The VP Debate - First Reactions
October 2nd, 2008 . by economistmom
Obvious Palin strategies:
(i) say “maverick” and “change” as often as possible, no matter what the substance (or lack thereof) indicates;
(ii) use “folksy” expressions like “darn right” and “Joe Sixpack” and “Mainstreeters like me” as often as possible;
(iii) when you don’t know how to address the topic of the actual question (e.g., bankruptcy), just talk about something you do know more about (e.g., energy);
(iv) when asked about economic policy, make sure you focus on cutting taxes; and
(v) when all else fails, remind voters that you are a mom.
Unfortunately for Palin, Biden seems to have effectively countered each of those Palin strategies:
(i) Joe Biden directly attacked the “maverick” claim (see transcript courtesy of CNN)…
BIDEN: Look, the maverick — let’s talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He’s been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people’s lives.
He voted four out of five times for George Bush’s budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he’s got there.
He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against — he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.
He’s not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.
He’s not been a maverick on the war. He’s not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen table.
Can we send — can we get Mom’s MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can’t — we can’t make it. How are we going to heat the — heat the house this winter?
He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with oil prices going through the roof in the winter.
So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen table.
(ii) Every time Palin used those “folksy” expressions, I saw the CNN real-time opinion meter (of undecided Ohio voters) go down, not up. This was especially true when Palin led off with ”say it ain’t so, Joe” in response to his pointing out again that McCain proposals are just Bush policy extended…. and while she was at it, combining it with the diversionary (and folksy) strategy of complimenting Biden’s wife and changing the topic to kids and education…
PALIN: Say it ain’t so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let’s look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education and I’m glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? I say, too, with education, America needs to be putting a lot more focus on that and our schools have got to be really ramped up in terms of the funding that they are deserving. Teachers needed to be paid more. I come from a house full of school teachers. My grandma was, my dad who is in the audience today, he’s a schoolteacher, had been for many years. My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here’s a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.
(iii) I think viewers probably saw through each time Palin did not really answer the substance of the question, but it didn’t help that Gwen Ifill didn’t seem to follow up on those. (There was really no equivalent to Katie Couric’s “not to belabor the point” line.)
(iv) Palin’s continued emphasis on cutting taxes as the central part of the McCain-Palin economic platform did not seem to resonate well, especially with Biden pointing out that Obama is cutting taxes by nearly as much as McCain except for those on the very rich, and with Biden emphasizing the basic “fairness” question regarding that difference. (Palin’s apparent disdain for “income redistribution” did not seem to go over well.)
(v) Following Palin’s claim that “being a mom” she understands “kitchen table” issues, Biden said this, which I found brilliant, but genuine and moving:
BIDEN: Look, I understand what it’s like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it’s like as a parent to wonder what it’s like if your kid’s going to make it.
I understand what it’s like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, “I’ve got to leave, champ, because there’s no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we’ll bring you down.”
I understand what it’s like. I’m much better off than almost all Americans now. I get a good salary with the United States Senate. I live in a beautiful house that’s my total investment that I have. So I — I am much better off now.
But the notion that somehow, because I’m a man, I don’t know what it’s like to raise two kids alone, I don’t know what it’s like to have a child you’re not sure is going to — is going to make it — I understand.
I understand, as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it’s like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They’re looking for help. They’re looking for help. They’re not looking for more of the same.
It’s not a great surprise that the initial polls show most viewers think Biden “won” even if Palin’s performance probably surpassed (very low) expectations.
“Obama is cutting taxes by nearly as much as McCain except for those on the very rich”.
I make over $250,000 a year, and I’m not very rich. I have only one house — no vacation home. No Ferrari or Porsche or Corvette. I get stock from my employer, but am saving that for retirement, because I don’t expect Social Security to be around then. I’ve worked very hard to be successful — no mortgage I can’t afford (despite what banks would lend me), max out my 401K every year (even made after tax contributions early on), no credit card debt. I don’t understand why I’m considered so rich that I should pay more taxes. Obama would raise the top marginal rate, which I hit, back to almost 40% (it was 28% under Reagan). He’d add on 2 to 4% of Social Security tax on the amount I make over $250,000. Is he trying to make me rely on the government for retirement — I’m trying to save my incentive compensation so I can support myself in my golden years, but Obama wants to take that away. Really rich is hedge fund managers, or folks making over a million dollars a year. I don’t have much disposal income after paying for essentials and saving for the future — maybe one nice vacation a year. Not “very rich” — not even close.
God (can one use that word here?) forbid someone talks like normal people.
Doggone it, I used another one.
Believe it or not, people do talk like that, even if yall “educated” DC types don’t.
Right on Jason. Best of luck to you.
The CRA sure didn’t help me buy a house. No no-doc loans available to me. No 100% financing. No interest only for X years.
Every time Palin used those “folksy” expressions, I saw the CNN real-time opinion meter (of undecided Ohio voters) go down, not up. This was especially true when Palin led off with ”say it ain’t so, Joe” in response to his pointing out again that McCain proposals are just Bush policy extended…. and while she was at it, combining it with the diversionary (and folksy) strategy of complimenting Biden’s wife and changing the topic to kids and education…
Darn, I watched PBS and they didn’t have the opinion meter! I watched some CNN after reading your post, however, and saw the meter a bit in the recap. Regarding her remark that began “Say it ain’t so, Joe”, I was struck by it when she said it. She seemed to be suggesting that the eight years of Bush, many of whose policies (such as on taxes and Iraq) will apparently be continued by McCain, is totally irrelevant. I wonder if that might have been part of the reason that the meter went down on that statement. It would have been fine if she would have explained how Bush’s policies were not so bad or on how McCain’s policies would be different. Instead, she seem to suggest that we just ignore the past eight years of our history.
I did also notice that she mentioned “greed and corruption on Wall Street” several times. In fact, checking the transcript that you linked to, she used that exact phrase three times and a very slight variation two more times. That struck me since it sounded like a phrase you’d expect more from the Democratic candidate. Biden, on the other hand, didn’t mention greed or corruption once!
On checking the transcript, however, I noticed that Biden used the word “deregulation” 7 times and Palin did not utter the word once. In fact, she changed the subject to tax cuts when the subject of deregulation came up. Hence, the two candidates appear to have very different views (publicly, at least) of the chief cause of our current financial crisis.
Regarding taxes, a commentator on PBS did mention that Biden missed contradicting Palin on her insistence that tax cuts create jobs. As shown in the analysis this link, job growth under Bush has been the worst in decades, despite his tax cuts. This would seem to suggest that all tax cuts do not excel as job creators. At the very least, this would seem to give pause to anyone who argues that they do.
In any case, there is some initial fact-checking of the debate at this link. So as to be non-partisan, they do mention possible errors made by both candidates. The reader can decide which ones are most serious. One that I had caught during the debate was Palin’s statement that “with the surge that has worked we’re now down to pre-surge numbers in Iraq”. I’ve heard quite a few times that we’re still above pre-surge levels.
I agree with your analysis of the debate. For a humorous take on it, check out the Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart at Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-palin-debat.html
the VP debate was stunning. Palin did a decent job faking about 20% of the questions and didn’t even bother answering the other 80%.
i couldn’t help thinking of the end of the movie Billy Madison, when the debate moderator says to Adam Sandler, “Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”