Initial Debate Thoughts

I just finished watching the Vice Presidential debate tonight, and I have to say that Palin most definitely won this one. Granted, I'm biased, but from the initial media reactions on both the Left and the Right, it seems pretty consistent (in varying degrees, of course). I'll explain that later.

I'll do a much more thorough post in the next day or so, but here are my first thoughts.

1. Palin looked a bit nervous at the start, but warmed up pretty quickly. She was more or less freed up to conduct some pretty direct attacks, and was well in command of plenty of facts and stats that served her well. She also came across as likable, friendly, and...well...a normal person. I didn't pick up any serious flubs, though she left a couple of fat hanging curveballs alone.

2. Biden had an easy-going composure about him that made him perform well. I didn't see any noticeable condescension or snootiness, which is very good for him. He was able to hit pretty hard without looking like a jerk, which was a tough balance. Problem was, he usually struck out at McCain, so Palin's more direct attacks carried a bit more weight. I would say he avoided his normal gaffe-tastic tendencies, but I'm going to save that for some further research - I thought I caught several statements that were very misleading at the least, and perhaps even outright lies. But, I need to do some more research before I can stand by that.

In deciding who was the winner for myself, I'm looking at who appeared to be better in command of facts, numbers, and statistics, and is better able to apply them to the questions. Also, I think it's important to consider who commands the conversation, turning it to the topics they most want to cover. In that Palin certainly did better.

Overall, it was a great debate. Lots of back and forth, and some good banter. There seemed to be a high level of respect between the two candidates, with a number of compliments from both, which was nice to see. After I have some time to check out some of the statements and records, and gather a consensus of the professionals, I'll post a synopsis and some of the better opinions (probably sometime this weekend).

There's my one cent...the full two cents comes later!