Palin debate score hurt by breaking news

October 3, 7:21 PMPolitical Issues ExaminerJudah Freed

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Sarah Palin and Joe Biden at the vice presidential debate.
(Souce: AFP, Google News)

In the only 2008 debate between the Republican and Democrat nominees for vice president, Alaska governor Sarah Palin exceeded low expectations for her live performance against Delaware's U.S. Senator, Joe Biden, who is being credited with winning the debate overall.

The feisty young Palin held her ground against the far more seasoned senator by deftly deflecting questions she did not wish to answer and coming across with a "folksy" style that may appeal to many middle class Americans. At the same time, her avoidance of so many questions heightens concerns about her inability to respond "off scipt" to topics outside her limited knowledge base. A good VP needs a lot more than a country charm.

Palin's debate success last night may curb calls for dropping her from the ticket; however, her performance was largely negated by three breaking news stories yesterday and today that portend victory in November for Obama-Biden.

First, a judge in Alaska ruled shortly before the debate that an investigation into Palin's alleged abuse of power can go forward, which means a highly critical "Troopergate" report is expected before the November 4 election. A negative report could further erode party support for Palin and increase doubts about McCain's judgment for selecting her.

Second, John McCain's presidential campaign announced yesterday that they are withdrawing from Michigan and relinquishing that state's 17 electoral college votes to Barack Obama. Curiously, Palin did not learn about the withdrawal until she read the newspaper on Friday morning, prompting her very public complaint about the decision. Apparently, nobody on McCain's staff told her about the shift. The fact she did not know to keep her greivance internal further raises questions about her suitability as the VP.

Third, RealClearPolitics.com today released an election projection that Obama will win in November. An RCP national map shows that Obama already has 264 electoral college votes compared to only 163 electoral college votes for McCain. With 270 votes needed to win the election, if the projection is accurate, Obama only needs six more electoral college votes (among the remaining 111 votes on the battleground states) to win the presidency. Anything can happen within the next month, but as of today, Obama likely will be the victor.

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