Palin’s sole goal for the evening seemed to be to present herself as a folksy Washington outsider in order to counter Barack Obama’s campaign message of change. However, all she really accomplished with her slang and references to Joe Sixpack was to sound un-vice-presidential. With a current president who asks, “Is our children learning?” and a vice presidential candidate who pronounces nuclear as “nucular,” the Republican Party appears to be promoting the idea that being educated (or sounding moderately intelligent) is a crime. In a time when the nation is facing its most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression and terrorism is still a global threat, intelligence is definitely not an expendable luxury for the second-in-command. John McCain based his campaign on deriding Obama’s lofty rhetoric as insubstantial and the hallmark of a lightweight; now the GOP seems to be hoping that Palin’s folksy slang will win over the country’s working class. Her claims to being an average American are authentic. She really is average—too average for the vice presidency.
On Thursday, Senator Joe Biden was exceptional to Palin’s average. Biden matched Palin’s small town, middle class credentials with his references to the steel mills of Scranton, Penn. His story about his father having to leave home because there were no jobs struck a chord in the hearts of many experiencing the same thing now. He calmly and knowledgably articulated the Democratic plans for dealing with Iraq, foreign oil dependence, and the economy. Palin, meanwhile, consistently contradicted herself on these issues and others. She first promised that the McCain Administration would increase government oversight on Wall Street, but then lectured government for being a problem and advising it to “get out of the way.” She accused Obama of voting a certain way on many issues, such as cutting off funding for troops in Iraq, when her running mate did the exact same thing, a fact that Biden pointed out many times. Palin, characteristically, responded to these contradictions by simply expounding on hers and McCain’s “maverick” credentials. Calling yourself a maverick six times does not make you one, nor does it lend itself to a general air of competence.
As jarring as Palin’s apparent unreadiness for the position was her naked ambition. Palin often sounds like she, not McCain, is running for the presidency. She told Couric that she admired Vice President George H.W. Bush because she most reveres vice presidents “who have gone on to presidency.” During the debate itself, Palin was cheerful and enthusiastic when describing how she would run the nation if McCain were to pass away. This was in sharp contrast to Biden’s somber vows to carry on Obama’s policies if that “national tragedy of historic proportions” were to occur. This utter lack of emotional propriety carried over to her treatment of Biden’s tragic family history. After the Delaware senator had a deservedly emotional moment when speaking about the deaths of his first wife and year-old daughter, Palin responded without a word of sympathy or even a mention of it. This cold response to Biden’s heart-wrenching story must have been disconcerting to Americans watching at home.
Admittedly, on Thursday night Palin redeemed herself from the utter gibberish of her Katie Couric interviews. But correctly pronouncing the names of world leaders, winking at the cameraman, and repeating well-coached lines do not qualify her for the vice presidency, especially in comparison to the consumately professional Biden, who turned in a masterful performance. So for all those declaring a Palin win, chill, baby chill.