http://www.politico.com/news/stories/090 8/14097.html
Biden's strategy: Go easy on Palin
By: Roger Simon
September 30, 2008 10:20 AM EST
If Sarah Palin goofs, flounders, stumbles or blunders during her debate against Joe Biden on Thursday night, Biden is going to let it slide.
"If she makes a gaffe, he underplays it," one of the people prepping Biden for his vice presidential debate told me. "At most, he says, `I am not sure what Gov. Palin meant there.'"
There are three reasons for this. First, Biden does not want to look condescending. For the same reason, he plans on referring to Palin as "Gov. Palin" during the debate and never as "Sarah." (He will sometimes refer to John McCain as "John," however, because they have been senators together for many years.)
Second, Biden knows the press is going to pounce on any mistakes, and so he does not need to.
Third, and most important, Sarah Palin is not Biden's true target.
"Joe Biden's No. 1 job during the vice presidential debate is to keep the focus on the top of the ticket," the Biden debate prepper told me. "He is going to keep the focus on John McCain."
This is an arguable strategy. After all, McCain is the experienced one on the Republican ticket, the one whose credentials to be commander in chief from Day One are not in much question.
So why attack him instead of Palin, whose lack of readiness has been the subject of endless discussion as well as late-night comedy?
Because, at least in the past, Americans have not concentrated on the bottom of the ticket when it comes time to vote. They care about who the president is going to be, not who the vice president is going to be.
I am a Northern Virginia resident, greater Manassas area. A fellow Democrat (white male, 50's,) just told me of an interesting call that he received over the weekend.....
I surfed over to Alegre's Corner to this diary ....
http://alegrescorner.soapblox.net/showDi ary.do?diaryId=849
I understand that these women are upset, but several were talking about voting for MCain because of Palin. I noticed that most of them were calling themselves feminists, so I decided to actually post and see if I could inject a little balance into the discussion.
I first tried to explain that Obama wasn't a party hack because Hillary had most of the superdelgates, 90% of the Black vote and endorsements of most of the Black politicians before Iowa .I then when on to note that it was a bloody primary and both side's hands were dirty.
I posted a 2 paragraph blurb where I briefly covered the following six points:
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/pol iticians/helms/story/1135443.html
The tide is certainly turning. Does anyone know if the North Carolina press is picking up this story?
It speaks volumes that at the end of the day, a Caucasian decided to take a stand against what Jesse Helms stood for. This bodes well for the Democratic Party in Norht Carolina.
I love watching the two campaigns go at each other. I love even more watching the Obama campaign show restraint, while Hillco throws everything but the kitchen sink at him.
But every once in a while, Barack Obama shows that one of his strongest assets in knowing how to pick the right people....
http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2008/03/ob ama_campaign_skewers_clinton.html
Well, it's been lovely ride, but the end is in sight. Both Hillary and Barack have made comments recently about the joint ticket. Essientially, Hillary has said that she is open to the idea (if that is where this process is going) but who will be at the top of the ticket has to be determined. Barack has said that he is not even entertaining the idea, and I have no reason to beleive otherwise at this time.
· NC Sen: Dole is out of money (The Southern Dem)
· CO-SEN, CO-PRES: Obama, Udall each up 10 pts (em dash)
· VA: GOP Party Chair Compares Obama to Bin Laden (lowkell)
· Texas County Agrees to Stop Vote Suppression Efforts (Matt Glazer)
· VA-05: Tom Perriello Closes in on Virgil Goode (lowkell)
· Hotline: Colorado is last toss-up state in nation (em dash)
· Jim Webb: Barack Obama Will be a "fine commander in chief" (lowkell)
· IA-04: Latham and Greenwald hold second radio debate (desmoinesdem)
· One Really Bad Typo: 'Barack Osama' on Ballot in NY County (lipris)
· NC Sen: Kay Hagan Fights back against False Freedom's Watch Ads (The Southern Dem)
· Gordon Smith: Sarah Palin is "a great governor of CALIFORNIA" (karichisholm)
· Rossi subpoenaed in Buildergate Case (John Rohrbach)
