# Let's define fair and unfair questions for Palin **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 30, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940 "2008-09-30T23:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/61 "2008-10-01T19:53:11Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > _Brava,_ **jsgoddess!** In a post of many excellent questions, this one in particular strikes me as especially so. Succinct and simple, but with plenty of room for either candidate to expound in any direction they want to take. And a very important question given the current state of balance of powers and the unitary executive. Please, if you haven’t already, submit this for formal consideration by someone moderating a VP debate (are there more than the one scheduled?). Thanks. I liked that one too. But there’s only one debate and it’s barely holding on for dear life at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/62 "2008-10-01T20:07:27Z")
magellan is busy in the Pit trying to derail it by claiming that Gwen Ifill has written a book [The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama](http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Politics-Race-Age-Obama/dp/038552501X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222891390&sr=1-1) whose success will be improved by Obama’s election, and therefore she should recuse herself as moderator. This is apparently [WND.com](http://WND.com)’s and Drudge’s talking point for the day. How his election could increase the sales of this book is left as an exercise to the reader, since a) Obama is already “the biggest celebrity in the world” and b) this is a political junkie/African American historian kind of book. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/63 "2008-10-01T20:09:04Z")
**magellan** is busy in the Pit trying to derail it by claiming that Gwen Ifill has written a book [The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama](http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Politics-Race-Age-Obama/dp/038552501X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222891390&sr=1-1) whose success will be improved by Obama’s election, and therefore she should recuse herself as moderator. This is apparently [WND.com](http://WND.com)’s and Drudge’s talking point for the day. How his election could increase the sales of this book is left as an exercise to the reader, since a) Obama is already “the biggest celebrity in the world” and b) this is a political junkie/African American historian kind of book. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/64 "2008-10-01T20:34:05Z")
Quoth **HPL** : > [@](#): > > Well, to be fair, an unfair question would be something like this: > > Do you feel that superstring theory is the best answer for a grand unified field theory? > > Do you feel that he LHC at CERN will confirm or deny Superstring theory? What are you talking about? Those are perfectly fair questions! Heck, I’m not even a politician, and I could answer both of those. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/65 "2008-10-01T20:40:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **HPL** :What are you talking about? Those are perfectly fair questions! Heck, I’m not even a politician, and I could answer both of those. > > 😛 So could I. “How the hell should I know?” I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/66 "2008-10-01T21:02:39Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > So could I. > > “How the hell should I know?” I’d say. I could do better. "Uhhh. I thought it broke. Didn’t it break? Will someone explain superstring theory, because I never could wrap my head around that? Of course, I don’t get relativity either. \" Yeah, they’ll vote me right into office. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/67 "2008-10-01T21:29:40Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What would be the female version of “Boxers or briefs?” As we found out in the primaries with that same presidential candidate’s wife, “diamonds or pearls?” ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/68 "2008-10-01T21:35:09Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > As we found out in the primaries with that same presidential candidate’s wife, “diamonds or pearls?” Holy Christmas, there’s no contest. Pearls. Diamonds would be tacky! ETA: I honestly forgot. That’s what Cindy McCain wore at the convention, isn’t it? I really, really did forget. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/69 "2008-10-01T22:11:02Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > Crab. McCain is bear DNA. > ETA: They’re both cool, and both useful studies. Actually, that could lead to a good question. Governor Palin, you supported an earmark for research in crab DNA. Given the importance of the crab industry to Alaska, do you still think this is a case for an earmark which is valuable? I’m sure you could find a good earmark for Biden also. ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/70 "2008-10-02T11:23:29Z")
Governor Palin, on the subject of earmarks, which do you prefer:Tattoos or Tags and please explain why. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/71 "2008-10-02T14:26:41Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Actually, that could lead to a good question. > > Governor Palin, you supported an earmark for research in crab DNA. Given the importance of the crab industry to Alaska, do you still think this is a case for an earmark which is valuable? > I’m sure you could find a good earmark for Biden also. Well, it’s not Delaware, but crabs are big business in Maryland too. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/72 "2008-10-03T05:23:25Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > Other than going to funerals, what _does_ a VP do all day? Unless they’re Dick Cheney and running the government, that is? Argue with school children about the spellings of words, invent the internet. Stuff like that. The VP debate is over, but I dream about both Obama and McCain being grilled on the misleading things they’ve said in their ads. I wonder if that’s “unfair,” though. Such as “Senator Obama, your website says, and you’ve repeatedly said, you under you, 95% of [workers](http://origin.barackobama.com/taxes/) will have their taxes cut. More than 5% of workers do not earn enough to pay taxes, so could you explain your logic-defying claim?” Or “Senator McCain, you recently aired an ad saying you support renewable energy and think investing in it will create jobs. Why does your energy plan lack specific references to renewable energy sources?” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/73 "2008-10-03T17:16:42Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Dick Cheney is widely regarded as a very powerful VP. Do you foresee yourself as a powerful VP? Woot! I feel like I got this one answered. Kinda. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940/74 "2008-10-03T17:47:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Woot! I feel like I got this one answered. Kinda. And weren’t the answers both interesting and quite misleading? Palin: Absolutely - let’s ramp up the powers of the VP! (Except that she didn’t even run her small town, and is well known for her hands off style.) Biden: Hell, no! I don’t want anything to do with the kind of power Dick Cheney had! (Except that he’ll be a _huge_ force in the White House, both as a senior advisor to Obama and as a legislative strong arm, although, to be fair, he was upfront about both of those roles.) ETA: Joe Biden is going to _love_ getting up in the morning! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-define-fair-and-unfair-questions-for-palin/465940.md?page=3)