# The Invisible Palin Meltdown **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 3, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281 "2008-10-03T07:07:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/21 "2008-10-03T12:14:09Z")
> [@leander](#): > > Compare that to Joe, who (IMHO) said all the right things and knows his policy, can give detailed explanations and chew gum – but can also look old and weird in his own way. And he did not hit it out of the ballpark or run rings around her, which many expected him to do. But he also treated her fairly and well - and many expected him to “pick on her.” Since he was set up to “loose” if he “picked on her” not hitting it out of the park seemed reasonable. Its like playing checkers with an eight year old…you might beat them in the end to teach them about the game - but you don’t humiliate them. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/22 "2008-10-03T12:18:14Z")
> [@9thFloor](#): > > Every poll also says Palin was more likeable. > > Gore won his debates with Bush. I don’t believe this is true. I know that the CNN polling results say that Biden was “more in touch with the problems of people like you.” Just to follow up on the “student trying to wing it” impression that she gives off, here are the [“word clouds”](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/3/0223/35665/837/618518) from Biden and Palin last night. Look how prominent the word “also” was for Palin. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/23 "2008-10-03T12:30:55Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > So she didn’t “pee herself” and therefore it’s a draw? > > So let’s see… And in the new this morning, Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden spoke directly to the facts with clear opinions in a voice of obvious experience and knowledge of the gamut of issues including foreign and domestic policies and the economy. Candidate Palin, golly gee gosh willikers, while unable to provide an answer to a majority of the actual questions asked, did remain dry and upright. I think it was a win-win. Back to you, John… I feel like I was watching a different debate than everyone else in the media. They are all saying she held her own and appeared confident. I thought she sounded like she was reciting a high school term paper that had about 80% bullshit. I’m so glad my mother is visiting, so I had someone to watch with (my husband refused to watch anything political with me). Every time Palin started answering a question with a topic that had NOTHING to do with the question, we looked at each other like WTF is she talking about? For instance, when they were talking about the economy and she said something like, “I’d like to get back to the point of tax cuts”, when they weren’t even mentioned. Or when she wanted to “get back to” talking about energy when it wasn’t dicussed yet. I was really hoping Biden would call her out on that and he didn’t. My 89 year old grandfather is a life-long Republican. He adores Palin and was saying to my mother, “Oh I hope she does well!” with worry in his voice. She’s not a child in the school play. She’s a VP candidate and if he had confidence in his Presidential candidate and his decision in choosing her, he shouldn’t HAVE to worry. I’m so afraid that “Joe Sixpack” :rolleyes: feels the same way and that the polls will swing McCain’s way again just because she didn’t pick her nose on stage. Oh, and who would have thought Biden would be the one to cry on stage! ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/24 "2008-10-03T12:40:42Z")
> [@Nutty\_Bunny](#): > > I’m so afraid that “Joe Sixpack” :rolleyes: feels the same way and that the polls will swing McCain’s way again just because she didn’t pick her nose on stage. > > Oh, and who would have thought Biden would be the one to cry on stage! Let Joe six pack think she is the next coming of the messiah. All the democrats need is **enough** people to think she’s vastly unqualified for the job. With a couple days to prepare she held it together [no doubt with 10mg of Xanax] but the Golly-Gee-Wizz kid came fumbling out of her mouth **enough** times for most people to understand she is unqualified to be there. The polls won’t swing back to any degree, in fact, look for polls to rise slightly for the dems again. McCain pulling out of Michigan is just one more nail in the GOP coffin. I’ll venture to say they are already looking ahead to 2012. I’m not too worried. I’m actually gaining confidence everytime I look at Google-News-Elections, they have a good cross section of national headlines and non of them say there is or will be a momentum switch back to GOP. It’s decidedly the other way around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/25 "2008-10-03T12:42:07Z")
