folo

Liveblog below the fold.

General responses:  Biden did a very, very good job.  No gaffes, but better than that, his responses were excellent, straightforward, and focused.

Palin was off-and-on nervous, did not do nearly as well Biden.  She did far better than the interview segments (closer to the Alaska debates bits) but nowhere close to Biden.

Since she didn’t fall on her face, and he only had the career debate of a good debater, she may be judged the winner.

Matthews is saying how well Biden did on the power of the VP (vs. Cheney) and how bad her answer was.  The two families are visiting on stage, with Palin holding her baby.

9:31

(My clock must be off)  Biden:  Closing rambles.  Not bad, but not as focused as the rest.  It’s ok.

9:29

Palin closing statement:

likes being able to answer tough questions “without the filter.”  (we won’t be seeing any more answering from HER before November)

Some weird stuff in her closing but she survived without saying anything as weird as she said to Katie Couric.

9:27

Biden says he’s been able to work across the aisle.

Palin is walking the walk and not just talking the talk, she says, in an answer that is just hot air.  she’s going to build up infrastructure and rein in spending (got that?)

9:24

Asked about views that changed as went along in public office.  Biden came around to idea that ideology mattered in judicial appointments.

Palin:  blah blah blah about budgets.

9:22

Palin’s slip of the night:  About McCain:  “He is the man we need to leave.  I mean lead.”

Biden unloads on the maverick thing:  McCain is not a maverick “on virtually anything that people talk about around the kitchen table.”  Intense, emotional answer.  “Maverick he is not on the important questions that matter to people around that kitchen table.”

9:21

PLEASE TELL ME THAT AFTER 11-04 WE WILL NOT HEAR THE WORD MAVERICK IN POLITICS AGAIN

9:16

Gibberish from Palin about what a vice president does, but not enough gibberish to hurt her much I don’t think.  She wants to expand (??) the constitutional powers of the vice presidency (what??).   Lots of gibberish.  Biden hits hard on Cheney’s unconstitutional views of the vice presidency.  Good, strong answer about the degree to which the constitution is explicit about the vice president’s role in the legislature.  Great answer by Biden on that.

9:12

Biden:  Ask “whether there’s a single major initiative where John McCain differs with the president.  The people in my neighborhood get it.  They know they’ve gotten the short end of the stick.”

Palin:  “Say it ain’t so Joe, there you go again.”  weeeeeeeeeeeird answer.  Reference to Biden’s wife being a school teacher, “her award is in heaven”  She’s lost it entirely and is just blathering about education.  This is the Sarah Palin that was in the Katie Couric interviews.

9:03

Palin:  “You voted for the war and now you’re opposed to the war.”  Americans want an explanation.  (Biden had explained this but I bet we hear this business from Palin as a news clip).  She does support a no-fly zone in Darfur.  “What I’ve done as a governor in a state that’s pretty rich in natural resources.”  She called for divestment in Sudan, but it hasn’t passed yet.

Q: Line on intervention:

Biden:  “whether we have capacity to do anything about it”.  “Let’s go back to John McCain’s strategy… on the war. I never supported John McCain [and Bush's] strategy.”  Says he and Obama were in the same place, opposed to the idea the war was going to be easy and actual conduct of war, wrong from outset.

Palin: “I beg to disagree with you about whether you supported John McCain or Obama’s strategy.”

9:01

Q asked about intervention in international issues (this debate is very internationally focused, isn’t it?)

Biden answers, compares Balkans to Iraq.  Biden explains his vote for the authority the president was seeking in Iraq.  A decent answer.  Says he cannot watch genocide happen in Darfur.

8:59

Well, Biden got closer to the use-of-nuclear-weapons question but neither answered it.

And Palin’s answer is just lots and lots of words that don’t make any sense to me.

8:55

Biden:  I haven’t heard how their policies will be different. … We will make significant changes so once again we get the respect of the world.

Brilliant answer.  Biden is having a career performance. Could he have a career performance and she not end up drooling and on the floor, and it be considered a loss?

She’s talking fast again, and the comfort level I saw coming up is dissipating.  Palin’s answer about using nuclear weapons was totally incoherent.

8:54

she’s doing the beauty queen grin thing and is getting comfortable.  This could be very very bad for her or very good.  Something may happen.  [written later:  Neither, although she was less coherent from there]

8:48

Q:  Notes Kissinger, Baker, Powell say engage with “enemies.”

Biden makes an interesting point by asking a question:  How do you have an agreement if you won’t sit down and talk?

8:47

Palin is talking about Iran.

So if Biden comes out of this with a great performance and the best debate of his career and Palin is still able to walk off the stage, has he still lost?

8:45

Biden:  “John McCain has been dead wrong on the fundamental issues related to the conduct of the war.”:  Part of a really good hard-hitting answer.

8:42

Palin:  Pauses on a question of Iraq.  “Your plan is a white flag of surrender.”  Referred to Talibani.  Talibani?

The women in the room with me are totally bemused by (and like) Biden’s grin when Palin is saying something dubious. They are of course pre-disposed to be favorable.

8:39

Q: What’s a clear plan for an exit strategy

Palin talks about the surge and great American heroes, blah blah, and that Obama voted against “funding troops.”

8:36

Q.  Do you support same sex benefits for committed couples “as they do in Alaska”

Biden of course does.  Palin:  doesn’t want to endanger marriage, but is tolerant.  “Doesn’t support defining marriage as anything but between a man and a woman.”

8:34

She’s talking about that pipeline in Alaska, which apparently won’t get built, and called Biden “Senator O’Biden”

Both support capping carbon emissions.

8:32

While I was away a moment, Palin gave what seemed to me the most incoherent answer yet, about (no surprise) whether global warming is man-made.

Biden seems to me to doing well.  No giant moment yet

8:21

Q  Moves to what of their proposals is going to have to be delayed because of the economic problems.  Biden:  Will have to slow down doubling foreign assistance.  Clear we can’t do McCain’s tax cut for people over $250,000 and corporate tax cuts.

Can’t slow up on tax credits for new jobs, education, affordable health care.

8:19

Biden:  “We don’t call it redistribution where I come from to not give an $8B tax break to Exxon Mobile.”

Health care:  “With one hand you give it, with the other you take it.  You know how McCain pays for this tax care credit you’re going to get?  He taxes the health care benefits….”   Biden seems to be doing well on this, although no real drama yet.

8:15

Question asks about taxing health benefits.

Biden:  “The middle class under John McCain’s tax proposals…”  talks about how much harsher it is.  Under Obama, 95% of the people will get a tax break.  “This is not punitive.”  John is “doing nothing for the middle class.”  Says McCain is doing class warfare.

Palin “I take issue with some of the redistribution of wealth principle that you espoused there” (there was more weird verbiage in that answer going by too fast for me to type.  She’s talking really fast from nervousness).

Q:  “Governor are you interested in defending Gov. McCain’s health care plan?”  (ouch)

big smile as she attacks the idea of the feds taking over health care.

8:11

She’s loosening up, then “I may not answer the questions they way the moderator or you want me to, but I’m talking straight to the American people.”

She says McCain is for toughening up regulations.

8:12

Palin:  “Barack Obama and Senator Biden have voted for the largest taxes increase in US history.”  At that moment, Biden does an expression that says: “Are you out of your mind?”

Biden:  “Vote you are referring to, …John McCain voted the exact same way.”

8:11

Does Sarah Palin seem terrified?  The ice hasn’t been broken yet for either one, 10 minutes in.  She’s using her cliches (Joe Sixpack, you betcha) but moved hockey moms to soccer.  Sounding populist notes.

Biden just repeated a catch phrase, 11 mins in.