Don't Think Palin Will Do That Bad. Look At The Massive Amount of Debate Prep She Is Getting

[Median Democrat]

Obama and McCain were fitting in debate preparation while dealing with circus created by McCain swooping in for a photo-op, and threatening to cancel the first debate. Joe Biden is out on the stump campaigning today and through the week while conducting interviews.

Sarah? She is pretty much holed up this entire week doing nothing but intensive debate preparation similar to hear reading her speech at the RNC convention. In other words, if she invests massive amounts of preparation, Palin can come out okay. My take is that if Palin gets massive amounts of lead time, like she is now getting this entire week, Palin can sounds competent like she did at the RNC convention. In contrast, like Obama, Biden is not going to get a lot of time to focus on the debate.

Here are some articles discussing her debate preparation:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/27/Report_Bush_veterans_prep_Palin/UPI-13751222536498/

/snip

Report: Bush veterans prep Palin

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Advisers from the Bush administration are prepping Gov. Sarah Palin for her vice presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden, U.S. political strategists say.

Palin's coaches are tough political operatives who helped George W. Bush become president of the United States, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

For the sole vice presidential debate Oct. 2, the Alaska governor is being coached by Mark Wallace, Bush's deputy campaign manager in 2004 and Tucker Eskew, a Republican strategist at the forefront of Bush's primary battle in 2002 against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the current Republican presidential nominee.

"There aren't a lot of experienced, skilled political operatives around who can work at the presidential level," said Republican strategist Mark McKinnon. "It would be very hard to put together a presidential team on the Republican side without hiring former Bush hands."

Palin has little foreign or federal policy experience while Biden, of Delaware, is a veteran senator and foreign policy expert.

/snip

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14014.html

/snip

Obama campaign calls Palin 'a terrific debater'

“She’s not out there on the stump that much. She’s not doing a whole lot of interviews. So she’s spending a whole lot of time — hours and hours a day, apparently — preparing for this debate. And we suspect that she’ll come in fighting form.”

/snip

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/presidentialdebates/3091724/Vice-presidential-debate-Sarah-Palin-relies-on-Bush-veterans-for-her-big-day.html

/snip

Vice-presidential debate: Sarah Palin relies on Bush veterans for her big day: Sarah Palin is being briefed for her own television debate this week by a team of hard-nosed operatives who helped take George W Bush from the Texas governor's mansion to the White House.

The Alaska governor picked by Mr McCain as his White House running mate has been assigned a group of senior aides and advisers whose background is at odds with her carefully honed image as a maverick anti-Washington reformer.

Mrs Palin's chief coach for the sole vice-presidential debate against Joe Biden, the veteran senator who is her Democratic counterpart, is Mark Wallace, who was Mr Bush's deputy campaign manger in 2004 and later the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations.

Her chief of staff and permanent companion on the campaign trail is Tucker Eskew, a senior Republican strategist who was at the forefront of Mr Bush's ugly primary battle against Mr McCain in 2000.

Her highly-lauded speech to the Republican convention that launched the wave of "Palinmania" that has gripped the party was written by Matthew Scully, who previously crafted the words of President Bush.

And, to help guide Mrs Palin through the new and treacherous waters of national politics, a slew of other staff are also veterans of the hard-fought operations that secured victories for Mr Bush and Dick Cheney in 2000 and 2004.

/snip

[GarbagemanLB]

1. Yeah, she will be a tough one.

*wink*

[saltpoint]

2. Biden doesn't need the prep. Palin needs a brain transplant.

[jillan]

3. Biden has been prepping too, but unlike Palin he's

able to do 2 things at once. ;)

[1corona4u]

4. She won't remember 1/4 of it....

that's the truth too. You can't try to stuff 20 lbs of shit into a 5 lb bag, and expect it not to burst.

[MI4Obama]

7. She'll just stick

to the talking points. She hasn't had nearly enough time to gain working knowledge of foreign policy, it will show.

[CTyankee]

78. If there are follow up questions, she be sunk. Look what happened in the Couric interview.

She had her talking points on the Russia thing, for instance, but when Couric drilled down a little bit Palin was flailing. I'm sure she'll have the talking points, no questions, but that's gonna about all...

