the best-case scenario in my mind is biden restraining himself, answering questions genially and calmly, and letting palin zing away without having anything substantive to say
You realize that this scenario is actually a win for Palin, right?
― i am the small cat (HI DERE), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:49 (fifteen years ago) link
I think the theory there, Dan, is that Palin won't be able to answer basic questions and will hang herself.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:52 (fifteen years ago) link
But the practice is that the more you allow her to not actually answer questions, the better she comes across.
― i am the small cat (HI DERE), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:53 (fifteen years ago) link
I think Biden needs to 1) avoid any obvious gaffes and 2) avoid coming off overly aggressive/dismissive of Palin. If he does those two things he can't lose and at this point that's all they need.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:53 (fifteen years ago) link
I kind of want Biden to keep being super Biden-y, gaffes and all; I don't think Palin is used to dealing with people anywhere near as comfortable in that zone of affable approachable batshittery as she is and the reaction to someone encroaching on what should be her turf has great potential to throw her off her game (IMO).
― i am the small cat (HI DERE), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:56 (fifteen years ago) link
If nothing else, a more entertaining debate than Bush/Ferraro 1984, I'm sure.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:57 (fifteen years ago) link
I mainly just think he needs to not get overly combative with Palin. Palin will set her own traps and step in them. Biden just needs to look competent.
― Everything is Highlighted (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 14:58 (fifteen years ago) link
did anyone catch 41 and Gerry Ferraro on "The Today Show" this morning?
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:01 (fifteen years ago) link
I actually think it will be fairly dull, because they are both going to try to play it safe and Palin's responses should be scripted enough to avoid the kind of nonsense she spewed during the Couric/Gibson interviews. If there are any questions she doesn't have a script for though, it could get mighty entertaining, but that'll only be for a second or two before she pulls the question back around to something she can talk to.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:01 (fifteen years ago) link
That said I'm still going to watch just on the off chance of hilarity.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:02 (fifteen years ago) link
I saw parts of it; I was running late for work. Gerry is still kind of mad about Hillary.
Joe Kennedy, OTOH, remains kind of awesome in a crazy drunk uncle way.
― i am the small cat (HI DERE), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:02 (fifteen years ago) link
Another piece from Halcro:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1001/p09s01-coop.html
Dude's been busy. Rightfully so, though.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Biden needs to look Vice-Presidential, with a good dose of geniality and some memorable righteous anger about the economy thrown in
― gabbneb, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:09 (fifteen years ago) link
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IMWFWUgeFg4/SLAzGb6Tn1I/AAAAAAAAAQc/OjplkS1pOkI/s1600-h/biden+done.jpg
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:12 (fifteen years ago) link
so basically doing nabisco's biden-no-gaffes raindance - pretending to be Jamie Noble
― Beatrix Kiddo, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:17 (fifteen years ago) link
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f308/sotoalf/bidendone.jpg
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:19 (fifteen years ago) link
― gabbneb, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Debate preview:
Palin: [generic non-answer]Biden: Was I the only one listening? I thought it reeked!Palin: No, I believe that's your old man smell lol!!!!!!!!alaska
― john mccain's illegitimate black child (musically), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:28 (fifteen years ago) link
btw I expect Palin to "win"
u guys pailin is totally gonna make some awesome blunders - GET PSYCHED!
― joe six pack (ice crӕm), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:38 (fifteen years ago) link
"what do you talk about when you have nothing to say?" = a good line
― caek, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:52 (fifteen years ago) link
battle of blunderdome
― eman, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 15:56 (fifteen years ago) link
you guys i'm sooooo worried that the dems are gonna go at this with total hubris (which is sooo them in this election!) and not pay any attention to the judgment of informed people, while palin will impress people by gaining steam over an hour even though she can't seem to say three words without scaring away independent voters. Based on the last month, I have SO MUCH MORE FAITH in the McCain/Palin campaign playing this smartly than the dems.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:03 (fifteen years ago) link
I get the fear/pessimism, but "based on the last month"?
― caek, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:06 (fifteen years ago) link
this is gonna be fucking painful viewing. i'm really torn on whether to watch it with a crowd or just stay home with the volume really low.
in any case, biden i think needs to come off like a knowledgable and patient adult, basically treat it like a conversation with gwen ifill, and some other nitwit showed up and decided to say something.
any word on the physical layout? are they going to be sitting next to each other across a desk from ifill?
― goole, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Think it through, caek.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:07 (fifteen years ago) link
head hurts.
