The VP Debate, After Effects

I'm not entirely convinced that last night's VP debate did anything to shift the scales on this general election. I say that, even though I continue with my previous assessment: if Sarah Palin didn't have some gaffe or obvious blunder during the debate, then she won it.

During the debate, Sarah demonstrated her folksiness ("You betcha!"), her ability and willingness to take Biden and Obama head-on, and a fair amount of Refreshing Reaganism, as the PBS commentators called it last night. I have to admit that I was unable to actually watch the debate, since I was driving back from a business meeting in Indianapolis during the majority of the debate. But hearing Palin speak (thank you, NPR, for airing the debate!) made it sound like she was not intimidated by a veteran Washington Insider like Biden. She didn't come right out and attack him for being an insider until about an hour into the debate, and that could be a missed opportunity for her. But I don't think her candidacy will any longer be thought of as "Gidget Goes to Washington," another PBS reference at the end of the debate.

Palin obviously crammed very well in the foothills of Sedona, AZ, at the McCain ranch during this past week. She knew her facts and figures, even if she didn't hit the numbers as hard as Biden did. She knew her foreign policy stance much better than she has shown in previous interviews, and she came across much more credibly than she had during those interviews. All in all, she showed that she should be taken seriously as a candidate for VP.

However, whether or not that actually changed anything with voters is a completely different story. As I said before, I have a hunch the die is already cast for an Obama presidency thanks to the economic meltdown and banking crisis of the past two weeks. The news this morning that the McCain/Palin campaign is suspending operations in the battleground state of Michigan doesn't look good. What's next, Ohio? Florida? I understand the need to shepherd resources and apply them to the best chances of victory, but what that really signals is either a lack of funding or a lack of momentum, both of which are critical to maintain in an election.

What I'm looking forward to at this point is the PBS Frontline review on both McCain and Obama, currently scheduled for 14 October in our local market. I trust this Frontline episode, entitled "The Choice: 2008" (more info is available here) will be as influential in making my election decision as the Frontline career retrospective on Bush and Kerry was in 2004.