View larger image Democratic U.S. vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden and Republican candidate Sarah Palin take the stage at Washington University in St. Louis, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP / J. Scott Applewhite)  View larger image Students demonstrate in support of the Republican ticket outside the site of a scheduled U.S. vice-presidential debate in St. Louis, Missouri, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP / Jeff Roberson)

Palin exceeds expectations, but Biden razor sharp

Updated Thu. Oct. 2 2008 11:44 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The vice-presidential debate wasn't the political car wreck that many had expected.

Republican Sarah Palin looked much more comfortable and confident than she did in earlier television interviews, but Democrat Joe Biden was equally up to the task, being eloquent and polite towards his opponent.

Palin easily exceeded the low expectations she had set for herself after a month of campaigning, but Biden put on possibly the strongest debate of his career.

CTV's Washington Bureau Chief Tom Clark said that Palin did her job, which was not to embarrass her ticket. But he said each candidate performed well and it was unlikely that the debate was an election game-changer.

An early CNN poll after the debate said 51 per cent of Americans polled thought Biden won, verses 36 per cent who thought Palin won.

There was shockingly little back-and-forth between the pair, as Biden in particular refused to criticize Palin, and focused all of his attacks on John McCain.

Palin, as well, did little to attack Biden, and instead went after Barack Obama's record, particularly on tax cuts.

The debate started with the pair walking on stage and Palin asking, "Can I call you Joe?"

As expected, the economy dominated the debate in the early going.

"We're going to focus on the middle-class, because if the middle-class grows, we all do," Biden said.

He called McCain "out of touch" with the common worker.

Palin said that there is a sense of "fear" about the U.S economy that can is being felt by "parents on the soccer field."

She described her ticket as a "team of mavericks" that would work on the economy by going beyond party lines. She slammed Obama as a Democrat who only voted for his party.

Palin repeated the charges that Obama voted to raise tax 94 times, a charge that has been debunked by non-partisan fact checkers.

Biden was asked to defend Obama's plan to increase taxes for those making more than $250,000.

"Simply, its fairness," he said. "The economic engine of America is the middle class . . . if (they) do well, even the rich do well."

Palin responded said that Obama's tax plan was a "backwards way to grow the economy."

Biden said John McCain was "not a maverick" almost as many times as Palin said that her running mate was a maverick.

The debate took an emotional turn near the end, when Biden choked up while talking about how his wife and daughter died in a car accident in the early 1970s and his sons nearly died.

"I know what's it like to be a single parent . . . I know what's it like to wonder if your child might not make it," he said, after catching himself.

He said it was unfair to say that because he was a man, he didn't know what it was like to be a single parent.

Foreign policy

Both candidates have sons either in Iraq or on their way there and clashed on how and when to end the war.

"That has to be a timeline" for an exit out of Iraq, Biden charged.

"For John McCain, there is no timeline is sight for the end of this war," he said.

Palin was noticeably slow to respond to the charge, and then called an exit a "white flag of surrender."

Biden looked very strong and passionate as he spoke about the danger posed by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Palin looked somewhat uncomfortable at several points in the foreign policy discussion and repeatedly called Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top U.S commander in Afghanistan, by the wrong name.

Biden said that those countries were where the central war on terror should be, and said that McCain still thinks it's Iraq.

Palin seemed to respond that central war on terror is in Iraq, citing an Al Qaeda "leader" and Gen. David Petraeus for that statement.

Palin attacked Obama's record on Iraq, which Biden defended.

"Let's get straight who's been right and wrong," he said. "John McCain has been dead wrong. As my mother would say, I love him but he's been dead wrong."

Palin pledged strong support for Israel and protection from Iran and called for a two-state solution.

Biden called the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East "a failure."

Palin disagreed with that statement but said there were "huge blunders" by the Bush administration.

Both candidates supported a "no-fly zone" in Darfur.

Energy over economy

Palin tried to push the debate away from the economy towards energy policies, which is considered to be one of her strong suits.

She touted her record of taxing windfall profits of oil companies in Alaska.

Biden said that McCain's mantra of "drill, drill, drill" is not the solution to the U.S.'s energy problem and touted alternative energy sources.

Palin responded quickly, "The chant is 'drill, baby, drill.'"

Both Palin and Biden played up their working-class roots early in the debate.

Biden mentioned his roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the working-class city now well-known for its central role in the U.S. version of "The Office."

Palin mentioned her Alaskan background many times and used colloquial terms such as "Joe six-pack," "doggone it" and the oft-repeated "hockey mom."

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Comments are now closed for this story

Norm

This race is getting interesting. Good ol' Palin.. sure, I could sure do beer with her, but I wouldn't let her manage my country. (or the US if I lived there either!)

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Dd

Sarah is really out of touch. Alaska only has 3.7 billion barrels of oil. The Middle East has 700+ billion barrels. How does she expect to satisfy America's thirst for oil with what amounts to a drop in the bucket. Alternate energies are the answer. Drilling more oil is not.

