BIDEN VS. PALIN: WHO WON?
Gov. Sarah Palin was talking to regular folks last night when she debated Sen Joe Biden, but I don’t know if she was talking to folks like us. Going in, there was a danger that Biden, who has a rep in the streets for hard talk, would Deebo-up on Palin and make the Democrats look bad. Instead, he used Palin as a way to deflect to Sen. John McCain and his policies, and this was a brilliant way to debate the issues and not the individual. There is no way for a man to take on a woman and come out looking good, no matter what it is.
Palin played to her strength by turning on that coupon-clipping, mini-van driving hockey-mom charm with a wink and nod. But how many Black moms are driving their kids to hockey practice? The “hockey mom” is a statement about class: poor people, or people struggling, who can’t afford all the gear it takes for their kids to play the sport. And hockey is just not that popular with the brothers. For me, all the talk of hockey moms and Joe Sixpack was more code for middle class White America. She was reaching out, but she was reaching out to them, not US. Think about it—who do you know who even drinks beer out of a can anymore?
Palin did better than most thought she would do, but she should have never been underestimated. She’s a quick-study who has learned how to play to her strengths and diffuse her weaknesses. She used her girlish charm to deflect questions and move the dialog the way she wanted to go. By playing the hapless Washington outsider, she was able to steer the conversation. Her cutesy-poo antics were YouTube moments that will keep the electorate talking. A CNN poll shows that most people think that Biden bested her, and he may have, but Palin left the best impression. She redeemed herself with her base. But what’s clearer now than it has ever been is that she’s not talking to people like us. She’s talking to people that look like her and go to her moose lodge and eat whale fat and cheer at hockey games. I didn’t see a fan of diversity or cultural awareness. I saw someone touting one culture, for one America. Hockey moms and six-packers unite: all others, beware.
What do you think? Did you relate to Sarah Palin’s straight talk for America? Tell us here.
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