Both Candidates Win Praise Following last night's vice-presidential debate, media commentators gave high marks to the performance of both Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden. It was Palin, however, who gathered the most commentary, with most analysts agreeing she had exceeded expectations. NBC's Tom Brokaw said, "I think they're wolfing it up in Alaska tonight and all the parties across the country for the McCain campaign. In terms of our theatrics and personal style out there, you can see why she's such a successful politician in Alaska." Palin "did herself a lot of good and probably her ticket some good as well." Also on NBC, Brian Williams said of Palin that "like Ronald Reagan...this is a trained communicator, having worked in television news specifically and wanted at one time to be a professional sportscaster." On CBS, Bob Schieffer said Palin "pretty much held her own," and later in the same broadcast, Jeff Greenfield said the Alaska governor "passed the Tina Fey test. Anyone looking for a deer in the headlights experience didn't get one tonight." Also on NBC, Chuck Todd said, "Those that were tuning in looking for some sort of car wreck, probably came away disappointed. You had two performances where neither one of them lived up to their negative stereotypes. ... In many ways, she was a better surrogate for her top of the ticket than Joe Biden was for his."
The Wall Street Journal calls Palin "confident" and "folksy," and adds she held "her own against her vice-presidential rival." The New York Times reports "Palin exceeded expectations in this highly anticipated face-off," adding she "succeeded by not failing in any obvious way." In a similar front-page analysis titled "The Politics Of Spunk," the Los Angeles Times reports, "If Palin's goal was to show that she could credibly share the stage with a seasoned politician -- and turn the page after two bruising weeks of unsteady media interviews -- then she succeeded beyond even many Republicans' expectations." The Financial Times says Palin "appeared well-prepared after the gaffes of recent weeks." Roll Call reports that Palin "managed to leave behind the halting, circular answers she delivered in recent interviews. Her performance may end questions about her ability to grapple with complicated issues, at least on a rhetorical level." The Chicago Tribune says Palin "succeeded Thursday in one crucial respect: re-establishing herself as a charismatic, composed performer."
Some print stories are even giving Palin the win. The AP reports, "While both vice presidential candidates achieved their goals Thursday night, the stakes were much higher and the bar was much lower for...Palin. So, in the contest of low expectations, Palin won." USA Today says, "Both candidates exuded confidence and determination -- a victory of sorts for Palin, the first-term Alaska governor performing on equal terms with the six-term Delaware senator."
However, in a front page story titled "Palin Delivers, But Doubt Not Erased," the Washington Post says the "the Palin who showed up for Thursday's debate...was anything but defensive. In a fast-paced exchange about a range of domestic and foreign policy issues, she was the aggressive campaigner who in the first weeks of her candidacy had so energized the Republican faithful." But "one debate will not erase doubts that have been building about Palin's capacity to serve as vice president."
Print commentators were also impressed by Palin's performance. Roger Simon writes in The Politico, "Palin was supposed to fall off the stage at her vice presidential debate Thursday evening. Instead, she ended up dominating it." In a blog posting, Jonathan Martin writes on the website of The Politico, "If my email in-box is any indication, Republicans are pleased as punch about Sarah Palin's performance tonight. I can understand why." Media critic Tom Shales writes in the Washington Post, "People who came to the debate loving Sarah Palin probably went away from it loving her as much as ever. People who came to the debate hoping to see a fiasco, to see Palin make colossal gaffes, had to have been disappointed." In a posting on 'The Fix' blog on the website of the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza offers his "first thoughts" on the debate, saying that Palin "came into the debate with three goals: show she could hold her own, cast McCain as a 'maverick' and drive a wedge between the issue positions of Biden and Obama. To borrow a phrase: Mission Accomplished. Biden was dead set on making the case for Obama as change agent and McCain as Bush heir. Again, mission accomplished."
