Joe Biden is screwed at tomorrow night's debate. He knows too much. That's a disadvantage when debating Sarah Palin.
I found three articles today discussing Palin's debating prowess. She's proven to be quite adept at the debating game. She plays it well.
All of this background poses a challenge for the punditry. There's a strong tendency among the talking heads to low-ball expectations for Palin. Some seem to think if Sarah Palin can say her name, she wins. The McCain campaign is counting on those low expectations tomorrow night.
Remember, John McCain thinks Palin is ready to be president. That should be the test.
Los Angeles Times:
But as time went on, Palin increasingly managed to zero in on the policy issues set before her during debate preparations, and her comfort level rose dramatically. During two final debates broadcast by Alaska public television and an Anchorage news station, Palin appeared to ace her performances, deftly crystallizing her talking points for voters.Wall Street Journal:
There are two things people here remember about Sarah Palin's debating style during her race for governor two years ago.Politico:
One is the stack of color-coded cue cards she took to the podium for help whenever she was asked a policy question. The other is how quickly she was able to shuck those props, master the thrust-and-parry of jousting with her opponents and inquisitors, and project confidence to an audience of television viewers watching from home.
"That's the Sarah Palin I remember from the 2006 debates: positive, confident and upbeat," recalls Libby Casey, an Alaska public-radio reporter who served as a debate moderator on two occasions that year.
In 2006, with no experience as a statewide officeholder, Palin ran what amounted to a debate gauntlet, beginning in the Republican primary against incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski and former state Sen. John Binkley, and then in the general election, against former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles and former state Rep. Andrew Halcro, an independent.See for yourself in this compilation prepared by Jed Lewison (from his new perch at Huffington Post):
Against that experienced opposition, Palin proved herself to be a comfortable and confident debater, not exactly deeply versed in the issues but unusually adept at dodging controversy and quick to take advantage of opponents' missteps. Not one to throw an unnecessary punch, Palin took a patient approach, waiting for her rivals to expose their weak points - and then striking fast.
