Tags for This Article:

Media (3382) 2008 Elections (2447) 2008 Election Presidential (1315) Sarah Palin (1234) Sarah Palin (1234) Sarah Palin (1234) Biden-Joseph (185) Experience (110) Advice (91) 2008 Vice Presidential Debates (41)


Populum
Tag Cloud
Control Panel

Fine tune your search to access content

Articles
Diaries Products
Events All
All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs
From:
Month  Day   Year

To:
Month  Day   Year
Alphabet
Popularity
Count ON
Count OFF
This Level
Sub-levels

 

 

 

Tag(s): ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Add to My Group
October 2, 2008 at 07:53:58

Must Read 2   View Ratings | Rate It

"But Palin's an Excellent Debater"-WTF? Advice to Biden

by Tumerica     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 

Tell A Friend


The McCain/Palin team has seeded the media with stories of Sarah Palin's prowess as a debater. Article after article details how she is a force to be reckoned with in the context of an oral, mano a mano contest. References go back to her skills in Alaskan debates where she stood up against more knowledgeable and worthy opponents and--well, did the David slaying Goliath thing.

Even those unconvinced of Palin's qualifications to be standing where she is have to concede that she has charm and the actor's touch of looking deeply and with verve into the eye of the camera and coming across as both likable and believable.

But let this whole line of argument come to a screeching halt right here. Debating about subjects about which one is familiar and debating about subjects that are over one's head are two different sports. Not only does Palin have little (if any) intellectual curiosity, she doesn't seem to do well in boning up for oral exams on a national or international level either. And she doesn't ad lib well, as Reagan did, cutting frequently to anecdotes as a way to bring the focus back to a human level. Lastly, Palin's major weakness--even beyond her inability to pull information she utterly lacks out of her butt--is that she seems unable to think in specifics on-demand. On the national stage, she has sputtered and run out of steam when asked for examples, every time.

The keys for Senator Joe Biden to win Thursday night's debate are:

  • —Ask Palin for specific examples
  • —Give plenty of specific examples (so that Palin will look puny by contrast) without coming across as a know-it-all
  • —Be charming and funny (but don't go overboard)
  • —Do not patronize (as George Bush Sr. did to Geraldine Ferraro), regardless of how tempting that may be


Even though Biden's 35 years of experience in the Senate (including stints on the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees) compared to Palin's one and half years as a governor of a state with a population less than some U.S. cities, there is always a risk of turning off voters by displaying an overbearing attitude--by twisting the knife too many times. Americans love an underdog, so this contest has to be done gracefully. The trick is to give Palin plenty of space to hang herself by her own vapidness.

 

Tumerica is a freelance nonfiction writer whose essays on social injustice have appeared in area newspapers. She regularly blogs on progressive political issues, food, and beauty. She writes book reviews of non-fiction books, as well as writing articles on writing for other writers. Tumerica is a published poet, with her works appearing in literary magazines and anthologies. Tumerica is also a fanatic foodie who is currently working on a cookbook.

 

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

NETSCAPE      DIGG THIS      Add This Page to Mr Wong!           NEWSVINE      DEl.ICIO.US      Looksmart Furl      My Web      Tag!RawSugar      Blink List     (More...)
Comments: Expand   Shrink   Hide  
6 comments

Currently I'm a cartoonist and contributing writer for The New Orleans Levee. For those wishing to view my work you can see my latest at: nolevee.com
Mr MCurrently I'm a cartoonist and contributing writer for The New Orleans Levee. For those wishing to view my work you can see my latest at: nolevee.com

How can anyone ...

... with any knowledge of our current corrupt government possibly believe there are any "winners" or "losers" is this farce of a debate?

If there is anything for certain it is that American people that will lose no matter which one of these candidates gets into power. There is no reason to watch or care who "wins" this farce of a debate other than perhaps it comedic value it may produce.

But I find no humor in the fact that we have enablers of mass murders running for office.

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 51 diaries, 2028 comments) on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 8:18:33 AM
 


Tumerica is a freelance nonfiction writer whose essays on social injustice have appeared in area newspapers. She regularly blogs on progressive political issues, food, and beauty. She writes book reviews of non-fiction books, as well as writing articles on writing for other writers. Tumerica is a published poet, with her works appearing in literary magazines and anthologies. Tumerica is also a fanatic foodie who is currently working on a cookbook.
TumericaTumerica is a freelance nonfiction writer whose essays on social injustice have appeared in area newspapers. She regularly blogs on progressive political issues, food, and beauty. She writes book reviews of non-fiction books, as well as writing articles on writing for other writers. Tumerica is a published poet, with her works appearing in literary magazines and anthologies. Tumerica is also a fanatic foodie who is currently working on a cookbook.

Paint everyone the same color with one stroke of the brush

Hi, Mr. M,

I hear you about "enabler of mass-murderer," and I couldn't agree with you more about McCain. But to suggest in one swoop that Obama is cut from the same cloth is ludicrous. In no way am I suggesting Obama is perfect or will solve everything, but he's unlikely to throw us into a war against Iran, for instance, and his running mate, if he should assume the helm, will not seek to overturn Roe v. Wade and put us on a track back to the Medieval era.

