Politics | 09/30/2008 10:30 am

Palin at 'Debate Camp' in Arizona

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Sarah Palin is at "debate camp" prepping for her big night Thursday against Sen. Joe Biden.

The two vice-presidential candidates will square off against each other in one of the most anticipated VP debates in history. It will be the only debate between the Alaska governor and the Delaware senator.

CNN reports that Palin is spending time at John McCain’s ranch near Sedona, AZ, with some of the senator’s advisers and staffers, to ready herself for the debate. A McCain aide said the senator himself came up with the idea.

Biden, Barack Obama’s running mate, on Monday was preparing for the debate in his home state of Delaware. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm flew from Michigan to Delaware on Sunday to play Palin in mock debates in the coming days.

"I want to beat him up a little bit, so he does well,” Granholm told CNN.

McCain’s campaign says they have faith in Palin and her forthcoming performance. While some consider Palin a "wild card" in the debate, some are worried about how she will fare, particularly after her recent performances in nationally televised interviews, such as last week’s with "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric. In the most recent installment of that Q & A, Palin said her comment about attacking terrorist targets in Pakistan, which appeared to contradict McCain’s position, was a response to a question from a voter and part of the "gotcha" journalism culture that exists today.

The New York Times reports that with signs that Palin’s popularity is waning a bit, even some Republicans are wondering how much she will help McCain in November.

The amount of time and staff power being devoted to Palin’s debate prep was evidence of concern among McCain’s associates that Palin’s early triumphs — a well-received convention speech, her drawing of big crowds, the spark she lit under the GOP — has been overtaken by a series of setbacks, creating higher stakes for her in the debate.

"I think she has pretty thoroughly — and probably irretrievably — proven that she is not up to the job of being president of the United States," David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush who is now a conservative columnist, told the Times. "If she doesn’t perform well, then people see it."

"I think the Katie Couric interview shows that she needs to be briefed more on certain aspects,” said Jim Greer, the Republican chairman in Florida.

Politico.com reports that Biden needs to strike a careful balance between going after Palin and not appearing too condescending or too much like the attack dog that he can easily be.

If Palin goofs, flounders, stumbles or blunders during the debate, Biden is actually going to let it slide.

"If she makes a gaffe, he underplays it," one of the people prepping Biden for his vice-presidential debate told Politico.com. "At most, he says, ‘I am not sure what Gov. Palin meant there.’"

Biden also knows that the press will gladly pounce on any of Palin’s mistakes, so he doesn’t need to. And he’s going to try to keep his target on McCain.

"Joe Biden’s No. 1 job during the vice-presidential debate is to keep the focus on the top of the ticket," the Biden debate prepper said. "He is going to keep the focus on John McCain."

54 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Must be the ‘norm’ since Biden is also in his own lil’ debate camp as well.

