I just watched the Biden - Palin "debate." Governor Palin succeeded by not failing. Biden succeeded by not putting his foot in his mouth. The rest of us were losers. Like the Presidential debate, we learned little, and everyone will see the "winner" in terms of his or her own preferences. Probably the main outcome will be that the Palin-induced hemorrhaging in the McCain campaign is staunched. McCain's economy-induced free fall is likely to continue, since Dishonest John's only response seems to be to jump on his horse and ride madly off in all directions. Congress's reaction seems to have been to bend over and let the bankers do what they want. Unfortunately they are also doing it to the rest of us.
Once again, the result will be divisive and polarizing. This is the most important Presidential election in my lifetime but it hasn't been an inspiring one.
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So, I watched both sets of debaters and have a question.
Does McCain have a medical reason why he blinks so much, or is he actually lying the whole time he speaks? Everybody knows what all that blinking may mean. Perhaps he likes Palin because she can keep her eyes open while she spews.
Sorry...that really was a serious question.
The blinking is from rage. The man rages a lot. He spent five and a half years stewing in his own juices as a POW, so he's had a lot of practice.
His rage has a tell. When he's not raging, he's cracking mean-spirited jokes. Otherwise, he's raging.
the VP debate was stunning. Palin did a decent job faking about 20% of the questions and didn't even bother answering the other 80%.
i couldn't help thinking of the end of the movie Billy Madison, when the debate moderator says to Adam Sandler, "Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Palin obviously was reading her responses from text -- and people are trying to find out if the text was a set of prompt cards, her blackberry, or both. She looked down before responding each time, and then began to read. Only when she got through the main body of the response did she look up and give a more extemporaneous delivery.
At one point I was sure she had received a text message -- her eyes widened, and her affect changed - and it was not in response to what Biden was saying. And the 'waving the white flag' comment looked as though it was prompted -- and that she really liked the suggestion. (My professional training is in clinical interviewing.)
I suspect that the breakthrough that was supposed to have happened two days prior to the debate, as the McCain camp announced, was that a decision was made to give her prompt card/blackberry text. She was a sportsreader -- so speaking from text is what she can do well. The statement that she would not always answer a question was to cover her lack of a promptcard as well as to allow her to steer away from questions she did not want to answer.
Does anyone know where the rules for the debate are written? And if the rules precluded reading from text?
In the end, the prompting -- though unethical -- doesn't really matter, because even the right wing press concedes that Biden did much better -- that she managed only to get her quippy Barbie doll personality back.
Look at the PBS site for an answer to your question CC.
Amazing ... . You will see and hear exactly what you are looking for. It's a universal principle, but I wouldn't expect anyone buried by their intellect to recognize such.
Jeez, Lea, don't you ever get tired of being a troll or are they paying you so much you can't do something worthwhile. "Look at the PBS site" - well duh. If I had found a list of rules on PBS, why would I be asking?
Geez CC, I'm not a troll. SIMPLE to understand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate
Lea -
1. Neither of those links is to PBS.
2. Neither gives the rules of the just passed Veep debate.
It's my understanding that each debate has it's own specific rules, depending upon agreement of the two parties after negotiations. Obviously, each side wants a format that will show its candidtae in their best light and neither side wants to take a risk. It should come as no surprise that they are generally forgettable and little exciting ever happens...that's the way the candidates want it.
Correct Dave S. Just showing that there are sources for finding information and the wikipedia does have external links.
Agree with you that's the way the candidates want it