[TNMOM]

5. bush veterans coaching palin is like blind leading the dumb

Jesus H. Christ. I don't know who is going to be more frustrated: the Bush cadre, or the pageant queen. You assume even the Bush people are used to talking to peers who have the basic vocabulary of a well-read educated person. Imagine Kissinger explaining nuclear detente to a high school cheerleader. You get the picture.

[iceman66]

14. I'm surprised it doesn't get pointed out more,

that if McCain/Palin are such 'mavericks' what are all these Bush people doing literally putting words in their mouth???

[TankLV]

31. "Miss Congeniality" anyone?

Michael Cain must be getting pretty frustrated by now...he IS - HER - coach, right?!?

[quakerboy]

81. Umm... they are BUSH people

why would you assume that they are "used to talking to peers who have the basic vocabulary of a well-read educated person"?

"Imagine Kissinger explaining nuclear detente to a high school cheerleader" Bush. College cheerleader. How soon we forget.

[FatDave]

90. Bush actually was a high school cheerleader.

At Phillips Academy in Andover Massachusetts. He probably couldn't make the cut at Yale.

[quakerboy]

91. MY bad.

I couldn't remember specifics, so I gave benefit of doubt. Apparently, like Pelosi and Reid, I still haven't learned better.

[Vinca]

6. It's been reported the more information they give her and the more

they try to program her, the worse she gets.

[Peacetrain]

8. You can teach a parrot to talk in 15 minutes.. if after all this prep

she does not have it down somewhat, then not only is she politically wrong, she is dumber than a bag of rocks.

And her level of expectations are so low at this point, that if she shows up, and does her cute little 8 year old boo boo bi do,bit, everyone will declare her a winner.

She has already had her potatoe/ potato moment, with Putin sending things to Alaska don'tcha know

What a birdbrain. Only McCain could possibly think this woman is competent

[Orsino]

9. Her Couric interviews *were* debate prep.

I think she will do about as badly as it is possible to do. She's so far shown only that she can memorize a few short phrases and regurgitate them at random.

She's had a few weeks to prepare already. I doubt that the next few days will see any miracles.

[iceman66]

10. No doubt she will be very well coached,

but I doubt they are going to let her use a teleprompter at the debate, like at the convention.

In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see little snippets from he convention speech show up in her answers to questions at the debate. This even happened with McCain.

The other side really doesn't have a lot to work with in terms of material.

[rvablue]

34. The debate commission would never permit the use of telemprompters. n/t

[kansasblue]

11. I think they will give her a bunch of Ann Colter zingers and let her go.

The red meat crowd of the Republican base will eat it up.

'Drill baby Drill'

Tax and Spend Libs

Community organizer

etc..

deflect questions and go for far right hate zingers.

This is what I expect.

[Metta]

12. She's a loser. The difference between memorizing and experience.

her vrs. Biden.

[chat_noir]

79. Experience?

[Metta]

84. Her lipstick vrs. Biden's experience.

nt

[liberalmuse]

13. A glimpse into a Palin debate prep session...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_GJkKMPHxw

(Sorry. I'm on an Airplane! jag this morning.)

[LaurenG]

15. LOL - a week vs how many years?

I cringe thinking about her performance and I hope Joe has a good poker face.

[stopbush]

16. It's one thing to prep for a debate. It's another thing to cram for a test.

[msallied]

17. All the education in the world don't mean dick to an empty-headed student.

She had time to prep for ALL of her media appearances, had note cards during her interview with Couric, and she STILL bombed. Believe me, this isn't going to help her.

You can't simply cram for this sort of thing. You just can't. You have to have been a student of it and to have studied it for YEARS before you can just become an expert on it.

[rvablue]

28. You are spot on

EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ELECTION SEASON

Even McCain, Romney, Huckabee, Paul, and OK, maybe not Guiliani, but everyone including those we vehemently disagree with have been students of government and policy and the world for years and years and years.

This woman won the state house with her gritty downhome charm and a single issue --

She has shown no evidence at all that she really knows about anything, besides drilling for oil.

