Last night's vice-presidential debate in St. Louis didn't resolve anything, really, nor did it supply us with answers we didn't have. Still, it was an intriguing event.
Gov. Sarah Palin, in the wake of disastrous interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, was cast the role of political tourniquet. Fortunately for the GOP, the Gov. Palin who showed up for this debate was confident and well-prepared.She didn't attempt to undo her running mate's missteps over the last ten days, nor did she try to erase our memory of her own bubble-headed answers to softball questions. She stood firm and assured, representing her ticket's positions with conviction -- that is, she did what she had to do.
At his core, Sen. Joe Biden is still that smart-ass kid from Scranton, born with a razor wit and brains to match, but on the national stage he's been prone to Olympian gaffes and fits of inappropriate candor. He managed to suppress that part of his personality and concentrated on showcasing his knowledge and experience.
Like Gov. Palin, and with aplomb, Sen. Biden did exactly what he had to do.
Because I come from an independent and undecided perspective, and because I've coached people for similar public appearances, I watched this debate differently than most Americans. Unencumbered by party, ideology or affinity, I looked at Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden fundamentally as debaters and, thinking critically, as prospective occupants of the Oval Office (which is the point of the audition).
Emerging from three days of intense preparation in Sedona, Gov. Palin showed herself to be an excellent student -- she did as she was told. From her opening statement and throughout the debate, however, it was clear that all that coaching was imposed on her. She was positively mechanical.
In terms of substance, she drew reflexively (and obviously) on talking points and not from a reservoir of understanding. More than once she steered away from answering a question and, skirting the brink of non sequitur, toward a more comfortable subject.
Apparently Gov. Palin was advised to lean heavily on her "folksy" persona -- but she came across less like "Jo Sixpack" and more like Barney Fife in drag.
(I fully expected to hear a "dag nabbit" at some point. I got a "doggone it" instead. And what the hell is up with all the winking?)
I'm sure that Gov. Palin really is a "down-to-earth gal," but last night her folksiness seemed programmed -- which it was, of course. The problem was that it showed.
It's certain that Sen. Biden underwent his own pre-debate immersion therapy, but given his experience, he didn't need to be coached on substance. He was advised about what to say (and what not to say), along with matters of style, and then turned loose.
Sen. Biden tends to be verbose, and that got him into trouble when he engaged in unnecessary rebuttals, three situations that begged for him to "just shut up." The mistakes weren't fatal and he did make his points -- they were just points that didn't need making.
That aside, and in stark contrast to his Republican counterpart, Sen. Biden looked comfortable, confident and genuine without appearing programmed. While I disagree with many of his policies and positions, I can say that Sen. Biden gave a brilliant performance. In my opinion, speaking as a communications professional, it was among the best I've ever seen.
I watched the entire debate on CNN, and again the network displayed real-time reactions of undecided voters. (Those "dial testers," by the way, were in the hands of 30 of my neighbors, just up the road from my home.) This time, instead of tracking by party affiliation, the scrolling lines followed the responses of men versus those of women. Beyond the gender differences we'd expect, it was interesting to watch what did and didn't work for each candidate.
Whenever Sen. Biden engaged in "Senate-speak" or otherwise got wordy, reactions fell flat; when he went negative on the Republican ticket, those undecided Ohio voters responded in-kind, although not drastically. His high marks appeared to be higher and more sustained than Gov. Palin's, and his lows were relatively brief and less precipitous.
Most surprising was how often Gov. Palin's answers, even on hot-button conservative issues, barely budged the graphs. When she attacked or went aw-shucks on us, reactions went down sharply; even invoking the word "maverick" (six times) met with negative responses. Fascinating.
After 90 minutes, and in my view, Gov. Palin had salvaged her reputation and slowed the bleeding -- she stopped dragging down the ticket (until her next encounter with the mainstream media, anyway). Sen. Biden, on the other hand, demonstrated that he's more knowledgeable, more competent and better suited for the job of President of the United States -- in a walk.
