This just in (Debates)

[Dannyell]

definitely an improvement since her curiec interview...but still somewhat behind with Biden IMO...and I enjoyed this debate much more than the presidential one thats for sure

[LobsterX]

Originally Posted by Krimson X

Great? I must say that is an interesting observation and a very strong indorsement of her performance. Best you ever heard from her? Better than her convention speech? I agree, much better than her recent interviews, but great?

I think she did help herself and her performance tonight was a redeeming effort on her part. I cannot say that she swayed independent voters and undecides to McCain. It was not a game changer for either party.

How would you know...? unless you're an independent voter yourself...

[Krimson X]

Originally Posted by LobsterX

How would you know...? unless you're an independent voter yourself...

I guess I don't... but I already said that. "I cannot say."

[Meiac09]

Palin's kids may be ripe for a reality show, but she did well tonight, especially seeming as the media has been giving her shit while letting Biden sit there.

I never knew his name was pronounced Bye-din, not Bid-en...

Joe pulling the Hillary is priceless, though, IMO. It may be my inner pessimist, but something says that he forced that for the lights and pretty cameras...

[blondboinsd]

I think Palin did well, I'm sad both of them decided to choose hate and pull the gay marriage card, annoying

[Quicksilver]

I believe they we're both asked the question by the moderator.
so if anyone played the gay marriage card the moderator did.

Neither of them avoided the question but answered honestly.

Weather one agrees with them or not they deserve credit for
nailing their position on the subject.

[JCL]

I thought she won in that she beat the very low expectations that were set for her going in. She did much better that previous outings, but the down home aw shucks gitt'er done y'all tone was a bit much. Maybe she really speaks like that. How many cliches can one insert in a single answer?

I thought Biden did much better at actually answering the questions, but he had the advantage of experience to draw on, so that was expected.

The moderator went very soft on her, probably due to the charges of potential bias.

Will be interesting to see if the polls change much.

[MrLabGuy]

Biden pretends to know things he knows nothing about. Case in point...He was adamant that Global Warming was caused by man.

Gee Biden...Ever hear about Solar Activity? That is the thing that caused the Ice Ages and Global Warming periods before man used sticks and rocks.

[Wagner]

Now I actually posted a near transcript of the debate as it happened. Take a glimpse at the SPIN the media is putting together. Remember, what I posted, aside from my very first opinions in the beginning, was nearly verbatim of the candidate in the time/order it happened. See if the media spin is anything like the truth:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10...-mates-debate/

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/...ate/index.html

"He decided he was not gonna take her on directly," MSNBC's David Gregory said. "She challenged him, she mocked him, she chided him. He decided to train his responses and just talk about (John) McCain's record."

"Sarah Palin was threatening to become an embarrassment to the Republican ticket," CNN analyst David Gergen said. "I think she erased that tonight."

"You're not going to see this debate have much of an effect on this race," NBC News analyst Chuck Todd said. "This probably won't live much beyond a 24-hour period."

Republican strategist Mike Murphy, on MSNBC, said the debate "became a bit of a nothing-burger."

"The problem for John McCain is this doesn't change the dynamics of the race, which have shifted in Obama's favor," Gergen said.

The BBC's Jane O'Brien in Washington says Mrs Palin played to her strengths and her image as a mother in touch with ordinary Americans.
For the most part she spoke fluently but simply about the economy, climate change and the war in Iraq, our correspondent says, and there were few of the stumbling gaffes that have become the staple of late-night comedy shows.

Mrs Palin, governor of energy-rich Alaska, said human activities were a factor in climate change but that climatic cycles were also an element. She urged US energy independence as part of the answer.
Mr Biden pointed to climate change as one of the major points on which the two campaigns differed, saying: "If you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with a solution." - Note that BBC left out the part where Biden said Climate change was only caused by humans.





----

Notables:
Biden said Obama never said he would meet with leaders without preconditions

In a Democratic debate last summer, the candidates were asked whether they would be "willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?"

"I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous," Obama answered

One thing that kept getting tossed back and forth was "support for the troops":

On May 24, 2007, Obama was one of 14 senators who voted against a war-spending plan that would have provided emergency funds for American troops overseas.

[Wagner]

Word clouds from BBC (words most used in the debate by an individual)