Palin Survives VP Debate

Before Sarah Palin and Joe Biden faced off in their first and only vice presidential debate Thursday night, the expectations for Palin were the lowest I've ever seen for any presidential or vice presidential candidate ever.

After her disastrous series of interviews with Katie Couric that were widely viewed on TV and YouTube, it seemed as though if she talked in coherent, complete sentences, then she would exceed everyone's expectations.

And in that way, Palin set herself up beautifully for a better-than-expected performance. In the week before the debate, she locked herself in McCain's ranch in Sedona, AZ and basically went to debate camp, and reportedly was heavily briefed on both domestic and foreign policy issues by political heavyweights such as Henry Kissinger.

And just as the first McCain-Obama debate was all about Obama, so was this debate all about Palin.

It was clear that when the debate started, she was very nervous--especially when talking about the economy. It also seemed like she was reading off a teleprompter, and she did not stray at all from her talking points that were clearly outlined for her. But she became more comfortable as the debate wore on.

She did fumble around a bit on a few issues, and called the leading U.S. general in Afghanistan McClellan, when in fact it is McKiernan. And yes, she did avoid several questions outright so she could get some more of her talking points in--especially about taxes. And yes, she did describe John McCain and herself as "mavericks" about 300 times. And yes, she did do this creepy winking thing to the camera every so often.

But other than that, there were no visible gaffes, no sound bites that could be used against her the next day, which probably frustrated and surprised many liberals. She seemed to connect with voters, and seemed to reassure undecideds that they could relate to her and her middle class family. I think it is safe to say that she exceeded expectations--hell, she exceeded mine--but I don't think that she won the debate. And the viewers seem to agree with me.

In a CNN poll taken right after the debate, voters said Biden won 51% to 36%. In a CBS poll, voters said Biden won 46% to 21%.

Something that is not being talked about in the post-debate coverage enough is the incredible performance of Joe Biden. He was clearly in command of the material and the issues, as can be expected from someone who has been the Senate for 36 years. He was strongest at the very beginning and very end of the debate.

He also had some good one liners like when he said "the ultimate bridge to nowhere." Two other moments that stand out in my mind were when Biden called McCain out on not being a maverick, saying "maverick he is not." Shazam! The other moment was toward the end of the debate where he got choked up talking about his wife and sons' fatal car accident. I think he also did a fantastic job connecting to working class voters and--as Palin put it--Joe Six-Packs.

All in all, I think this debate won't have much affect on the race as a whole. Very few undecideds--like the last debate--will commit to a candidate based on Thursday night's debate. I think the only lasting effects that this will have are that Palin salvaged her reputation, and that her and Biden's roles in the campaigns are essentially over (barring any major gaffes). From here on out, the vast majority of voters will pay all of their attention to the top of the two tickets.