We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
The narrative out of the press is that the only way that Sarah Palin can deal with Joe Biden tonight is if she whips her flute out and starts a jam session. I'm a bit more wary. There are plenty of risks for Biden and Palin has a knack for playing on the passions of her base. It should be interesting.
posted by The Blue Devil @ 7:55 PM
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
61 Comments:
There's been a lot of focus on Gwen Ifill, the Lehrer Report host who'll be moderating tonight. The McCain camp as usual have been trying to game the process by pointing out that she recently published a book about Black politicians that was seen as favorable to Obama. We'll see if they've been successful in bullying her.
Here we go! Gwen is in her seat and we're just waiting for the candidates to show up. Let's get ready to rumble!
Sarah's first gambit is to ask Biden if she can call him "Joe."
First question is to Biden about the bailout. It's a Charles Dickens wording - "Was it the best or worst of Washington." Joe defers - it was neither in his estimation.
Now the question is tossed at Palin. She immediately goes folksy by inviting the audience to go to a kid's soccer game. Okay, Sarah, you've got my attention with the footie reference, but what else have you got?
Biden is asked how he'd like to close the gap between Washington and Main Street. Joe plays it pretty safe for a moment but then he takes a giant swing at McCain. Good start for Joe. I think he's absolutely right to ignore Palin and hit McCain.
Palin responds with McCain's nonsensical explanation of his "solid foundation" comment - that it was about American workers. Now Sarah takes a swing at Barack. She makes a pitch for something new.
Gwen provokes some laughs by pointing out that neither candidate answered her question.
Good third question about who's to blame for the credit crunch. Sarah goes populist by talking about predatory lending and deception. Wow, I never thought I'd hear a GOP politician talking like that!
Joe's got to pick it up a notch. He sounds as if he's had a dose of Nyquil before he took the stage. He's almost too smooth and calm.
Good points by Biden about McCain promoting deregulation. He might have added a couple of quotes from the recent GOP convention.
Biden nearly chuckled at Palin there when she accused him of voting for tax hikes. He's got to watch that. Repubs have a lot of gall talking about reigning in spending when we're spending several billion a month in Iraq.
Uh oh - here goes Palin lying about her record in Alaska. The fact checkers are working over time. Wow!
Palin chose not to answer the question about deregulation there and almost scolded Gwen for asking it.
Biden's doing a nice job heading off the inevitable argument about the Dems as tax and spenders. Also good on talking about different values.
Interesting. Palin begins to talk about her opposition to redistribution of wealth but then heads off toward small business owners. I think Palin is treading a delicate line here between the traditional GOP ideas and what the advisers think will play today.
Palin tries to defend the McCain's private health care plan. Joe "doesn't know where to start." He's been great in bringing it back to Scranton, PA again and again. Also excellent response debunking the McCain health care plan. He obviously had that planned. Palin hasn't been awful tonight but Biden is still cleaning up without looking nasty.
Nice laugh line there for Biden calling the McCain health care plan the "ultimate bridge to Nowhere."
Now they're on to energy policy. Palin's talking about taking on the oil companies. Again, amazing rhetoric from a GOP candidate. The Republican coalition is falling apart in front of our eyes. I would love to see the populist right wing of the GOP break off and form it's own Flat Earth Party.
Biden is again killing the rhetoric by showing how Obama and Biden were on Palin's side in terms of the windfall profits tax while McCain voted against. Ouch!
Biden is again doing a sweet job gently prying apart Palin and McCain. It's almost as if he's trying to rope Sarah into their side. Nifty trick.
Here goes Sarah with the "Drill baby drill" pitch. I wonder if she'll make the claim again that the caribou in Alaska like to snuggle up against the pipeline for warmth?
Excellent - here's a question to Palin on climate change. She's claiming that it's real but she's skeptical that it has a human cause. She's doesn't want to argue about that, though, but rather move forward. But how do you move forward if you can't agree on the cause, Sarah?
Huh? She's arguing that one of the reasons that we need to be energy independent is for environmental reasons? That makes no sense at all. One for the blooper reels.
Biden responds firmly that it is man made. Excellent. He's learned from the Kerry mistakes.
Biden points out how many times McCain voted against environmental bills. But then he ruins it by promoting "clean coal." A misstep there but he retrieves it by talking about "Drill baby drill."
Palin is drilling in hard on this oil drilling issue. She's asked if she supports capping carbon emissions and she does. So does Biden.
Next round of questions - does Biden support same sex privileges. Yes, he does. Excellent.
Now for Palin. This should be fun. She's dancing pretty quickly - one minute it's traditional marriage and the next she's "tolerant."
Unfortunately, Biden nor Obama support gay marriage. That's a shame. But at least they support constitution rights.
Biden points out the fundamental difference between the two tickets - that Obama will end the war. I wish.
Still, Palin comes back with the "white flag of surrender." Oy vey.
Palin's starting to fray at the edges a bit, sounding a bit nasty. Mentioning Biden's son now. Ugly stuff.
