Posted by
Bob Siegel on Saturday, September 27, 2008 4:33:59 PM
I adore Sarah Palin, but I think McCain's handlers are trying to turn
her into something she isn't, rather than letting the lady be herself.
When she is herself, rather than a product of polls and focus groups
aimed at the swing voters, Sarah shines.
Now, I don't think she did as horribly with Katie Couric as so many
others do, but there certainly were problems. And so, Sarah,
ignore your campaign coaches. Instead, just listen to your ol' pal Bob:
Steps To Winning the Vice-Presidential Debate:
1) Find a way to end this ridiculously stupid foreign policy
discussion. Enough about Alaska being close to Russia. Nobody cares,
unless they play Risk.
Just admit that you don't have foreign policy experience. Very few
people do, prior to becoming president. You were too busy governing
Alaska with an 80 percent approval rating to save those bonus miles for
a trip to Czechoslovakia or Zurich. While you're on the subject, remind
them that Bill Clinton was a governor before they elected him. He did
not have foreign policy experience. For that matter, neither did
Abraham Lincoln! And if Biden still won't back off, just say, "Joe, do
you really want to compare my experience with Senator Obama's? Do
I need to remind you that he is the one on the top of the
ticket? Do you really want to discuss this, Joe, especially when
you were his worst critic on foreign policy during the primaries?
I'll tell you what, Joe. Let's just not go there."
2) When Joe tries to impress you with his "facts" by asking you some
question he is sure you cannot possibly know the answer to, simply say,
"Well, Joe, nobody is claiming to know everything, just because they're
running for public office. But I do know the difference between
President Roosevelt and President Hoover. I also know the difference
between radio and television. Oh, one more thing, Joe; Never, have I
asked a man in the audience to stand up and be honored, if this was a
man confined to a wheel chair!"
3) When they ask you to explain/defend some obscure bill in John
McCain's decades of public service, just smile and say, "John McCain
and I have many similarities and many differences. That is why we will
work so well together. I am here tonight to answer questions about my record, not Senator McCain's.
4) This one is very important, because Republican candidates foul it up
almost every single time. When they ask you about abortion (and you can
bet your life they will,) don't make it sound like you are apologizing
for being Pro-Life. Leave that mealy-mouthed talk to the Democrats. Let
them be the ones to say, "I'm personally against abortion (wink-wink,
nod-nod to all you Pro-Lifers), but we must not allow the government
into our bedrooms, (wink-wink nod-nod to the Pro-Choice people).
The truth is, Republicans do not sound much better when they are on the
defensive. They say stuff like, "Well, Um...Yes, It's true that I'm
Pro-Life but I won't really be doing anything active about abortion.
All I will do is appoint strict, constructionist judges
and...ah...um...the most they would do is send this matter back to the
states."
How refreshing it would be to hear a candidate say, "Yes, I'm Pro-Life
and if you think you are going to hear some kind of apology from me,
you're going to have a long wait!"
Sarah, rest assured, the question will be shaped as a woman's rights
issue, not a life verses death issue. It will be something like,
"Governor Palin, if your ticket wins, you will be the first female
Vice-President. But some think you are taking a step backwards for
women. Will you be protecting a woman's right to choose?"
When they ask that objective, unbiased question, just say, "I believe in the rights of all women, including baby women."
Then remind them that the leading public opposition to abortion comes
from women, not men, women! This even includes Norma McCorvy, (Roe,
from Roe Vs. Wade) who later had a change of heart. Let's see if
"smart Joe" knows that one.
And while we're at it, put Biden on the defensive. Make him answer for his position.
"Joe you claim to be a Catholic, but you are Pro-Choice."
"No, I'm personally Pro-Life but we must protect a woman's right to choose."
In almost every debate, that mindless mantra ends the discussion. This time, continue the discussion:
"Why Joe? Why are you Pro-Life? Because you believe abortion is
wrong? Why else would you be Pro-Life? So, if abortion is the
taking of a life, shouldn't it be against the law?"
"Sarah, if we outlaw abortion, women will just have them anyway. But they won't be safe."
"Yes, Joe, and when we outlawed murder or armed robbery, we knew people
would break the law and commit those crimes anyway. They may even get
hurt in the process, as such crimes are certainly not safe crimes.
Should we have refrained from passing those laws, simply because there
will always be violators?"
"Um...But abortion is a religious belief. We must keep church and state separate."
"So when Martin Luther King called for Civil Rights Legislation in the name of Christianity, that was wrong?"
"Ah...Um..."
"And is this limited to religion? Does one have to believe the baby has a soul to believe the baby is alive?"
"Sarah, can we just get off this philosophical exercise? The American people want to hear about the issues!"
Do that, and the poor chump will never know what hit him. But if
you dance around the topic, your dance will accomplish nothing. The
headlines will still read in the morning, "Sarah Palin Refuses To
Uphold A Woman's Right to Choose." Now, that same headline will
be there even if you win the debate, but at least there will also be a
caption which says, "Joe Biden Mumbles, Bumbles and Stumbles His Way
Through."
I'm not trying to make you into something you aren't, as your current
advisers seem to be doing. It's just that I believe these answers are closer to your
natural instincts. Don't suppress them, not even for those coveted
Independents. Let McCain go after them.
You were brought on to electrify the base. Your wild card is your
authenticity. The moment you start sounding like a politician, you lose
the debate, even if Biden tells us that Benjamin Franklin invented the
telephone.
This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.