Gwen Ifill is going to ask questions on a wide range of issues - and I'm so happy there is a female moderator, because as was shown in the Katie interview, I think smart women make Palin nervous. She is way too used to licking her lips and battling her eyelashes in order to get away with being a know-nothing.

The woman didn't even spend half of her time as governor in the capital!

[msallied]

50. She didn't spend half of her time as governor in Juneau

but she sure made sure she got a nice per diem for it anyway. What a rip-off artist. That's all she is. A total fraud.

And you make a great point about a female moderating this debate. That way it will also help to guard against any "Big Bad Men" beating up on a poor little girl.

[stoge18]

57. spot on

I echo rvablue's sentiments. Prep time certainly helps, but when you have no basis to begin with, you're stock answers are empty. I suspect Palin will stumble when asked to expand upon one of her answers or provide more details. She is not stupid, but she lacks perspective. One liners, zingers, and talking points will not work here when that's all you've got.

I recall a West Wing episode wherein the President asked his challenger for 10 more words and 10 more after that when he gave a stock answer. The challlenger stumbled.... Of course, West Wing was a fictional TV show, but I think this particular episode is a good illustration of what can happen when a seasoned veteran debates a puppet.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Median Democrat]

27. David Plouffe Is A Concern Troll? Do Tell...

You do realize that one of the articles I quoted is based on comments from the Obama campaign? Who knew that David P was a concern troll.

[rvablue]

40. And you do realize that every campaign wants to even out expectations before a debate?

For those who saw her two network interviews, Palin has already proven that she is moron.

The Obama camp doesn't want this meme to become dominant because then all she has to do is form a proper sentence to win.

Every campaign tries to fluff up expectations of their opponent before a debate.

[Median Democrat]

53. True, and Realistically So Long As Palin Is Coherent, The Media Will Spin It As A Success

The Couric interview was terrible due in part because Palin's answers were incoherent. Even your average Joe was listening and thinking, "That made no sense whatsoever." Palin has a very low bar now. Thus, if Palin could simply be coherent with none of this Putin's head is in Alaskan air space non-sense, then the media will spin it as a win so that they can celebrate the life story that is Sarah Palin.

[msallied]

54. Exactly. Raised Expectations = Higher Disappointment

It's the oldest trick in the book for these things.

[CrispyQ]

61. I'm sick of reading multiple posts that suggest Palin has some hidden mad skills in debate,

or that she will be able to prep her way out of her complete & total ignorance in the course of a week or two. Holy shit, she can barely get through an interview with a couple of mild mannered talking heads & yet this morning, there are several threads expressing concern that Palin will shine over Joe Biden.

:wtf:

Perhaps it's time I investigated the 'hide thread' feature.

[asjr]

19. If I were a Republican I would consider

the choice of Sarah Palin as vice-presidential nominee a really hard slap in the face. Not because of who she is but of what she is--someone totally unprepared and inexperienced. It just reminds me that Republicans care nothing about this country or its citizens, but only of their party. And they have made a laughing stock of Ms Palin. It is not fair to us or to her. They have probably told her it is a slam dunk so she went along. And up until John McCain I thought GW was the biggest liar in the world. I think McCain has gone beyond GW.

[iceman66]

52. The Palin pick was the ultimate example of 'campaign over country'

I don't see how anyone could seriously argue to the contrary.

And yet most Republicans still enthusiastically support McCain!

[CTyankee]

20. Getting W all prepped up is one thing. They really can't do that with Sarah.

W had exposure to politics from an early age. Remember folks he went to a prestigious private prep school, Andover, and to Yale. He's been around super smart people a long time. He can imitate them on occasion, without knowing too much about what they said (but that's another topic...). Sarah has pretty much been in the boonies all her life. She doesn't have the reflexes that W had to develop, despite his ADD or whatever is the matter with him.

Like it or not it is a difference that class has conferred on W, but not on Sarah.

[msallied]

23. You nailed it!

W has been brought up around this stuff and look... I don't think Bush is really an "idiot." He's shrewd and stubborn beyond measure. He knows exactly what he believes and knows why he believes it, even if it's wrong. Sarah Palin is simply an empty canvas.

[rvablue]

41. You are so right on with this comment. n/t

[dkf]

21. These consultants got Bush through 3 debates.

Don't underestimate them.

