Talk Back: Reactions to the VP Debate

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-16-2003
Talk Back: Reactions to the VP Debate
788
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 5:14pm

Hi everyone --


We wanted to get your reaction to the Vice Presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. Did you watch? What did you think -- and who do you consider the winner? Were there any surprises? Tell us what you considered to be the highlights, the low points and everything in between.


 


Please note: This discussion will be featured on our homepage as well as our Election 2008 feature page (http://www.ivillage.com/0,,dkrjhqbk,00.html) and may elicit some "Guest" responses from our "Talkback" box tool on the page. Inappropriate responses that violate our Terms of Service will be removed.


Thanks for your input!

Caryn D. Stein
Director of Community
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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:44am
Clearly Biden. He answered the questions. He didn't spin things or change the subject like Padin did.


 


 

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:45am

<>

It's not Sarah Palin with the short sightedness. Cutting taxes is a proven way to grow the economy and create jobs. Raising taxes is a proven way to slow the economy and lose jobs. Ask any economist...every one will tell you that Obama's plan will be a disaster for our economy.

It's basic economics....granted I took econ many years ago in college...but I remember those points!

Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:47am
Joe Biden
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-07-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:50am
sarah paylin
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:51am

<>

No they weren't. If Americans did their research they would see that most carbon emissions are not due to man. (Some are though) Much of it is caused by algae in the oceans. Most of the "man made" carbon emissions are due to livestock and not fossil fuels. Basically, we would have to stop raising livestock worldwide and become vegans. If we stopped factories and automobiles...it would have very little impact on global warming.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2006
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 8:56am

How do you know that she isn't an expert on energy? (Seriously how do you know?)


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 9:01am

It was good to see Palin UN-edited. I knew from the beginning, with the press gunning for her, that Palin should have insisted upon her own cameras any time she granted a main stream press interview, so that she could answer by showing the parts that were edited out. I think it was a mistake that she did not. I am convinced that they edited out as much as possible that would that make her look good. Seeing her live is great.

Biden was....well... Biden. I loved when he started debating his stance vs. Obama's! "I look at the glass half full, Barack looks at it half-empty"... LOL! I loved that part!

It was great, but there were a couple of lies told by Biden that went unanswered. I hope McCain corrects them next Tuesday.




Edited 10/3/2008 9:06 am ET by chillychillychilly
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-08-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 9:06am

I expected Sarah to prove alot of people wrong, but she went beyond that and I'm proud of her.

Step by step, day by day
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2008
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 9:06am

It isn't that she didn't understand the question(s) at times, it's that she didn't have answers prepared for those particular ones. The model to keep in mind when thinking about Palin's performance last night is of the high-schooler who doesn't particularly have any innate love of either learning in general or the subject of the class she's been taking all semester, but who's crammed hard in the 48 hours leading up to the final exam. Cramming like that allows one to take a good crack at figuring out what questions are most likely to be on the exam, and memorize (with or without true understanding) answers which will pass muster for a decent grade. What it doesn't allow for is to distill a semester's worth of actual learning into two days. The advantage of it is that someone who really hasn't learned much all semester (and almost surely won't remember more than a week or two after test-day) can sound much more knowledgeable than they in fact are, PROVIDING that their cramming-night estimation of which specific questions will be on the test turns out to be mostly correct. The DISadvantage is that if you don't know the material well and you cram for the wrong things, you're going to look like exactly what you are: someone who didn't study and doesn't know the material well at all.

But if you're right - or mostly right - you'll come off as a mostly capable, if uninspiring, student. That's why Palin announced up-front that she wouldn't always answer the questions the way Biden - or even IFILL, the MODERATOR - wanted her to: because she knew that way lay ruin. The difference between Sarah Palin last night and our listless-but-cramming student in the example, is that - unlike any high school final exam - Palin could actually get away with telling the "teacher" (Ifill) that she just wasn't going to answer any question she "didn't want to" (read: wasn't prepared for) in the way Ifill might want. And, because the McCain campaign, just like the Obama campaign, is staffed with people who unquestionably know their stuff VERY well - and who could make pretty good guesses about what sorts of questions would be asked at last night's debate, Palin came off better than I think she would have if she'd tried to go with just her own resources. The difference with Biden in that regard was quite clear. I mentioned that both the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign are staffed with people who most definitely DO know their stuff cold and can articulate it very well. The difference between the two campaigns is that, in the Obama campaign, BOTH the top two slots on the ticket ARE two of those knowledgeable people, whereas in the McCain campaign, not so much. It showed.


Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 9:09am
SARAH....
Just let it go, Obama.

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