October 2, 2008

Live-blogging the VP debate.

7:31, Central Time: I'm here, eating strozzapreti with burned tomato sauce, counting the last few minutes before the grand showdown.

7:39: Strozzapreti? "Priest choker"!

7:55: Are you going to watch on CNN, with the uncommitted viewers' reaction lines undulating at the bottom of the screen? Wow. That's crazy! I can't tolerate that distraction, and the "persuadable" voters they've assembled are... not people I feel like monitoring on a real-time basis.

7:58: What are you looking for, mainly? Honestly, I'm mainly looking to see if Sarah Palin can sound reasonably competent.

8:02: The 2 candidates stride out, both dressed in black. "Hey, can I call you Joe?" we hear Sarah say. Palin looks tiny behind her lectern. She's behind her lectern there, and here's where I am, chez Althouse:

DSC09497

8:06: Palin's flag pin is way bigger than Biden's. Biden has a brown dot on his forehead. Palin refers to "the fundamental" of our economy. She's speaking too quickly, sounding nervous.

8:09: Whose fault is the sub-prime mortgage meltdown? Palin says the moneylenders have taken advantage of people, and she mentions "hockey moms" a second time. Biden blames Republican deregulation. Biden's forehead wrinkles only way over on the side, while the whole center is smooth and flat. What do you think? Botox?

8:13: Palin says she might not answer the questions the way the monitor wants, but she's going to talk straight to the American people. She reveals her overarching strategy. And I note that she's speaking clearly and confidently. There is no stumbling or fear, as far as I can see.

8:19: Joe Biden is going to "eliminate those wasteful spending."

8:27: I'll bet a lot of people are tuning out about now, satisfied that Palin is competent and smart, but pretty bored.

8:29: I'm reading Andrew Sullivan: "Biden is just dreadful. He speaks in Washingtonese. She just issues the soundbites and wrinkles her eyes and tells stories. And that works. The speed and chirpiness she delivers overwhelms one's ability to even quite absorb what she's saying. And it has put Biden off-stride. It's Biden who seems over-crammed." It seems to me that both of them are spewing policy (and it's getting tiresome). "Chirpiness"... I don't know, Andrew... that reads as sexist to me. Why is she overwhelming your ability to absorb what she's saying? Is she working some voodoo on you... and on Biden?

8:34: Palin said "Senator O'Biden."

8:35: Palin razzes Biden on clean coal. Is he for it or not? Biden says he's for it, and his rope-line comment was about his support for exporting clean coal technology to China. That doesn't seem to fit the text of his remark (which he claims was "taken out of context").

8:37: Biden passionately expresses support for equal treatment for same-sex couples, and Palin opposes same-sex marriage, but says that in all other ways she's completely tolerant of adults forming their own relationships. Biden then is given the opportunity to disavow gay marriage, which he eagerly does. Okaaaay.

8:40: Palin is praising the surge and insisting on victory in Iraq. "It would be a travesty if we quit now." Biden complains that she didn't state a plan. On the split screen, when Biden is speaking, Palin looks like she's brimming with ideas she's just waiting to express. When she gets her turn, she says Biden's plan is a "white flag of surrender." She reminds Biden of how much he supported McCain and how he said Obama was not ready to be President.

8:49: Biden is mugging and scratching his neck in an exaggerated way. I think he was trying to signal his objection to the things Palin was saying about Obama's willingness to sit down with Ahmadinejad.

8:51: Biden's heating up! Is he losing his temper?

8:55: At Drudge:



8:57: Well, let me ask:

Who's winning?
Palin.
Biden.
It's not about winning and losing in the debate.
Shut up! It's not over.
pollcode.com free polls


9:03: Palin enthuses over her Washington outsider status as she claims to hear Biden saying, essentially, I was for it before I was against it.

9:09: "Palin: 'Oh, man, it's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider and just not used to the way you guys operate!' And then, Biden pats down his brow. On sheer theatrics, Palin definitely won that moment." LOL. That's Jac (my son), who's also live-blogging.

9:11: "There you go again. Say it ain't so, Joe." Palin was waiting to say that. Biden's error? Linking McCain to Bush. Palin seems supercharged. The question is education, and she's praising teachers and winking at her dad in the audience.

9:13: Palin gets a big laugh saying that she and Biden made "lame jokes" back in the beginning of the debate when they avoided answering the question what they wanted to do as VP. Clearly, she's really relaxed. The end is in sight, and she knows she's done well. She's stood her ground next to Biden. She hasn't stumbled, and he's seemed a bit boring.

9:25: Asked what he's changed his opinion about, Biden says he came to realize that judicial ideology matters. (Which is why he opposed Bork.) Palin says she's never had to compromise.

