On Thursday, there was unprecedented buzz concerning the vice-presidential debates. In light of the abysmal interview, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) gave with CBS's Katie Couric, no one was expecting much of her. Republicans were anxious to see a performance that would put former Vice President Dan Quayle's now-infamous potato incident to shame. Democrats couldn't wait to see Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) tear the Alaskan hockey mom to shreds.
The beginning of the debate was a bit dry, with Biden sounding monotone and unexcited compared to the energetic yet uninspiring governor. But as both candidates gained momentum, Biden pulled ahead by a far margin. He presented himself as a coherent and experienced statesman who could identify with the American middle class and its frustration that has accumulated over the past eight years under the Bush administration. He articulated specific policy initiatives that an Obama-Biden administration would implement while aptly attacking Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and irrevocably tying his policies to those of the increasingly unpopular President George W. Bush.
Compared to Biden's clear grasp of the issues that are most important to Americans this election year, Palin absolutely failed to make headway in any significant way, except perhaps to correct Biden when he mistakenly thought that "drill, drill, drill" was the official slogan for offshore drilling when in fact it is "drill, baby, drill."
Palin did not discredit Obama or his policies; she did not present clear, concise policy prescriptions to the American people; she did not bolster McCain's deflated campaign; and she certainly did not prove that she was anything more than your average "Joe Six-Pack." Palin sounded like a broken record that was stuck on the "Republican Talking Points 2008" track. She failed to answer questions head on and was proud of it, proclaiming she would not answer the way "East-Coast liberals" wanted her to. She certainly did not show a true understanding of most of the issues discussed, especially in matters relating to foreign policy.
She cloaked her ignorance by trying to articulate a political philosophy that amounted to a heap of fragmented, random talking points in broken English. There was nothing refreshing about her performance, and she was anything but reassuring. Her voice, at times, was shaky and unsure, as she was searching for something credible to say, often reverberating back to her comfort zone. She often contradicted herself, for instance, when she talked about decreasing government regulation in the private sector while at the same time praising the new oversight attached to the bailout plan. Frighteningly, the governor seemed to agree with Vice President Dick Cheney's version of the vice presidency, showing that she was completely out of touch with the effects that Cheney's actions have had on American democracy.
In short, Palin was anything but presidential; she acted more like a cheerleader for a team that is down in the fourth quarter with five seconds left in the game. Her performance was perhaps one of the last gasps of a Republican Party that has been taken over by an elite group committed to the religious right on social issues, big corporations and Wall Street and failed policies of a neo-conservative foreign policy.
Yet the moment the cameras shifted their gaze to the warm scene of Palin and Biden's families embracing each other after the debate, the pundits across the news spectrum seemed to, incredibly, reach some sort of a consensus on her performance. Almost all the guests at CNN's news desk praised Palin's performance, mentioning that she rose to the occasion and didn't have any serious missteps. Fox News anchors were elated. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Was the bar set so low that our national media deemed Palin's performance a success? Some analysts went so far as to claim that her performance was proof for the toughest of critics that she was ready for the VP slot and implicitly, the presidency. Republicans sighed in relief not because Palin showed she was ready to take on the challenges that the next administration will have to deal with but because she was able to mask her lack of knowledge well enough to assuage the average voter's belief that she can potentially lead this nation.
This is shameful.
What I saw during Thursday's debate was a clear choice between two distinct paths that Americans can choose to take this November, and this debate, more than most of the political headlines spewed on the 24-hour news circus, made the choice more clear than ever before. It was not just a choice between specific substantive differences on issues like health care or energy policy; it was a choice of leadership, and Sarah Palin failed in every way possible to show the American people the kind of leadership they deserve and expect in times of crisis.
If I ever get the chance, I'm going to ask the governor how to spell the word potato.
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Amit Paz is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.
