A not-debate by any other name...

[fictional]

Oh, Canada. I envy you. When y'all have debates, they actually, you know, appear to be debates. Like (more than two!) people sitting around talking. It sounds nice...

In addition, hello Sen. Biden. Just about the time you zinged Gov. Palin about the Road to Nowhere, I forgave you for the Rave Act. What's more, hofnarr did too, and that's saying something. You were great. Also, see what I did there? What's wrong with Mr. Biden? Mr. McCain? Why must we remove all civility and etiquette from this process? WHY? This isn't a barn raising. It's a presidential election. (Granted, the distinction is becoming less and less clear, and thanks for that, Republicans!) I also notice that despite the plethora of "Baracks" and "Johns" and "Joes" - there remained not one single Sarah. What, she's a woman, so gets to retain the courtesy of her title? WTF?

I thought Biden did an excellent job. Much of the time, it seemed like Sarah Palin wasn't even there. He had bigger fish to fry, and I think he fried them. I thought the notes on gay marriage were powerful, and incidentally I loved that he slipped first and called it marriage, when he first said he was for it, and only later in the answer amended it. That slip actually gave me hope, much like the part where he said they supported nuclear energy. It's sad that Dems. can't win an election talking about nuclear energy, because environmentalists (naive ones) hear nuclear, and go crazy. Anyway, those two moments really gave me hope that underneath all the pacifying rhetoric, the Obama/Biden ticket might... for lack of a better term, be on the side of the angels. Which is nice. Biden's affect in the gay marriage moment was great too. "Marriage is between you and your religious leader. If your pastor/rabbi/priest/mullah/holy kumquat won't marry you, I'm sorry but it's none of my business. But there's a justice of the peace who will. WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS AGAIN?" And it's so nice to know that Mrs. Palin tolerates me. And some of her best friends are gay. Thanks. That and two dollars'll get me on the subway. Also so disingenously saying that she & McCain won't take away rights that haven't been granted yet. Fuck you. Incidentally, have read several newspaper accounts of the whole thing, and got several different versions: Sen. Biden unequivocally endorsed gay rights; Gov. Palin didn't, vs. neither Sen. Biden nor Gov. Palin support gay marriage and all the varying permutations in between.

I also thought Palin bringing up Biden's wife was one of the tackiest things I've ever seen. Really charming there. But his slam at the end about single fathers - yeah, you don't get to play that card with this guy, Mrs. Palin.

I wish however, that re: healthcare, the Obama/Biden side would stop giving so many numbers. I mean, I like the numbers, but I already know who I'm voting for. Is it so hard to say: in McCain's tax plan, he wants to tax medical benefits. He wants to tax you when you have go to the hospital. I think that would give people pause.

In the end, Palin had five answers memorized, and insisted on giving them over and over, when they had nothing to do with the questions. (Nice zing to Katie Couric by the way, Mrs. Palin. That's it, blame the interviewer for the filter of showing you looking like an uneducated yokel. Nice!) Some news sites are calling this a draw, because she didn't fall on her face. This particular gauge of success is so alarming to me, I don't even know what to say, except that it's humiliating for both my country and gender. On the other hand, you'd think I'd be used to that by now.

Comments

[guinness-duck.livejournal.com]

My problem with this debate, and pretty much any debate over the past few elections is that there are almost no voters who are "on the fence". I think it would be hard to go out there and find someone who says "I'm not sure who I'm voting for." You might get a lot of "I don't know if I'm going to bother to vote." The country has become so polarized that even if a candidate from the side you traditionally vote against came forth we great ideas that you could really get behind, in todays political climate most people still wouldn't vote for that person because they are the other side.. the enemy. It's one of the many curses of a two party system - it breeds an us versus them air. Sadly, most of the recent political candidates haven't done anything to improve upon it, or really given anyone any reason to feel any different. So it's hard for me to have much interest in the debates as a lot of it is just preaching to the choir as it were.

All I can hope anymore is we can go another 4 years without blowing ourselves up.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I watched maybe an hour of my debate, and then maybe 15 minutes of yours, and it was so weird. Is it true that they weren't even allowed to talk to each other? I mean, the round-table format of our debate is a new thing (guess they thought FIVE leaders was one too many to put at podiums), but the moderator had to speak every ten seconds to do actual, you know, moderating. Palin could not have got away with stock answers to other questions there. (And would have had four people yelling at here, but hah.)

(My secret favourite thing about our (english and french) debates is that of the five leaders, two are fluent in french and crappy in english, two are fluent in english and crappy in french, and one is perfectly bilingual. It makes for fun sentences like "Canada is a nation of talantuous people.")

[invaderwitch.livejournal.com]

Sarah Palin continues to be an embarrassment to the democratic process. I agree that it's nauseating how GOP strategists are today trying to spin her performance into a good one just because she managed not to say anything completely moronic, you know, with a script in front of her face.

