The VP Debate

My original plan was to blog live about the debates. However, instead I went running and had a nice dinner with Erin in Hillcrest, with the intention of coming home to dvr/live blog about the debate. However, I found writing while watching to be distracting, and to be honest, there isn't that much to say about the debate. If you watched it yourself and read or watched some commentary afterward then you probably know everything I would have to say.

However, I feel a responsibility to satisfy the Left Schu fan's insatiable need for more commentary from pro-Obama bloggers. So, I've decided to open a Coke Zero, get the caffeine flowing and do some writing. Instead of a complete recap and thoughtful analysis, I'll share my general thoughts and then a few interesting notes that I jotted down while watching.

Overall, the debate didn't change my opinion at all. I have to admit that I was disappointed that Palin didn't do something so stupid that it would immediately end the McCain/Palin ticket. With that said, just because she managed to stick to her talking points isn't going to turn the tide of this election. I think the Obama campaign has effectively shown that they have better plans for the economy, foreign affairs and energy and that will win the voters over (and it already has).

As for Biden, I like him. In fact, I can't think of anyone right now I'd rather have be the VP. He seems smart (I thought he handily won the debate if you judged on substance), I agree with his policies, and he doesn't outwardly show the sleazy side of most politicians. Want an amazing Joe Biden fact? His net worth is only $150,000 (link). That is tiny compared to most senators. Considering I know he's smart and he probably has had chances to cash out, I find something refreshing about this. In some ways I think it shows he walks the walk when it comes to trying to keep his pulse on America - or he's done a great job fooling me.

Other interesting things from the debate...

• Watched on PBS. I've heard that CNN has some gimmicks with meters of undecided voters giving you constant feedback. Is that really necessary? Shouldn't the point of a debate be to watch for yourself and decide. It's fine to look at it later when you analyze, but what a distraction during the debate.
  
• On the other hand, I do have an incredible idea for PBS. Since the candidates never answer the question immediately I always forget what was asked in the first place. How about having a graphic with the actual question at the bottom of the screen. I think this would do for debate watching what the First Down Line did for football.
• When Palin came on Erin said "She must be nervous." I replied, "C'mon, she was mayor of Wasilla, I'm sure she'll be fine."
• Everytime Palin would say something that I disagreed with I would say outloud why she was wrong. And then Biden would respond to her with the same thing I said. I'm not sure if this means that great minds think alike, or if I've been brainwashed with Democratic talking points. I pray it's the first option.
• The format sucked. I wish the candidates could have engaged each other more like in the first presidential debate. And this totally favored Palin. So far she has not had a press conference with the media. This is PATHETIC. If you can't see through that then you need to open your eyes.
  
• I kept track, it was 7 minutes into the debate when I first flipped out at how much Palin drove me crazy. One other person does that to me - George W Bush. Not a good sign.
• The best example of why Palin drives me nuts is her answer on whether global warming is a problem. She said it was, but it doesn't matter why it's happening (i.e. she doesn't want to blame humans for it). First this is ignorant. Secondly, how can the cause of global warning not matter! How can the problem be solved if we don't know what is wrong!!!! OK, I'm too fired up, I need to pause for a minute.
• Whenever one of the candidates attacks the other voting X times for issue Y, I never know what to make of it. There are too many weird voting rules in the house and senate to put much stake in it. It's hard to accurately define someone's voting history in one sentence like that.
• I wish Obama/Biden supported gay marriage. In 50 years people will look back on America as being wrong about that issue.
• The debates should probably only be an hour long (not 90 minutes). In fact, I just came up with a new theory. Everything that is longer that one hour would probably be better if it was cut down to fit in 60 minutes. We'll call it the "Evan hates long meetings" theory. I'm totally serious about this.
  
• I'm pretty sure Sarah Palin winked at me during the debate. If I was twenty years older or she was twenty years younger I'd still never date her.
• One of the best parts of the debates was the question about the powers of the VP. I totally agree with Biden that how Cheney has defined the Vice Presidency is an abomination. And of course, Palin supported Cheney's view.

Well, that is way more than I thought I'd write. And I only had half a Coke!

To summarize my night, it was definitely a good idea to go running and have dinner out with Erin rather than just watch the debate and blog.