This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 1, 2008 - At the opening of the vice presidential debate in 1996 in St. Petersburg, Fla., Jack Kemp couldn't resist getting in a critical comment about the fact that he and Al Gore would have only 90 seconds each to answer complex questions on domestic and foreign policy issues. The ever loquacious Kemp, who was running on the GOP ticket with Sen. Bob Dole, blurted out to Jim Lehrer of PBS' "NewsHour":
"Wow, in 90 seconds? I can't clear my throat in 90 seconds."
Kemp's line didn't turn out to be a classic moment in vice presidential debates, but the 90-second rule points up one of the drawbacks -- or benefits -- facing Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin when they spar on Thursday night during the vice presidential debate at Washington University. For the long-winded Biden, 90 seconds may be too short; for Palin, it may be plenty of time to get through issues about which she may be less familiar than Biden.
In any case, both candidates have a lot on the line as the public not only listens to what the they say but how they say it, notes Scott Jensen, an assistant professor at Webster University.
"Sarah Palin sort of knows what (John) McCain's platform is, but how she communicates that platform is still to be determined, and the public hasn't been exposed to that. The only (major) televised speech we've seen of her was at the Republican convention, and, of course, that was preaching to the choir."
He adds that Palin may be judged by at least one factor that borders on a double standard.
Some people, he says, "will be more fascinated with what Sarah Palin wears -- will it be a pants suit or a dress? -- while they won't give a second thought to what Joe Biden wears."
Still, many viewers will watch for the right reasons. They want to learn more about Palin, a little known governor from Alaska until GOP presidential nominee John McCain tapped her to be his running mate. She is under lots of pressure to deliver a credible performance and rebut perceptions -- like that of a recent Wall Street Journal poll -- that voters felt she was less fit than Biden to be vice president.
"The whole point of the vice presidency is that you're waiting in the wings in case the star breaks his leg and can't go on stage that night," says Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern University professor who has written a book about presidential debates. He says Palin must use a combination of personal style and a grasp of the issues to show people "she's ready to go in and do that difficult job."
Schroeder says one plus in Palin's favor is her ability to communicate well on television. Moreover, he notes that she is no stranger to debates, having taken part in several during her race for governor.
"She wasn't bad," he says. "Of course, the debate on Thursday night will be on a different level, more like a world series."
Both candidates probably have watched previous debates to find the manholes in which some candidates stepped and made history for the wrong reasons.
For gaffe-prone Biden that also means staying "out of the way of his own mouth," Schroeder says.
During a Democratic primary debate in Iowa in 1987, Biden described his own background with words and phrases taken without attribution from British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock. The revelation led Biden eventually to pull out of the campaign.
Biden undoubtedly has learned at least one other thing to avoid when debating against a woman. In the 1984 debate between George H.W. Bush, then running for Ronald Reagan's vice president, and Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, Bush appeared to talk down to Ferraro by suggesting that she apparently didn't understand the difference between Lebanon and Iran. Ferraro, then a U.S. representative, told Bush that "I almost resent ... your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy." Bush didn't help himself later by bragging that he had "kicked a little ass" during the debate.
Likewise, Schroeder says the gender issue also poses challenges for moderator Gwen Ifill of PBS' "NewsHour." She's an experienced moderator, having participated in previous debates, but Schroeder says she has to be careful in the way she frames questions and speaks to avoid the appearance of favoring one candidate over the other.
Another unforgettable moment during vice presidential debates occurred in 1992 in Atlanta during the three-way match among Gore, Quayle and Admiral James Stockdale, who ran on the Reform Party ticket with independent candidate Ross Perot. Viewers didn't know how to take Stockdale's opening remark: "Who am I? Why am I here?" He left the impression of being confused and befuddled, although that wasn't his intention.
In any case, Schroeder says the comments made the much-decorated admiral look like "a fish out of water" as he stood in the company of two seasoned politicians.
For certain, Palin will be asked a question on experience -- perhaps like the one that tripped up GOP nominee Dan Quayle during his showdown with Sen. Lloyd Bentsen at the 1988 debate in Omaha. Responding to a query from NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, Quayle argued that he had as much experience as John Kennedy when Kennedy sought the presidency.
At that point, Bentsen went in for the kill, saying he had known Kennedy as a friend and then added in a fatherly manner, "Senator (Quayle) you are no Jack Kennedy."
The audience shouted and clapped before Quayle, seemingly caught off guard, told Bentsen: "That was really uncalled for, Senator."
On one issue, there's hardly a debate. Palin's appearance is certain to send the TV ratings skyrocketing. Many curious voters are likely to watch her performance because they have seen so little of her during the campaign. The television audience swelled beyond expectations when she gave her acceptance speech at the GOP convention, and it is likely to swell once more on Thursday night.
