Grim News

…but beyond that, I can’t promise anything.

Last night represented a first for me.  I parked my ass on the couch with my wife and watched a Vice Presidential debate in HD.  Normally, such attention is reserved for weekend football games and Jeopardy, those being about the only two things my wife and I agree on with respect to the idiot box.

I was about to witness a complete and total meltdown on live television, and there was nothing the McCain camp, or Palin’s “handlers” could do about it.  Imagine if Captain Smith saw the iceberg on “over the horizon” radar, and still sailed the Titanic right into that sucker.  This was going to be the best television since Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction”.

So it shouldn’t be a complete surprise that I was slightly disappointed with the debate itself.  Make no mistake, Biden’s “shit eating grin” spoke volumes about Palin’s babbling also rambling and did I mention that McCain is a maverick too, also, stumbling bumbling approach to the debate… also. (had to throw that last one in there to tie the whole sentence together, otherwise it might not have made sense)  Palin is the only candidate I’ve ever seen who can answer a question on foreign policy with a statement on her energy policy while governor of Alaska.  In fact, it seems like she answered EVERY question with a statement on her energy policy while governor of Alaska.

As for her delivery, can we give the hockey mom thing a rest?  I played hockey for a short time, which means technically my mom is a “hockey mom” too.  If she had talked like that around our house when I was a kid, we’d have had her locked up for being mentally incompetent. (let’s throw in one more “also” for good measure)  The constant winking at the camera and ham-handed cribbing from Ronald Reagan’s debate with Jimmy Carter in 1980 came across as fake instead of genuine and warm which is what made that approach so effective for Reagan in the first place.  (in fact, you can see a clip from that debate elsewhere on this very website)

What actually impressed me was Senator Biden’s performance.  I knew very little about Joe Biden aside from the fact that he had failed in the Democratic primaries twice, lead the Democratic lynching party against Robert Bork, and was considered someone who couldn’t keep his mouth shut at times. (my kind of guy, now that I think about it…)  I thought his approach was understated, yet more effective for that.  Instead of tearing into Palin’s rambling approach with a stream of soundbites and pithy comebacks, he either responded with the facts to correct her statements (effective) or threw a dazzling shit-eating grin into the camera as if to say “You don’t need ME to tell you she’s full of shit”.  Both he and Barack Obama appeared relaxed and ready to handle the pressure of a debate on live television.  McCain and Palin appeared nervous, uncomfortable, and unwilling to answer the questions asked of them.  It was Kennedy v Nixon all over again in vibrant HD color goodness.

What really got me, and I think this was the clincher, was Biden’s emotional response to dealing with family issues.  When Palin slid so easily into her “hockey mom” routine, Biden came back with a simple, yet emotionally powerful statement.

“Look, I understand what it’s like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it’s like as a parent to wonder what it’s like if your kid’s going to make it.

I understand what it’s like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, “I’ve got to leave, champ, because there’s no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we’ll bring you down.”

I understand what it’s like. I’m much better off than almost all Americans now. I get a good salary with the United States Senate. I live in a beautiful house that’s my total investment that I have. So I — I am much better off now.

But the notion that somehow, because I’m a man, I don’t know what it’s like to raise two kids alone, I don’t know what it’s like to have a child you’re not sure is going to — is going to make it — I understand.

I understand, as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it’s like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They’re looking for help. They’re looking for help. They’re not looking for more of the same.”

Who would have ever thought that a 36-year Senator would “get it” more than a self-professed “hockey mom” who’s entire image screams “Mom, apple pie, and baseball hockey”?  I don’t care how much you rehearse before a debate, or how much you cram, if your message is wrong then the preparation is worthless.  Obama and Biden stayed on their message, a message that resonates with the voters.

Sarah Palin came across as “one of us” in the debate last night, and no doubt the McCain campaign considers that “Mission Accomplished”.  The problem is, we don’t want “one of us” in the White House.  We want someone who is more prepared and more informed than we are to make the decisions.  It is too much to hope for to ask for someone smarter than us, or better than us, but at least give us someone that we can look in the eye and come away with the confidence that they can get the job done.  Palin should be running a boutique in a shopping mall somewhere, not one heartbeat away from Air Force One.