Countdown to The Debate
02 October 2008 4:11 pm by Taylor Marsh
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| Sarah Palin’s chief foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann played the role of Joe Biden in several mock debates this week in Arizona, a campaign official confirmed Thursday. via CNN |
Caption contest!
Two hours and counting…
So, here’s the Palin plan, as told to Mike Allen at Politico:
Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate, hitting Joe Biden for what she will call his foreign policy blunders and penchant for adopting liberal positions on taxes and other issues, according to campaign officials involved in prepping her for tonight’s showdown.
The Palin camp is projecting surprising self-confidence in the pre-debate hours, despite the vice presidential nominee’s uneven — and, at some points, peculiar — performances in recent television interviews, the officials say. Top advisers to John McCain privately say Palin’s recent CBS interview was a borderline disaster, especially since it played out in several segments over several days. Tonight will be different, they say.
Simply put, Sarah needs to stop the bleeding. She must refrain from overcompensating for expertise she doesn’t have, which is how she gets caught in her never ending word blizzards. After seducing everyone after the Republican convention, she’s now a drag, with women not buying her act anymore and independents questioning her competency too. That conservatives from Parker to Frum to Will have said she’s not up to the job, Sarah needs to halt the downward spiral now, tonight. The best way to do it is get Biden in a corner, which can only happen if she’s attacking. I posted a video recently of clips of her debates. She can do this, especially if she goes at Biden and riles him up. I don’t believe he’ll fall for any of this, but that’s her best play. See if you can get Biden to jump at her or sound condescending, which would be a killer.
As for Biden, short answers. If she hoists him on one of his own gaffes, he needs to laugh at himself, adding a little humility and self-deprecating humor. But he should in no way feel compelled not to answer her back and he will take her seriously. He could lead her into weeds where she’ll trip herself up if he gets really specific on foreign policy. Biden should also reveal his Scranton roots, talking pocket book with her. If Biden talks less, she’ll have more time, though the debate is very structured, which is what killed her in the Couric debates. When she gets to babbling it’s deadly.
On the other hand, if they both only fire away at the other running mate, it could get boring really fast.
I’m expecting some fireworks, frankly, because Sarah’s cornered. She’s not the type of person who gets into trouble and caves. She’ll likely come out firing. Pat Buchanan gave some good advice: Sarah should start with saying something to Ifill about her book. That would get things rolling right away.
