...

Vice Presidents Don't Give Shout Outs

This was said by Palin during the vice presidential debate:

"...and here's a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate."

She also winked at the camera and audience several times.

Who Won the VP Debate?

It's clear that Joe Biden won the vice presidential debate. Why did he win? Because he actually answered the questions. Sarah Palin is a very personable person and she did win in presentation. But Palin's responses were clearly rehearsed. She was "folksy" and tried way too hard to be "joe six-pack." Most importantly, she didn't answer the questions! She did anything she could to not answer them. She would find some way to bring up energy or reference her record as the governor of Alaska. When asked what her achilles heel is, she responds with what her strengths are.

Biden did hold back. You could see it in his face. He wanted to correct Palin so many times. For example, when she disagreed with Biden on his comments about the commanding general in Afghanistan saying the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan. Palin disagreed and said that McClennan did not say definitively the surge principles would not work in Afghanistan. It's true, General McClennan never made those comments because General McKiernan said that.You can actually hear Biden sigh into the mic as Palin is going on about "General McClennan." Strategically it was in Biden's best interest to hold back. If he had corrected her or was in some way condescending, they would have called him a bully or a sexist. Why is ok for Palin to say lines like "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again?" If Biden did that, the Republicans would go after him. I did love when he said this, "So you're going to have to place -- replace a $12,000 plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the "Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere." But Biden's main job was to talk up Obama and to let the American people know that a McCain administration would be like a third term of a Bush administration. I feel like he effectively did that. I think this Biden response will stick in mind's of viewers:

BIDEN: Look, past is prologue, Gwen. The issue is, how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's? I haven't heard anything yet.

I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different on Iran than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different with Israel than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy in Afghanistan is going to be different than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy in Pakistan is going to be different than George Bush's.

It may be. But so far, it is the same as George Bush's. And you know where that policy has taken us.

Another thing, she kept slamming Biden for bringing up the Bush Administration. She even said, "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future." Is she forgetting that the Bush administration still has another 4 months in office? I think it's fair for the American people to know where the two campaigns stand in regards to the Bush administration.

Many people believe that Sarah Palin won the debate. She only "won" the debate because the expectations were incredibly low. If you look at facts and message, my final verdict is for Joe Biden.

Sara Palin's a Great Debater...When There Aren't Any Follow-Up Questions

I AM SO EXCITED...I've been waiting for this debate for weeks now. There are such low expectations for her that if she just answers the questions she'll win. She knows how to work the camera, especially when she's well rehearsed. What's her kryptonite? Follow-up questions, follow-up questions and follow-up questions. If Biden just asks her follow-up questions, he'll do just fine.

How could they not know about Gwenn Ifill's Book?!

Many conservatives are questioning the impartiality of Gwenn Ifill (moderator of the VP debate) after news got out that her upcoming book features Obama. Some are even asking her to step down. Jim Geraghty of NationalReview.com wrote, "...as if we needed any further evidence of a jaw-dropping double standard, we have to contemplate the sheer impossibility that someone who wrote a positive biography of [John] McCain being chosen to moderate a debate."

Sure, I understand their concern, especially if McCain's camp claim they didn't know about it. Here's the problem with that, the AP ran a story about the book back in July. Both camps agreed on the debate moderators a month later. How could McCain's camp really not have a clue? Wouldn't you think that both camps would do a little research on the moderators? I easily found out about Ifill's book by doing a quick Web search. Ifill also discussed her book in a Washington Post article from September 4th, yet McCain's camp claim they just found out about the Post article and book Tuesday.

Regardless, is her book really pro-Obama? That's what some conservative media headlines say:

Fox News and Conservative Underground - "VP Debate Moderator Pens Pro-Obama Book "

World Net Daily - "VP Debate Moderator Ifill Releasing Pro-Obama Book"

According to Amazon.com, Ifill's book The Breakthrough: Politic and Race in the Age of Obama "surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power." She "draws on interviews with power brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others." This description doesn't really scream pro-Obama to me. Also, Obama isn't even in the debate. Gwen Ifill is a well-respected journalist and conservatives need to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Dear Joe Biden, Please Read This Before you "Gaffe" Up the Debate

The must-see vice presidential debate is coming up and everyone is nervous, or excited, to see Sarah Palin. I'm actually more nervous to see Joe Biden since he often misspeaks and his runaway mouth is very well documented. As much as some don't believe his gaffes are damaging, I think we are too close to election day to risk any more Biden gaffes.

Slate's Dahlia Lithwick has written a letter to Biden with some tips on "How To Debate a Girl, and Win."

Below are just a few funny, yet very valid points:

"Everyone expects you to win the debate, and to trounce her on the substance. But the rules for debating Gov. Palin are different. If you lecture her, you'll be seen as a sexist bully. If you act too smart, you'll be seen as a sexist bully. If you condescend to her, you'll be seen as a sexist bully."

"Sen. Biden, let's be clear. Great Supreme Court oral advocates will tell you that a flawless oral argument will never win a case, but a bad argument can lose one. You have a similar problem. If you engage, fight, bicker, or bluster, you can lose this debate. Think Rick Lazio. So my advice, in a nutshell: Don't lose it."

