Palin, Biden excel in VP debate

Michelle Amaral, News Editor
Published On: 10/ 7/2008

Vice Presidential nominees Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden took their turn hashing out heated issues important to the future welfare of the country in last Thursday’s debate.

Communication Studies Professor Larry Powell believes that both Palin and Biden performed well in the debate, which took place at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Both candidates did an excellent job, and both parties should be pleased with how they did. Biden was knowledgeable without being mean or condescending, and Palin gave one of her better performances,” Powell said.
Palin’s performance could be described as a do-or-die situation in terms of the Republican campaign, especially when considering her previous spots in front of the camera.

“Palin… exceeded expectations more,” said Powell. “Many observers were expecting a poor performance from her, after her weak showing in her TV interviews. But she reverted back to the public speaking style that was so effective for her at the convention.

“Palin has a homespun image, and her language reflects that,” Powell said. “That probably fits in well with the rural audience that she’s trying to reach, but I’m sure some Republicans would prefer if she cut that down a bit.”

Graduate student Keri Barksdale believes that Palin’s demeanor during the debate was not that of a person vying for the position of second-in-command of the country.

“Gov. Palin tended to walk around each question for 90 seconds and then give some cute gesture, such as a wink or a ‘shout-out’, and it was unprofessional,” Barksdale said.

However, Biden was not without his own personality incident, but Biden may find his emotional display to be a plus compared to Palin.

“Biden got choked up at one point, realized it was happening, and eased up on the personal memories. It probably made him more human and less aloof,” Powell said.

Some of the current issues facing the country were covered at the debate, including the $700 billion economic bailout plan.

“The bailout was probably the one with the most immediate importance; and it was covered, but not in detail,” said Powell. “In the first presidential debate, by comparison, 40 minutes was spent on that. What wasn’t covered was Palin’s past statements. She challenged Biden about his previous disagreements with Obama, for example. But Biden didn’t counter with challenges toward her about contradictory positions of earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere.”

Barksdale said the energy issue is an important one and was more pleased with the responses given by Biden.
“Sen. Biden gave some concise plans on how to address energy issues, and even supports alternative energy plans to clean up our planet, not just ‘drill baby drill’,” Barksdale said.

Although Powell believes that both candidates delivered strong performances, he doesn’t feel that it has the ability to sway the opinions of swing voters.

“It was close enough too so that voters will turn their attention back to the match-up between Obama and McCain. However, overall that’s probably good for the McCain campaign. If Palin had done poorly, it could have killed McCain’s campaign.”

The bottom line is to go out and vote, no matter which candidate you support.

“I feel that everyone should be informed and make sure to watch the debates. Don’t just vote for one candidate or the other because you ‘think’ you are a Republican or a Democrat. Listen to the issues and how they plan to address them to make an informed decision,” Barksdale said. 

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