[msallied]

26. Bush is not Palin.

Bush has had FAR more background in this stuff than Palin, even before he was President. His family is one of political power. He was groomed for the Presidency for years before he actually got out there. Now, I'm not saying he's a genius because he's not. But he was a much more capable student.

[RichGirl]

58. Bush had Laura...the librarian...

...who probably inlfluenced him. Living with an intelligent, articulate person does make a difference. Palin has Todd.
Bush was governor of Texas, which is a big state and not doubt spent a lot of time in the presence of sophisticated and smart people.

[msallied]

77. And Bush had Rove.

He was the GOP's great golden hope for years and he did a stunning job in helping change the political landscape of this country... and henceforth sending it straight to hell. Palin is an empty-headed baffoon from a backwater state whose one and only proven talent has been reading off a teleprompter. She won't be able to demonstrate that on Thursday.

[TankLV]

22. Well, no doubt it will pay off bigtime...we'd better be really worried now...

look how well all her cramming and preparation did for the Katie Couric interview!

[uponit7771]

24. Biden et al figured out she's rope-a-dopin, she can't be as freakin stupid as she was with Couric...

[NewJeffCT]

25. I expect her to demolish Biden

This woman is a trained professional sportscaster - a female Keith Olbermann - and her telegenic looks and personality will put Biden at an instant disadvantage, which she will press home with every single question. She has been prepping for this moment for weeks now, so will obviously be ready to rumble.

If we're not picking up pieces of Joe "gaffe machine" Biden off the floor after the debate, it will be a huge loss for Palin, and a victory for Joe and Barack. In fact, if it is close, Palin should consider stepping down in embarrassment.





I hope I don't need the :sarcasm: smiley

[A-Schwarzenegger]

29. How will Biden get out of going to that debate?

I hope he sees this thread and does something to save himself.

[Starry Messenger]

35. Oh please post that as an OP.

Please! I love your threads. That would be fun.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

38. I'M SEROUIS!

I think she's just been playing dubm.

[RichGirl]

65. It's not just about being dumb and...

uninformed. Debates are very cerebral and dry. A formal stage, quiet, serious, boring. I think her cutesy personality, gestures and hands flitting around are not going to fit with the serious issues they will be talking about. I think she has used personality to make up for a lack of knowledge. It won't work in a debate.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

75. I'm sure they have been working on her flitting hands.

In any case, a fellow named Marcel Marceau
made a lot of money off of his flitting hands.
As for cutesy personality, remember that's what
they said about Katie Couric not so long ago, but
Sarah Palin showed her how to be serious. If she
can help Katie Couric be serious, steadfast, earnest,
straight faced, gravitas, etc., then she can certainly
help herself. Keep in mind, a lot of people have things happen to
them, like get hit on the head by a boulder or something,
and then they have different personalities, different
voices, and actually know things and speak different
languages they never even heard of before.

[TlalocW]

30. In high school, I helped a lot of other students "cram" before finals

There's cramming done by people who have paid attention throughout the school year and are reviewing, and there's cramming by people who sloughed off the entire time and now need to learn an entire year's coursework in multiple subjects in a short amount of time.

Guess which group does better, and guess which group Sarah Palin belongs to (hint: they're not the same group).

TlalocW

[BlooInBloo]

33. There's no such thing as cramming a quarter's worth of knowledge...

Let alone a lifetime's.

[Median Democrat]

39. I Am Sure Palin Understand That Her Political Career Depends On This Debate

No one is expecting her to win. If she comes out at least as good George Bush, this will be seen as a great success. But, if she screws up, she ends her career and McCains. If she does well, McCain may lose, but she still has a future.

[BlooInBloo]

42. Knowing that doesn't make you any smarter. Just ask the cram-a-quarter's-worth students.

[Median Democrat]

44. Palin Only Needs To Get To Bush-Level Of Competency - Coherence Will Suffice

Palin does not need to be the GOP equivalent of Obama. Palin just needs to muddle through the debate like George Bush so that the MSM can declare that she exceeded expectations. That's it, since her expectations are so low.