Biden Also Earns Praise While much of the coverage is focused on Palin, a number of reviews also saw Biden doing well. On ABC, Torrie Clarke said, "Nobody was paying attention to Joe Biden. I think Joe Biden had his best night tonight." On CBS, Bob Schieffer said, "I must say, I thought...Biden had a very good night. He seemed comfortable with the facts. It was clear he has dealt with these issues over the years." On CNN, David Gergen said "Biden gave the best debate performance of his life. I thought he had superior knowledge, superiority on the debate overall, on political point, it may be a bit of a draw." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Biden "laced his scholarly responses with a bit of passion, especially when he mentioned his family." The Newark Star-Ledger says Biden "seemed far more sure-footed on matters of policy, especially on history and background of votes that he and McCain and Barack Obama cast in the Senate."
Palin Galvanizes Conservatives One group was clearly impressed by Palin â conservatives. The reaction was apparent in post-debate TV coverage. On MSNBC, Pat Buchanan said, "My take is...Palin was sensational tonight. She not only met the expectations. I think she wiped up the floor with Joe Biden, quite frankly." On Fox News, Bill Kristol said Palin "was on the stage there with Joe Biden for 90 minutes, and she held her own. She may have defeated him. And she certainly held her own." On Fox News, Karl Rove said, "I think she did great." On Fox News, Fred Barnes said Palin was "going to revive a lot of" the conservative enthusiasm for her. On CBS, Dan Bartlett said Republicans "not only are...breathing a sigh of relief, I think they're coming out with more confidence." On CNN, Ed Rollins said, "She far exceeded any expectations Republicans had coming in here. She connected with ordinary people and reinforced our base."
That theme is echoed in today's conservative-oriented print commentators. In an editorial this morning entitled "Free Sarah Palin," the conservative Wall Street Journal gives Palin a positive review and says McCain "should fire the advisers who won't let Sarah Palin do more interviews." In his New York Times column entitled "The Palin Rebound," David Brooks gives Palin a very positive review, saying that 20 minutes into the debate, "Republican knuckles all across America unwhitened" as Palin's performance exceeded expectations. McCain, Brooks concludes, "still faces an uphill fight, but nobody could have expected a performance as polished as the one he got from his running mate." In her Wall Street Journal column, Peggy Noonan gushes over Palin's performance, saying, "She killed. ... She was the star. He was the second male lead, the good-natured best friend of the leading man. She was not petrified but peppy. ... Sarah Palin saved John McCain again Thursday night."
Some Criticism Of Palin's Performance On Fox News (10/2), Kirsten Powers said Palin "did seem a little bit like she was giving a bunch of mini-stump speeches, and she was very deft, but came back and seemed like she was giving a little speech." On CNN, John King said, "I think if you're grading Sarah Palin, who I think was the main question mark going into tonight, by Washington standards or debate coach standards, it was an uneven performance." On CNN, Campbell Brown said, "She seemed to do, I thought. quite well the first half. The second half, foreign policy, seemed to be out of her depth." In his Washington Post column, EJ Dionne pans Palin's performance, saying, "Early in last night's vice-presidential debate, Sarah Palin said that she might not answer the questions as moderator Gwen Ifill posed them. This was the Alaska governor's way of saying she was going to stick to the talking points she had stuffed into her head, no matter what the subject."
CNN Poll: Biden Wins On Substance, Palin On Likability On its website, CNN reports, "A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate Thursday night suggests that...Biden won, but also says...Palin exceeded expectations." The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. "said 51 percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job, while 36 percent thought Palin did the best job." But "respondents said the folksy Palin was more likable, scoring 54 percent to Biden's 36 percent. Seventy percent said Biden was more of a typical politician." Adds CNN, "Both candidates exceeded expectations -- 84 percent of the people polled said Palin did a better job than they expected, while 64 percent said Biden also exceeded expectations."
CBS Poll: Among Uncommitted, 46% Say Biden Won On CBS, Katie Couric said, "24%% of voters in this country still uncommitted. We did a scientific poll with some of them and they responded online. Sharyl Attkisson is in New York and she has the results." Sharyl Attkisson: "Very telling numbers. Who won the debate? By a margin of two to one, 46% of our uncommitted voters thought Biden won, 21% Palin, 33% saw it as a tie. More importantly, perhaps, how many of those uncommitted voters made up their mind as a result of the debate. 18% told us they are now committed to Obama. 10% now committed to McCain and 71% still uncommitted."
