Biden's in deep shit. He doesn't know how NOT to be an arrogant blowhard, and Sarah connects with Joe and Josephine six-pack quite well.
On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 6:13 AM, mike532 [ Republicans for Obama ] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I've Debated Sarah Palin More Than 20 Times -- Here's What It's Like > http://www.alternet.org/election08/101011/ > I know firsthand: She's a master of the nonanswer. > Anchorage, Alaska - When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday > night, Joe Biden will have his hands full. > > I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. > And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy > recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering > generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or > anyone, can do. > > On paper, of course, the debate appears to be a mismatch. > > In 2000, Palin was the mayor of an Alaskan town of 5,500 people, while > Biden was serving his 28th year as a United States senator. Her major > public policy concern was building a local ice rink and sports center. > His major public policy concern was the State Department's decision to > grant an export license to allow sales of heavy-lift helicopters to > Turkey, during tense UN-sponsored Cyprus peace talks. > > On paper, the difference in experience on both domestic and foreign > policy is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing a > bullet. Unfortunately for Biden, if recent history is an indicator, > experience or a grasp of the issues won't matter when it comes to > debating Palin. > > On April 17, 2006, Palin and I participated in a debate at the > University of Alaska in Fairbanks on agriculture issues. The next day, > the Fairbanks Daily News Miner published this excerpt: > > "Andrew Halcro, a declared independent candidate from Anchorage, came > armed with statistics on agricultural productivity. Sarah Palin, a > Republican from Wasilla, said the Matanuska Valley provides a positive > example for other communities interested in agriculture to study." > > On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop > comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin > made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up > against. > > "Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and > yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, > and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask > myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " Palin said. > > While policy wonks such as Biden might cringe, it seemed to me that > Palin was simply vocalizing her strength without realizing it. During > the campaign, Palin's knowledge on public policy issues never matured > -- because it didn't have to. Her ability to fill the debate halls > with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it > possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy. > > Palin is a master of the nonanswer. She can turn a 60-second response > to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into > a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who > face healthcare challenges. All without uttering a word about her > public-policy solutions to healthcare challenges. > > In one debate, a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the > legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. > Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Sarah Palin instead > used her allotted time to criticize the incumbent governor, Frank > Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: > Palin didn't name a bill. > > And when she does answer the actual question asked, she has a canny > ability to connect with the audience on a personal level. For example, > asked to name a major issue that had been ignored during the campaign, > I discussed the health of local communities, Mr. Knowles talked about > affordable healthcare, and Palin talked about ... the need to protect > hunting and fishing rights. > > So what does that mean for Biden? With shorter question-and-answer > times and limited interaction between the two, he should simply ignore > Palin in a respectful manner on the stage and answer the questions as > though he were alone. Any attempt to flex his public-policy knowledge > and show Palin is not ready for prime time will inevitably cast him in > the role of the bully. > > On the other side of the stage, if Palin is to be successful, she > needs to do what she does best: fill the room with her presence and > stick to the scripted sound bites. > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
