By no conceivable measure can we say that Republican Sarah Palin won the Vice Presidential Debate against Democrat Joe Biden. Frankly, I disagree with the majority of pundits on the right who say she even survived. To say she survived implies she was involved, which she wasn’t. For the entire hour, Palin betrayed a startling disconnect on every level (intellectually, kinesthetically, rhetorically). She almost never looked directly at Biden or moderator Gwen Ifill. She spoke in generalities and “value frames” as communication experts call it; she answered questions nobody asked; even her jabs at Biden seemed half-hearted. When it comes to post-debate criticism of Palin’s performance, however, we have to admit that the most fervent comments from the right and the left fall into the pandering, the petty, or the picayune.
Debational Algebra
Conservatives laud her “folksiness” and say she spoke directly to the American people. Judging by those smiles, winks, and kisses, I think it’s clear she set out to capture the hearts of middle-class American men whose wives kept telling them to change the channel. Hypnotized by Palin’s coquetry, one Fox News analyst said he saw rays of sunshine coming through the T.V. screen when he watched her. Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and blowhard Keith Oberman apparently find it “unpresidential” to send a shout out to your brother’s third grade class during a debate, I guess because it shows you’re a real person, and nobody wants that. I’d bet next semester’s tuition that had Joe Biden started a sentence with “I want to send a shout out…” they would’ve judged it a smart move that let the Republicans know they don’t own the franchise on middle America. Meanwhile right-wing hacks like Karl Rove, in an effort to even the misstatement tally, picked on Joe Biden for saying that Article I of the Constitution addresses the Vice Presidency when it’s actually Article II. Actually, they’re wrong. While Article II enumerates the responsibilities of the executive branch, Article I specifies the Vice President’s limited role in the legislative.
Holy Gaffe!
The Sunday following the debate, I sat in Mass listening to the priest talk about how the church shouldn’t try to influence your vote and about his general dislike for both parties. He said if Nixon went to hell, so did LBJ. And while reiterating that he supports neither party he admitted, “But Sarah Palin is very pretty.” Barely able to contain himself, he described to the congregation his reaction to Palin’s winks into the camera: “I winked back.”How much more proof does the Catholic Church need before it stops forcing celibacy on its clergy?
A Question of Citizenship
Of all the comments over Sarah Palin’s inability to answer simple questions or discuss a single Supreme Court Case besides Roe v. Wade, the most astute came from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.”These are citizenship questions,” said Matthews. “These are questions for people standing in line to become U.S. citizens.”Very true. But if you’ve lived on the Texas/Mexico border long enough the concept of an actual line for citizenship makes you chuckle. People don’t even get in line for entry into the U.S. unless they plan on going back, and citizenship is a password recited by rote when you cross the checkpoints. Without realizing it, Matthews touches on a very serious education issue in this country. According to a 2006 nation-wide assessment, two-thirds of high-school students score below proficient on civics tests. School boards across the country have been de-prioritizing civics education for some time: during the 60s, many public schools required two or three civics courses whereas today most offer one course as an elective. Researchers blame the recent emphasis on standardized tests for putting the final nail in the coffin of an informed citizenry. Investigations into gubernatorial misconduct aside, Sarah Palin’s only crime is that she’s remarkably average in a time that calls for exceptional leadership. Say what you will, but never call her insincere. When she says she’s Joe Sixpack, she means it. She probably can’t explain how a bill becomes a law, but neither can most Americans.
Sexual Tension
As her interview and debate performances over the past two weeks show, anyone believing Palin is ready to assume the Vice Presidency suffers from selective observation, but no more so than those still unconvinced that the anti-Palin rancor reeks of sexism and misogyny. Sexism is why Keith Oberman mocked the suggestion that the Governor once suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, a mild depression. Considering that women suffer from depression more often and more intensely than men, I see how Oberman’s glib treatment of the subject comes easily. Sexism is also why political humorist Bill Maher refers to Palin as “the stewardess” and wants to have her neutered.