Note of warning re Biden/Palin: Joe is garrulous and gaffe prone

[featherman]

Overtalking and making a handful of gaffes may give the media enough ammo to turn attention away from Palin's likely shortcomings by comparison.

There is some dangerous ground here.

On edit: Wow! Who thought this would be regarded as a "concern" post. Please note I mentioned the obvious... that Joe is garrulous and gaffe prone. So IF he overtalks and makes a handful of gaffes the MEDIA may use it to turn attention away from Palin's. "Yes, that was a gibberish answer from Palin but Biden also said... blah, blah"

I am not "concerned" that Biden will lose in the PUBLIC'S perception or that Palin will come across as anything but an out-of-her-league RW Fundie.

I was merely predicting how the media and commentators may try to even up the post-debate analysis since their knee-jerk reaction is always to "find balance". Post-debate commentary universally slamming Palin's ignorance and blithering while universally extolling Biden's wisdom and brilliance just ain't gonna happen.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

1. We need more warnings about that debate.

I dont think we can have too many warnings about that debate.

[JackBeck]

6. You don't seem concerned enough. You need to try harder.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. If I was any more concerned, I'd need a stretcher.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

33. I'm really biting my nails too...OMG, what if Sarah starts talking about Russia?

series

[jobycom]

8. Might not hurt to lower expectations a tad. The OP has a point, in that

Biden, while able to blow Palin away on the issues or experience or wisdom or anything else that matters, does saw dumb things at times. Borderline racist, even. If he does that in the debate, the media will shape the whole spin around a single gaff, ignoring the rest of the debate. As with Gore's "sighs" or the Carrie Ellis story.

Though, since there's not much to be done about it except watch and respond afterwards, I understand your point. What's sad to me is that I remember the days when we could discuss stuff like this on DU, without worrying about who was a troll and who was sincere. Our discussion was more for ourselves, whereas now there's always the "the world is watching" angle to worry about, so we aren't supposed to discuss the negative side of things. Makes discussion less honest.

Oh yeah, and get off my lawn! :rofl:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

15. Never enough nervous knee-knocking teeth-chattering honest awful sincere feariness discussion

:hi:

[jobycom]

23. Heh! That's not really what I meant.

I mean, you can't say things like "I don't know if Obama's strategy about X is productive, maybe he should try Y" without someone smacking you as a troll or disruptor. I know, I've tried. The very types of observation I would have made four years ago get hammered now, whereas before they'd be discusses as legite issues.

Feariness? :rofl:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

24. I know, I bend stuff around. Peace.

I think everybody's giddy at how good things look
at the moment, and if there werent caveats available to poke at,
we'd have to make 'em up. Maybe the bigger a group gets, the less
dissent is tolerated? Plus it's been so long since a Dem was in
there, I think everybody does have a tiny fear that something will
go wrong & so doesnt want to see it expressed for fear that fear
begets fear? Anyway, peace, have a good weekend.

[justinaforjustice]

27. Debating Palin Will Be Hard: She´s Ignorant, But Very Nasty.

I think Biden has a far harder job in ¨debating¨ Palin than Obama has with McCain. Everybody already knows that Joe is a intelligent, experienced and fully qualified to be vice president or president. As a result, there is almost no way he can really ¨win¨ this joint appearance with Palin, he can only lose it if he appears to over-whelm her or appear patronizing.

Biden has to walk a very fine line to show that he is knowledgeable but not condescendingly so. He has to meet what will likely be very nasty attacks from Palin without appearing to be the slightest bit snarky himself. If he totally ignores her, which would be the best thing to do, he risks being accused of acting like McCain. He has to be respectful, while not directly engaging with her.

Meanwhile, Palin will have memorized her snarky scrip, with just enough 3 syllable words thrown in to appear intelligent, much like her acceptance speech. She will make sound'bite sized personal attacks and continue with her egregious lies, so it will hard to resist not clobbering her.

Joe certainly has his work cut out for him with Palin. Beating Lieberman, Giuliani, Romney or Huckabee would be a piece of cake compared to the complexity presented by Palin.

Joe needs to come up with short, simple answers and avoid embellishment. Joe should probably use Debbie Wasserman Schultz as a sparing partner for debate practice. Schultz can do tough and nasty very well (thank God she is now on Obama´s side! And, when it´s over, the DNC can make money by selling the practice videos to the Daily Show or Colbert.)

[A-Schwarzenegger]

28. She lost all her nastiness when she crawled out from behind the Convention podium.

She had her fifteen, she's gasping for air. Where you guys come up with this horseshit in inspiring to the human imagination.

[Cha]

30. Is it me or does Joe Biden come off

as cuddly as a polar bear cub compared to nasty mcheinous and mooselini?

Full disclosure..I, personally, have never seen any evidence of a garrolous Biden and "gaffes".. is that what Dean calls stating the facts in Washington DC?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

32. I was actually one of those nervous about Joe's bloviationiness on the trail, but I have been

happily surprised & wrongy. And his minor missteps, if any, have been
treated with kid gloves by the press as far as I've seen :hi:

[Cha]

34. Well, I never knew Biden before Obama chose him for VP

so he's got a fresh start with me. :hi:

[Beaverhausen]

2. I would guess he is working on making thoughtful, short answers

and seriously, I don't think this debate will happen. No way will they let Palin do it. no way

[Arkana]

3. Uh, when your opponent is dumber than a bag of hammers

she'll make enough gaffes on her own. Biden knows what's up--I have full confidence in him.

