Palin: A debate performance to remember

The expectations “could hardly have been any lower,” said Jeff Jacoby in The Boston Globe. In recent weeks, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin had given two disastrously incoherent interviews on network TV, leaving jubilant Democrats braying that she was out of her depth. But in last week’s debate with Democrat Joe Biden, Palin “turned in a performance that would have done any vice presidential nominee proud.” Not only did Palin seize the agenda, said National Review Online in an editorial, she did so “with poise and charm,” coming across as somebody who truly understands average Americans. Seasoning her delivery with mischievous winks and “you betchas,” she made the case that Barack Obama “would be naïve in foreign policy and harmful to economic growth,” while John McCain would be a common-sense reformer. “Anyone who hoped—or feared—that she would fall flat on her face was proven wrong.”

So Palin proved she could wink and sometimes speak “in complete and coherent sentences,” said Fred Kaplan in Slate.com. But “let’s judge her as we would a presumptively seasoned and competent political leader.” By that measure, “she was outgunned” at every turn. When Palin called Obama’s proposed phased withdrawal from Iraq “a white flag of surrender,” Biden responded that the plan was identical to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s policy. When Biden called Bush’s foreign policy an “abject failure,” Palin’s only response was to smile and say, “Enough playing the blame game.” And when, most tellingly of all, Biden asked how McCain’s policies on Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan would differ from George W. Bush’s, Palin “didn’t answer the question.” That was perhaps her smartest response, since the answer appears to be: Not much.

Palin’s take on economic issues was similarly shallow, said Maureen Dowd in The New York Times. One minute she was promising “greater oversight” of financial markets, the next she was lecturing, “Government, you know, you’re not always a solution.” She called Obama’s tax policy, which would raise taxes on the wealthy while giving tax breaks to the middle class, “redistribution of wealth.” Then she described herself as a champion of “the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been, you know, all our lives.” Is she a regulator or a libertarian? A populist? A conservative? Or just making it up as she goes, in an adorable sort of way? You betcha.

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Mock Palin all you want, said Mark Steyn in National Review Online, but I suspect most voters saw her as “genuine, confident, and different.” Palin scored points by noting that Biden was for the war in Iraq before he was against it, and she made him play defense on oil drilling and Obama’s willingness to negotiate with tyrants. It may be that Biden sounded as if he were more “in command of the facts,” in a dreary, senatorial way. But when it comes to political theater, the “tune is more important than the words.” Palin struck just the right chord, presenting herself as the sort of “citizen politician this country’s Founders intended.” Not bad positioning in the so-called year of change.

Maybe so, said Jon Meacham in Newsweek, but there’s populism and there’s “mindless populism.” Despite her cramming and use of notes, it has become glaringly obvious that Palin did not think seriously about national or international affairs until McCain tapped her. While this 44-year-old small-town mayor and neophyte governor may be “a superb political performer,” we live in treacherous times, with two wars abroad, Iran seeking nuclear weapons, and our economy in tatters. “Do we want leaders who are everyday folks, or do we want leaders who understand everyday folks?” There’s a very big distinction between the two.

We could be revisiting that question in four years, said Eugene Robinson in Washingtonpost.com. Few Republicans believe Palin can convince independent voters to vote for McCain; only McCain can do that. But “the conservative movement is looking for its next Ronald Reagan—its next charismatic leader with game-changing communication skills, bedrock conservative principles, and, well, barracuda-like political instincts.” Some believe Palin is that person. Palin is apparently thinking the same thing, said John Nichols in TheNation.com. Asked in her recent interview with Katie Couric to name the vice president she admired most, Palin quickly responded, “My goodness, I think those that have gone on to the presidency.” Win or lose in November, Sarah Palin just began her 2012 campaign.