By OMGIAMGOING NUTS on 09/30/2008 10:24 am

e-mail alert

Friends, Everyone said the bill would pass. The masters of the universe were already making celebratory dinner reservations at Manhattan’s finest restaurants. Personal shoppers in Dallas and Atlanta were dispatched to do the early Christmas gifting. Mad Men of Chicago and Miami were popping corks and toasting each other long before the morning latte run. But what they didn’t know was that hundreds of thousands of Americans woke up yesterday morning and decided it was time for revolt. The politicians never saw it coming. Millions of phone calls and emails hit Congress so hard it was as if Marshall Dillon, Elliot Ness and Dog the Bounty Hunter had descended on D.C. to stop the looting and arrest the thieves. The Corporate Crime of the Century was halted by a vote of 228 to 205. It was rare and historic; no one could remember a time when a bill supported by the president and the leadership of both parties went down in defeat. That just never happens. A lot of people are wondering why the right wing of the Republican Party joined with the left wing of the Democratic Party in voting down the thievery. Forty percent of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans voted against the bill. Here’s what happened: The presidential race may still be close in the polls, but the Congressional races are pointing toward a landslide for the Democrats. Few dispute the prediction that the Republicans are in for a whoopin’ on November 4th. Up to 30 Republican House seats could be lost in what would be a stunning repudiation of their agenda. The Republican reps are so scared of losing their seats, when this “financial crisis” reared its head two weeks ago, they realized they had just been handed their one and only chance to separate themselves from Bush before the election, while doing something that would make them look like they were on the side of “the people.” Watching C-Span yesterday morning was one of the best comedy shows I’d seen in ages. There they were, one Republican after another who had backed the war and sunk the country into record debt, who had voted to kill every regulation that would have kept Wall Street in check — there they were, now crying foul and standing up for the little guy! One after another, they stood at the microphone on the House floor and threw Bush under the bus, under the train (even though they had voted to kill off our nation’s trains, too), heck, they would’ve thrown him under the rising waters of the Lower Ninth Ward if they could’ve conjured up another hurricane. You know how your dog acts when sprayed by a skunk? He howls and runs around trying to shake it off, rubbing and rolling himself on every piece of your carpet, trying to get rid of the stench. That’s what it looked like on the Republican side of the aisle yesterday, and it was a sight to behold. The 95 brave Dems who broke with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were the real heroes, just like those few who stood up and voted against the war in October of 2002. Watch the remarks from yesterday of Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Dennis Kucinich. They spoke the truth. The Dems who voted for the giveaway did so mostly because they were scared by the threats of Wall Street, that if the rich didn’t get their handout, the market would go nuts and then it’s bye-bye stock-based pension and retirement funds. And guess what? That’s exactly what Wall Street did! The largest, single-day drop in the Dow in the history of the New York Stock exchange. The news anchors last night screamed it out: Americans just lost 1.2 trillion dollars in the stock market!! It’s a financial Pearl Harbor! The sky is falling! Bird flu! Killer Bees! Of course, sane people know that nobody “lost” anything yesterday, that stocks go up and down and this too shall pass because the rich will now buy low, hold, then sell off, then buy low again. But for now, Wall Street and its propaganda arm (the networks and media it owns) will continue to try and scare the bejesus out of you. It will be harder to get a loan. Some people will lose their jobs. A weak nation of wimps won’t last long under this torture. Or will we? Is this our line in the sand? Here’s my guess: The Democratic leadership in the House secretly hoped all along that this lousy bill would go down. With Bush’s proposals shredded, the Dems knew they could then write their own bill that favors the average American, not the upper 10% who were hoping for another kegger of gold. So the ball is in the Democrats’ hands. The gun from Wall Street remains at their head. Before they make their next move, let me tell you what the media kept silent about while this bill was being debated: 1. The bailout bill had NO enforcement provisions for the so-called oversight group that was going to monitor Wall Street’s spending of the $700 billion; 2. It had NO penalties, fines or imprisonment for any executive who might steal any of the people’s money; 3. It did NOTHING to force banks and lenders to rewrite people’s mortgages to avoid foreclosures — this bill would not have stopped ONE foreclosure!; 4. It had NO teeth anywhere in the entire piece of legislation, using words like “suggested” when referring to the government being paid back for the bailout; 5. Over 200 economists wrote to Congress and said this bill might actually WORSEN the “financial crisis” and cause even MORE of a meltdown. Put a fork in this slab of pork. It’s over. Now it is time for our side to state very clearly the laws WE want passed. I will send you my proposals later today. We’ve bought ourselves less than 72 hours. Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com

By Eliza Dodd on 09/30/2008 10:26 am

e-mail alert

Her believers will still support her if she does nothing except breathe. They will just say that she’s been under such unbelievable pressure that it’s totally understandable. If the worst happens…please don’t let the phone ring at 3:00am.

