What’s It Like To Debate Sarah Palin – A Firsthand Account

According to Wikipedia Andrew Halco is a politician from from Anchorage, Alaska.   He is formerly a Republican member of the Alaska Legislature and he ran for Governor of Alaska as an Independent candidate in the 2006 election, running third with 9.46% of the vote.  

He’s also very critical of Sarah Palin.   If you want to read some of his stuff Halcro has a blog.  However, at one time Halco wanted Palin to be his Lt Gov running mate.   Leading nother Alaskan blogger, Tom Lamb, to ask the question, “Why is it that Andrew Halcro who is so critical of Palin, wanted to be on the same ticket with her?” 

Halcro’s answer: . . .  

because I believed Sarah Palin had the qualifications to be a terrific Lt. Governor. And watching her struggle to give coherent answers on the national stage, I believe more today than ever before she has the qualifications to be a terrific Lt. Governor.

Halco now has an article on the Christian Science Monitor telling us what we already knew about debating Sarah Palin.    “She’s a master of the nonanswer.”

Here are a few quotes from the article:

“I’ve debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she’s a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.”

On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up against.

“Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I’m amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, ‘Does any of this really matter?’ ” Palin said.

Gwin Ifel will be the moderator for the Palin / Biden Debate.  

“You do your best to get candidates to answer your question. But I also trust the viewers to understand when questions are not answered and reach their own conclusions,” Ifill told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “Four years ago, when neither John Edwards nor Dick Cheney proved capable of answering a question about the domestic epidemic of AIDS among African-American women, viewers flooded me with reaction. They got what that meant.”

More from the Associated Press article:

The biggest pressure you have as a journalist ever is to make sure you get an answer to your question,” said Ifill, whose crowded resume includes The New York Times, The Washington Post and NBC News. “That’s what I’m focusing on — how to ask questions that elicit answers instead of spin, or in this case to elicit engagement between the two.”

In the same interview Ifel pointed out that sometimes forget that she’s moderating a debate, not an inquisition.

“People who watch these debates are incredibly engaged,” she said. “I don’t have to chase the candidates around the table to make them answer questions. The people will know whether a question has been answered or not.”

Well, let’s hope that the moderate independent’s will know.

Bristol Palin Goes Into Early Labor – Sarah Palin Joe Biden VP Debate Must Be Postponed

Okay, so it hasn’t happened yet but we know that it’s going to.  But how is Palin going to get out of that debate?  We have it!  Yes, we have the perfect “dog ate my paper” excuse. 

Of course, rational people will not believe this story but Sarah, rational people already know that you lie more than a rug.  So don’t worry about them. 

Sarah – here is your out.   We know that you have Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson who will say whatever you need to get out of this Biden debate on Thursday.  We also know that you’re a mastermind in coming up with pregnancy-related decisions. 

 

So, I’m thinking that Bristol has just been diagnosed by Cathy Baldwin-Johnson as having preterm labor caused by or complicated by (the doc will have to figure that out) high blood pressure.  Everyone knows that pre-eclampsia is serious business and requires 24 hour care. 

Hey, I know this because Lovely Spouse had pre-eclampsia with Little Man.  

Obviously, in light of Bristol’s pre-term labor and pre-eclampsia her mother will be needed.  In fact, Palin will not be able to debate Thursday because she has to make sure Bristol is on complete bedrest and Sarah Palin will have to:

Do 24 hour urine collections on Bristol – to estimate total protein.  Protein in the urine is a bad sign – I don’t remember why but I think Bristol should have lots of it.  Check with the doc before you do the press release. 

Do 4-6 hourly blood pressure checks on Bristol – BP in pre-eclampsia can go up & down very quickly.   You might want to come to the press conference wearing a BP cuff thingy slung around your neck.   Or you could just be seen in Wal-Mart frantically buying one.

If you don’t want to go with the Bristol early-labor, you could have some sort of medical emergency involvig Trig or Todd could have a heart-attack . . . I’m sure that you and the doc will come up with something.  Good Luck!

This is going to be so much fun to watch!