Who will win the VP debate?

[Buddha]

Biden will crush Palin.

[bullmoose88]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

[J. J.]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

Everyone expects Palin to perform worse than Dan Quayle,  If she beats expectations, she wins.

[Grumps]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

Everyone expects Palin to perform worse than Dan Quayle,  If she beats expectations, she wins.

I don't know who "everyone" is, J.J., but I agree with your second sentence and I agree with bullmoose too.

[Gravis Marketing]

The McCain campaign forced the debates commission to change the format to emphasize question-and-answers over debate between the two candidates. They've cut back on Biden's opportunities to engage Palin or challenge her answers. It's going to be more like Saddleback in real time.

[Ronnie]

Palin has pretty low expectations.  Nonetheless, I doubt there will be a clear "winner" at the end of the debates.

[ChrisFromNJ]

The expectations game has already been lost. If Palin does a decent job in the debate, that will be the story of the coverage afterwards. The bar is low for her, and the media will predictably splooge if she meets that bar.

[Gravis Marketing]

The expectations game has already been lost. If Palin does a decent job in the debate, that will be the story of the coverage afterwards. The bar is low for her, and the media will predictably splooge if she meets that bar.

I think it's possible that if she gives one particularly stupid or inane answer or misunderstands a question, that will be broadcast as part of the "In what respect, Charlie?" storyline.

[rockhound]

The expectations game has already been lost. If Palin does a decent job in the debate, that will be the story of the coverage afterwards. The bar is low for her, and the media will predictably splooge if she meets that bar.

I disagree that the media will in any way cover her favorably.   I do agree that the only story after their debates will be about Palin.  The Dems could send some different guy up there and no one would notice.

[daboese]

The McCain campaign forced the debates commission to change the format to emphasize question-and-answers over debate between the two candidates. They've cut back on Biden's opportunities to engage Palin or challenge her answers.

Exactly this means that Palin will probably trip over some question.
Otherwise, it means that this will be a boring "debate", unfortunately- more like an interview with two candidates.

[cinyc]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

Everyone expects Palin to perform worse than Dan Quayle,  If she beats expectations, she wins.

^^^^^^^^^^

Debates are expectation games.

[daboese]

Which debate?
The one that is not going to happen because of the current economical crisis?

[Billion$Babies]

Biden cant get through a single day without telling us that FDR was on TV or telling crippled guys to walk   I think he'll have gaffes,  and Palin will say things which get exaggerated into gaffes by a hungry media. 

Palins a pretty good communicator but any little thing she says will get scrutinised intensely.

I dont see any slam dunk for either side 

[I left.]

I tend to think Palin will give some absurd answer...and Biden will pounce on it.

Biden will look far more competent than she.

[JSojourner]

It will be like Gore-Bush and Kerry-Bush.  Any of the debates.

Biden will actually win on content and substance.

Palin will be perceived as having won because people would want to have a beer with her. 

[J. J.]

It will be like Gore-Bush and Kerry-Bush.  Any of the debates.

Biden will actually win on content and substance.

Palin will be perceived as having won because people would want to have a beer with her. 

Bingo.  So long as there isn't a Dan Quayle moment, it's at least a tie.

[elcorazon]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

Everyone expects Palin to perform worse than Dan Quayle,  If she beats expectations, she wins.

I agree and all these crappy interviews make it seem like Biden OUGHT to destroy her.  When he doesn't, it's a win for Palin.

[J. J.]

Biden would seem to have the advantage, unless he does/says something foolish...which there is at least a decent chance of occurring.

Everyone expects Palin to perform worse than Dan Quayle,  If she beats expectations, she wins.

I agree and all these crappy interviews make it seem like Biden OUGHT to destroy her.  When he doesn't, it's a win for Palin.

To paraphase Londo Molari, Reality has nothing to do with politics.

[Punditty]

Perhaps one of McCain's other "razzle dazzle" moves has been having Palin "play dumb?" Could be, though I seriously doubt it.

