West Virginia Blue reaction to the VP debate

by: Carnacki

Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 23:37:51 PM EDT

CNN vote of debate watchers: Biden 51, Palin 36
CBS poll of undecideds: Biden 46, Palin 21

From an email:

West Virginia Obama for America State Director Declares:
"Biden's Performance Tonight - A Clear Victory"

Charleston, W.Va.... Obama for America West Virginia State Director Tom Vogel issued the following statement at the conclusion of the vice presidential debate between candidates Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin:

"Tonight leaves no doubt, that by choosing Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, Barack Obama understands what's at stake in these trying times and possesses the sound judgment needed to lead our country.  Joe Biden is a true statesman with a deep understanding of economic and foreign policy issues, and knows how to change the direction of our nation.

"Raised in a working-class family with small town values that are akin to so many West Virginians, Senator Biden understands the mounting challenges facing working-class Americans today.  Barack Obama and Joe Biden will work to rebuild our economy, develop a health care system that works for all Americans, and repair our nation's reputation around the globe.  

"The momentum for the Obama-Biden ticket continues to grow in the Mountain State. Joe Biden's clear victory in tonight's debate provided West Virginians with one more reason to cast their vote for Obama-Biden on November 4."

Here's a photo from the debate watching party in Charleston at the Campaign for Change HQ.

I just got back from the VP debate watching party in Martinsburg.

I thought Sarah Palin memorized her lines well, but she came across as really mean. Now in the first debate I thought John McCain did too and it was roughly a draw, which, given the poll situation, equalled a win for Obama. But the polls showed regular people thought overwhelmingly Barack Obama won the debate.

The narrative that came from that first debate was that McCain was mean, temperamental, grouchy, and out of touch about the economic situation.

Obama won that debate with the viewers when it was on foreign policy, which McCain has claimed is his strong suit.

He looked even keeled, solid, presidential.

Tonight we saw the importance in the two candidates decisions to pick a vice presidential nominee.

Joe Biden was far from my first pick, but my minister thinks the world of him. Tonight's debate performance really won me over that Joe Biden was a solid pick as vice president, to fill in should, God forbid, the need occur.

Sarah Palin convinced me she can memorize her lines, but as she herself stated, she wasn't going to answer the questions when it didn't suit her. I think she had to do that because she could not think on her feet.

Her winking and overly folksy manner didn't seem presidential to me. She didn't give me confidence that she could do the job should, God forbid indeed, she had to fill the job of the 72-year-old John McCain, who refuses to release all of his medical records.

As the poll numbers show, Palin did better than people expected, but that was because the bar was set so low because of her rambling, often incoherent responses in interviews with Sean Hannity, Charles Gibson and Katie Couric.

Here's the  polls for tonight:

Who did the best job in the debate?

Biden 51
Palin 36

Did Biden do better or worse than you expected?

Better 64
Worse 14
Same 20

Did Palin do better or worse than you expected?

Better 84
Worse 7
Same 8

Is Palin qualified to serve as president?

Yes
Before debate: 42
After debate: 46

No
Before debate: 54
After debate: 53

Here's the difference between unscripted moments and scripted in a debate.

Someone in Martinsburg described her as an automaton. If the response wasn't pre-programmed into her, she didn't have an answer. It shows here.

You'll hear howls of approval from the blood thirsty Republican base that wants endless war and tax cuts for the rich with no regard to what happens to the rest of us and our nation's failing infrastructure.

But my guess is her responses is going to further drive the undecideds and independents away from McCain to Obama.

Update 1:

Read Al's diary for an excellent breakout of the focus group responses.

Biden's response about the Iraq war scored the highest of the night. That zinger! that Palin did about the "white flag" (the type of response Shelley Moore Capito's thrown out herself) really turned off the voters.