Network pundits were the losers in the Biden-Palin debate
CAMPAIGN '08
The missteps they had been predicting for days didn't materialize as the vice presidential candidates went head-to-head.
The vice presidential debate scheduled for last night didn't happen -- at least not as envisioned by media observers with their characteristic mix of glee and dread.
Republican candidate Sarah Palin spoke in clear, concise sentences that mostly made sense, and if she didn't answer all the questions posed to her, at least she didn't tell the moderator that she'd "have to get back to ya." Neither did Democrat Joe Biden ramble or froth, mention the fictional televised speeches of FDR or accidentally call the governor of Alaska "Lil' Lady."
If you think this is a hyperbolic description of expectations, then you didn't catch David Gergen and his colleagues at CNN claiming that what Palin had to prove was her basic competence, including a grasp of the English language.
Meanwhile, over at MSNBC, Newsweek's Howard Fineman announced that Biden's job was to get out there, answer the questions and get off the stage "without making news." And in what was perhaps the most shocking aspect of the entire event, virtually every anchor or pundit agreed that Biden had to tread carefully so as not to seem too aggressive.
If the bar had been placed any lower for this debate, they would have had to bury it.
So how surprising was it, really, that neither candidate devolved into a Jerry Springer screaming fit or fell into a state of catatonia? In fact, both were in rare form, giving what may have been their best respective campaign performances yet.
Palin came in with a clear advantage, of course. When all you have to do is prove you can address issues in a coherent way, it's fairly easy to exceed expectations. She set her tone instantly by asking the senator at the handshake if it was OK to call him Joe. He said, "Yes, of course," and from then on it was "Joe" and "Gov. Palin."
Indeed, with her "bless his/her hearts" and knowing laughs, Palin may have invented an entirely new rhetorical style: random folksiness. Each bit of lighthearted "Sarahness" was followed by a Serious Face as she got down to the issues. Or at least the issues she was comfortable with.
The most pointed difference between Biden's performance and Palin's is that he answered pretty much each question that was asked before returning to the topic of his choice (usually how John McCain mirrors the Bush administration). Palin pronounced early on that she wasn't necessarily going to answer questions but would instead address the American people directly.
