Hang Time For Sarah Palin in Debate Game

It was obvious that Gov. Sarah Palin was an athlete in a previous life because, in many ways, the vice presidential debate in St. Louis played out like a sporting event.

Senator Joe Biden – the overwhelming favorite in this debate with the clear opportunity to provide the knockout blow for the Obama-Biden ticket – was not able to provide the type of performance that could fatally damage the McCain-Palin ticket.

Much like a basketball game where the better team is unable to seal a victory because of its failure to make free throws, Senator Biden could not put away Governor Palin despite his clear advantage in experience and Palin's recent disadvantages due to her interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. ...

VP Debate Pictures

Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin went head to head in their first and only vice presidential debate in St. Louis on Thursday, clashing on the economy, energy issues and foreign policy. Here, the candidates greet each other at the start of the highly anticipated showdown.

Scott Olson, Getty Images

The debate at Washington University in St. Louis marked the first meeting of the vice presidential candidates. "Can I call you Joe?" Palin asked Biden, who approved.

Don Emmert, AP

The stakes were particularly high for Palin, who has served as governor of Alaska for less than two years. Polls show the public has become more skeptical of her ability to handle the vice presidency. Palin made only one obvious stumble, when she twice referred to Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, as "Gen. McClellan."

Rick Wilking, Pool / Getty Images

The pressure was less intense for Biden, a veteran of more than 35 years in the Senate.

Ron Edmonds, AP

The economy quickly took center stage, with both candidates weighing in on the financial crisis and the bailout bill awaiting congressional approval. "The economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we've ever had," Biden said.

Rick Wilking, Reuters

Palin said one way to gauge the economic times would be to attend a child's soccer game and listen to parents. "I betcha you're going to hear some fear," she said.

Ron Edmonds, AP

Later, the tone became more heated when the topic turned to the Iraq war. Biden said that he and Barack Obama will be the administration to end the war and said John McCain had been "dead wrong" about the conflict. "For John McCain there is no end in sight to end this war -- fundamental difference," he said.

David McNew, Getty Images

Palin countered that Obama's exit plan was essentially "a white flag of surrender in Iraq" at a moment when victory was "within sight." She also said Biden had once supported McCain's view of the war.

J. Scott Applewhite, AP

Palin got some bad news just before the debate, when an Alaska judge threw out a lawsuit filed by Republicans seeking to stop an abuse-of-power investigation aimed at her. Here, Palin looks on from the side prior to taking the stage.

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Palin and Biden smile after the conclusion of the debate.

Ron Edmonds, AP

Gov. Palin, to her credit, gave the McCain-Palin ticket a chance to come back and win by putting in a gritty performance. She did not win the debate this evening, but she garnered a much-needed moral victory at a time when that was considered a minor miracle. She may not have hops, but her effort gave McCain some hang time in this campaign – perhaps enough to recover in the polls if he follows up with a good performance Tuesday evening in Tennessee.

Palin was quickly able to show the mettle that made her the energizer for the conservative base with her selection as the vice presidential candidate less than one day after the DNC in Denver ended. From the start, she questioned Senator Obama's ability to lead in bipartisan efforts to bring about the types of change that he champions on the campaign trial, even as Senator Biden railed against President Bush's policies and worked to tie Senator McCain to those failures. Speaking from the "hockey mom" point of view, Palin countered the Democratic tactic of noting McCain's voting similarities with Bush by pointing out that Senator Obama has voted 96% of the time along party lines, bringing into question his ability to reach across to the aisle to get results.

This was not the only time throughout the evening that Governor Palin questioned Senator Obama's record and proposals effectively. She echoed John McCain's comments from Friday night, noting that the Obama economic plan proposes close to $1 trillion in new spending at a time when the economic bailout for Wall Street (and, by association, Main Street) has now swelled to roughly $800 billion. She challenged the philosophical question of increasing taxes on those making more than $250,000 annually, daring to mention the phrase "redistribution of wealth" that is voiced more in academia, text books, and kitchen table conversations than it has been on the campaign trail.

Even as Biden peppered her responses with facts and figures that he had at his disposal due to 36 years of senatorial experience, Palin was able to continue to take on Senator Obama effectively as a peer, something that was more critical to establish as a candidate this evening after her interview debacles as the unproven candidate "one heartbeat away from the presidency." In a brilliant swoop that allowed her to swipe at the Obama-Biden ticket, highlight the reformer image as a Washington outsider that she tries to promote, and utilize her experience as the Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin used the oft-mentioned tax cuts for oil companies as her platform to display her worthiness on the ticket. Not only did she note effectively that Senator Obama voted for the tax cuts for oil companies that he now campaigns against, but she explained how she was forced to take on the aftermath of that decision within the Alaskan borders to ensure that Alaskans got the fairest deal possible without being taken advantage as a result of the legislation.

She was able to wrap up her address of oil companies and energy independence throughout the night by noting that "East Coast politicians" were the ones responsible for binding America's ability to gain energy independence by disallowing off-shore drilling and the use of other safe, domestic fuel sources, suggesting that her experience as the Alaskan governor gave her insight that Obama and Biden lack. Further, her presence in a McCain-Palin administration gives Middle America empathy in Washington that is not offered in today's Washington or in a potential Obama-Biden White House.

More impressive – and potentially more important over the next 30 days or so – was that Palin continuously admitted to "blunders" made by the previous administration (and specifically by the Bush Administration) and the need for mavericks like McCain and her to learn from the past without pointing to the past (as she accused the Obama-Biden ticket of doing repeatedly.) Along with the performances over the next 2 presidential debates, the polls will reflect whether Governor Palin did an effective job of getting the Bush albatross from around McCain's neck by clearly admitting the mistakes in an effort to distance the GOP ticket from the past 8 years in the White House.

Palin was unable to continue to present facts and figures sufficient to match Biden's 36 years of experience blow-by-blow, but it was clear that she was prepared to challenge the tenured senator on issues as a peer, not as the overwhelmed former mayor that we have seen in the media over the past few weeks. The Democrats were hoping for Palin to have the meltdown moment, and when it did not happen on its own, Senator Biden could not prompt it out of the "Barracuda." She played good defense, looked strong (even if some of her responses did not match her presence), and made a better connection with the viewing audience than Biden did; (she even gave a shout-out to a third grade class during one answer.) Even when she seemed uncomfortable at times, she didn't stay uncomfortable. Tonight, she displayed why conservatives fell in love with her during the RNC: she came across as credible (but clearly not perfect) while coming across as accessible (without being too ordinary and common.)

All McCain wanted Palin to do this evening was give him a chance to win at the end of the game. Her performance gave him the ability to hang around longer in this race than some may have expected at this point. It's now on him to deliver on October 7 and 15.
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Lenny McAllister is the Political Guru for Fox News - Charlotte and blogs the Republican side of the election for BlackVoices. He is a frequent contributor to The Charlotte Post and The North Carolina Conservative.

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