> [@Nutty\_Bunny](#): > > Oh, and who would have thought Biden would be the one to cry on stage! I think if anything’s going to be a problem for her with this debate, it’ll be her reaction to Biden choking up. She didn’t even flinch, much less offer any sort of sympathetic noise or look. I wonder how many people (especially women) are going to be bothered by that. I was, but I already can’t stand her, so I my reaction to her isn’t objective. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/26 "2008-10-03T12:46:52Z")
We threw cat toys at the TV every time she used that beaten-to-fucking-death “maverick” moniker. Shut the fuck up. It worked the first few times, but you cannot hypnotize me into supporting you by repeating the word over and over. I’m so glad Biden ripped her on it at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/27 "2008-10-03T12:55:03Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I think if anything’s going to be a problem for her with this debate, it’ll be her reaction to Biden choking up. She didn’t even flinch, much less offer any sort of sympathetic noise or look. I wonder how many people (especially women) are going to be bothered by that. I was, but I already can’t stand her, so I my reaction to her isn’t objective. I was watching the CNN thing with the reaction lines, and I noticed that when Palin started talking after that moment, even though she wasn’t saying anything particularly at all, the trend lines dropped into the negative. I think you’re right that her lack of reaction didn’t go over well. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/28 "2008-10-03T13:07:02Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > Let Joe six pack think she is the next coming of the messiah. All the democrats need is **enough** people to think she’s vastly unqualified for the job. With a couple days to prepare she held it together [no doubt with 10mg of Xanax] but the Golly-Gee-Wizz kid came fumbling out of her mouth **enough** times for most people to understand she is unqualified to be there. The polls won’t swing back to any degree, in fact, look for polls to rise slightly for the dems again. McCain pulling out of Michigan is just one more nail in the GOP coffin. I’ll venture to say they are already looking ahead to 2012. I’m not too worried. I’m actually gaining confidence everytime I look at Google-News-Elections, they have a good cross section of national headlines and non of them say there is or will be a momentum switch back to GOP. It’s decidedly the other way around. 🙂 Thanks for talking me down off the ceiling. I get nervous when I venture outside of our safe little SDMB bubble and hear people like my grandfather singing McCain’s praises. He wants my mother to find him a McCain-Palin bumpersticker and yard sign. She bought him a child’s bike license plate with the name “SARAH” and he’s got it hanging from his rearview mirror. My husband showed her [this](http://www.tshirthell.com/funny-shirts/mccain-palin-sarah-palin-hunting/) and she’s thinking about buying it for him. ---
**Author:** ![Amfet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Amfet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amfet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/29 "2008-10-03T13:07:37Z")
I agree, Palin struggled through the debate well enough to convince someone who may have stumbled upon it while flipping through the channels that she’s a viable candidate. But I think even a viewer who’s had thier head cramed up their arse for the past two months, would have caught on that her statements were woefully lacking substance if they weren’s so poorly worded. Her insertion of names, or other tid bits to illustrate that she’s up to speed on the issues was like listening to someone trying to bluff their was through an job interview. In fact that’s exactly what it was. Early on she appeared so nerveous that it was uncomfortable to watch. I could see how some could feel sympathy for her, so I’m glad Biden played nice. What I don’t understand is how she’s gets away with playing both the sympathy card and the bravado card. > [@](#): > > And I appreciate, too, Sen. Biden, getting to meet you, finally, also, and getting to debate with you. And I would like more opportunity for this. > > I like being able to answer these tough questions without the filter, even, of the mainstream media kind of telling viewers what they’ve just heard. This comment made me want to puke. I could have sworn I heard someting about General MacAurthur, but I didn’t see anything in the transcript?? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/30 "2008-10-03T13:10:42Z")
Someone needs to introduce her to the “period” and the “paragraph” before she kills someone with a word storm. I think that’s her tried-and-true technique to confuse and distract from the fact that she’s not informed on the issues. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/31 "2008-10-03T13:11:42Z")
Palin was hunting bear with a BB Gun. She gets points, I suppose, for not shooting out her eye. As a substantive debater, she didn’t do well. As a talking points parrot, she did pretty good. A few misspoken words, garbled facts, and visits from the department of redundancy department, but Biden had a few stumbles too. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/32 "2008-10-03T13:15:30Z")