In what's being widely seen as an ominous sign for GOP hopes of keeping the White House, the Detroit Free Press reported on its website yesterday that "Michigan, it seems, is a battleground no more in the presidential race." The McCain "campaign pulled the plug on its Michigan operation" Thursday "with little to no forewarning to state GOP officials -- and on a day when Democrat Barack Obama was already stumping in the state." The Detroit News reports Mike DuHaime, political director the McCain-Palin campaign, "confirmed in a conference call with national reporters late Thursday, that "operations will be scaled back but we'll still be in place in Michigan." The Washington Post notes "Michigan Republican officials said they received the call from McCain headquarters about noon informing them of the decision to pull out of the state, which Democratic nominees won in 2004 and 2000." USA Today says "McCain's decision to pull out of Michigan appears unprecedented," and quotes Bill Ballenger, editor of the newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, saying, "I have never seen this in a presidential election at any time, in the last 50 years." Ballenger "questioned whether McCain has any chance left in state where he would have no ads and virtually no staff. 'He's got two chances,' Ballenger said. 'Slim and none.'"
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
McCain Up 3 In Virginia A Mason-Dixon/Virginian Pilot poll of 625 likely Virginia voters taken September 29-October 1 shows McCain leading Obama 48%-45%.
Obama Up 3 In North Carolina A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 700 likely North Carolina voters taken September 30 shows Obama leading McCain 50%-47%.
Obama Up 12 In New Hampshire The AP reports a Saint Anselm College Institute of Politics New Hampshire poll of 832 likely New Hampshire voters taken September 25-30 shows Obama leading McCain 49%-37%.
Obama Up 9 In Pennsylvania The Muhlenberg College /Allentown Morning Call tracking poll of 610 likely Pennsylvania voters taken September 27-October 1 shows Obama leading McCain 50%-41%.
McCain Edges Obama In Minnesota A SurveyUSA automated poll of 725 likely Minnesota voters taken September 30-October 1 shows McCain leading Obama 47%-46%.
Obama Holds Big Lead In Michigan A Public Policy Polling (D) survey of 731 likely Michigan voters taken September 29 to October 1 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-41%.
Two Polls Show Obama Up In New Mexico A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 700 likely New Mexico voters taken October 1 shows Obama leading McCain 49%-44%. A SurveyUSA automated poll of 698 likely New Mexico voters taken September 29-30 for KOB-TV Albuquerque shows Obama leading McCain 52%-44%.
McCain Up In Montana A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 500 likely Montana voters taken October 1 shows McCain leading Obama 52%-44%.
McCain Leads In Georgia An Insider Advantage /Poll Position survey of 561 likely Georgia voters taken September 30 shows McCain leading Obama 50%-44%.
McCain Up 10 In Kentucky A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 500 likely Kentucky voters taken September 30 shows McCain leading Obama 52%-42%.
McCain Holds Wide Lead In Nebraska A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 500 likely Nebraska voters taken September 30 shows McCain leading Obama 56%-37%.
The four tracking polls show Obama maintaining a lead. The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll of 2,749 registered voters taken September 29-October 1 shows Obama leading McCain 48%-43%. The Rasmussen Reports automated daily presidential tracking poll for October 2 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-44%. The bipartisan George Washington University Battleground daily tracking poll of 1,000 likely voters shows Obama leading McCain 49%-44%, up from a 48%-46% lead yesterday. The poll surveyed 200 voters each night from September 28-October 1. A Hotline/Diageo poll of 908 registered voters taken September 29 to October 1 shows Obama leading McCain 47%-42%.
In addition, a Marist College poll of 1,134 registered voters and 943 likely voters taken September 28-30 shows Obama leading McCain 47%-43% among registered voters and 49%-44% among likely voters.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
NBC Nightly News reported "it was all about arm-twisting and politics" on Capitol Hill Thursday as leaders of both parties tried to turn "Monday's no votes into yes votes" for a second try at passing the financial bailout bill, expected today. A net change of 12 votes is needed to pass the bill. The New York Times says confident Democratic leaders vowed to bring the package to the floor for a vote today, while the AP reports GOP whip Roy Blunt, the "top Republican vote-counter," predicted the measure would be approved. The Washington Times says "at least five members who had opposed the original plan said they would now support it, leaving backers just seven short of a majority" if no previous yes voters bolt.
