Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will square off tonight in one of the most anticipated Veep debates in, well, forever. We've become obsessed with how the Alaska Governer will handle the spectacle after of a series of on-air blunders that border on the absurd.
Anyone tapped into the mainstream media over the last month has watched and cringed as Palin went on the record with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. I'm not going to beat a dead horse and include transcripts or video clips from those interviews, but suffice it to say it was not pretty and she proved herself completely unqualified to hold the second most powerful position in the world.
Nevertheless, in spite of Palin's repeated failure to step up when she is sans teleprompter, the question still remains--How will she fair against Biden, a 35 year veteran of the U.S. senate and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Comittee? Logic would lead us to deduce that Mr. Biden will obliterate Ms. Moose-Huntin', Lip Stick Wearin', Joe Six-pack and send her cowering back to Wasilla.
But unfortunately it just ain't that simple.
Biden, for all his experience and expertise, suffers from a nasty case of "Foot in Mouth" disease. During his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, the New York Observer reported that Biden said of Barack Obama: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean that's storybook, man."
Ouch.
The senator has also shown that he can be wordy, patronizing and abrasive and while these aren't necessarily negative characteristics for a VP candidate, they will be spun by republicans as sexist should he employ them during the debate.
HOWEVER, there is a fundamental difference between these two candidates. Joe Biden has earned his right to say some dumb shit. He has served on the senate for over three decades. He is a proven expert on foreign and domestic policy. Clearly he has shown strong leadership and initiative; otherwise he would not have been re-elected time and time again. Sarah Palin simply does not have the street-cred to act like such an idiot. And yet she does. Repeatedly.
Biden's gaffe's are not nearly as significant an issue compared to his opponent's. What will make the difference between victory and defeat for Biden will be his ability to remain Obama-smooth. He must demonstrate his knowledge carefully and articulately. He must stay calm and not go on the attack. As long as Mr. Biden answers each question to the best of his ability, his experience will easily outshine whatever down-home appeal Ms. Palin has left.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Voters armed with more than "Emotion"
In Response to the Accusation that Liberal Voters
are Emotionally Driven as opposed to Fact Driven:
I must be behind on my crazy pills because all of these emocio-political preferences are really starting to affect my psyche. With my mind being as simple as it is, I often have trouble finishing articles, looking deeper than headlines, and questioning my gut instinct on major issues. Seeing as how my feelings are all I have to base my judgment on, I think I‘d prefer to just switch the old emotional auto-pilot on to do my voting for me, and I am freed from any responsibility on the morning of November 5th and the subsequent 4 to 8 years. Just like last election…right? Accountability is a major “Jackie the lady-dog.”
I’m hesitant to even mention the solid advice I was granted in 2004, or leading up to the war in Iraq. I’m sure that if Youtube was around then, I would enjoy the "persuasive" links more now than ever. I’m also sure the embarrassment of being associated with those bandwagons is punishment enough, as it certainly affects the outside perception of an individual’s analytical capabilities (And hindsight, the emotionally driven voters who managed to do their research were right after all) so I’ll temporarily allow those sleeping dogs to lie (and do mind the homonym).
Regardless of any spiritual, sexual, or intellectual attraction the American people may have to their preferred candidates and their promises, it’s only natural to lean towards the party backing core values and tax allocations as each individual voter sees fit.
Whether we are offered guarantees of multiple-personality transitions from a Yes-man to a Maverick, or a level of Hope/Change rarely seen throughout our 232 year tenure as an independent country, both candidates are certainly going to fall short of their initial projection. Understanding these “over-estimations,” and seeing how consistent both candidates are with their backing parties, I am inclined to give my vote to the party that will most effectively get this country closer to where I want it to be. i.e. The party that had the foresight to acknowledge we might be in some economic troubles prior to September 15, 2008 (what a bold move, right?). The party with the most relevant foreign relations experience during a historical time of multiple wars (excluding the location of their back yard in relation to Russian borders, including their leadership role in the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations). The party who successfully energized a progressive generation with the collective power to shift elections single handedly. The party that will bring back the jobs that our current administration has sent abroad. And most importantly, the party that regardless of how much they promise and little they deliver, will taste the least like the last 8 years of nationally recognized regret, and may actually be able to revive some worldwide respect among an international community who are praying for a little Hope.
Whether it is CNN, FOX, or Snopes we turn to for our updates, the boys in the Comedy news department manage to always sum it up best. Thought we all could enjoy this interview:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20228603,00.html
are Emotionally Driven as opposed to Fact Driven:
I must be behind on my crazy pills because all of these emocio-political preferences are really starting to affect my psyche. With my mind being as simple as it is, I often have trouble finishing articles, looking deeper than headlines, and questioning my gut instinct on major issues. Seeing as how my feelings are all I have to base my judgment on, I think I‘d prefer to just switch the old emotional auto-pilot on to do my voting for me, and I am freed from any responsibility on the morning of November 5th and the subsequent 4 to 8 years. Just like last election…right? Accountability is a major “Jackie the lady-dog.”
I’m hesitant to even mention the solid advice I was granted in 2004, or leading up to the war in Iraq. I’m sure that if Youtube was around then, I would enjoy the "persuasive" links more now than ever. I’m also sure the embarrassment of being associated with those bandwagons is punishment enough, as it certainly affects the outside perception of an individual’s analytical capabilities (And hindsight, the emotionally driven voters who managed to do their research were right after all) so I’ll temporarily allow those sleeping dogs to lie (and do mind the homonym).
Regardless of any spiritual, sexual, or intellectual attraction the American people may have to their preferred candidates and their promises, it’s only natural to lean towards the party backing core values and tax allocations as each individual voter sees fit.
Whether we are offered guarantees of multiple-personality transitions from a Yes-man to a Maverick, or a level of Hope/Change rarely seen throughout our 232 year tenure as an independent country, both candidates are certainly going to fall short of their initial projection. Understanding these “over-estimations,” and seeing how consistent both candidates are with their backing parties, I am inclined to give my vote to the party that will most effectively get this country closer to where I want it to be. i.e. The party that had the foresight to acknowledge we might be in some economic troubles prior to September 15, 2008 (what a bold move, right?). The party with the most relevant foreign relations experience during a historical time of multiple wars (excluding the location of their back yard in relation to Russian borders, including their leadership role in the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations). The party who successfully energized a progressive generation with the collective power to shift elections single handedly. The party that will bring back the jobs that our current administration has sent abroad. And most importantly, the party that regardless of how much they promise and little they deliver, will taste the least like the last 8 years of nationally recognized regret, and may actually be able to revive some worldwide respect among an international community who are praying for a little Hope.
Whether it is CNN, FOX, or Snopes we turn to for our updates, the boys in the Comedy news department manage to always sum it up best. Thought we all could enjoy this interview:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20228603,00.html
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