9:29: We've reached the prepared closing statements. So Palin has survived... more than survived. She won, I think most people will say. Now, she's able to say she likes to do these unscripted things. She quotes Ronald Reagan (again) and mentions "freedom" (again and again).

9:31: Biden gives his closing statement. He seems like a nice man. Did he ever attack her?

9:34: Huge crowd of family on the stage.

9:36: The final poll:

It's over now, so who won?
Biden
Palin
Neither
pollcode.com free polls

POST-DEBATE: Let me highlight some comments. Stupe said...
Althouse can't just eat normal foods, she needs trendy.

She doesn't go to chain restaurants, and her cuisine needs to reflect her offbeat, edgy, urbane, t[r]endy life.
Is burning the sauce now a trend? Or do I create the trend? If so, I can't help but be trendy. Is there a strozzapreti trend? I just picked the pasta that had a shape that appealed to me. So just be yourself, Stupe, and believe it's all very trendy, and that might make you happy. Don't think about me. Or, hell, think about me until it drives you crazy.

Ruth Anne Adams said...
The hair in [Sarah Palin's] eye is bothering my husband.
Ha ha. That was bugging me too. I was distracted thinking about whether she was distracted thinking about whether it would be more distracting to disentangle her bangs from her (false?) eyelashes than to allow the bangs-eye combo to continue as a single unit.

Lisa said...
So far, she sounds smart, sane and Republican.

The left will hate her. The right will agree with her.
(Lisa said baby on a night like this...)

vbspurs said...
Does Palin have ice water in her bloodstream or is it me?

She's almost too un-nervous. It's making me nervous!
LoafingOaf said...
What a twitchy, nervous wreck Palin is!
Palladian said...
Sarah Palin's pussy is gnawing at LoafingOaf's brain again.
vbspurs said...
OOOOOOH. A little lesbian tension between Palin and Ifill just now. HAWT.
(It's late-night Althouse.)

Michael_H said...
I don't want to channel surf--anyone know the Brewers/Phillies score?
Ruth Anne Adams said...
Gwen's questions SUCK! Too complex. Easily ignored.
Trooper York said...
Phillies won 5 to 2.

Go 2 up on the series.
Michael_H said...
Ifill keeps cutting Palin off, then letting Joey Plugs run as long as he wants.
Really?

vbspurs said...
The 'Mos are getting their questions now. Surprising nod to Palin by Ifill.

I smell a skunk. Or a fish taco.
!!!

ex-prosecutor said...
If these were two lawyers, arguing, to a jury, she'd be killing him.
palladian said...
God, the only thing more boring than a Vice Presidential debate is baseball. I'd rather listen to Joseph Biden filibuster than listen to people talk about baseball. I'd rather watch "An Inconvenient Truth" 100 times than listen to people talk about baseball. SHUT UP ABOUT BASEBALL.
vbspurs said...
Nice! "Not sane or stable" about Dinner Jacket.

THE CASTRO BROTHERS. She just won Florida, que rico!!!
lem said...
Gwen went off the script to help Joe!
michael_h said...
Love the way Palin smiles as she's making notes while Joey Plugs speaks.
chip ahoy said...
No fair! They televise the back of Biden's head to show all the work was done in the front.
lawgiver said...
Cuda is landing some major body shots now. Joe's eyes are glazed, he's going downnnnnn!
john stodder said...
Palin is just so damn normal.

On TV it looks weird to be normal.
goesh said...
500+ comments - holy wow

Palin's faster pace makes her come across as very competent/intelligent, a bit smarter than Biden - she sure the heck exudes confidence - what happened to the dummy from up north???? gone, gone, gone
palladian said...
I love the milling around parts of C-SPAN broadcasts. So much better than listening to talking heads blabber.
ricpic said...
Sarah's happy.

Lefty freaks can't stand happy.

But normal human beings love happy and love Sarah.
joan said...
Karl Rove just ticked off 10 major gaffes by Joe Biden. It was hysterical.
schorsch said...
Regardless of who won, Biden's tactic failed. He was there to debate Bush and McCain, and to ignore Palin as if she wasn't worthy of his attention. She engaged him, specifically, and was therefore the only person in the debate that was actually occurring.

MORE FROM THE COMMENTS: patca said...
I am soooo relieved--and very happy. She was fabulous.

I feel like smoking a cigarette.

1,045 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   1001 – 1045 of 1045
Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...

1001 Nights?

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

shoot

Anonymous said...

The crowd starts to chant:

Althouse!

Althouse!

Althouse!

krylovite said...

Just remember guys... I stuck around to the end to help reach the 1000 mark!

blake said...

Dance, puppets! Dance!

bleeper said...