Biden cleans up again by pointing out McCain's vote against Iraq funding with timelines. Now he's totting up all of the mistakes that McCain has made on Iraq over the years.
Now Iran and Pakistan. This should be fun. Palin and McCain seem to have very different ideas on Pakistan.
Biden rattles the sabers at Pakistan. That's where I get off the boat, Joe. I would imagine that Sarah will agree but how does she explain the McCain position?
Palin "Iraq is the central front of the war on terror."
Oh dear God, Palin's another cretin who says "nucular." Surely we're not going to elect another one!
She's an embarrassment to all journalism students. (sigh)
That was an odd moment. Palin was talking about foreign dictators and nearly sang the line "who hate America" as if she were tuning up for "Oklahoma."
Biden's schooling Palin the errant pupil on Iran. He's got to watch the tone here. He's losing his patience.
Weird! Palin supports a "two state solution" in the Middle East. Is that the McCain policy? I doubt it.
Biden puts on the yamulke to express his devotion to the state of Israel. Yuck.
I'm betting that Palin's one of those nutters who supports Israel because of Biblical proclamations. She's getting all weird about Americans feeling that "enough is enough" with Obama and Biden. Has she seen the recent polls.
Great. Biden's attacking hard on exactly how McCain is going to be different from Bush. Palin deferred on criticizing Bush. That's going to be the death of their ticket.
When would Palin use nukes? Weird answer. She thinks that nukes would be the "end of too many people." Huh? Doesn't that go for U.S. use of nukes too?
Palin now wants a surge in Afghanistan. That's pretty close to Barack Obama's position unfortunately.
We're an hour in. Palin's been reasonably competent, particularly given the low expectations coming out of the Katie Couric interviews. But Biden's clearly beating her. Palin needed a home run for Johnny Mac tonight and she's barely squeaked a single. This won't change the momentum of the campaign.
Palin thinks counter-insurgency would work in Afghanistan. Who exactly would the U.S. buy off in that area of the world? If the Soviets couldn't do it, how should the U.S.?
Biden's asked whether Americans have the stomach for putting soldiers in to rescue Darfur. Oh lord, no.
Palin goes mean again trying the anti-Kerry line on Biden. Well, it worked four years ago...
Apparently Palin thinks that "all options are on the table" when it comes to bombing virtually any spot on earth. Watch your ass, Belgium!
Daily Kos is running a devastating satire of this debate. Here's a taste:
"SP:Look, we can quibble all day about which president bankrupted which question, and which president got us into a six year quagmire, but let's talk about Alaska, ya know?
Q to JB: You've argued for intervention all over the place. Will the US public support Darfur?
JB: Well, our humanitarian intervention worked in the Balkans, and Americans don't have the stomach for genocide. We can lead to stop the genocide in Darfur, and we must.
SP: Aw, shucks. I'm just a simple gal for Alaska. But ya voted for the war, but now yer agin it. Shucks. Muricans just want my straight talk and the leadership of John McCain. Shucks. Gosh."
Gwen's played it pretty safe with the questioning. Here are some questions I'd still like to hear Palin answer:
What's up with the witchcraft hunter guy in your church?
Creationism or evolution?
Research shows that abstinence doesn't work - care to disagree?
Dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time? Really?!
Biden wants to invite us all up to Home Depot in Scranton.
Oh dear this is getting way too folksy. Palin goes with the "Say it ain't so, Joe." By golly! I'm gonna puke.
Oh dear, Palin comes from a family of teachers. I'm really embarrassed now.
Wow! Palin wants to ditch NCLB as a failure. Wow! Amazing how far the GOP is running from Bush.
Palin jabbing at Biden for not being funny. She really has a mean streak. She should have been a middle school librarian. Or worked at a DMV.
According to CNN, Biden is hitting all the right notes while Palin is flat-lined. Good news.
I don't know whether it was that last by gosh, golly gee or doggonit but I've just thrown up a bit in my mouth. I've had enough. Thank goodness this Peggy Hill wannabe has no chance of getting near the White House because I don't think I could stand it. Cheney is bad enough, but I can't handle the idea of Palin a hair's breath from the Oval Office. She's heinous.
Okay, Bob, "Peggy Hill wannabe" has me laughing out loud! I love it!
Thanks, I try!
Don't you just know that SP has a special recipe for chili that she wants to share with Amurika.
And so it ends. Thank goodness. I'm in folksiness overload mode. I think I need to sit in a darkened room and listen to my Tom Waits catalog in order to cleanse myself of the overwhelming wholesomeness.
Palin wrapped things up with two astonishing points. First she admitted that she's not going to do anymore press. And then she said that she would seek broader powers as VP. Wow!
Pat Buchanan thinks that SP was "sensational." Who was he watching?
Did he like her reference to General McClellan? Was he talking about George McClellan, the Civil War general?
Speaking as a Bosniak, I think they were referring to Gen. David McKiernan, C.O. of Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Love the Peggy Hill reference. I'm using that and claiming it as my own.
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