― caek, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:08 (fifteen years ago) link
oh yes.
v. good.
If Palin turns out to be a Flowers For Algernon type, this would be the best result of them all, just for the general wtf
xp croup - see we can lol now because a lot of Dems WILL worry anyway, even though whatever possible zings and poll bumps Palin/McCain (come on, that's really the ticket, right?) gain, they will decay pretty quickly even well before all those Alaskan death trials to come on Oct 10th.
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:09 (fifteen years ago) link
alternately, I hope Palin totally goes lil Jon.
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:10 (fifteen years ago) link
and U+K lil Jon Palin photoshop kthxby
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:11 (fifteen years ago) link
Lecterns this time.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link
I think Palin will do the zingers but she may become emboldened and go just that little bit to far. I think she has more hubris than all the other candidates put together.
― jane hussein lane (suzy), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link
(xpost) I think Palin has a win by default, frankly, because she's already more about personality and symbolism than qualifications to people who like her, and people who don't have such abysmal expectations that she can't do much damage. Damage control is the key here.
This is pretty OTM. And I think it has to be watched in drinking game mode or it will be too painful.
― Maria, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:13 (fifteen years ago) link
I usually find Rich Lowry the least repulsive of all the Corner folks, but WTF
Of course, Palin has a lot to bone up on, and there will probably be, even in the best of circumstances, a few things she doesn't know. That's why she needs a straight-forward and/or self-deprecating way to occasionally say, "I don't know." People will be much more forgiving of that than round-about and very transparent attempts to try to talk her way through it, which are much more discrediting. Her potential ace-in-the-hole, of course, is Joe Biden. He'll very likely find a way to be an ass, whether he's confronting her or deferring to her.
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:19 (fifteen years ago) link
it's okay to call the Democratic VP nominee an ass now, guys, FYI
It's only a win for the repubs if they can actually get a bounce, and right now Palin is the least popular of any pres/vp candidate. LEAST. Why do people keep pushing how popular she is? She has a loud fanbase but it's not getting bigger. There is NO REASON to believe more exposure to her will change this. A lack of faith in Biden rocking shit is one thing, but this faith in the repubs to change the game after all that's happened is something can't begin to fathom.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:19 (fifteen years ago) link
you all are giving the exceeding expectations factor waaay to much credence here. every time palin has opened her mouth shes told a really obvious lie and/or said something undeniably retarded. theres no reason to believe shell be anything other than awful in this debate.
i mean john mccain already "suspended his campaign" just trying to avoid this shit.
― joe six pack (ice crӕm), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:20 (fifteen years ago) link
"She needs to admit her ignorance!"
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:21 (fifteen years ago) link
Based on all the ph3ar, it seems Biden is going to lose no matter what he does just because he's older and wittier.
I mean what the fuck is wrong with the US? (I know right?)
Also, even when she waffles, Palin has proven to be a very good and subtle liar. This works for Palin on TV, so this is where Biden's performance really matters re: how he will find a way to call her out on her lies. This debate, whether fair or not, is for Biden to lose.
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:25 (fifteen years ago) link
ok what sort of crazy parallel dimension did u just arrive from
― joe six pack (ice crӕm), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:27 (fifteen years ago) link
She has NOT been a good and subtle liar. Even if you didn't know she was lying when interviewed by Couric, she was shifty, her grammar awful. She sounded like someone caught.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:27 (fifteen years ago) link
based on how her favorability rating has plummeted from like +30 to -10 since her nomination its likely that she hasnt been doing anything well
― joe six pack (ice crӕm), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:29 (fifteen years ago) link
I think she has, at base, the non-oily appeal and generator of warm feelings that Mitt Romney has.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Granholm is Palin's stand-in in the debate prep -- and although Granholm is a fairly incompetent governor, I wonder if they will really be able to simulate Palin's dunderheadedness adequately enough to truly prepare Biden.
― Nicole, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:32 (fifteen years ago) link
She's pretty base.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:32 (fifteen years ago) link
If Granholm just waves the red flag any time he gets near a phrase like "little lady," he'll be fine.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:37 (fifteen years ago) link
There are too many crazy parallel dimensions across the country in this election.
I mean how many "I think McCain's ok, but i REALLY LIKE PALIN OMG!" bursts on TV does it take to get that across? Granted, I don't make it clear which parallel universe POV I speak from disingenuously.
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:38 (fifteen years ago) link
i think you'd feel better if you were paying more attention.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 16:40 (fifteen years ago) link