The price? Nothing more than your dignity. Nothing less than your soul. Oh, you meant prize...

Nevermind...

Chip Ahoy said...

Althouse should make her own mayonnaise to improve the egg salad. It could convert her poor opinion of egg salad.

krylovite said...

Congrats to the grumpy old dude!

Simon said...

blake said...
"his defenders point out that this thread died last night, and only an Althouse shill would continue posting in it. Your response?"

Guilty, m'lud!

Well, then again -- technically, doesn't "shill" connote being on the payroll? Dictionary.com suggests that this isn't so: although "self-interest[ or] personal profit" are considered motivations, "friendship or loyalty" can be encompassed too. On the off-chance that you only accept the more familiar definition, she did buy me an orange juice once - does that count as sufficient financial inducement?

Anonymous said...

The key to egg salad is to add tunafish.

We used to call it a Friday Sandwich in New Jersey. (As Homer would say: Milburn Deli - huhuhuhhuhuhuhuhuh)

blake said...

she did buy me an orange juice once - does that count as sufficient financial inducement?

Everybody sells themselves, son. I say, just don't be cheap about it.

Ron said...

Maybe Ann could watch a debate MST3K style! Simon, willing to be Crow T. Robot?

john said...

Rmember in high school when it was so funny to be the last guy in the assembly to clap? Well, that's what these comments are like.
















clap

bleeper said...

No, the HS thing was much funnier.

Kazi said...

I just saw a comment on another blog about 'Joetox' injections and I'm still laughing an hour later...

Larry Sheldon said...

Did anybody find out why Offile didn't ask any questions about energy, or transportation?

Peter V. Bella said...

When Biden discusses man made he is talking about his hair.

Palladian said...

"Quayle - you bet! Remember that story that floated around the leftosphere after he introduced Palin about how, like O.M.G. he's totally checking out her butt? Hell yeah he was! Him and every other red blooded male in the country!"

I didn't look at her ass. So what am I, a green-blooded male? If you say pink-blooded, you little grandma-loving ass-kisser, I'm going to belt you.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I wonder who made the most comments?

AmPowerBlog said...

Comments, comments, comments!

Robt C said...

Number 1,021. How boring is that?

integrity said...

krylovite said...
Can any of the Althouse regulars give me an estimate of the percentage of Cedarford's comments that mention Jews?



A lot of them, but I thought he was kidding.

blake said...

Number 1,021. How boring is that?

Boring? It's prime!

Hector Owen said...

Number 1,021. How boring is that?

A more interesting number would be 1024, the kilocomment. (2 to the 10th power.) This might be it!

Peter V. Bella said...

Mark said...
First Gov. to appoint a climate change sub-committee.

Why isn't Al Gore supporting her?


She is not paying him a gazillion dollars. That is the Democrat progressive way. Fuck you, pay me. They learned that from the Mafia when they elected JFK.

Nichevo said...


Blogger integrity said...

krylovite said...
Can any of the Althouse regulars give me an estimate of the percentage of Cedarford's comments that mention Jews?



A lot of them, but I thought he was kidding.


Not. F'ing. Even. Though at least you are wise to the trollish cryptoleftist interface, the odd quality that makes you think a Turing test would be close with him. For Cedarford I think the Voight-Kampf test is needed. And yet, the "north-north-west" quality.

Go demand some bio from C4, "integrity." I'd be interested to read what he replies.

Nichevo said...

Palladian, in the friendliest way possible, this is what we (I) don;t understand. Homosexuality or rather bisexuality may be expedient at times, but what is there on a woman that you don't like? Do they not smell good to you when you put your nose in the nape of their necks? Do you like girlish boys or manly men?

You are openly gay, right? I don't mean to be ruder than necessary. But SRSLY, no curiosity about her physicality at all? (Would you look at Obama's ass or say Bush's? I'm sure they're good of their kind.) I can tell you that hers is good of its kind.

Even putting aside the inner horndog, it affects her charisma. Imagine her working Zardari for Talian-chasing rights in NWFP. As his gaze travels over her trim little Valentino number, that chimp will hand her the keys to the kingdom without even knowing it. An asset. Did you watch the season premiere of "The Unit?"

Nichevo said...

Talian-chasing rights in NWFP.

//Taliban

Now, I am ashamed of that, and of my usual muckup, hitting ; for ', which I do almost too often to correct. But quizzing me for it - actually I am a snob, so I am game for it, but most people aren't and resent being picked on for small stuff. I usually try to refrain from noting these except as part of a pattern.

Is it very much different from "McClellan" vs "Kilcullen" (right?) vs "the general?" After all, we have google, wiki and spellcheck, even preview.

Apparently they both nailed Ahmadinejad, so perhaps we can put our gotchas on safe, in any case.