By Mary NSB-Florida on 09/30/2008 10:29 am

e-mail alert

Conservative writers like George Will are saying she is completely unqualified and some are calling for her to step down. Will told Senate aides on Monday that Palin is Palin is “obviously not qualified to be President,” and he called McCain’s handling of the financial crisis “un-presidential.” Kathleen Parker. conservative columnist at the National Review called for Palin to be dropped from the ticket. David Brooks and former Bush speechwriter David Frum also have expressed their doubts about Palin for VP. George Will also stated that Palin has negligible experience.” And he wrote an op-ed about McCain, accusing him of “fact-free slander,” a “Manichaean worldview,” and “substituting vehemence for coherence.” When asked in a tape interview by Katie Couric, Palin could not provide ONE other Supreme Court decision other than Roe v Wade, and she could not NAME, though repeatedly asked for names of newspapers or other publications she routinely reads to keep informed. My son has graduate degree’s in International Relations, Foreign Policy, UN Charter Law, is multi-lingual, and holds dual EU-US citizenship, worked for ABC News Paris, for Jim Bitterman when he was the station chief, and has lived in Europe nearly half his life, and traveled throughout Europe and Asia since he was 14. Palin got her first passport last year, and has ZIP experience. Here is a woman writing about a graduate degree she just rec’d in Intl Affairs that illustrates the gap in what even a newly minted grad student knows vs Palin…wonder goof: “The exhaustive curriculum, which included courses in politics, economics, negotiation, finance and law, required weekly readings, problem-sets, papers and massive preparation. Getting through it, and my final thesis, was itself an act of endurance. It’s hard to believe that Palin is doing in a few weeks what it took me a Masters degree [to achieve] which suggests I’ve “mastered” something “If there is one sobering truth about studying foreign affairs, it’s that each bit of knowledge one gains only opens the door on another hundred bits of ignorance. Take a moment to dip into the academic database on “Democracy in Uganda,” and dozens of articles come at you, each with a different take - historical, economic, political. They lead to articles about fair trade coffee, post-flood food insecurity, rebel movements in the north which bleed across the border to Sudan, or the Pentagon’s unified command for Africa….international affairs are non-linear, complex, never black and white. “…issues of the moment are urgent and interweaving. Humanitarian issues are tied to those of national security, which relate to energy concerns which bring in environmental questions….the engine of the whole planet is trade, and knowing those fundamentals is indispensable to understanding pretty much everything else. “…..some demonstrable grasp of history might be helpful…It’s not enough to contend that freedom is good. It’s simplistic… we raise our children to study hard for a reason, not to be satisfied with skimming the surface.” “Palin’s suggestion that foreign policy experience wafts over to the Statehouse from Eastern Siberia is startling, made more so because while defending her claim, she also apparently believes it. “….when Palin said, “When Putin rears his head,” - the beginning of a sentence that devolved into another linguistic pretzel. What exactly was happening with Putin’s head still remains unclear. What did come through was not only Palin’s naivete, but also her lack of humility when it comes to these complex regions of the world. “I want to know that she is now immersing herself in writers and thinkers, in treatises on coercive diplomacy, Wahhabism, the Law of the Sea, the Doha round, and China’s dollar reserves, like every student of history and current crises must do….no complex situation - be it Iraq, Afghanistan, or Haiti - can be approached, let alone solved, with anything less….” Bush now has a 70% disapproval rating, he’s one of the dummest presidents who ever came down the pike when the #1 predictor of presidential success is brains. And now a total dummy who graduated from a 3rd rate college with a degree in journalism and the ambition to be a sports reader…..who cannot name Supreme Court cases or even newspapers that she reads, or even answer simple questions with beyond a 12 year old grasp she is such a simpleton…is going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Frightening. ANY Gov should know at the min these Supreme Court Decisions. Brown vs Board of Education invalidated racial segregation in schools and led to the unraveling of segregation in all public life. Gideon v. Wainwright guaranteed a defendant’s right to legal counsel. New York Times v. Sullivan extended press protections under the First Amendment. Miranda v. Arizona defined due process under the 14th Amendment. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke imposed limitations on affirmative action. And she played sports, how about Title XI——basic knowledge if you even watch sports.

By Step away from the BLOG! on 09/30/2008 11:06 pm

e-mail alert

Yes, I agree! However, I believe this is also just another ‘neo-con’ republican ploy to mess with the whole election process, yet again! Doesn’t this all seem a bit too convenient, re: “rovian” to be simple misjudgment, or error in judgment? Most especially since Republicans are also crying ‘foul’? Be ware the wolves really do dress like us! Act like us! Smell like us!? Taste … what? watch it there, Ro! lol

By Ro H on 10/01/2008 1:58 pm

e-mail alert

Mary: Her believers will still support her if she does nothing except breathe. Yes, they will, and the same will happen with Biden. Biden can say FDR put a man on the moon and Obama supporters will still vote for Obama. Palin can say Russian birds come to her backyard feeder and McCain supporters will still vote for McCain. It’s about who is on top of the ticket that counts. This debate is just a diversion. All I hope for is that it is handled fairly by the moderator.