[featherman]

5. I prefer "bag or rocks" or "fencepost" but you are likely right. My point is we are

speculating on the liklihood of Palin screwing up big time but might be a good idea to remember Biden is something of a loose cannon.

[PsN2Wind]

16. A friend of mine always used

"dumber than a hundred chickens"

[SallyMander]

12. Uh oh, look out!

:D

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7185451

[Bicoastal]

4. ...

[jobycom]

9. Joe is also wise, experienced, and shrewd, and only rambles when not prepared.

So while he does have a history of dumb comments, he has a much stronger history of wise, insightful comments that reveal his expertise and skill.

I ain't worried. :)

[shraby]

10. I'm sure he's aware of it and is practicing

to avoid it..especially with the i.q. level of his opponent.

[Vinca]

11. Joe could give yes and no answers and come out ahead in this debate.

There is no way in hell someone who has given 3 interviews that no one could comprehend will somehow pull it together and sound rational and like VP material. I can hardly wait for this one.

[OmahaBlueDog]

20. Pretty much, that's what I'm hoping for

Joe should stay on topic and keep his answers brief and simple. I don't want a "Stand up, Chuck" moment.

[Bluebear]

13. Fear not, Biden is rehearsing now with a goat standing in for Palin.

[mtnsnake]

14. Palin has more than her fair share to worry about in the gaffe dept, too

[Mooney]

17. You need to stop worrying.

There is no gaffe that Biden can make that will have anywhere near the impact of the incoherent nonsense that will spew forth from Sarah Palin's mouth. Just watch the Katie Couric interview again. That's someone who cannot get through one minute (much less 60 or 90 minutes) without causing a spectacular verbal train wreck, and that's not a condition that can be fixed with one week of debate prep, no matter who's doing the prepping.

The best thing Sarah Palin can do is not show up. Seriously, stop worrying about this.

[jillan]

18. Hello? Did I accidently stumble on Freeperville? I meant to go to DU.

[NorthCarolina]

19. Biden is not new to this debate style, but it will be Palin's first debate of this type

couple that with her total lack of real world experience and there is no way she will come out on top. I say give Joe more credit than to be "concerned" over his performance against someone as inept as Palin. As for the media, they will do what they are told to do which, as stated above, will likely to key on any missteps by Biden, but we can't change that in the short term so no use worrying about it. Besides, I think much of the public has become "aware" of media bias to a much greater degree in this election than in either 2000 or 2004, so they will likely turn a tin ear to much of it.

I like Joe Biden and think he'll do fine. He wasn't my choice in the primaries, but neither was Obama to be honest. However, I think Obama made a hell of a good choice in Biden as his running mate, and that selection of someone I consider to be refreshingly progressive, decent and honest got me more hyped on Obama than I had been since he became the presumptive nominee. To be honest,I had been wary of Obamas apparent conservative leanings and his associations with anti-gay personalities. Joe Biden on the ticket eased those concerns for me substantially.

I can't wait for the Biden/Palin debate. For me it is Must Watch TV, and with Palin there it should prove to be an extremely entertaining evening....grab the popcorn, kick back and get ready to watch the Moose in the headlights.:popcorn:

[terrya]

21. I'm sorry...did you say something? I can't get that interview with Katie Couric out of my mind.

Once I try to forget that HORRIBLE disaster out of my mind, which will take some time, I'll reflect on your points about Joe Biden's shortcomings.

[Abacus]

22. Joe's gaffability has almost become an endearing quality

I'm not worried about Joe. His debate positives far outweigh his debate negatives.

[rvablue]

25. Hate to say it, but Palin doesn't have any "shortcomings"

This woman is a complete know-nothing.
It's not that she isn't inarticulate or nervous, or untraveled.

She has proven that she is intellectually incurious. One might not have traveled that much, but could read news magazine, watch the evening news, read newspapers and do a lot of other things that would have provided some intellectual framework for her handlers to hang their coaching on. But there is NOTHING THERE.

She is someone who got where she is by being saucy and cute and hopping on one single bandwagon in her state.

Unless Biden calls her "baby" or "honey pie" any of the folksy "gaffes" Biden can sometimes make will not amount to a molehill compared to this Barbiebot.

In 90 minutes she can only repeat Drill. Reformer. Maverick. Efficiencies in Agencies. Mom. and Russia is close to Alaska only so many times.

[chiefofclarinet]

26. Joe Biden IS NOT GAFFE-PRONE!!!!!!!

Does Biden like to talk? Yes, but I personally know people that yammer even more than he does. Does Biden say the wrong thing at times? Yes, we all do that. Does Biden say something he should not say? Occasionally, and we all do that as well. I wouldn't call that "gaffes"; I call them being human.

Joe Biden is not a perfect super-human. He makes mistakes, and since the media has painted him as "gaffe-prone", they will attack him at all costs when he slips up on something.

I'm not worried about Biden making gaffes, because he might; I'm worried that Palin won't make enough gaffes, because she will look good because of it.

[Virginia Dare]

29. Biden's done how many debates in his career?

Princess Barracuda, how many has she done?

[crispini]

31. Biden is definitely going to have to be careful.

His best strategy would be to let Sarah trip over her own tongue -- just relax and let her show her own blithering to the world. Ha!