PogoПОССУМ said...

Победы! Victory!

Da, I have won! Again!
Number the 1000!
This One!

Because yes I have challenged the entry of many the post until this one, they are No Good!
They are the false! So now is 1000!

Thank you, my Товарищам Comrades!
Now I am the famous, no yes?

Jack Steiner said...

She was just awful. Didn't answer any questions and just babbled on. No substance, no style.

You can't fix stupid.

Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...

Дорогой товарич ПОϹСУМ!

Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...

Jack, you are absolutely right. That's why we are recycling you.

Mike Tanis said...

Althouse

and

Palin

ROCK!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Congratulations Ann. I'm proud to have play a part, and front paged too.

All right, settle down. Dont act like it's a big deal ;)

David53 said...

Can I turn out the lights now?

LoafingOaf said...

I got front-paged, too, but only because Althouse wanted to front-page Palladian trolling me with Palin's pussy.

Somewhere in these 1,000 + posts the record shows that this oaf was honest enough to admit she did a good job by debate's end! I'm truly an independent who truly does shift back and forth between the parties, so it's no big deal for me to admit these things.

LoafingOaf - the rare person on the internet who admits when he has egg on his face. I'm actually not upset that Palin didn't turn out to be the idiot she seemed in the MSM interviews. I was getting frightened by her MSM interviews. But I now see she was probably just afraid and over-handled in those interviews because she thought the interviewers were out to get her and she'd be damned no matter what she answered.

She did a lot of damage to herself and McCain by her performance in those interviews, though. Nevertheless, it's relieving to find out she could handle herself in the debate.

Some commenters had mentioned in response to her embarassing interview about Supreme Court opinions that she had just recently held press conferences attacking a Supreme Court case involving Exxon, and I guess I should've paid more attention to that and realized that when she was facing Couric she just didn't wanna say anything because she knew the interview was in bad faith.

Also, I'm sure both Biden and Palin lied plenty in last night's debate, seeing as how they're filthy politicians and all. But the lies that I noticed without the help of fact-checkers all came from Biden. Biden started to piss me off.

LoafingOaf said...

What was that thing Biden kept saying -- we spend more in 3 weeks in Iraq than 7 years in Afghanistan. Perhaps I'll have egg on my face again if that's actually true, but I believe in my gut that that has to be a complete lie.

blake said...

It is incredibly misleading. [Slate]

Jim said...

re: Biden's show of emotion

I was initially inclined to believe that Biden's "choking up" was a real emotion, but a comment on another blog got me to thinking about it. So I rewound the TiVo and watched it again and it became obvious that it was completely and utterly fake.

His response on the question was a complete non sequitor. His faux outrage that someone would dare think he didn't know about kitchen table issues because he was a man was completely out of the blue. Palin didn't cite being a woman as being especially qualifying, so why the immediate indignation and launching into the story about how his wife and child had died?

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Biden's game became pretty obvious: it was a set piece. He and his handlers assumed that Palin would at some point during the debate, cite her gender as especially qualifying on one issue or another. But she didn't, and the clock was ticking down on the debate. So he had to find some way to shoehorn this "moment" into the debate.

It reminded me of Hillary's tears in New Hampshire during the Democratic primaries and how the media claimed that it "humanized" her. I doubt that escaped the Obama campaign's notice, and that they were looking for a similar "moment" to "humanize" a guy who they knew would come off as cold and wonky compared to Palin.

Normally I would be loathe to question the authenticity of an emotional moment like this - even if it's from a guy who I know spent the last 35 years trying to knock down anyone who gets between him and a camera, but if you have it on TiVo take another look at it for yourself. I'm pretty sure you'll agree: it was fake, fake, fake...

ALSO: A couple of weeks ago, Biden got busted claiming that his wife and child were killed by a drunk driver (who has since died himself and therefore could not defend himself) when they, in fact, were not and he knows it. His wife drifted out into the intersection while turned around in the driver's seat and was hit by an oncoming truck. A tragedy to be sure, but I only bring it up to point out that faking a "choke up" moment wouldn't be the first time that he attempted to get some political mileage out of aggrandizing his wife's death.

vbspurs said...

Where da party at?

Cheers,
Victoria

vbspurs said...

My God, Reader has a bug stuck up her orifice the size of Yosesite Sam's two-shooters.

What's up baby girl?

Cheers,
Victoria

vbspurs said...

OOOH! Snap! I have my own label now, "vbspurs".

I'm honoured. The next dizzying height is to make the blogroll.

*earnest Queen Victoria voice*

I will be good.

Cheers,
Victoria

vbspurs said...

New goal, 1050.

blake said...

Why not 1066?

Ruth Anne Adams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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