Sep 30, 2008

How The Female George Bush Wins Debates

A guy who found himself running against the Female George Bush explains how she wins debates.
I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.

On April 17, 2006, Palin and I participated in a debate at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks on agriculture issues. The next day, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner published this excerpt:

"Andrew Halcro, a declared independent candidate from Anchorage, came armed with statistics on agricultural productivity. Sarah Palin, a Republican from Wasilla, said the Matanuska Valley provides a positive example for other communities interested in agriculture to study."

On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up against.

"Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " Palin said.

Guess what? During this time period, all people want are specifics and answers. I does not matter when all is well, like during the Female George Bush's rise in Alaskan politics. But people were upset about the lack of specifics from both Obama and McCain on the economy. They aren't interested. And you can be sure the moderater will press her for more answers, based on her recent interviews. She is like red meat to a reporter right now.

Palin is a master of the nonanswer. She can turn a 60-second response to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who face healthcare challenges. All without uttering a word about her public-policy solutions to healthcare challenges.

In one debate, a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Sarah Palin instead used her allotted time to criticize the incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: Palin didn't name a bill.

That's exactly what we've seen in interviews. It's what people are expected and what they consider to be the ugly side of her.

This is going to be amusing.

1 comment:

Christopher Robinson said...

They had me worried for a minute. I kept hearing, "She's good in debates." And I was thinking, "Well, how in the hell is that possible?" But I get it now. She was able to give her beauty pageant contestant non-anwswers in her Alaskan campaigns because it is a rich state with not a lot of problems--except how to spend all of its money. Who gets elected governor is no big deal, so why vote for the egghead when you can vote for the hard-charging MILF?

So she must be very confused right now. As it turns out, she's giving us her best stuff. Unbelievable!

Oh, Sarah. You're in for 90 minutes of solidifying your base and alienating your target audience. Joe Sixpack isn't undecided.

Love your blog headlines, guy! (This one wasn't special--but you've had some good ones!) Keep it up!