What Palin CANNOT DO is give answers that just cause people to sit open mouthed in shock like everyone did during the Couric interview. So long as Palin is somewhat coherent, the media will spin the debate as a great success for Palin.

[BlooInBloo]

48. Best of luck to her.

[RoccoR5955]

32. Sorry, no matter how much you try, you can't train a stump to walk! n/t

[Frumious B]

36. If they weren't concerned then McCain wouldn't have tried to reschedule the VP debate.

They did to to reschedule it. Therefore, it is reasonable to infer that they are concerned that her debate performance might harm them.

[ORDem]

37. I don't remember what the format is, can anyone help? Perhaps

expecations are soooooo low for her and the format advantageous to her that it will help enough that she won't be forced to drop off the ticket.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

43. It's in Alaskan.

[rvablue]

46. The format is

she is going to be asked questions on a wide range of issues from foreign policy, economy, education, etc. all of which she is woefully unprepared for and she is going to have to answer them and then defend her answers against a veteran senator who has been deeply involved in said issues for three decades.

So, no, I don't think the format will give her an advantage.

[secondwind]

45. You are ignoring one very basic principle, and that is, you are assuming

that a woman with mediocre language skills and mediocre college experience can absorb years and years' worth of foreign policy experience...........and turn around and

SPEW IT OUT AGAIN IN A COGENT AND COHERENT FASHION. She will get by, at best. If you compare her interview with Gibson to the one with Couric, one thing stands out:

This woman is terrified. She knows she is not qualified. But she is being "prepped", "prodded", and brainwashed to believe

YES I CAN!

The nerve of the Republicans to do this to a woman who was minding her own business up there in Alaska, enjoying her governorship, and looking forward to months and months of snow and snowmobiling.

[backscatter712]

47. The human parrot will be well-trained!

[Medusa]

49. The Expectations Game

Here's how the expectations game (and our media) work. The expectations for Palin have been set incredibly low. As in if she's able to stand upright and open her mouth at the same time she will be credited with a personal win. Meanwhile if Biden gets one teeny little thing wrong, it will be noted as some massive failure. End game? Palin wins. That's my worse fear. Let's see how right I am come THursday night.

[secondwind]

55. actually, the CNN poll has Biden up by only 2 pts. on the debate

-- that way, the expectations are high. Which is good for us!!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

60. Do you have a link on that, please?

[iceman66]

59. You are unfortunately correct.

There is really no doubt that Biden WILL win the debate. I'd be surprised if it is anywhere near close. The question is how they are going to try and spin it.

[CTyankee]

88. No, they won't say she "won." They'll say how remarkable it was that she

said anything at all. They'll say "if she can do this, she's probably capable of learning how to be president if need be" and then they'll talk about how unprepared Harry Truman was and there we go...

I can hear it now, folks. Just you watch.

[Avalux]

51. Here's the thing -

Palin could prepare for the debate for an entire year and memorize a shit load of information; it still would not change the fact that she's vacuous, has a limited vocabulary and has a difficult time putting together a coherent sentence. On top of that, she often falls back on sarcasm when trying to bluff her way around a question. This will put off independent and undecided voters.

Of course, the Obama camp needs to assume she will do very well and has to be prepared if that's the case.

Biden needs to speak directly to the American public (as Obama did) and when Palin messes up, let's her do so without calling her on it. DO NOT ENGAGE.

[TheDonkey]

56. She'll be full to the brim in canned talking points.

[tpi10d]

64. canned talking points

Agree completely. If she delivers the talking points flawlessly she may do no harm. But VP debates are not typically game changers and the Rs need a game changer. If she flubs the talking points all bets are off-or if the moderator digs deeper for more depth of knowledge watch out..

[RichGirl]

70. A debate is not talking points.

A debate is argueing. Like Obama and McCain...they went after each other: you voted for this, not I didn't, etc. Unless she memorizes Biden entire history in the senate, how is she going to rebut him. They take turns being the first to answer a question and then rebutting. She doesn't just need to learn what her and McCain stands for, but she'll have to know what Obama/Biden stand for and why she disagrees.

