By BETH FOUHY
NEW YORK
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin enters her debate tonight with Joe Biden needing to make a strong positive impression on voters, many of whom are expressing serious doubts about her readiness.
A new AP-Gfk poll released Wednesday found that just 25 percent of likely voters believe Palin has the right experience to be president. That's down from 41 percent just after the GOP convention, when the Alaska governor made her well-received debut on the national stage.
Thursday night's debate in St. Louis gives her a chance to overcome the doubts in a 90-minute showcase, the first time most Americans outside Alaska will see her in a lengthy give-and-take session.
On the other hand, a poor performance against Biden, the Delaware senator, could cement a negative image for the rest of the campaign.
Palin has been preparing at Republican presidential candidate John McCain's retreat in Sedona, Ariz.
Biden was doing his own intensive preparation near his home in Wilmington, Del., though he went to Washington for Wednesday night's vote on the economic rescue package.
As for Palin's prospects, "the expectations are set so low for her, she could fake everyone out," said Scott Reed, who managed the presidential campaign of Republican Bob Dole in 1996.
Democrats, meanwhile, were doing what they could to dispel the notion that Palin is a sub-par debater. The Democratic National Committee e-mailed news stories to reporters describing her able performances in debates in 2006 when she was running for Alaska governor.
And Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, one of Obama's most prominent surrogates, tried to lower expectations for Biden on a conference call with reporters.
"My friend Joe Biden has a tendency to talk forever and sometimes say stuff that's kind of stupid," McCaskill said.
Asked to clarify her remarks, McCaskill said she meant them "affectionately."
The 90-minute televised debate was to take place at Washington University in St. Louis, with PBS anchor Gwen Ifill serving as moderator. Ifill herself has come under criticism from some conservatives because she is writing a book on blacks and politics, with a chapter on Obama.
Join the discusssion later tonight by posting your own comments. For more coverage of the debate, see Friday's Virginian-Pilot.
And come back to PilotOnline to read and post commentary on upcoming debates: Tuesday, Oct. 7, presidential debate from Belmont University, Nashville; Wednesday, Oct. 15, presidential debate from Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. All debates begin at 9 p.m.
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Gertz Point
My prayers are with you. I pray you will not endure much pain over the surgery. Cheers, MGM
I didn't see the couric interview,
but I did hear about it. You know how it goes when stories get passed around. All I saw in the news blurbs was the hallway questions about newspapers and magazines. I understand "folksy", but Palin (my opinion) came across as fake. Growing up in the county and related to all 50 families in the area, I heard my share of it. Sometimes my niece and I exchange "well I ain't heard any such thing in all my born days" comments in our email, I think just to keep those things alive, and remember them as opposed to too much stuff we want and need to forget.
Don't tell anyone HA, but it looks like I will be going in for back surgery (again). I refuse to get old, and this can help prevent that. I pray! I know many on here will miss me LOL, but I hope not to be down as long as the last one.
Gertz Point
Thanks for the good wishes and prayers.
I think I like Sarah Palin as much as I do because she is very much like my first female admiral in my field (a friend when we were young junior officers). This gal got the first surface warfare pin earned by a female in the Navy *ever* then went on to gain flag command in another Navy field as the first female there. Ann is people-smart, folksy, warm, *and* detail-oriented (brilliant). People could make the mistake of thinking she is not as well-read as she is because she is such a people-person, but they would be wrong.
I looked up the Couric interview on Youtube yesterday and I regard it as a big "gotcha" session. As my more liberal Navy friend says, she was given a doctoral exam on that one! Cheers, MGM
mary
Hope you are doing well. You have been in my prayers.
Actually I though Palin did better than expected, but wow, I can't stand those folksy comments coupled with winks and grins. The Joe six-packs, and soccer moms, and that elememtary school she mentioned, I'm sorry, but yes there were times when it was laughable. The worse of it was declairing up-front there would be questions she would not answere and she stuck to her word, but when she said the VP should have more power, well, again we did laugh. Sorry, but I simply cannot see where Palin is in any way shape or form ready to be the VP, and God forbid President of this beautiful country.
Gertz Point
Did you and your fifteen friends have fun laughing?
I had chemo that day so I hung out with my mom and dad, my husband, and my son while the debate was on.
I do think that those who have decided Sarah Palin is an idiot would not have their minds changed by anything she could have said during the debate. Every time an objection to her is raised (not enough interviews, etc.), she will eventually meet that objection (the Katie Couric interview), only to have her bar raised again by someone else (laughing at what she said during the interview). Cheers, MGM
if palin falls flat on her face
McCain will blame Gwen Ifill.
PREJUDICING THE PUBLIC
Well, what a surprise. The ultra left wing AP finds in its own ultra left wing poll that only 25 percent of voters support Sarah Palin. Now tonight the moderator will be from ultra left wing PBS, someone whose leanings are obvious, and will clearly be out to make Sarah Palin look bad. Pardon me if I sense a slight imbalance in the playing field, a stacked deck, and a pair of loaded dice.
Katie should be thankful...
...to Mrs. Palin. Because of her interview, more people saw Katie since she was on Today.
