Biden vs Palin: The Heat is On
Over 50 years ago in 1942, Harry S. Truman quipped "If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." It was an expression he made famous and often used when those around him complained about his strenuous expectations of them.
Well, the heat is on and Sarah Palin must be getting very warm. Joe Biden, Palin’s nemesis in the run for the VP post, has openly praised her for her speech at the GOP National Convention saying “she’s good.” But he went on to say that there was no substance in her speech. It created a lot of hype but many people were disappointed that Palin did not even try to mention how she and the McCain camp would deal with the nation’s socioeconomic woes and foreign policy. It was as though the Republican boy’s club thought the election was won simply by putting forward a woman, and yes, an attractive one at that.
Many political pundits have said this race must be about real issues and that Americans should not be blind-sided by the Palin pretty face. This is exactly what McCain was hoping for in his selection of his running mate – that the uneducated and religious vote in America would be tremendously influenced in his favor. Her good looks are qualities that someone like John McCain would admire and count on to seduce voters.
The vice-presidential nominee debate, slated for October 2, will perhaps be the most watched coverage of the whole campaign. Senator Biden has said: “I will be unrelenting in my debate with the governor of Alaska in terms of the positions she has taken.” The Delaware senator may be referring specifically to foreign policy on Iraq since Palin supports the party line (McCain and Bush) on the withdrawal of troops.
Biden will raise these points and more at the debate and he promises to focus the debate on the critical issues. The real message here is that the Democrats are not going to handle Palin with kid gloves because she is a woman. If she wants the VP post she’s going to have to stop talking about her experience as mayor of a town of 5,000 people; there is no room in the debate for what a great snow sled racer her husband is or the fact that she has a child with Down Syndrome or that she is a hockey mom.
Palin herself seems unaware that her “wholesome mom” style isn’t going to cut it alone. Most people see through the ruse John McCain used in putting forward a woman as VP nominee. A woman, who is anti-women in her politics and who does not, for example, understand how global warming is caused.
