Spring Break
VP debate swung in Biden's favor
Alex Sanders
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Commentary
The vice presidential debate consisted of 90 minutes of circuitous answers and Republican candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin trying to figure out how to properly pronounce the word "nuclear." For the most part, it was business as usual, with Democratic candidate Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) defending the middle class and Palin reaching out to hockey moms and "Joe Six-packs" across the country.
The debate was slightly unbalanced in favor of Biden, although CNN awarded Palin an "A+" while Biden had to settle for an "A." Palin held her own, but she was often misleading and indirect in her answers. She repeatedly accused Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) of voting against the troops or surrendering on the subject of foreign policy. She also claims that she puts a significant amount of trust in Gen. David Petraeus, one of the people perpetuating this war.
In actuality, Obama voted against a plan to fund troops in Iraq because he was looking to facilitate withdrawal of troops and the funding plan would have kept troops in Iraq. If he had voted on the plan, he would have seemed hypocritical for then claiming to want an end to the war while voting for something that would have kept soldiers in Iraq. Palin misrepresented numerous facts when she discussed Obama's plans.
Biden seemed to enjoy proving her wrong, but he used an interesting tactic. Rather than pointing fingers directly at Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), he said that McCain voted on something too, as in Obama voted the same way. It made the candidates seem less diverse and put them on a level playing field. Biden and Palin agreed on some issues, including gay marriage. Interestingly enough, they both support marriage-type licenses and fair rights for committed couples, but neither supports adjusting the current definition of marriage to include homosexual couples.
They both seemed to come close to an agreement on many issues and ambiguous on a few they disagreed about. They both have a history of making one statement and going back on their word months later. Biden initially said he would never be vice president and Palin previously said that she would have to be told what a vice president does before she commits to the job. During the debate, she claimed both statements were jokes and proceeded to explain what a vice president does, although she was not entirely accurate. Biden corrected her and explained that the primary job of a vice president is to assist the president. He also explained that he joined the ticket because Obama sincerely asked for his help.
The debate was slightly unbalanced in favor of Biden, although CNN awarded Palin an "A+" while Biden had to settle for an "A." Palin held her own, but she was often misleading and indirect in her answers. She repeatedly accused Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) of voting against the troops or surrendering on the subject of foreign policy. She also claims that she puts a significant amount of trust in Gen. David Petraeus, one of the people perpetuating this war.
In actuality, Obama voted against a plan to fund troops in Iraq because he was looking to facilitate withdrawal of troops and the funding plan would have kept troops in Iraq. If he had voted on the plan, he would have seemed hypocritical for then claiming to want an end to the war while voting for something that would have kept soldiers in Iraq. Palin misrepresented numerous facts when she discussed Obama's plans.
Biden seemed to enjoy proving her wrong, but he used an interesting tactic. Rather than pointing fingers directly at Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), he said that McCain voted on something too, as in Obama voted the same way. It made the candidates seem less diverse and put them on a level playing field. Biden and Palin agreed on some issues, including gay marriage. Interestingly enough, they both support marriage-type licenses and fair rights for committed couples, but neither supports adjusting the current definition of marriage to include homosexual couples.
They both seemed to come close to an agreement on many issues and ambiguous on a few they disagreed about. They both have a history of making one statement and going back on their word months later. Biden initially said he would never be vice president and Palin previously said that she would have to be told what a vice president does before she commits to the job. During the debate, she claimed both statements were jokes and proceeded to explain what a vice president does, although she was not entirely accurate. Biden corrected her and explained that the primary job of a vice president is to assist the president. He also explained that he joined the ticket because Obama sincerely asked for his help.
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your articles make me laugh
posted 10/07/08 @ 5:44 PM EST
I thought the newspaper printed news, not opinionated-driven articles spewed with hatred. Whether or not you support Obama or McCain, Palin or Biden, an article should be written fairly for both candidates. (Continued…)
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