Palin, Biden Vice President Debate Prep

Everyone with a political mind is wondering what Governor Palin is doing to bone up on the issues when she faces Senator Joe Biden on Friday. I’m betting on Bon-Bon’s and that is the extent of her concerns. According to some of the people that have debated her in her past election for Governor she is the master of the Non-Answer and does not need to study the issues. She just talks the sound bites and tells you what you want to hear. Facts and figures just don’t mean anything in her opinion.

This information isn’t coming from some left wing nut job blog or left leaning news media organization, it is coming from the Christian Science Monitor and from the mouth of Republican contender for Governor in Alaska Andrew Halcro. Check out the full article…

While policy wonks such as Biden might cringe, it seemed to me that Palin was simply vocalizing her strength without realizing it. During the campaign, Palin's knowledge on public policy issues never matured – because it didn't have to. Her ability to fill the debate halls with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy.

Palin is a master of the nonanswer. She can turn a 60-second response to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who face healthcare challenges. All without uttering a word about her public-policy solutions to healthcare challenges.

In one debate, a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Sarah Palin instead used her allotted time to criticize the incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: Palin didn't name a bill.

And when she does answer the actual question asked, she has a canny ability to connect with the audience on a personal level. For example, asked to name a major issue that had been ignored during the campaign, I discussed the health of local communities, Mr. Knowles talked about affordable healthcare, and Palin talked about ... the need to protect hunting and fishing rights.

So what does that mean for Biden? With shorter question-and-answer times and limited interaction between the two, he should simply ignore Palin in a respectful manner on the stage and answer the questions as though he were alone. Any attempt to flex his public-policy knowledge and show Palin is not ready for prime time will inevitably cast him in the role of the bully.

On the other side of the stage, if Palin is to be successful, she needs to do what she does best: fill the room with her presence and stick to the scripted sound bites. - Christian Science Monitor

Speaking as a left leaning voter, Joe Biden should show up for the same game as if he were debating Obama, Hillary Clinton or Bill Richardson. Spout facts and figures that he can do from memory and attack McCain on the differences between McCain and Obama. He should not let her not answer any questions and she should be called on it! This is not a beauty contest, this is the Presidency of the United States! There is no tiara or sash given when you take the oath of President or Vice President of the United States of America. This is the real world and there is no do over from the office of President or Vice President. The debate between Palin and Biden just might prove who is serious about the issues and the results may just prove out that Governor Palin dodges the rough questions with the expertise of a beauty contestant. If she mentions “World Peace” just once to any question then you will know what I’m talking about. End of discussion.

Papamoka

Thanks to Memeorandum for the tip…

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