And what hard questions have been asked of her? "What was the last bad decision the Supream Court made?" Please not only was the question stupid, it was designed to stump her, not inform the public.
Maybe Katie should do something like retire or join the cackling hens at The View...
@fulcrum3
Sorry sweetie, your candidate agreed upon this Moderator as well. You cannot use that as an excuse for Palin when she completely embarrases the Republican party. The Two Parties agreed on Gwen Ifill.
McCain/Palin = the odd couple
If the media's "picking" on Mrs Palin is the only way to find out if she is qualified to be VP then so be it. Our country can't afford Joe-6-pack leadership right now. We need more of a JFK type. Ask yourself which candidate is closer to his profile. There was a reason the McCain campaign kept Ms. Palin away from the media for so long. Maybe they wanted to get her caught up on current affairs or something. ...ok maybe not! Those of you who are such advacotes of Mrs. Palin have ask yourself a question. Would you rather find out that she is as smart as a box of rocks before she goes to the whitehouse or after. I believe our country is in a very bad way right now and she needs the best leaders that we can give her to steer out of this mess made by the current administration. TO elect McCain/Palin in our greatest time of need would be PALINDICULOUS!!!!
this....
ought to be good, did anyone see Palin's interview with Katie Couric and then with Charlie Gibson??? "whats the bush doctrine?" ha.
you couldn't pay me
to miss this debate. I have 15 friends coming over to share in witnessing the worst VP candidate in history make an attempt to prove she is worthy of being the VP and even worst the potential President. I'm so excited I can't wait for air time.
let palin be palin...
...and let the chips fall where they may.
Poor whittle McPalin
Are all those nasty whiberal media types gonna pick on the hockey mom?
Is the little dear too sweet and innocent to mix it up with the big, bad press?
Or is answering hard questions part of the job?
Next time, don't pick a lightweight for VP and hope no one will notice. Poor, poor pitiful me doesn't play that well for long.
Experience
“A new AP-Gfk poll released Wednesday found that just 25 percent of likely voters believe Palin has the right experience to be president”
What I so amazing about that comment is she has more executive experience to be president than Obama. But NOBODY ever mentions his lack of experience his association with the likes of Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, Lewis Farrakhan and Tony Rizco, Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, whiich both of them are in the mortgage disaster. I wonder why? Ummm
Don't worry, be happy
AP Poll: Obama takes a 7-point lead over McCain
Palin vs Biden?
There are so many angles to this that it isn't funny. Biden is one of THE most liberal members of the Senate, and doesn't even know/care when television became a household item. I am amazed the republicans agreed to this political hack Ifill as moderator of the debate. Palin is being crucified in the media, not because of anything she said or did, but because she is a threat to Barry. Barry, on the other hand is a threat to America as we know it. He wants change all right, change to socialism. Well, Barry, you can't have any more of my tax dollars. I refuse to pay for the lazy. I'd rather take a paycut.
Another liberal beauty contest.
Tonight for 90 minutes the liberal moderator will try her best to toss Joe “Gaff’ Biden softballs and then drill Sarah Palin “Katie Couric” style questioning because she’s a republican woman not a blonde blue eyed democrat babe and not to be seen as making history for women and breaking that glass ceiling Hillary Clinton a democrat was applauded for putting cracks in it.. Go Sarah. P.S. The moderator is toting a bargain basement book too about some democrat guy.
Ifill
Lets face it Palin is being set-up by the liberal media.
An insult to Americans and the office of the Vice Presidency
I am disgusted to see someone describing herself as a "Joe 6-pack" no nothing thinks she can waltz into this position of such great importance on a platform of "lowering expectations". America is truly in a crisis if John McCain honesty believes this person is the best America has to offer in terms of leadership.
Have these people no dignity or respect for Americans? Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave. Meanwhile, I'm sure Dan Quayle's feeling a lot better about himself.
Palin
I keep hearing she is not a moron, she is a quick study, etc. But both sides democrats and republicans have to agree, not being able to remember what magazines you are reading at the time, or what supreme court decisions you disagree with other than Roe vs. Wade has to be a bad sign. Maybe during the debate today McCain can sit next to her like in the second Couric interview and give her pointers :)
Get Gwen Ifil out of the
Get Gwen Ifil out of the moderator position. NOW. How can she moderate an unbiased debate seeing as how her book shows her position.
Palin is a disgrace
What has happened to our country? Our young men and women coming home daily in body bags and many more deaths in the future and our Vice Presidential debate is going to be viewed by the world as a complete farce. Nothing but a joke. A real live joke. Our country is going to tune into such an important event that will be part of the structure of our future, not as serious discussion on American crisis, but as a 90 minute Saturday Night Live special. Do you really trust your child's life in Sarah Palin hands? Or in the man that so recklessly choose her as a potential President of our country? May God forgive us for what we have become.
JWB
biased moderator?
With gwen being biased after having written a book about the chosen one, just what kind of outcome do you expect?? Sarah could walk side by side with bHo on the water's surface and still lose this. What a sad and sorry state of affairs this whole thing is turning out to be.
No Bama-No Biden
No Bama-No Biden