However, "some fiscally conservative Democrats -- the so-called Blue Dogs -- expressed unhappiness with the package of tax breaks and other provisions added to the rescue plan in the Senate," the Los Angeles Times reports. The Financial Times says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "sought to downplay that the 24 blue-dogs who voted in favour of the bailout would overwhelmingly switch their votes." In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer writes, "On Monday, the true dividing line was between those who understand the high cost of doing nothing, and those who haven't yet been convinced. I only hope that economic events won't do the convincing for us."
President Bush and congressional leaders turned up the pressure on lawmakers Thursday as they sought to sway at least a dozen House members who voted no on the $700 billion financial sector relief bill Monday to vote in favor of the revised version. The President brought "more than a dozen manufacturers and business owners from across the country" to the White House, the AP reports, to make the case that the vote "is not just about rescuing high-flying financial firms from bad investment decisions, but also about a widening credit crunch that is paralyzing much of the nation's commerce." The CBS Evening News said Bush "emphatically demanded action." ABC World News reported that business owners like Dyke Messinger, "the CEO of a North Carolina company that makes construction machinery...might be more effective than the President" at winning over reluctant members of Congress. On its front page, the Washington Post says "a tide of lobbyists representing corporate executives, small-business owners, farmers and retirees swamped Capitol Hill" trying to push the bill over the line, but its fate "remained uncertain as the House prepared for a climactic vote."
The Washington Post reports factory orders "sank by the largest amount in nearly two years in August and the number of workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits increased to a seven-year high last week, ominous signs that the economy is in sharp decline." The news helped push down stocks as the markets continued their volatile week. The AP reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average "fell 348.22, or 3.22 percent, to 10,482.85," while the S&P 500 "fell 46.78, or 4.03 percent, to 1,114.28," and the Nasdaq "fell 92.68, or 4.48 percent, to 1,976.72." The Washington Post says "agriculture, metals, construction, steel and industrial stocks" were badly hit.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the "effects of the credit crisis are ricocheting around the globe as lenders grow increasingly distrustful of their own customers and each other." Meanwhile, according to the Christian Science Monitor, "The credit squeeze that almost every financial expert has warned about is here. Banks are reducing credit lines and refusing to make new loans." Amid all this confusion, the Washington Post says for the first time in 17 years, the first quarterly decline in consumer spending is expected, "effectively stalling the engine of the American economy." One small bright spot for consumers: The New York Times reports oil futures are down 13 percent in just the past week and dropped nearly five dollars per barrel on Thursday, closing at $93.97.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Jay Leno: "Anyway, the Senate passed" the bill "last night, and they say the House will probably pass it tomorrow. In fact, the only thing that could screw it up is if John McCain steps in and tries to help out again."
Jay Leno: "Oh, and I love this part! With the new provisions the Senate added," the bill is "now going to cost $800 billion! We should have signed it two days ago, when it was just $700 billion. Two days later, they screwed us out of another $100 billion!"
Jay Leno: "Earlier...tonight, they held the vice presidential debate," and "I understand that Sarah Palin" was "preparing all week" for it "at John McCain's ranch in Arizona. She said looking out at the desert gave her a real feel for the Middle East."
David Letterman: "I hate to bring up a sad, sore topic but how about the economy? I mean, does it stink?" The "economy is so bad that today, Dick Cheney was waterboarding his stockbroker."
David Letterman: "The pundits are already saying that [Palin] did fine. ... Yeah, okay, she did fine, but she also was very, very lucky. I mean, come on, there were three moose questions."
Conan O'Brien: "Political experts say that one mistake by to Sarah Palin night could be crushing to John McCain's campaign. Yeah. However, they say 20 or 30 mistakes by Palin could be really funny."
Jimmy Kimmel: The "big question -- and I don't know if anyone has asked it -- while Sarah Palin is yammering it up with Joe Biden," who is "keeping an eye on the Russians? I feel very unprotected right now."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