"There is no easy way to tell you this, Joe Biden, but the surest way for Joe Biden to lose a debate against Sarah Palin is by being Joe Biden. If you are windy, pompous, unctuous, or pushy, you will come across as patronizing and condescending—the guy who puts the "boy" into "old boys' network." If you flirt and smirk and flatter (Did you truly tell an Ohio crowd you thought Palin was "good-looking"? Did you really introduce us to your wife, Jill, by leering that she is "drop-dead gorgeous"?), you're going to sound like the creepy guy in the trench coat at the back of the porn theater. If you can manage to be your warm, amiable self, even if you're going batshit on the inside, you will do fine."

"Caution: Sarah Palin is funny. And it's the kind of jeering Ann Coulter-funny that's assuredly going to irritate the heck out of you. She'll suggest you are a coward and unpatriotic and also (heh heh) that you are corrupt and dishonest. Keep your poker face. Poker face when she says you plan to raise taxes on the middle class. Poker face when she says she has plans to sell Barack Obama's next celebrity memoir on eBay and give all the money to special-needs children. Don't lunge (a la Lazio). Don't sigh (a la Gore). Don't roll your eyes (a la Where the Wild Things Are) or look longingly into the camera as if to plead "This is the best they could find for me?" Just nod sagely and refute logically. Get off a zinger if you can. ("You're nice enough Sarah" does not constitute a zinger.) But you are not going to beat her at the victim game, or the regular-folks game, or the humor game. You have to beat her on the fact that you are qualified to be a heartbeat from the presidency and that in 10 years she may be, as well."

Hypocrisy At Its Best

McCain surrogate Nancy Pfotenhauer was on Fox & Friends discussing what Sarah Palin may be up against at the upcoming vice presidential debate. Here is what Pfotenhauer had to say:

"Obviously you can have a series of "gotcha" questions..."

Nancy, what exactly are gotcha questions? Are those the same as questions that any other experienced vice presidential candidate can easily answer? Or maybe those questions are similar to the series of "trapdoor questions" Katie Couric asked her. Yes, Pfotenhauer really thought those were "trapdoor questions." See the clip below.




"My guess is that they're going to go very heavily on foreign policy." She adds, "Normally on vice presidential debates you see a more even-handed approach, particularly with the challenges we're facing with the nation's economy. So I would hope the questions would be more even-handed"

Commentator Steve Doocy adds, " Nancy, it sounds like they're stacking the deck against her because everybody knows that's Joe Biden's, you know, that's his forte. Why wouldn't they ask half and half? The average person is more concerned with domestic stuff than foreign stuff anyway."

Now foreign policy isn't what people are concerned with? Isn't this the same camp that is slamming Obama for lack of foreign policy experience? And how is asking foreign policy questions to a vice presidential candidate "stacking the deck against her?" Obama didn't get the same luxury of not getting asked those questions.

"I think whoever, you know the moderator, will have some questions to answer themselves if they do go so heavily foreign policy."

If you have to ask the moderator to go easy on someone who may very possibly be the next president of the United States, that might be a problem.

McCain makes Palin Go to "Debate Camp"

October 4th, 2008 is probably the most important event in Sarah Palin's political career. It's the day Palin will debate Joe Biden. Democratic strategists are saying she'll do "terrific." Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod has even said, “She's very skilled and she'll be well-prepared. As you saw at the convention she can be very good. So, I think it would be foolish to assume that this isn’t going to be a really challenging debate. We're preparing for that, on that assumption.” It's well known that Palin's been avoiding the media and many say it's because she's been prepping for the debate. According to WSJ, Palin's leaving late tonight for McCain's home (1 of 8) in Sedona, AZ for last minute cram session for Thursday's debate. Supposedly this was at the urging of McCain himself. One of McCain's top aides, who's part of the team prepping Palin, is calling it "debate camp." I'm assuming she's going to camp due to her not so great performances at some high-profile interviews.

Here are my thoughts on this. Even if Sarah Palin outshines Joe Biden at the debate, this still doesn't make her ready to be the vice president. This just means she's really good at memorizing and reciting. A month of being told what to say by a team of experienced advisors doesn't make you ready to run our country.

Palin is a Terrific Debater...Say the Democrats?

Two different democratic strategists were on MSNBC this morning speaking highly of Sara Palin's debating skills. According to Politico, Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe even told reporters Saturday that Sarah Palin's a "terrific debater" who could give Joe Biden a run for his money when they meet  for the debate Thursday.

Odd,  did they not see Palin's interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric? Everyone and their moms expect her to bomb Thursday night. Oh ok, I get it now.  Speaking highly of Palin is all part of the democrats' plan. They are "lowering expectations," which Politico says is a "common campaign practice before a debate." They probably don't want a repeat from last week. After McCain's disastrous couple of weeks and the "suspension" of his campaign, everyone expected Obama to blow him out of the water. As we all know, that wasn't the case. Ironically, it's the republicans that are nervous.