 I think she's going to be blown away and exposed as the very bad pick that she was/is come Thursday night, assuming she's still on the ticket by then. There's a sense in conservative circles (the Kathleen Parker column over the weekend calling for her to step down was a trial balloon of sorts, methinks) that she is, in fact, in over her head.

I would not be surprised at all to see the VP debate canceled or rescheduled, with Palin bowing out as early as tomorrow and someone like Lieberman or perhaps Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas stepping in. McCain is kind of damned-if-he-keeps-her, damned-if-he-dumps her now, but bringing another female onto the ticket (especially one like Hutchinson who is far more qualified) might be his best hope for still pulling this thing out. Even so, dumping Palin might alienate the Evangelicals he needs to win, so he is really, really on thin ice her. Palin would have to school Joe Biden in order for this to turn out well, and that is not going to happen. She might be able to goad Biden into doing or saying something stupid, but that too is highly doubtful.

For my part, as a former Ron Paul supporter now backing Obama, I see in Palin a woman who is very scared and fearful and also a little pissed off. My guess is she has no way of expressing it, or at least not the ways she was accustomed to in Alaska when there weren't so many cameras around. She is totally out of her element and is not handling it well, at least not yet. Welcome to the Lower 48, SLP.

She is not at all the same woman who patronizingly zinged Obama and the Dems in her acceptance speech; that was the easy part. Now she has to live up to the hype, and she can't do it. Or I should say she hasn't thus far. If she comes out Thursday and makes no major gaffes and doesn't sound like a Valley Girl who recently moved to Mankato the way she did in describing the Alaska-Russia relationship to Katie Couric, then maybe she might find her footing again and rally the non-Evangelical conservatives who initially supported her but are now turning away.

Judging from what I've seen of her, though, there's not much of a chance of that happening. Look for her instead to try and rattle Biden with ad hominem attacks and variations on standard McCain campaign talking points, but I still say she'll be hard-pressed to do even a passable job without a rabid crowd of savior-seeking, Obama-hating Republicans cheering her on.

If things go too poorly for Palin in the debate, I predict she'll be off the ticket before the next Obama-McCain debate, currently scheduled for Oct. 7.

Just my two ditties' worth...

punditty
http://www.allvoices.com/users/Punditty

[Friz]

Biden will win, as long as she actually shows up...

[pepper11]

Palin has been very subpar in interviews thus far.  She did below average with Gibson and downright poor with Couric.  So I decided to watch the Alaska gov debate to see figure out why she has been so terrible thus far.  This didn't straighten things out because she was very very good, approaching excellent, in the gov debate.  Has anyone else seen this? Where did that Sarah Palin go and will she be back for Thursday? I was sensing an absolute annialation in the upcoming debate with Biden and I am still pretty worried.  However, the countries expectations are soooooo low right now, that if that Alaska debater shows up, it could be quite a match and a momentum changer.

[Jacobtm]

Palin has been very subpar in interviews thus far.  She did below average with Gibson and downright poor with Couric.  So I decided to watch the Alaska gov debate to see figure out why she has been so terrible thus far.  This didn't straighten things out because she was very very good, approaching excellent, in the gov debate.  Has anyone else seen this? Where did that Sarah Palin go and will she be back for Thursday? I was sensing an absolute annialation in the upcoming debate with Biden and I am still pretty worried.  However, the countries expectations are soooooo low right now, that if that Alaska debater shows up, it could be quite a match and a momentum changer.

Same thing as George Bush in Texas Gubernatorial debates? Remember he could say nuclear without inserting a "y" and generally seemed to be on top of things...

[??????????]

She'll win in reality but the media will of course say it's a Biden win.

[Nutmeg]

There's a difference between exceeding expectations and winning.

[??????????]

There's a difference between exceeding expectations and winning.

She'll win, in reality. The media just keeps unfairly demonizing her. Charlie Gibson sneering down his nose with his low glasses, Katie Couric, the frozen cold b*tch with no personality. She really hasn't had the best of interviewers except Sean Hannity. Most of this, is of course, because the leftists can't stand a woman who isn't pro-choice and doesn't stand for all that socialist crap.