VP Debate

Just a few short notes about the VP debate last night.

• After debate polls (CNN Survey):

More Likable: Palin 54% Biden 36%
Ability to Express Views: Palin 36% Biden 52%
Agent of Change: Palin 42% Biden 53%
Candidate Qualified for Job Palin 42% Biden 87%
Won the Debate: Palin 35% Biden 54%

• My view of Palin's Performance

Palin actually told the moderator and the audience what her plan was. She said:

"And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."

She tips off her intent to ignore questions that she is not prepared to answer and that she will stick to her scripted answers. In the few cases where she had to invent a bridge from the question to her prepared spin, she seemed awkward to me.

The result was that Palin was able to do well, avoiding the types of mistakes she made during her interviews with ABC's Charles Gibson and CBS's Katie Couric. Having done so, she may have stopped her slide in the polls but did little to peel back the already lost ground.
Michael