The headlines of both articles gives a good idea of where the Times wants to push the reader. We’ll start with Sarah Palin, then get to the Gaffe Master after the jump
Past Debates Show a Confident Palin, at Times Fluent but Often Vague
Not since Dan Quayle took the stage in 1988 have debate expectations for a major party candidate been as low as they will be on Thursday for Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
Setting the stage for calling Palin a lightweight
A newcomer to the national scene, Ms. Palin has given little indication that she has been engaged in a serious way in the pressing national and international issues of the day.
Sorry she couldn’t have been in the Senate since 1972 like Biden, and having failed 3 attempts for the Democrat nomination, or having been chosen as a VP with more experience then the top of the ticket. I doubt Clinton was real concerned with national or international issues while governor of Arkansas, either.
But a review of a handful of her debate performances in the race for governor in 2006 shows a somewhat different persona from the one that has emerged since Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, named Ms. Palin as the vice-presidential nominee a month ago.
Ms. Palin, a former mayor who had become a whistle-blower about ethical misconduct in state government, held her own in those debates. (There were almost two dozen in the general election alone; she skipped some, and not all were recorded.)
Some pleasantries thrown in to give an appearance of journalism, rather then opinionation
Her debating style was rarely confrontational, and she appeared confident. In contrast to today, when she seems unversed on several important issues, she demonstrated fluency on certain subjects, particularly oil and gas development.
But just as she does now, Ms. Palin often spoke in generalities and showed scant aptitude for developing arguments beyond a talking point or two. Her sentences were distinguished by their repetition of words, by the use of the phrase “here in Alaska†and for gaps. On paper, her sentences would have been difficult to diagram.
John Bitney, the policy director for her campaign for governor and the main person who helped prepare her for debates, said her repetition of words was “her way of running down the clock as her mind searches for where she wants to go.â€
These tendencies could fuzz her meaning and lead her into linguistic cul-de-sacs. She often used less than her allotted time and ended her answers abruptly.
Um, uh, um, well, you see, Jim, ah, what IÂ mean is. Â No mention of The Messiah’s constant and consistent speaking manner when his friend Mr. Teleprompter is off having a drink after a hard days work from the Times, or any other Credentialed Media outlet.
But, you can tell what the Grey Lady wants to do: paint Palin as a bubble headed lightweight. Period.
And on to Biden
Though an Experienced Debater, Biden Is Often Tripped Up by Spontaneity
He showed less restraint in a CNN/YouTube debate a few months later, when a gun owner asked where the candidates stood on gun control, saying he wanted to know if his “babies†would be safe. “This is my baby,†the man said on the video, showing off his Bushmaster AR-15.
“I’ll tell you what,†Mr. Biden replied. “If that is his baby, he needs help.â€
The audience applauded enthusiastically, but Mr. Biden did not stop there.
He went on to deride the questioner, saying he incriminated himself because the man said he bought the gun while it was banned, then he questioned the man’s stability. “I don’t know that he is mentally qualified to own that gun,†he said in a gratuitous aside.
But his off-putting remark to the gun owner suggests that perhaps his “yes†answer to the question about self-discipline had been premature and that there are perils ahead for Mr. Biden on Thursday — both because of his tendency to go too far and the hazards of debating a woman.
Oh, no, a woman! In fact, no matter who he would be debating, he will be condescending and abusive. The Times spends a short paragraph calling him “deeply knowledgeable across a range of topics,” and attempts to paint his negatives as just coming from enthusiasm, knowledge, his 300 years in the Senate, and a deep love of everything!
One danger for Mr. Biden on Thursday is that his habit of speaking authoritatively, of saying he possesses the truth, will come across as overbearing or condescending, particularly toward someone like Ms. Palin, who lacks his credentials. To try to guard against sounding sexist, he is sparring in practice sessions with Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan, who is playing the role of Ms. Palin.
The risk may be even greater for Mr. Biden. His innate exuberance and gusto in speaking without stopping for air can make him sound like he is clubbing his points — and his opponent.
They finally get in to some of the real negatives for Biden, at the end of the story, when most people have probably moved on.
So, in Grey Lady World, we have the experienced, enthusiastic, talkative, guy how sometimes goes too far versus the perky bubblehead with no experience who can’t put together a coherent thought.
