Biden put in a good performance, and won this debate. He generally managed to keep a leash on his monologues, though that didn’t always translate into succinct points. But he came across as intelligent, compassionate and experienced. Obama won’t be worried.
Palin was clearly extremely nervous at the start, and simply recited memorised points by rote, regardless of whether or not they were related to the question. She also turned on the insufferable ‘folksy charm’ in the opening half hour in a way that seemed very manufactured. But she didn’t screw it up, and proved that she could in fact speak in full English sentences. She gained confidence as she went on, though the recitation of memorised lines was clear throughout.
No real gaffes from either party, though there was a slightly scary moment towards the end when it looked like Biden had finally lost his patience with Palin. He pulled it back, though, and really came into his own towards the end. The candidates were friendlier towards each other than Obama and McCain, doubtless aiming to avoid the ‘eye contact’ ‘controversy’ of last Friday.
CNN’s test groups (represented by a green line for male viewers, and an orange line for female viewers) seemed to favour Biden fairly consistently, and were more intermittently favourable towards Palin. She dropped a fair bit on Iraq. Both candidates seemed to do better with women.
The end result? This vice-presidential debate was, most likely, as irrelevant as they always are. Neither candidate screwed it up, and that was all they could really have done to change things. But it was more interesting than last Friday’s, and I have to admit I’d rather listen to Biden talk than either Obama or McCain. We’ll see what CNN thinks. (They mainly follow my lead.)