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dont bother

lordy she makes me embarrased to be a woman@

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Writing from Alaska

Listening to the debate - Palin is incorrect when she says that there is pipeline being built for clean natural gas - The pipeline has been proposed and there is also an agreement for further study with a Canadian firm. Nothing has been started - no date to begin construction - it is still in planning stages not a certainty.

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Whoever gets in will make America better

I don't know how anyone can trust Biden

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dgreynold

Sarah looked and sounds great,Joe he lies... disstorts the truth.... As this debate goes on you can see that joe is agreening with Sarah (head nods) I think she is doing great. he not so well. but what does it matter the Obama Press will say she lost.....

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jeff

Holy cow Biden's whooping some but.

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W.L.

From Seattle: Palin sounds as if she's reading from a script. A well written one, though.

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Lost Cause

Have to say, I still don't like Palin at all but she is nowhere near as bad when put in this incredibly high pressure hot seat as I was expecting her to be. Yet. Biden's fire is impressive at times, but who knows if being fired up and intense in his delivery will work for or against him while Palin keeps a very consistent smiling demeanor throughout. Either way, both of these candidates agree on too many things that I am fundamentally against to feel particularly good about either of them and the future of the world right now. At least Biden has promised a planned American pullout in Iraq, which would be a small step in the right direction... I know I should be watching the Canadian debate right, but I don't got cable and I want to see both! :( It's recording in my VCR...

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Jeff

Sarah has been coached well, but is singing from the same outdated Republican playbook. Anyone familiar with the Republican record of the last 8 years shouldn't be fooled. The party's over.

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DD

Argh...if she says 'maverick' one more time, I'm gonna scream!!!!

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Tom from New England

Palin is good at avoiding the issue. She's also good at memorizing speech material. Real change will come with the Obama-Biden ticket.

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Dan Leahy

there was a possibility that I might vote for MCain but his running mate's lack of experience is very evident and distubing when one considers the possibility of her being a heartbeat away from the presidentcy. PS If She says maverick one more time I am going to get ill.

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Jim-Jim Jarvela

Palin's strategy is glaringly repetitive: 1) re-inforce notion of being "pro-energy" 2) shift focus away from own limitations. dodge questions and bring up john mccain at every opportunity.

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Dave, Ottawa

Whatever your opinions on the candidates, at least this debate is properly moderated. Not so the battle royale free-for-all taking place on the Canadian networks.

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bb

Palin is easy on the eyes but both of them (Biden/Palin) are harsh on the ears! I don't think either party in the States really cares for any class let alone the middle class! I don't trust either one of them!

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BB in B.C.

I'll bet that any Americans who tuned into the Canadian debate quickly switched back to their 1 on 1 format over our 4 bashing 1 free for all.

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EdB

Just as Clinton argued about the definition of "is", you have to define "tax increase" before you can agree or disagree with the statement that Obama voted 94 times for tax increases. If you define tax increase as a bill that contains a tax increase for someone, even if other people get a tax decrease, the statement is true. If you start splitting hairs over whether a bill is a tax increase depending on what income level pays more taxes, then you can challenge the statement.

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Tied on different courts

One won at tennis, the other at volleyball, so it comes down to what is your favourite game, I guess. Biden was very precise in his arguments and got into great detail. Palin was very general and never left the key messages that resonate with her possible voters. Both were playing to their strengths, for sure. One is clearly the Anti-christ to me, but why bother pointing out who?

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Ed Woolley

I think it depends on your perspective. I think Biden won on knowledge. But Palin won on connecting with people and exceeding expectations. Overall, I think she was more charismatic and personable, regardless of how she came across on issues (she did hold her own)

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anyad

You can't say someone won a debate just because she or he exceeded expectations. Sarah Palin did not embarrass her party on any cringe-worthy level but spent most of the debate evading direct questions and offering confusing and tangent filled answers to disguise her lack of knowledge and experience. I cringe at the idea of putting someone in office who feels the need to drop her g's and 'folksy' it up in order to try to appeal to people.

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Exiled Canadian

Palin stopped the bleeding relating to her knowledge and grasp of issues, and the polls will stabilize. But as was noted by others, she connected with the viewer and that will carry the same weight that Ronald Reagan had with the average Joe. Now McCain has to deliver if he wants to get back in this race. This debate stopped the slide and may have opened up people's minds to take another look. She definitely scored some points. Biden was also very good and avoided putting his foot in his mouth in a significant way although some of his facts were wrong (Palin also had some wrong facts in all fairness). But the Dems had a sigh of relief to see that he didn't mess up or look condescending to Palin. A very good job by both and infinitely more stately than the fiascos in Ottawa these last two nights. Those were just a disgrace to politics by every measure. Slight edge to Palin for overall effectiveness but both had strong performances.

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Jim Belesky

"She described her ticket as a "team of mavericks" that would work on the economy by going beyond party lines". When I read that, I thought on the eve of George Bush's election, when the states were divided, his theme was bipartisonship, inclusion and concensus. A very short honeymoon later, Bush's interpretation of consensus was found to be simply agree with me, period.

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