> [@Nutty\_Bunny](#): > > My husband showed her [this](http://www.tshirthell.com/funny-shirts/mccain-palin-sarah-palin-hunting/) and she’s thinking about buying it for him. Gah! What is that animal? Is it a pig (I detect some lipstick)? If it is, I don’t get it. If it’s a donkey, that’s pretty messed up and more fodder for the stereotype of violent Republicans, willing to inflict bodily harm on “liberals”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/33 "2008-10-03T13:16:39Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Just to follow up on the “student trying to wing it” impression that she gives off, here are the [“word clouds”](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/3/0223/35665/837/618518) from Biden and Palin last night. Look how prominent the word “also” was for Palin. That word cloud seems suspect as I couldn’t find “Doggone it” in there anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/34 "2008-10-03T13:25:25Z")
> [@Amfet](#): > > I could have sworn I heard someting about General MacAurthur, but I didn’t see anything in the transcript?? She did mention Civil War mediocrity General McClellan when she meant current commander in Afghanistan General McKiernan. Is that what you where thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/35 "2008-10-03T13:28:04Z")
> [@9thFloor](#): > > Every poll also says Palin was more likeable. > > Gore won his debates with Bush. Gore also won the election. ---
**Author:** ![Burton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/36 "2008-10-03T13:35:31Z")
I wonder how her comment; “We need to make sure that we demand from the federal government strict oversight of those entities in charge of our investments and our savings…” Sits with the champions of deregulation. ---
**Author:** ![Amfet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Amfet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amfet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/37 "2008-10-03T13:39:04Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > She did mention Civil War mediocrity General McClellan when she meant current commander in Afghanistan General McKiernan. Is that what you where thinking of? Yep that was it. I should have remembered that since I trained at the Army fort bearing his name :smack: Ya know - MacAurthor, McClellen, McKiernan, what’s the difference though. Also these generals were all patriots and great Americans and macricks too, just like John McCain who just loves to fight against the terrorists and shake up Washington. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/38 "2008-10-03T13:55:32Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I think if anything’s going to be a problem for her with this debate, it’ll be her reaction to Biden choking up. She didn’t even flinch, much less offer any sort of sympathetic noise or look. I wonder how many people (especially women) are going to be bothered by that. I was, but I already can’t stand her, so I my reaction to her isn’t objective. I only saw parts of the debate, and unfortunately missed that, but I wonder what the reaction from the public would have been if she’d taken the opportunity to walk over and give him a little hug of support? I bet the media would have gone nuts and she’d have scored a big bounce for her team. Too bad her programmers didn’t think to build that into the circuits! ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/39 "2008-10-03T13:56:22Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I think if anything’s going to be a problem for her with this debate, it’ll be her reaction to Biden choking up. She didn’t even flinch, much less offer any sort of sympathetic noise or look. I wonder how many people (especially women) are going to be bothered by that. I was, but I already can’t stand her, so I my reaction to her isn’t objective. My wife was disturbed by her interaction with the baby at the end of the debate. She held him for less than a minute, never making eye contact with him while thumping him on the back like he was some kind of inanimate object, then passed him off to the seven year old, and never looked at or for him again. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281/40 "2008-10-03T14:13:14Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > My wife was disturbed by her interaction with the baby at the end of the debate. She held him for less than a minute, never making eye contact with him while thumping him on the back like he was some kind of inanimate object, then passed him off to the seven year old, and never looked at or for him again. That bothers me too. The baby is nothing but a prop for her. She brandishes it like a trophy for her pro-life worshippers, then hands it off like it’s a bag of laundry. You never see any real motherly affection or concern. I think she exhibits Narcissistic personality traits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-invisible-palin-meltdown/466281.md?page=3)