[kiranon]

66. But the information will come out garbled because she can't process

My hypotheis is that Sarah Palin has a learning disorder that prevents her from processing information and may also have memory storage/retrieval problems. They can prep her til the cows (moose) come home and she won't be able to answer the questions without everyone saying, "Huh?"

[Applan]

62. Now how does that saying go "You can put lipstick on a pig......

.....but it's still a pig".
You can coach Palin as much as you want, but she's still in way over her head.

[calmblueocean]

63. I've watched her 2006 Alaska Gubernatorial Debate. She's not as dumb her latest interviews show.

Palin has had some bad moments in interviews lately, but they don't represent her ability to perform in a debate setting. In her 2006 debate, she was well-informed about Alaskan issues, and able to talk in great detail across a wide range of subjects. She handled herself with poise and confidence, even when under attack, and she knows how to tell a good anecdote.

People expecting Tina Fey's version of Sarah Palin are going to surprised when S.P. rises to the occasion (after weeks of constant training and practicing). She's not going to beat Biden, but expectations are so low now that she doesn't have to. She just has to defeat the narrative that she's a bimbo, and she'll do that.

I don't think even a spectacular performance by Palin will affect Obama's chances of winning. I do think Palin's future career in politics may rest on how she does, though.

[Median Democrat]

67. Agree, I Saw The Alaska Debates On CSPAN - Expectations for Her Are Too Low

Look up on CSPAN or Youtube the 2006 Alaskan gubernatorial debates. This is what the McCain camp was relying on when they picked her. Palin can sound coherent at least on the provincial issues of Alaska. I also bet that she will get some softball questions on oil drilling and the environment. I also expect her to focus NOT on defending McCain, but on launching attacks on Obama and Biden.

In other words, given the incredibly low expectations on Palin, she does not need much to scrape through.

[vaberella]

71. I wholeheartedly disagree. Maybe I didn't see the same debates.

As for what you're talking about. Who saw the debates between Palin, Knowles, and Halcro?

Halcro dominated that damn debate. The man was hitting all the issues. Knowles was definitely the buffoon of the lot and Palin, what a mess. Palin was doing the same thing she does now. She basically overuses words to get her point across and comes across like she's badgering.

Am I the only one who paid attention to that video? Andrew Halcro was amazing. The man was cool, calm, collected, new his information and cared about the concerns close to the heart of the people. He was very much "for the people" person. It's unfortunate he wasn't a Dem because he would have gotten the recognition he deserved.

This is the major problem with running Independent, you're basically discarded much of the time even when you have the clear and strong views. Had he run as the Dem, he would have won. Knowles was a buffoon, and couldn't even remember the questions. His answers were visibly weak. This is not to say he's an idiot, because that's not true. He just wasn't on the ball for that debate and he seemed uncomfortable and disoriented.

Palin sounded like she was a Pageant Queen answering queestions. When she was asked about what they didn't discuss more...she mentioned hunting and fishing rights. WTF? Hunting and fishing rights, and increaseing the caribou population so they could have more hunting and fishing. This is what she wanted to talk about and thought was important enough. That's utter nonsense.

While Halcro was wanting to really discuss the issue of rape, violence, and domestic and substance abuse which is extremely prevalent in Alaska and they tend to be no.1 in those departments. Yet, Palin is considered a strong debator?!

She knows nothing of even Alaska Politics. What kind of esteem do people hold debating on to think she was a strong debator?

She's far from a strong debator. She discusses frivolous topics and she's verbose which causes her to lose focus. How is that a strong debator? I don't get it. I just don't get it.

I felt she won the seat of governor because Halcro was an Independent. He truly deserved that seat.

[calmblueocean]

85. You're totally right about Halcro. He was fantastic.

It says something (bad) about Alaska that they chose Palin instead of Halcro.

But the Palin of that 2006 debate is not the cartoon we've seen her become in her interviews with Gibson and Couric. When the moderators were trying to pin her down on her quite radical support of no abortion even in the case of rape and incest by asking her what she would do if her daughter was raped, Palin was unflappable and said simply, "I would choose life." She followed that up by saying, "I know you'll be asking my opponents these same questions," giving a slight dig at the Alaskan Public Television moderators.