As a woman, I see a world of difference between the candidates, their choices, and theire stances on issues. As someone concerned for the enviroment, I see a world of difference between someone who is adamantly for alternative energy and someone who has voted repeatedly against it. The list of differences is long. And in the last two elections, those who felt the same way as you--that both candidates were the same and what difference did it make, helped put the monster in office (even factoring out the fraudulent election returns). John Kerry and Al Gore are completely different animals than Bush-and-Cheney, who joined at the hip in their vile pursuits.

Frankly, unapologetically, I cannot wait for tonight's VP debate.

by Tumerica (14 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 43 comments) on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 10:19:55 AM
 


retired mfg plant maintenance mgr.
vthomretired mfg plant maintenance mgr.

functional stupidity

My once-former spouse to-be was better looking, stacked, and pinned, and just as good at kaffeeklatch. Very smart, but the brain got in its own way, rendering her functionally stupid. Usually, I don't think about it and avoid being reminded. I know one when I see one and Palin is a clone.

Get her outa here! I get so excited that sometimes I can't even spell STOOPUD!

by vthom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 47 comments) on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 11:26:43 AM
 


Tumerica is a freelance nonfiction writer whose essays on social injustice have appeared in area newspapers. She regularly blogs on progressive political issues, food, and beauty. She writes book reviews of non-fiction books, as well as writing articles on writing for other writers. Tumerica is a published poet, with her works appearing in literary magazines and anthologies. Tumerica is also a fanatic foodie who is currently working on a cookbook.
TumericaTumerica is a freelance nonfiction writer whose essays on social injustice have appeared in area newspapers. She regularly blogs on progressive political issues, food, and beauty. She writes book reviews of non-fiction books, as well as writing articles on writing for other writers. Tumerica is a published poet, with her works appearing in literary magazines and anthologies. Tumerica is also a fanatic foodie who is currently working on a cookbook.

Palin as Functionally Stupid

I know what you mean about functionally stupid, although I never could have conceived of the idea until I got a stomach full of it with Bush. Not low-IQ or utterly ignorant exactly, but perhaps unable to think in terms of specifics. Locked into a generalities-only schema. Functional stupidity is a sort of banality of fuzzy thinking that also swirled around the German leaders of WWII--they stuck to generalities and were able to get away with all manner of atrocities. Generalities are so big, so uncreative, so brain-warped, that they can be an excuse for anything.

I see Palin as a throw-back--judging from the generalities she has spewed--to a time when women had no choice, when there was plenty of unspoiled environment to desecrate at will, to a mythical land where humans and dinosaurs and Creationists all lived in nice little caves together, and homosexuals were simply people who were confused.

Frankly, I could not be more afraid of a Palin presidency, since McCain has unrevealed medical ailments and is the oldest presidential candidate in history, the idea is not that farfetched. I am also afriad of those voters who actually support Palin, as though it's a good thing to be Medieval, uninformed, and damned proud of it. How did we get to this point of honoring functional stupidity?

by Tumerica (14 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 43 comments) on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 11:48:28 AM
 


retired mfg plant maintenance mgr.
vthomretired mfg plant maintenance mgr.

Tumerica

I'm glad you're tuned-in here. As a professional writer, would you be any good at diagramming serial run-on sentences like I've just heard on TV?

by vthom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 47 comments) on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 9:46:31 PM
 


I am a Vietnam Vet disabled by MS and other various diseases.  On average I am a Moderate with slight Conservative leanings although it truly depends on what issue I am concerned with at the time.
Hayesml47I am a Vietnam Vet disabled by MS and other various diseases.  On average I am a Moderate with slight Conservative leanings although it truly depends on what issue I am concerned with at the time.

Palin, a debater?

Maybe if she can remove worms from fishing hooks!   The only way she can even begin to sound like she even understands questions is if she has had the questions previous to the interview.  The Couric interview certainly proved that.   The McCain-Palin ticket has Mr flip-flop and Ms clueless.   What a combination for a political party.   If these two are somehow elected I will be very surprised if this country makes it to 2010.   I am beginning to look for another country to move to just in case this horror story comes to be true.

by Hayesml47 (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 514 comments) on Friday, October 3, 2008 at 8:01:08 AM
 

 

6 comments

 
Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/opednews/public_html/populum/database.inc.php on line 48

Blog Ads

 

 

 

 

Most Popular Articles
in the Last 2 Days
(by Recommend Emails)

Breaking The Real "Last Taboo" - The Things No One Dares To Say by Frank Schaeffer

John S. Greenway by AJ Buttacavoli

Who is Black America's Moral Emissary to the World? by Glen Ford

Cancer Full Moon January 10-11 2009 by Cathy Lynn Pagano

Bill Richardson - Kissinger-American by Greg Palast

Unlawful Assembly by David Swanson

Boot Bush on 19th by David Swanson

Will There Be a Recovery? by Paul Craig Roberts

The End of Capitalism? Not quite, but nearly.... by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

Amnesty vs. AIPAC: Senate to Consider AIPAC Resolution Endorsing War in Gaza by Robert Naiman

Go To Top 50 Most Popular

 

 


Copyright © OpEdNews, 2002-2009