ETA: Oh man, your icon is awesome. :)

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

I know! The two party system is so fucking stupid I can't even stand it! It is so void of checks and balances, and it pretty much guarantees a dogmatic and ridiculous political system that has no way to correct itself through electioneering. I'm registered Independent for that reason, but that doesn't mean much anymore.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Yeah. In the first prez. debate, Jim Leher kept sort of trying to get the two candidates to talk to each other, but it didn't work because they refused to go off script. In this one, apparently Palin wouldn't agree to that format - and I guess we see why.

Reason # 4358 why your country so kicks our country's ass. Bilinguality! (Bilingualness? Dunno. See? Even I fail at just one language.) We just get things like nukular. and EYE-ran. *wince* It's like having a second language. Only crappy.

Hear that? That's the sound of Homeland Security descending on this blog to take me away.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Your icon is pretty spectacular itself.

Aside from everything else, the winking! God.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

She kept giving answers that didn't even relate to the question. "What's something you've changed your mind about?" "We have lots of energy in Alaska!"

Her smiling and smirking and tee-heeing during Biden's answers was so annoying.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

Bilingualism. ;)

I saw some of the first pres. debate, too, and caught that moment. It was really funny! "You think I couldn't hear him?" It was like a moment from couple's counseling, or something.

To be fair, most everyone here says Eye-ran too. Just not my close friends, because one of us is Iranian, and three of the others are Indian, so can, you know, actually pronounce things from other parts of the world. :P

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

I don't even know what to say, except that it's humiliating for both my country and gender.

i would like them to scientifically prove that she is not a woman but, in fact, a paper doll.

[electro-club.livejournal.com]

I haven't had the time to read the newspaper yet (left really early to college, now I'm at work, and my paper is home waiting for me to arrive), but I did hear on the car that they did a research or something that showed 51% of the americans approved Biden against only 37% approving Pallin. Guess her magic is wearing off. And if there is something that has always sounded really stupid to me is having a candidate gaining strength out of the popularity of his vice-candidate. Were people going to vote for Pallin as president or McCain? Really, really strange thing.

Guess the problem is having only two political parties. Either ur a republican or either ur a democrat, you don't get to stay somewhere in-between or not one of those two at all. Having more options always seems more appealing to me, that covers most people's political visions. And, having more parties, candidates proposals also seem more relevant, I guess. Comes before their parties ideology. To most people, at least. But then again you don't have to vote, you do it if you feel like it. God knows I wish I didn't have to. =/ Candidates get worse by the year, at the point of, out of, I don't know, seven candidates, none being worth of my vote. Most people around here wouldn't vote if they could. I'm sick of giving my time and my vote to the suckers trying to rule my country. Its sofb after sofb, and it never gets any better. Economy, maybe; social major importance problems? No way. But anyway... I still do, try to do the best thing. Not always possible, though. =/

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I was almost as surprised by the media reponse to the Biden-Palin debate as I was by the response to the Obama-McCain debate. I'd have to conclude that everyone was so shocked by Palin's ability to form sentences that they failed to note the lack of substance.

Our debates are more than a little farcical in their own way. I agree with whoever it was in the National Post who said the highlight of the evening was when Duceppe pointed out that he'd never be PM and neither would three of the other four but they were loath to admit it.

[oddnari.livejournal.com]

So much WORD to whatever you've said. Palin continues to be unpalatable. I prefer watching the antics on SNL, instead.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

McCain would be 72 when he became president, so there's concern that Palin could end up becoming President. Which would be a nightmare for EVERYONE.

[electro-club.livejournal.com]

I know... But the thing is: then why vote for McCain at all? His campaign gained force because people were sort of thinking about voting for her. What if McCain doesn't die? There is a high probability he won't. Anyway... I just think its a weird logic.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Tina Fey for President! SRSLY. There is no appreciable difference between the caricature and the reality except Tina Few makes me laugh.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

I'd have to conclude that everyone was so shocked by Palin's ability to form sentences that they failed to note the lack of substance.

Perhaps her winking has magical deflecting powers.

All politics have a certain element of french farce these days, I suppose, but ours continue to amaze with their heights of epic proportion. I suppose the grass is always greener, etc. etc.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

The whole thing is so bizarre and based on weird marketing.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

My dad pointed out to me the other day that George Bush never made him ashamed of being a man, so I shouldn't let Sarah Palin do that to me. I grudgingly suppose he has a point. But just, gah.

But yes. Paper doll. Maybe if we set her on fire? Just a thought...

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Really, after W., I didn't think I could reach this epic level of loathing. As Buffy would say - Rock bottom. But look! Here's an even lower place!