Palin vs. Biden - A Debate Preview

By now, most of us know that on paper, there is no way that Palin could debate Biden and have a successful outcome. If you have watched any part of the Palin interviews with Katie Couric or Charles Gibson, you know that she is far from up to the job of Vice President, let alone President. When informed of McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate, Alaska' State Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican, said of Palin, "She's not prepared to be Governor. How can she be prepared to be Vice president or President?"

Republican/Conservative Pundits, when they are talking amongst themselves and thinking that no one is listening say things about the choice of Palin like:

Mike Murphy & Peggy Noonan: 'It's Over', (Why Not) 'Engler, Whitman... It's not going to work', 'Don't you think this Palin ticket is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson', 'I think they went for, excuse me, this political bullshit about narrative', 'cynical and gimmicky' Watch and hear Murphy and Noonan in this YouTube video.

 If the video embed doesn’t work, click this link--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg

So, what is going to happen in this debate? We've all been built up to believe that what we know to be this completely incompetent lightweight is going to get beaten up in this debate against one of the most experienced people in American politics, Senator Joe Biden. If whoever got the most answers right won a Vice Presidential or Presidential debate, this would no doubt be what happens. However, Palin's handlers have prepared her to try to play this differently. She is going to try to blend what she did at her Republican National Convention speech with how a similarly inadequate George W. Bush debated Al Gore in 2000. What do I mean?

You are going to hear plenty of meaningless, inane, or outright untrue non-answers from Palin like:

A - "I am not running President to make the press happy; I am running for the people!"

Who ever said she was running to make the press happy? The press gave her several interviews so she could introduce herself to the people. It was up to her to make those introductions good ones, or bad ones. This kind of confrontational populist rhetoric works if it comes from someone who is bright and knows how to run a country. Coming from someone like Palin, it is the equivalent of someone trying to B.S. their way through a job interview claiming they have the specific experience being sought and not directly answering any questions about it.

B - "The Democrats are going to raise your taxes"

They're not; it is already documented that 95% of the people in the United States will not see higher taxes. Only the top 5%, those making over $250,000 per year will see a tax increase under an Obama administration, and the vast majority of Americans will see a tax cut under Obama. That will not stop Palin from lying and making this claim.

C - "The Democrats are going to appease XYZ countries and/or their leaders"

Standard GOP rhetoric from the past 30 years against any foreign policy they don’t like.

D - "It's fuzzy math"

Or a 2008 variant. Any kind of statement that is in response to economic facts and figures that does not directly address those figures.

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