How Sarah Won the Debate

I fell asleep on the sofa last night after a 13-hour day, which include prospective parents night at school. Fortunately I had set the telly to SkyNews, as I knew they would be carrying the VP debate live. I woke up not too far into it and watch the rest.

Part of me wanted to be discouraged, because Biden is clearly a more experienced debater and extemporaneous speaker. But then I remembered that the Vice Presidency is not about debate or extemporaneous speaking. In fact, these aren’t even skills that a VP needs.

I also remembered that many American voters are more impressed with plain talking than smooth debating. Palin didn’t make any significant mistakes. She stayed on message with the campaign.

If winning the debate means that she out argued her opponent, I don’t know if she won. If it means she was an asset to her ticket and improved their chances, then perhaps she did.