My point is that if Palin performs merely as well in the national debate as she did in the Alaskan debate, she'll exceed expectations. People are expecting tremendous levels of stupidity from her, and I doubt very much that she's going to give it to them.

[tpi10d]

73. re: Alaska debates

She was in her element, knowledge of local issues, confidence.

Think of your own attempts in life to wing it when you don't have the basic knowledge, vs. subject you're well-versed in.

At best she'll be able to deliver the canned talking points well, but any deeper dive into her depth of knowledge will not be pretty. We've seen this already on several occasions.

[vaberella]

68. Prepping and actuality are two very different things. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

69. She'll mop the floor with Biden. She never blinks!

What will he do when she doesn't blink??? It's in the bag for the GOP.

[Overseas]

72. Yes she is getting a lot of intensive preparation. I expect RNC Palin to return.

She will have a ton of zinger lines prepared because she did well with those at the RNC.

And a few paragraphs to reel off to sound competent.

She will be prepped on how to link standard right wing lies to the categories of discourse. She'll be shown tape of her Couric disaster-- here's where you tossed out six keyword topics in reply to a simple question. Don't toss all your catch phrases into one basket.

She will be given paragraphs to memorize so viewers can say-- "See, she knows her stuff" when she manages to say a series of 3 or more sentences at once. Like Johnny did for his debate.

She will also pretend that Russia attacked Georgia without any provocation at all. She will pretend Georgia didn't attack SOuth Ossetia first. She will pretend she has always followed Russian news closely because they are neighboring countries.

I expect a return of RNC Palin.

[calmblueocean]

86. RNC Palin is probably pushing it.

At the RNC, she was reading a speech written by a Bush speechwriter off a teleprompter. She won't have that luxury on Thursday.

Still, I think your basic point stands. She'll have her zingers and insults; she'll have practiced saying the names of foreign countries and leaders; she will repeat her memorized talking points. She'll come off better than people are expecting.

[Neecy]

74. Honestly, I don't think this helps her

She was clearly prepped and filled with talking points prior to her network interviews, and they didn't serve her well. She was only able to parrot fragments of her prep, which is why she came off so inarticulate and choppy.

They should just leave her alone with briefing books and maybe one aide to answer questions. Let her formulate her own responses. If they stuff her like a Thanksgiving turkey again she's going to bomb this, too. They're waaaay overloading her.

Of course, if that's what they want to do, fine with me :)

[Princess Turandot]

76. Yes, I knew this was the case..

when they sequestered her in a GIN MILL the night of the very important first presidential debate, rather than letting her near the press.

[Captiosus]

80. Debate prep only helps with initial responses.

It doesn't help prep for the pressure, answering to an audience that isn't your "base", or rebuttal.

So her original 90 second responses will be scripted and probably well answered. Then again, her interview with Hannity was probably scripted and she did miserable on that. However, when it comes time for the two minute back and forth after each candidate has answered, there's no prep in the world that can fully prepare her for that. That is when we're going to see her flop around like she's done on Gibson and Couric. She won't deviate from her original 90 second talking point. She'll keep saying the same things over and over again just with different word placement.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

82. You can't put a gallon of water in a shot glass

no matter how much prep you do. Mooselini doesn't begin to have the intellect to absorb all that info and then recall it coherently.

[Blasphemer]

83. At this point, it doesn't matter how she performs - her narrative has been written

People won't forget her two major interviews even if she bs's her way through the debate and performs decently. They will know, based on her previous outings, that she had to be heavily coached in order to give an adequate performance (if she even manages that). Her worst is dismal and her best, merely decent. She loses no matter what happens at the debate.

[4_Legs_Good]

87. I think you're right that we should keep expectations HIGH for her performance

The Obama campaign is brilliant, and they're playing this the way they are on purpose. I'm going to take my lead from them and assume that Palin will do well until she proves differently.

David

[Canuckistanian]

89. A week's prep time can't replace YEARS of experience

Biden has LIVED national politics for decades, knows the issues intimately, both foreign and domestic.

Palin is taking a short course on soundbite talking points, with MAYBE a few facts and figures.

Biden could destroy each and every one of them because he knows the details, the history and the reasoning behind his own points.

This is where the Repubs always lose it - the details.