Mission Accomplished

Joe Biden was amazing! He came across exactly as he need to: thoughtful, experienced, humble, and prepared.

Palin's folksiness made me very uncomfortable at times. She showed she has some knowledge on the topics, but it was not proven to be more than skin deep.

All in all, I feel even more confident in Joe Biden's abilities to help lead this country and less so with Palin.

Mistress of Debate

I’ve been keeping up on the news and reading all the expectations for Sarah and Joe in tonight’s debate. Everyone claims that Sarah is a terrific debater. This takes me back to a couple days after her acceptance speech at the RNC, when I asked my sister what she thought of Sarah Palin. Living in Seattle, she had never heard of Sarah before. Basically, she summed it up by saying, “She is scary,” and “I can just imagine her on the high school debate team.” Interesting.

Last night I got to thinking about the debates and I came to the conclusion that they are kind of silly. In last week’s Presidential debate, I didn’t get a whole lot of detailed info from either candidate. What stuck with me most is that McCain seemed angry and contemptuous. Obama appeared cool and calm, with a few moments of glory (like when attacking McCain’s record on the Iraq war). Is this what debates are really about? How they come across to the viewers? From what I’ve been reading in the news, the answer is “yes.” In that case, I want a president who remains cool, calm and collected when things get heated. He can look his opponent in the eye and talk reasonably.

I’m anxious to see the performances tonight….and that’s what they really are: performances. Perhaps Sarah will perform well tonight. Perhaps we’ll see a boost in the polls for McCain. But what happens when the debate is over, and she returns to impromptu Q & A with interviewers and voters? She may be safe behind that podium with 90 seconds to make quips at Biden, but I don’t know if that can erase from my mind the past couple weeks. As Sarah goes on the attack and her fellow GOPs claim she won the debate, I will be asking myself, “but is this the quality of leadership we’re really looking for?” I want someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

I am hopeful that Biden will speak eloquently, with formulated sentences that are direct and to the point. He has a warmth to him that I think can reach the American people through the TV. His story is compelling and his experience is profound. Right now Sarah is cramming for this debate. A VP candidate shouldn’t have to cram!!! Godspeed, Joe Biden.

Where's Sarah?

After the debates last night, Joe Biden was everywhere. He was interviewed on nearly every major network. Where was Sarah? McCain could have used some help after that debate. The fact that he had to hush up his running mate speaks volumes.

Joe Biden has proven, just in his post-debate spin alone, that he has the experience, knowledge, and readiness to step into the Presidency, if need be. Sarah Palin has not given me any indication that she is ready to fill that role.

I have mixed feelings about the upcoming VP debate. On the one hand, it'll be so glaringly obvious who is the better candidate. On the other, I actually feel bad for Biden for being put in this awkward situation. He has worked so hard to get where he is at - 36 years in the Senate. To be put up against Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska for less than 2 years, it's a very unbalanced match-up and not fair to either one of them.

I will sleep much better at night knowing that Obama and Biden are at the helm.

Are Those The Hills of Russia??

Nope, just the Heney Range and the Cordova boat harbor. 

I guess every Alaskan has about the same foreign policy experience as our governor since Russia and Canada are our neighbors too. 

Anyone up for running for VP?

Quick Fact About Joe Biden:

He was first elected to the US Senate in 1972 at the age of 29. Few believed that Biden could beat his opponent, longtime senator and Republican incumbent J.Caleb Boggs. Joe won 116,006 votes to Boggs' 112,844. 

He seems to have something in common with our current US Senate Race, though Mark Begich may be able to pull of a larger margin over Ted. 

The First Debate

I have to say that the debate was more even than I had imagined, but maybe that's because we hear what we want - as in, I want to hear Obama as an intelligent, level-headed, future president type and I hear McCain as a geriatric, stilted conservative who is more interested in pomp and circumstance than actual politics. Maybe that's unfair... either way, Obama kept above the fray and effectively defended his foreign policies and vision for the future.

On that note... I'm learning more about Joe Biden. Some facts that I think make him a much more effective VP candidate than Sarah (at least in terms of family values) - he's been in the senate for 30 years... and has commuted via Amtrak that entire time. He has commuted from his home in Delaware to DC to be home with his boys since his first wife and infant daughter were killed in an accident when the boys were toddlers.  This is the type of person I want in office. 

He may put his foot in his mouth, but at least he's able to open that mouth and voice his opinions. All my support to the rally in Anchorage tomorrow - let's show the rest of the nation that not ALL Alaskans are for Palin!

Hello Joe

Here's our guy! As the nation is introduced to our all but unkown (as of a month ago) governor - I want to take some time to learn about Joe Biden. I've heard all I need/want about Sarah and her politics, family, views and "experience." She does not speak for all Alaskans and she does not have all of our votes. 

I don't know a lot about Biden - but so far I like what I've learned - which is why I'm looking forward to delving into his book and spreading the word about him.