I called Thursday night's debate pretty quickly for Joe Biden. But my confidence on the page masked the insecurity I felt half-way through the debate. I was instant-messaging with a Salon colleague -- I won't out him! -- and while we both thought Biden started strong, we began to worry mid-way through the debate, as Palin not only strung together whole sentences, but came alive with the adrenaline that must come with not blowing it after you've blown it so completely -- with Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric, and that impudent guy in the "pizza place." But the two events I noted in my other blog -- Palin's crazy VP statement, and her robotic response to Biden's emotional moment -- turned the tide.
Still, I'm aware I had a similar rocky moment watching Friday night's debate, worrying that Obama's calm, considered style -- and his failure to knock McCain around for his distortions and also his disrespect -- might make Americans worry about his strength and leadership. My Salon friend and I agreed: We've learned to see everything through Karl Rove's eyes, and the American people appear to have moved past that cynical and easily manipulated mindset, where thoughtful equals weak. Both nights, the networks' instant polls of undecided voters showed, despite my worries, the Democrat won. Maybe I'm going to have to remove my Rove-colored glasses, but I think I'll wait until after the election.
DakiniDancer
Niece of Dakini
Sheldon The Wonderhorse
Susan Walsh
Big Uncle Jack
jimmymac1025
Salon.com
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Lots of money has been thrown at this manipulation, and unfortunately as I have written previously, have been traumatized by the Rovian games of the past two elections. In result, your last statement makes the most sense. We need to wait until after the election because I am concerned that if at all "close", the election will be contested in at least one swing state. Seems Ohio still doesn't know which side on which their bread is buttered? (Eye rolling happening here...I spent six months in Toledo two years go...they should know by now.)
"Maybe I'm going to have to remove my Rove-colored glasses, but I think I'll wait until after the election."
I also feel a need to keep my RC glasses for now, but when Obama wins the elections, I will donate them to the GOP Retirement Fund.
Her lack of emotion appears to have been passed down to at least one of her children as well. Her oldest daughter looks like a Stepford teen/babysitter on stage, feebly applauding her mother with an unchanging, partial smile plastered to her face.
Republicans are clearly clinging to their Rove colored glasses (what a great line!) but it appears they need to have their prescription changed.
I think we just have yet to acknowledge how well Obama comes across. If you think about all the recent Democratic losers - Kerry, Gore, Dukakis...you see three men who just could not shake the trap of looking like they were playing a part. Neither Obama nor Biden do that. They don't try to change their demeanor in response to poll fluctuations.
I hope that it will remain the case. It's great to see the personality politics of the Republicans and the media thrown off their game. This is only way Obama can win. If you allow the media and the right wing to go back to frivolity and personalities, I think Obama will lose.
We all felt she over used the cutesy routine that most of us stopped using at age twenty-five. It became obnoxious and insult to the very position she's aiming to fill. As a group of intelligent and mostly multi-degreed women we resented her blatent attempt to talk down the issues and dumb down the debate.
Speaking of things Rove, this weekend I happen to be staying at a resort enclave called Rosemary Beach in the Florida Panhandle, where I'm told he has a house. I do hope to find him sitting by the Gulf sunset in a Speedo so I can kick sand in his face, give him a wink and say, "Betcha don't know you're so over, Karl."
As for Rove, et al, the hubris and failure of neo-conservative politics is what may turn the tide in November. But beware the Bradley effect which is being exploited to great effect by a stealth racist email campaign right out of the Lee Atwater school of degenerate dogma.
Unfortunately what we got to see was more dangerous. Palin did demonstrate that she could recite from memory (a teleprompter wasn't an absolute necessity) whatever garbage her handlers fed her. Worse, she could do it in a way that probably appealed to the 30% of the country that still thinks Bush is doing a decent job.
I think most people see through the act. The poll results support that. But, this country did elect George Bush (twice). He was the same kind of empty headed sound bite machine as Palin.
All I could think of watching her was the puppet sequence from the musical Chicago where Renee Zellweger sits on Richard Gere's lap while he talks for her. (I actually looked it up on YouTube. It is perfect.)
One of the things that I love about Obama is he has an ear for them, too, and knows how to talk to them.
Palin, I frankly don't get. She appeals not just to suburban, or red-staters, but hardcore bubbas who take pride in their anti-intellectualism, lack of knowledge or education or analysis. These are people I avoid. I live among them, but don't socialize with them, so I don't really know how they tick.
I'm aware of Palin's resonance to them, and get it, but have to assess it as an outsider, and I'm really deaf to knowing what she says that will light them up. I don't empathize with them.
I do get the middle, though, and I don't think she was too impressive to them. I think she snowed a lot of them by APPEARING knowledgeable and energetic, but a lot of people see through that too, and noticed that she rarely answered a question, or had anything specific to say.
Talk about having a pit in my stomach. If the first part of the general election has been "gloves-on", I can only imagine what they will pull out of the ass now that they have decided to "go negative".
One of the things they talked about was emphasizing his connections. I imagine that will be some weird perverted version of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" only instead of Bacon, it will be Hitler, Charlie Manson, and Larry Flint all rolled into one.
I agree totally also with viewing these debates through "Rove colored glasses." He helped set the standard for nastiness and is now with this election trying to be out front on TV playing pundit via reverse psychology by calling Rovian tactics negative. It seems to be backfiring. What scares me is that time has seemed to stand still lately in terms of getting the election HERE! Barack has been rock solid though and I anticipate that McCain is going to be SO confused as to whether to keep his "go negative" promise to the lady at the rally this week, or continue on with the "he's a decent" guy. Notice he won't say "good man" like his opponent.
After Wednesday, if all goes well and Obama wins once again, he's toast.
Great post.
Having said that. I went to a baby shower w/53 women at it. Wore an Obama shirt. Which stirred up a great debate and conversation. After all was said and done. 2/3 of the women were voting Obama.
Her standing w/women is very low. We don't see her as an advocate for women or a good representative as a parent. We were pretty much all offended by her behavior when exploiting her poor daughter and of course Trig to promote her career, for the whole world to see. Disgusting is all we could say. We simply did not like her.
That ticket by the way cost Mccain more votes than he could imagine from women alone. Absolutley poor judgement on his behalf, is what we concluded.
debate.....She said she reduced taxes in Alaska.
She did that by increasing taxes on the oil companies which have wells
and pipelines there. In fact, Alaska gets almost 88 percent of its'
money needs from taxes on oil companies.
By increasing taxes on corporations she brought normal people's taxes
to almost nothing...Property Taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, all
gone. That would be great nationally... Increase taxes on big
business, the rich, and on oil companies and get rid of all local taxes
at home.
But the Republicans and John McCain want the opposite. Don't tax oil
companies, don't tax the rich and big business, and cut Federal
spending. Consequently, local taxes increase to make up for the loss
of Federal gifts to the States for schools, roads, infrastructure
repair, and more.
Could it be that Governor Palin has finally proved Reaganomics,
Bushinomics, and McCainenemomics to be silly?