Oh, Yeah, She's Ready

[filkertom]

Vice-presidential debate rules are now more structured so as not to put Sarah Palin at a disadvantage against Joe Biden, who might, y'know, be able to run fucking rings around her otherwise.

She can't take questions from the press, she can't handle a freewheeling debate format -- do you really think she's capable of doing the job she's ostensibly running for, i.e., being ready to lead the free world?

Comments

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

do you really think she's capable of doing the job she's ostensibly running for, i.e., being ready to lead the free world?

In a word, no.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

As Biggus Dickus' stand-in (i.e., Bush III), or another Rove puppet.

On her own, not a chance.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

Changing the rules to benefit someone less qualified?

Doesn't that sound like a talking-points version of something Republicans are usually opposed to (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action)?

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

She's a joke. Unfortunately, on us.

And notice that she has to have special rules, but if anyone questions her, it's sexism. The hypocrisy, it burns!!!

[amazingadrian.livejournal.com]

It sounds just like Palin to get the rules changed to suit her.

[ladystarblade.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but Biden's totally screwed either way...if he plays nice, then Palin 'wins' because her expectations are so low. If Biden gives her the ass-kicking she so richly deserves, immediately it'll be the "look at the old man attacking the pretty girl like that...he must hate women!!"

This woman makes me twitch every time I hear her name...it's like Pavlovian electroshock. Ugh.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

That's one of the biggest things I'm worried about. If Biden isn't fuckin' Cyrano de Bergerac when he takes her down, he'll be the meanest man in the history of the universe. And, as annearchy says above, either way he can be hit with charges of sexism (from the most sexist, obnoxious bastards the Right Wing can muster).

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

So...her plan, as VP, will be to use an "Alter Reality" spell whenever something unexpected happens in the world?

_{(Sorry. I'll return to picking on my own politicians now.)}

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

She casts "Very Limited Wish" (Level 1/2) every day.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

If you haven't yet, check out Salon's article about Palin, "Mean Girl," in the current issue.

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

That article is making me think Palin really meant it when she talked about a "Palin-McCain administration."

[ozarque.livejournal.com]

She has another problem, that doesn't get mentioned very often: In the religious system she belongs to, women are supposed to be "submissive" to men. How she would debate Biden "submissively," I can't imagine, but I should think there would be a Cognitive Dissonance Festival going on inside her head.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

You kiddin'? These days, that's the first requirement for being in the Republican party.

[ailsaek.livejournal.com]

Fsk no.

[madmanotl.livejournal.com]

My concerns about Obama being president were his lack of experience and his family situation. My concerns about Palin are the same but multiplied.

6 times out of 45 in the country's history, the vice president had to take over the country and how that person reacts to the situation is very important. When a presidental candidate will be in his late 70s by the time the term ends, the VP choice becomes very important to me. The idea of Sarah Palin taking over even for a short time scares the hell out of me.

[rhfay.livejournal.com]

"The idea of Sarah Palin taking over even for a short time scares the hell out of me."

Me, too.

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the fact that McCain demanded these changes show an incredible level of sexism? They had to reformat the debate for the female VP candidate, because the big, mean man was more experienced than her at debating.

Maybe I'm just being snarky this morning but if you want to jump into a thank of piranah with an open wound then you don't get to complain about being eaten.

Of course this really shouldn't surprise anyone since McCain is also the person who voted against equal pay for women.

*grumbles*

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Actually, no, you've nailed it pretty freakin' much. As ozarque says above, there's a constant Cognitive Dissonance Festival going on in these people's heads.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

If there had been any sticking-to-guns, the correct response would be "Requests for changes to the existing format may be presented by all interested parties - AFTER THE ELECTION."

Mainly because the fairest time to set rules is as far in advance as possible, giving all contenders the maximum time to prepare. It also makes sure that for a future debate where the potential participants have not yet been definitively nailed down, the format changes are less likely to target specific individuals.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that Biden has agreed to wear a Yassir Arafat costume during the debate and to allow Palin to interrupt him in mid-answer.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

This is reminding me of a recent book that posits that kids who are whiners tend to grow up to be Republicans. Wish I could remember the name of the book.

[rhfay.livejournal.com]

"do you really think she's capable of doing the job she's ostensibly running for, i.e., being ready to lead the free world?"

No. Then again, neither was Bush. As a matter of fact, Bush still isn't ready to lead the free world. He's proved that fact over, and over, and over again.

