Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the vice presidential debate tonight on points. He didn’t hit any home runs but he gave a consistently solid performance throughout the evening.
Sarah Palin did very well. She was game and made no major mistakes. And she got stronger as the debate moved away from economic issues.
Palin did something else that I thought was effective: she spoke directly to voters. That was a smart move. Biden usually directed his comments to Gwen Ifill, who, incidentally, did a good job as moderator.
Let’s break down the performance of the candidates.
Openings are important. Biden did well when he answered the bailout question by linking economic problems to the eight years of the Bush administration.
I also liked Palin’s suggestion that folks should ask people at a kids’ soccer game what they think of the economy. That harkened back to her hockey mom references at the convention.
But she couldn’t sustain an attack on Obama on economic issues. That was a problem because the early part of the debate focused on the economy.
Palin scored some points on energy issues. She is clearly more comfortable on those issues than on economic policy.
The candidates had an interesting exchange on the civil rights of gay couples. Their positions appeared to be similar. That may trigger some discussion in the days ahead.
Palin did a nice job on the subject of Iraq. Her accusation that Obama’s policy on Iraq is a “white flag of surrender” will be red meat for the Republican base.
Ironically, Palin got stronger on foreign policy issues. Many commentators had predicted that she would struggle on those issues.
But she spoke forcefully on her ticket’s commitment to Israel. She also spoke clearly on the subjects of Iran, Afghanistan and Darfur.
Mind you, Palin didn’t whip Biden on these issues. But she showed that she’d done her homework and that she could comfortably address national security issues.
Both candidates gave strong closing statements.
This debate won’t decide anything. Both Biden and Palin did well.
At this point, the economy is the issue on voters’ minds. That’s a huge advantage for Barack Obama.
And that’s the daunting reality confronting John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Thursday, October 2, 9:45 p.m.
I watched the debate with Biden and Palin and it just reenforced my belief in Obama and Biden. Palin is not who I would want in office if something should happen to the President. The folksy stuff was over the top and really offensive. I want a dignified woman in office someday. Not Palin. Dog gone it.