THE EXPECTATIONS GAME….Time’s Karen Tumulty says that Sarah Palin was very good in her 2006 gubernatorial debate and offers this advice:
That’s why Joe Biden should be wary, especially since she will have expectations very much in her favor.
I know this is a dumb question, but why exactly should expectations be in her favor? It’s true that she’s going to be relying on four weeks of intensive briefing rather than a lifetime of experience, but high school juniors do this in debate competitions all the time. There’s really not much reason to think that’s a big problem. And all the other critiques of Palin (Bridge to Nowhere, Troopergate, book banning, tax raising, lack of vetting, etc.) have nothing to do with whether she’s likely to be effective in debate.
Conversely, it’s almost universally acknowledged that (a) Palin is a natural politician and a good speaker, (b) she has a nice folksy manner, (c) Biden has a lifelong habit of running off at the mouth, and (d) he’s going to have to walk on eggshells to keep from looking like a boor who’s hammering away at a poor little housewife from Wasilla. Given all this, why is the press once again playing the game of insisting that the Republican candidate will be the de facto winner if she merely avoids catastrophe? I mean, I know that’s the spin coming out of Steve Schmidt’s shop, but it’s not really true, is it? The fact is that, all things considered, Palin is the favorite in this contest — though perhaps also a bit of a wild card since catastrophe is always a possibility for someone so new to the national stage.
In any case, this game ought to cease. There’s simply no reason that Palin’s expectations should be low for October’s debate. If anything, it probably ought to be the other way around.