Leading by example got lost somewhere along the line. Now it's become "do as I say, not as I do", but I'm now digressing a bit from the issue at hand.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

I think the last eight years may have lowered the qualifications just enough.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

One thing Biden MUST do, is make sure he never ever EVER addresses her. He only addresses the moderator. And never interrupt. And if she interrupts, (I know the rules say she can't but she's pretty, dontcha know) he needs to thank the moderator for handling it. And he needs to nail every fucking point. He needs to point out where she's wrong, but call it if possible a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the facts. Or perhaps chide whoever taught her her history and economics, etc, for failing her.

And be sure to mention that she is an inspiration to little girls everywhere, showing them ONCE AGAIN (but don't name Ferraro unless you have to because she turned into such a bitch) that in the USA anyone, boy or girl, any race, anyone, can become anything if he or she sets his or her mind to it.

He needs to be as politically correct as he can without sounding like an idiot.

And he has to pray the moderator knows what a fuckup this could end up being if it's not handled right.

Can she handle the job she's running for? Clearly not. But somehow this has to be made more clear to the people who only know her from sound bites.

Biden's charge

[cyranetta.livejournal.com]

I like these suggestions, but I would also add that he should at least occasionally use his gift of compassion for the American people. In some of the speech clips I've seen recently, he can grab the audience when he is speaking sadly and softly -- not so much "I feel your pain," but "I recognize your pain, and I've been there." He can capture that mood quite effectively, and it might make a good counterpoint to conservative stridency.

Is Palin ready?

[kitsap_charles]

Not just "no", not just "hell no", but "hell no, with damnation sprinkles on top".

And it's beginning to look like the bloom is well off her rose. Earlier today she was supposed to meet at the U.N. with the presidents of Afghanistan and Colombia, and with Henry Kissinger. The campaign decided that they would allow cameras but no reporters to cover these meetings. In response, the networks all decided to ban the use of all pictures and video from these meetings.

Re: Is Palin ready?

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

I heard about this. McCain's campaign relented on that for all of 29 seconds.

Pretty shameless in my opnion.

[old-fortissimo.livejournal.com]

McCain and Palin are not Mavericks.

They are 1976 Pintos - smaller, lesser versions that try to pass themselves off as Mavericks but will explode after the smallest impact, immolating themselves and those in the immediate vicinity.


Murray, who drove a 1976 silver-grey Pinto called Mithril that had a diamond-shaped FLAMMABLE sticker on the trunk....

Some good analysis over here

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

Making Light (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010593.html)

It's very bad news, however--narcissistic self-confidence is very attractive, until you notice there's a knife in your back. And even if McCain/Palin lose, Sarah Palin's going to be around in national poltics, perhaps for a very long time. It is truly amazing how long some repulsive, destructive people survive in high elective offices in the USA.

BTW, these aren't real debates

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

The League of Women Voters used to sponsor them, before the parties took over. Here's why they don't, anymore (http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Voter_Information&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=11924).

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

This is scaring me...

Do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States?

Vote in this poll on NPR: http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

If you think she isn't, please vote now! The right wing has an email campaign going to turn the results in their favor. As of right now, the vote is 50% YES (?!?!?) and 48% NO. This vote means nothing, of course, except that we all know how, like sheep, people tend to follow the majority.

Help turn this vote around, or you, too, might be seeing Russia from your driveway!

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Actually, when I saw this announced, it made me cautiously optimistic.

Sure, it would have been nice to see an open-format debate between Biden and Palin, but you could also argue that a more restricted format has a few advantages:
(1) It gives Biden fewer chances to say something unfortunate himself, and since he has a reputation for such things, people will be watching for it.
(2) It clearly tilts the playing field. If Palin screws up in this format (and while I expect her to deliver a zinger or two, I also expect at least one big 'oops' moment), she looks a lot worse; she won't have any excuse that she's not as experienced a debater as Biden.
(3) It places the primary onus for the appearance of fairness on the moderator, rather than on Biden.

More importantly, though, I suspect that this was Obama's 'concession' in exchange for a looser format for the presidential debates. This article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/us/politics/23mccain.html) suggests that McCain is not as comfortable with this format as I suspect that Obama is.

[danceswithlife]

I have this image of the the high school debate teacher (who won debates at Harvard) doing a practice round with the freshman novice debater. Because he has to model what a debate is supposed to be, he has to do his best, but because she's a newbie, he can't look at all like he's scornful of her performance. Mistakes are corrected in a matter of fact way with style and grace.

There are three problems with this...one is that I don't want a novice anything that close to the presidency. The other is that Sarah Palin isn't there to learn from an expert since she doesn't think she has anything IMPORTANT to learn. The third is that anyone with the guts to get on to a debate team needs the thick skin necessary to survive being reamed by the opposition. The campaign took away her ability to demonstrate that she has this--if she does.