Veep Debate

So, the candidates' debate for the VP job is over.

How'd they do?

Both did better than expected. Palin's expectations were so low that 84% of the people who watched said she did better than expected.

Who won?

Biden, hands down.

He looked more presidential. Somebody who knew his stuff, laid out specifics, and had command of his facts and figures.

Palin looked like the girl included on the debate team at the last moment because they needed a girl. She had crammed to pass the exam, and sounded like it. When she didn't know something, her coaches must have told her, do not wing it -- skip the question and talk about something else. Smile, give 'em a lot of the aw-shucks-gee-I'm-just-down-home-folks-like-you and wave the flag. She did that a lot. People liked it.

People liked it when George Bush did it, too.

Overall, Biden helped his principal. He connected McCain to the failing economy, put him in lock-step with Bush, and showed real emotion in a couple of places that made him likable. That was his job.

Palin's main job was not to screw up too badly, and she did that. I don't think she moved big numbers of the Independent swing voters, and she didn't convince any Democrats to switch parties that I could tell. Probably the most telling mistake was when she said that McCain wouldn't have to cut back on his plans due to the current economic crisis, which was and is simply not true. Whoever gets the job is going in with that albatross around his neck. (The just-plain-folks out there know that if you are in debt up to your eyeballs, getting a big new house is gonna cost money you can't get.)

If you liked Palin going in -- she's perky and as long as she doesn't talk about anything of substance, she's a cute Caribou Barbie -- you'll still like her. If you were going to vote for the D's, Biden didn't say anything to scare you away.