Dancing with the Politicians

There's nothing like debating what happened during a debate right? The anticipation for last night's VP debate from St. Louis was huge and it was certainly more watched then the previous week's debate from two guys named John and Barack. Who are they? Well if you forgot those are the two men who are running for PRESIDENT of the United States of America. Oh right, you remember them now. This epic debate really brought me back to the classic 2000 VP debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman...what you don't remember it? Oh thats probably because NOBODY DOES. Did anyone even watch it? Did it even really happen? Well I just googled it, and yes, there was a VP debate in 2000. Maybe I just missed it because I was only thirteen, and definitely more interested in the Yankees trouncing the Mets in the subway series, winning their fourth world series in five years. What about the classic Cheney/Edwards debate of '04, puhleease, nobody in America watched that either. If they did, they probably don't remember it. Early reports show that this debate last night received a 45.1 rating on the Nielsen scale, while last week's debate only received a 33.1. What the hell does that mean? Well to me, it means a heck of a lot more people were watching last night. The New York Times reported that if these numbers hold up throughout the day, this will be the most watched debate ever. Let me reiterate that for emphasis, just as Joe Biden did frequently last night, THE MOST WATCHED DEBATE EVER. Why in the world would this debate be the most watched debate ever?

Here's my best answer: Well it isn't because of Joe Biden. Its because of SARAH PALIN. We love her, we despise her, we want to be her, and we want to nail her. She is everything we love and hate about American politics. She's beautiful, she's sassy, she's inexperienced, she's courageous. She stood up in front of almost half of the American people last night and gave a six-term senator the business, with a wink and a condescending tone.

I just screened the phone calls for Vox Pop, WAMC's daily call in show. Today's topic shockingly was the VP debate. One caller said that Sarah Palin was unbelievable, and she was shocked at how amazing she did. The very next caller said this exact quote, "Sarah Palin is an embarrassment to the women of America." People called in about her winking, her flirting and her inability to answer pointed questions. There weren't too many calls about the issues, the what? THE ISSUES.

What the hell are the issues anyway? Bailout, gay marriage, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan among many others. Do these two campaigns take opposing stands on all of these issues? NO. Instead they cordially agree on almost everything, all the while bickering about minute details that will most likely have no effect on the future of the American experience. There is one issue that the two campaigns tend to differ on, and that is taxes. Obama's tax plan has been clearly stated to the American public numerous times, while the details of McCain's plan has eluded me over these first two debates. These candidates have to start talking more about what they are going to do, start answering questions, and stop dancing around the podium like they're on DANCING WITH THE POLITICIANS. (I guess the words "politician" and "star" really have no difference in today's world.)

If you are interested in knowing what kind of phony boloney(i know its bologna, but that doesn't look like it rhymes on paper,) these candidates are spewing in their public appearances I urge you to go to www.factcheck.org . This is a wonderful site that filters out the true from the false, and the real meat of the issue from the "bologna."

Is Sarah Palin a politician? Or is she a celebrity? Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? I'll leave you with this one point. Sarah Palin makes you feel warm and cozy about how she is just like you. She is a hockey mom from main street America, who knows what the American worker is going through, and I really can't deny that claim. One caller on Vox pop today said something that really stuck with me:

"I want my executives to be smarter than I am."

Don't we all?