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Semi-progressive pundits on MSNBC such as Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow (I'm a fan of Keith's and learn stuff from Countdown that I don't hear anywhere else; Rachel's OK -- to much Keith's clone in show style) have been having great fun putting together clip shows with Sarah Palin's "gaffs". They seem smugly assured that SP will reveal herself as the intense clueless crackpot she really is and seal the deal for an Obama-Biden win.
I'm not so sure. The same expectation was in place in the Gore-Bush debate, with Gore having the reputation as a "master debater" (I've heard the same characterization of Biden). He ended up looking foolish, sighing and looking bewildered at his inability to penetrate and expose Bush's self-satisfied incomprehension.
The same thing may will happen to Biden tonight, causing SP to look good to all those millions of Americans who judge by impressions and don't comprehend content. Palin is a powerful media figure. Check out how many women in commercials now resemble her.
If Biden makes her look foolish many Americans will respond sympathetically to her being "picked on," which is how they feel about intelligent well spoken people anyway.
Biden, if he is going to help rather than hurt Obama's chances, is going to have to be very careful how he goes about exposing her opinionated ignorance and self-assured religiosity.
As always, I in my role as Paranoid Pessimist, hope I'm wrong but I expect to see a McCain bounce after tonight's debate unless SP says something that really manages to scare some of those now ready and willing to put McCain in there, that 43% or whatever it is.
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