Joe Biden Experience, if not Eloquence

Disclaimer: I am not American, (which you can probably tell from the graphic above) but because US politics affects us all, especially the UK, I feel justified in commenting upon it. :-P

After watching the debate yesterday, I would say that Joe Biden is the clear winner.

Seeing Sarah Palin hold it together was nice, but at the end of the day, almost every question that was asked of her ended up in either an answer which had nothing to do with the question, or an answer which just talked about Alaska Alaska Alaska.

Sarah Palin looked directly at the camera throughout the debate, a clever move I think since only a pretty face could pull that type of thing off without looking weird. Undoubtedly she was coached before the debate to do just that.

Bidens responses from Palins attacks were great, every time she made an attack on Obama or Biden, he had an answer.

I have been reading up on the gaffes made by Biden over the years an no doubt he has made quite a few, but although his eloquence is questionable, his authority as a Senator and experienced politician came through in the debate where Sarah Palin did not.

There is no denying the remarks Sarah Palin made in the interview on CBS with Katie Couric were embarrassing and silly, but in a pre-planned debate she did very well.

How would she fare under pressure in the White House? with no preparation for a potential crisis.

I am confident that given the Gaffes by Biden in the past, he would make a better candidate for the Vice-Presidency as someone who at least held a passport for longer than a year (presumably)

Muzzrino.

US awaits Biden-Palin TV debate

Man! I cannot wait to see this just for the entertainment value given the screw-ups Palin has already made on TV.

But on a serious note, women who have been trying to gain high political office in a nation such as the US will be pissed off if Palin screws this up. Some people with sexist views will surely see Palins failure as a female failure and not recognise the truth, that McCain simply got a pretty face to be his running mate.

In a way I hope she does well in the debate but at the same time, I would not like to see an unqualified babbler one heartbeat away from the Presidency of the USA.

Muzzerino
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BBC Article...

The two US vice-presidential candidates go head-to-head for the first and only time on Thursday in a televised debate.

Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin will meet before a studio audience at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. The debate is seen as particularly key for Governor Palin, whose poll ratings have been falling amid voters' concern about her relative inexperience.

But Mr Biden could also be vulnerable if he makes a verbal gaffe. A new poll by the Washington Post suggests that 60% of voters now see Mrs Palin as lacking the experience to be an effective president. One-third say they are less likely to vote for Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain, as a result. Independent voters, who are not affiliated to either political party, have the most sceptical views of the Alaska governor. And another poll, for CBS News, gives Senator Barack Obama 49% to 40% for Mr McCain.

It is the latest in a series of opinion polls that have shown a significant shift in the direction of Mr Obama since the economic crisis began. Preparations Mrs Palin, whose fiery speech at the Republican convention inspired Christian conservatives, produces unusually strong feelings - both positive and negative - among voters.

The Debate may be the turning point While 29% of the electorate view her as "strongly favourable", an equal number have intensely negative views, according to the Washington Post poll. Overall, 51% rate her favourably, compared with 57% for Joe Biden.

Mrs Palin has spent the week sequestered at Mr McCain's ranch in Arizona preparing for the debate with her Republican advisers. Meanwhile, Mr Obama's running mate has been practising his lines with Democratic governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan. Democratic advisers have reportedly been worried that Mr Biden will adopt too harsh a tone in his debate with Mrs Palin, thus alienating a key group of women voters.

Republican advisers are urging Mrs Palin to present party policies in her own words, after concern that she appeared wooden and rigid in answering questions from CBS News anchor Katie Couric last week. Mrs Palin's record in Alaska, however, suggests that she has succeeded in winning debates against more experienced opponents with her homespun wisdom and disarming style.

Read more @ the BBC >>>