This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 2, 2008 - As recently as Aug. 31, the vice-presidential debate scheduled for this evening at Washington University, offered little in the way of anticipation or excitement. However, since the Republican National Convention in Denver, and the surprising showing of the unheralded and largely unknown Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, self-described Hockey Mom and youthful new face of the GOP, the vice-presidential debate turned into the most anticipated theatrical event of the season.
The questions on everyone's mind were: Was Palin as hopelessly dumb as she sounded in the Katie Couric interviews or as clueless as Tina Fey's impersonation on Saturday Night Live made her appear? Would she fall flat in the debate against Sen. Joe Biden, a veteran of 36 years in the Senate and an acknowledged expert in foreign affairs? Foreign affairs was, after all, the very area in which Palin seemed so abysmal that she needed an emergency transfusion of Henry Kissinger to allow her to brush up on her Ahmadinejad and Zardari bona fides.
As the debate approached, the dramatic tension increased to an unbearable level of expectation. Not only was Palin a danger to herself and her party with several prominent Republicans suggesting she resign, it became apparent that the format of the debate -- two minute responses to questions from moderator Gwen Ifill, and 90-second follow-ups -- might undo Biden, a man notorious for being garrulous in the Senate and occasionally gaffe-prone. Would Biden's very qualifications and obvious experience create a condescending and arrogant persona in the face of his appealing challenger, ala Bush vs. Gore? Worse, would his superior manner suggest a demeaning chauvinism towards his seemingly inept female rival?
Having watched the debate, my verdict was that Palin was not nearly as dumb as advertised; that she appeared shrewd, calculating and well coached; Biden maintained his cool, was gracious, and made no errors in judgment that would undermine his position. In fact, both Palin and Biden got through this debate having significantly strengthened their respective political positions, with Palin arguably having done more to help herself, simply because of the abysmally low expectations she had coming in.
Palin's costume choice of a conservative dark suit argued for her being taken seriously in the debate. Biden's navy suit could have been chosen by the same costumer for the same reasons: It projected professionalism and discipline. Palin's only adornment was a rather garish flag pin, and her overall look was visually appealing and accentuated her fine features without suggesting the flighty, vapid schoolgirl of the Couric interviews.
She came out swinging by asking Biden on-camera, "Can I call you Joe?," emphasizing her status as "Washington Outsider" before a word had officially been spoken. In fact, Palin performed as though she knew she had nothing to lose and everything to gain by being assertive. She was well coached, "on message" and took it to Biden from the outset. Occasionally, her message got in her way, and she either ignored the questions asked, or repeated her mantra of "Energy" even when the question had nothing to do with that subject.
Biden, for his part, remained cool throughout, except for one moment near the end when he came close to tears. This was in response to Palin's celebration of the virtues of motherhood and family, when he briefly reflected on his own status as a single parent following the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter just before he was sworn in to the Senate in 1973. That moment, genuine and unrehearsed, suggested a man of true feeling.
If Palin's performance demonstrated the value of superb coaching, it did not really persuade. Overall, she gave the impression of someone who had been well programmed instead of actually knowing what she was saying. Her reliance on cliches and formulaic phrases: "John McCain is a maverick ... we're a team of mavericks"; "stop the greed and the corruption"; "straight talk"; "he'll know how to win a war"; "Joe Six Pack" was the very opposite of nuanced thinking or improvisatory speech. But in the format of this debate, which did not allow the candidates to question one another, she came across as well-schooled. I am sure she exceeded the expectations of her "Debate Camp" counselors.
Biden's performance was both skilled and eloquent. He never condescended to his foe, and never attacked Palin personally, even when she appeared to conjure a vision of a frighteningly Cheneyesque vice presidency. Instead, he wisely saved his harshest words for the real opponent, John McCain. And he delivered his gestures with statesman-like simplicity, especially when (at the very end of the debate), he obliterated the McCain claim of being a maverick; "John McCain was not a maverick when it came to the economy; he was not a maverick about the war," he said.
In the face of a tougher-than-expected opponent who was unafraid to try and pound him with occasional distortions, Biden stuck to his plan, and maintained discipline. He won this surprisingly tough fight on points.
Henry I. Schvey is professor of drama and comparative literature Washington University.