First, a “what’s up” to the Elizabethtown College non-fiction class I spoke to this afternoon. Welcome fellow Blue Jays to The Nest.
Can’t resist a plug for the alma mater.
Second, let’s go over a few things to watch for in tonight’s debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, our veep nominees.
How much Biden talks about Palin
Not a whole lot is my guess. The national focus right now is on the economy, and John McCain is failing to sell his message to the electorate. That’s code for a troubled campaign, and Biden can help put more distance between Barack Obama, the frontrunner, and McCain by keeping the focuse on McCain.
Palin is a political upstart on the national scene. She’s already obtained a high-profile, but there’s no need for Biden to elevate it even more. And one of the intriguing elements heading into this debate is whether Biden, a seasoned pol with the knack for speaking his mind, will slam the Alaska governor, but that comes with a great risk of condescension and sexism on Biden’s part. Better to focus on McCain. Don’t be a bully.
I’m qualified!
We’re going to hear a few things about Wasilla and Anchorage, I think. Palin is in need of a reintroduction on the national stage after stumbling through the CBS interviews. Polls show confidence in her is not high, so I think Palin is going to use the national stage to show off her executive branch credentials. She balanced a $10 billion budget. She lowered spending. She took on corrupt politicians in Alaska. Anything to get her narrative back on track because it’s veered off at the Katie Couric’s Dead Campaign Curve.
Misdirection
All the media can digest right now is the economy. Not surprising since more than half of all registered voters consider it the top issue, and those voters prefer Obama to McCain. As some conservatives have noted, McCain has no narrative on what to do with the economy, but he does have a lot of mojo on the national security issue. Watch to see if Palin tries to shift some answers away from the economy and toward national security.
The heat is on
All the things which have been said about the candidates - Biden’s penchant for gaffes, Palin’s inability to speak intelligently about complicated issues - trust me, the candidates know all of that. And for at least the last week, probably longer, they’ve been working on avoiding the character flaws which characterize their candidacies. What will be telling about both of them is how well they handle themselves and the issues when the debate starts to really cook, when hard questions start flying from the moderator, when one or both takes a swipe at the other. If there’s a slip, it will be in one of those moments. Watch their temperment, facial ticks, body language.
Will Gil Smart blow a gasket?
If I couldn’t be here in the newsroom watching the debate, I’d be reading Gil Smart’s live blog of the event. Says he’s got a six pack of beer and even a Palin Bingo Card, whatever that is. If you’re conservative, reading the blog might make your blood boil. If you’re a left-leaning type, you may find yourself vindicated. Either way, Smart’s blog oughta be entertaining, infuriating and insightful.
