Jill's Blog Thoughts: Did Joe Biden win the VP debate?

You Betcha.

Although, when playing the expectations game you never know. Some claim that Sarah Palin "held her own" just by showing up.

As I was thinking about putting together a blog entry about the debate, I found that I had nothing really new to say. So this entry will have some of my thoughts along with some of my favorite remarks, news coverage, quotes, and funny jokes that I have found over the last few days.

I do want to focus on three things about Sarah Palin's debate performance (and I mean performance) that really frustrated me - but did not surprise me.

She did not answer all of the questions

Palin made it clear that she had things that she wanted to talk about, and things that she didn't want to talk about. Throughout the debate she veered off topic to make the points she wanted to make. At one point she even acknowledged it:

"And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."

This is such BS - and it is nauseating to hear her say it over and over again. On Fox News, one of the only places she will actually do interviews, she claimed that she was annoyed at Katie Couric for not asking the right kind of questions during their interview:

"So I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that's also an indication of being outside the Washington elite, outside of the media elite also. I just wanted to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."

If she really wanted the public to get to know her she would ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS, not just focus on talking points that have been ingrained into her head. She has proven that she is unable answer real voters' questions the by few times she has attempted to do so.

The next day McCain had to retract her statement, which actually supported Obama's stance on strikes against terrorists in Pakistan.

"She would not…she understands and has stated repeatedly that we're not going to do anything except in America's national security interest. In all due respect, people going around and… sticking a microphone while conversations are being held, and then all of a sudden that's—that's a person's position… This is a free country, but I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitve policy statement made by Governor Palin."

Again, this is proof that she has shown an inability to communicate with the public about herself and where she stands on the issues - mostly because she doesn't know. The only time she shines is when she is in front of a teleprompter that is feeding her lines. When she goes off script it all falls apart. How is the public supposed to feel like they are getting to know her or feel like she is "talking straight" to them when all she has ever shown us is a list of talking points?

This brings me to the second thing about her performance that frustrated me:

Her complete reliance on talking points

In a fantastic, and very blunt article in the Huffington Post, Robert Shurm said:

"Palin relied on topline phrases and had little command of facts. Why, she even memorized the name of the President of Iran. But it was mostly blah, blah, blah. At the end, the Obama-Biden ticket is far ahead on the big issues -- and Palin's a parrot repeating memorized phrases, not a plausible vice-president."

She made it painfully obvious that she was relying on memorized talking points. This is why she tried to change the subject to taxes THREE times in a row, and tried to shift the discussion to energy (her so-called "strong point") whenever she had the chance. These were the areas she had talking points for, these were her fall-back safe topics.

I am sure that her advisers told her to let her personalty show, but even that was scripted. As she shook Joe Biden's hand at the beginning of the debate she asked him if she could call him Joe. Then, later in the night, she delivered a cute little rhyming line.

"Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again."

Coincidence? Very doubtful. Everything about her answers were scripted including the way she spoke. Which finally brings me to my third frustration:

Her folksy talk and eye-winking were obviously scripted and fake

Seriously? Eye-winking? Is selling us used cars, or a set of cooking knifes? I understand that Sarah Palin does have a folksy way of talking, but the way she rolled out old favorites like "joe six-pack" and "hokey mom" and sent a "shout-out" to a third grade class made it clear that she was hamming it up for the cameras. The reason she plays these things up is to appear more in touch with the people. She wants people to see her as compassionate and understanding of the problems they are facing. But the way she responded after Joe Biden choked up a bit while talking about his family hardships showed that she isn't really as compassionate as she likes to portray herself.

She just moves right on and doesn't even acknowledge what Joe Biden just said. She went on to the the next talking point and took it as yet another opportunity to say Maverick. Rachel Maddow summed it up perfectly on her show while talking about the political importance of folksiness.

"I'm sorry, but that moment spoils every other attempt to make me believe all the 'aww shucks, I'm just a regular nice lady' business. The political importance of folksiness - it's not just style. It is supposed to be a measure of authenticity, of real human connectedness and sensitivity. One harsh show of callousness can undo many hours under the light saying doggone."

Now, just for fun, here are some funny take-aways from the debate - starting with the SNL debate sketch.