Last night's debate
The one problem with having a debate party is that you then have a tendency to talk over the candidates, much more interested in what the person said across the room and the consumption of peanut butter M&Ms. However some thoughts from last night. Bidden first - he was great, he was coherent, he was on message, he was gaff free, he wasn't condescending, he gave a spirited defense of Obama's policies and attacked McCain vigorously, whilst being ever so respectful of Sarah Palin, calling her Governor.
Palin did fine. She was gaff free apart from the odd mispronunciation (calling Joe Bidden Senator Obidden at one point). But, and this was telling, she refused to answer the questions she was asked. She stuck to her talking points throughout, whether they related to the question or not. At one point, when Joe Bidden pulled her up on not answering the question, she replied "I may not answer the questions the way you or the moderator want to hear, but I'm going to talk to the American people." Not sure what you do with that in a debate where the main point is to answer the questions you were asked.
As evidence of just how low the expectations on Sarah Palin were going into the debate this week, a commentator on CNN this morning actually said, in all seriousness: "She used complete sentences, she hit a home run". Not sure what you do with that either.
Palin did enough to shore up, for now, her apparent downward pull on the McCain ticket and possibly stopped the rot of the McCain downward spiral in the polls. She didn't convince independents or democrats to vote for her, but she probably reassured the republican base that she was what they are looking for. Bidden proved himself a very able running mate and a positive force for Obama.
If I had to trust either of them with the nuclear codes, I'd trust Bidden and snap polls after suggested a majority of viewers felt the same.
In UK news:
Peter Mandelson is back in the Cabinet! Mandelson who had to resign twice before because of "errors in judgment". David Blunkett, who has also resigned from the Cabinet twice before, welcomed Mandelson's return... It's all part of the Labour Party's green credentials: a new department for energy and climate change and recycling cabinet ministers.
Today I am mostly:
Enjoying the sunny October weather
Eating cake
Too busy to think of a third thing due to the cake eating
Palin did fine. She was gaff free apart from the odd mispronunciation (calling Joe Bidden Senator Obidden at one point). But, and this was telling, she refused to answer the questions she was asked. She stuck to her talking points throughout, whether they related to the question or not. At one point, when Joe Bidden pulled her up on not answering the question, she replied "I may not answer the questions the way you or the moderator want to hear, but I'm going to talk to the American people." Not sure what you do with that in a debate where the main point is to answer the questions you were asked.
As evidence of just how low the expectations on Sarah Palin were going into the debate this week, a commentator on CNN this morning actually said, in all seriousness: "She used complete sentences, she hit a home run". Not sure what you do with that either.
Palin did enough to shore up, for now, her apparent downward pull on the McCain ticket and possibly stopped the rot of the McCain downward spiral in the polls. She didn't convince independents or democrats to vote for her, but she probably reassured the republican base that she was what they are looking for. Bidden proved himself a very able running mate and a positive force for Obama.
If I had to trust either of them with the nuclear codes, I'd trust Bidden and snap polls after suggested a majority of viewers felt the same.
In UK news:
Peter Mandelson is back in the Cabinet! Mandelson who had to resign twice before because of "errors in judgment". David Blunkett, who has also resigned from the Cabinet twice before, welcomed Mandelson's return... It's all part of the Labour Party's green credentials: a new department for energy and climate change and recycling cabinet ministers.
Today I am mostly:
Enjoying the sunny October weather
Eating cake
Too busy to think of a third thing due to the cake eating