By Marjorie C. on 09/30/2008 10:49 am

e-mail alert

Hi, M….Gwen Ifill is the moderator, isn’t she? She’s tops in my book and I can’t for a second think she would be anything but fair……

By georgia fatwood on 09/30/2008 1:04 pm

e-mail alert

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on where you stand, Gwen has book due out at the end of the year that focuses on the current political environment as pertaining to how Obama has influence such. So if Gwen comes off as slightly leaning towards Biden, the GOP are ready with the attack that the moderator was obviously tainted, and shows favortism. And if Palin falls on her face, then the spin will be that she’s been under too much stress and pressure to memorize. Even if she is capable of memorizing points of talk, which she has clearly shown that she can memorize and deliver punching points quite well, it will still be just memorizing. We’ve all cram for exams b4, be it high school or college, but the truth is, the day after we all forget most of what’s been used. I just don’t get the argument that bc some Americans identify with her bc she’s “the average Joe Six Pack” that they would vote for her. So are these Americans saying that they too are capable of stepping in as the next POTUS? I certainly have some high grounds that I think I talk from, but I certainly know I’m not capable of running the government. And I know most of my neighbors are not qualified and I sure hope I never see any of them on a presidential ticket!

By Lotus Kann on 10/01/2008 1:36 pm

e-mail alert

Lazy day in the heartland here, Annie…. And a lot of the new posts resonating and I really should be …(fill in the blanks)… This morning on MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, et. al., took on the Gwen Ifill book hoorah…It’s bound to get a lot of play before and after the debate. Jim Lehrer didn’t have such a consideration of extreme bias…or did I miss that one, too? Well, the calmer heads this a.m. said the book was in the works long before she was vetted and chosen to moderate…and that the “age of Obama” bit refers to African Americans in the political process in general….not an endorsment for Obama per se… Just another amazing twist on this…See ya tomorrow night! PS..they also thought that if Sarah ambled into one of her “sentences from nowhere” that Gwen would point out she had not responded to the question, etc….

By georgia fatwood on 10/01/2008 1:56 pm

e-mail alert

http://elect2009.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/breaking-moderator-for-the-vp-… Gwen Ifill is writing a book about OBAMA! Fair? Yeah just fair enough to make her wallet that much fatter! She is PRO obama! How can a person be a moderator that is already PRO for one of the candidates? IMflippinpossible!

By OMGIAMGOING NUTS on 10/01/2008 1:44 pm

e-mail alert

I am looking forward to the Debate this Thursday. I really hope we have a Forum here on wOw like we did for the first Presidential Debate. i do not think that we in this election just vote for the top of the ticket. These VP candidates show us the Presidential candidates judgment as to who they think would best run this country should they not be able. And the debate gives us a chance to see if we agree with their judgment.

By Jennifer Dooley on 09/30/2008 10:55 am

e-mail alert

Jennifer: These VP candidates show us the Presidential candidates judgment as to who they think would best run this country should they not be able. Do you really believe that, knowing Biden got probably no more than 1000 votes. Nobody in the U.S. really wants Biden, but they are willing to vote for Obama despite Biden. The V.P. makes a difference only if you it’s your opponent’s V.P., otherwise the Quayles get in along with the rest.

By Marjorie C. on 09/30/2008 11:52 am

e-mail alert

I am sorry that you feel that way about Joe Bidden. I don’t. I would have voted for him for President, gaffs and all. I had not known who I wa going to vote for until the Vp canidates were choosen. I prayed that Obama would pick Joe Biden! Just like you are going to vote the McCain Palin ticket, regardless what others think. That part of America is still working. “We Don’t Have To Think Alike, To Love Alike”.

By Jennifer Dooley on 09/30/2008 11:59 am

e-mail alert

Jennifer: That part of America is still working. Indeed it is.

By Marjorie C. on 09/30/2008 12:26 pm

e-mail alert

I am sorry that you feel that way about Joe Bidden. I don’t. I would have voted for him for President, gaffs and all. I had not known who I wa going to vote for until the VP candidates were chosen. I prayed that Obama would pick Joe Biden! Just like you are going to vote the McCain Palin ticket, regardless what others think. That part of America is still working. “We Don’t Have To Think Alike, To Love Alike”.

By Jennifer Dooley on 09/30/2008 12:00 pm