Pale-in Comparison

We just finished watching the debate... you know the one, between the mocked Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden. We wish that we could have been as excited about the last debate between The Anointed One and John McCain, but really there wasn't anything all that exciting about a stodgy senator and a stuffed suit. Both were predictable and both were infuriating for different reasons.

Tonight's debate couldn't have been better prepared for a Palin victory. What made it all the sweeter was all of the prep work was done not by the McCain campaign "lowering expectations" but by the irrational hatred of John McCain's running mate Sara Palin.

The far left - frothing at the mouth - spent the last few weeks trying to turn the Governor from Alaska into the idiot sister of the village idiot. They were wrong then and tonight they were proved wrong once again. Sarah Palin did a credible job representing her ticket and herself.

To be fair, Senator Joe Biden didn't do a bad job he just didn't do anything to distinguish himself. Biden did exactly what people expected. He was smooth, he was congenial, he came off knowledgeable, but all of those things are expected from a thirty year U.S. Senator.

Meanwhile, Biden's opponent looked the public directly in the eye and told them about her core values. There was no condescension or superiority, there was simple expression and acceptance. She showed who she was, and she was loyal to her ticket.

Sarah Palin's energy and her ability to be herself is her strength - she showed that tonight. The contest left Senator Biden pale in comparison.

Biden Remorse?

After the thunderous entry of Sarah Palin into the Presidential race, Democrats may be feeling a sense of buyers, or at least Biden remorse. Obama's safe pick turned out to be a less than inspiring choice, particularly when compared to McCain's coup.

With one decision the Arizona Senator nearly wiped out Obama's convention bounce and put the wind in his campaign sails allowing him to close on the Democratic frontrunner and surpass him in some polls. Now we're hearing whispers that Obama and the Ds are considering a veep swap.

The rumor - which could be just that - goes that Biden will step down citing health problems. Obama will then choose his vanquished opponent Hillary Clinton to replace the ailing Biden. All of this is timed to happen after the October 2nd debate.

Remember these are just rumors but if true, Biden could become a rabid attack dog during the debate without risking a public backlash. We believe that Democrats have been looking with envy at the McCain pick and would be willing to do just about anything to get Hillary back on their ticket.

Eye Poll: Palin

Last week's Eye Poll was one of the more interesting to watch. We started it just following the announcement that Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. Over the weekend and early last week, the press (and the Daily Kooks) were busy emptying Governor Palin's closet along with that of her 17 year old daughter. So it was no surprise that the Obama's safety net took an early double digit lead.

By the end of the week, following Ms. Palin's powerful speech the numbers in our unscientific Eye Poll changed and changed big. At the end of the day, Governor Palin was chosen as the best Vice Presidential pick with 55% of Eye readers selecting the Governor from Alaska, 41% selecting Senator Biden, 5% insisting that neither was a good choice (read it here).

Interestingly, there wasn't a single reader that didn't care which candidate was the better choice. Could the race be tightening up? Have Republicans finally found the excitement they've been lacking? It's certainly possible.

Before the Democratic and Republican conventions we ran an Eye Poll on the presidential election. We hoped to be able to see if either candidate picked up any momentum coming out of their convention. We're running the exact presidential poll again this week. Don't forget to vote!

Eye Poll: Udall

Last week's unscientific Eye Poll saw Tom Udall take the honors by a solid 14 point margin (read it here). The results are a bit surprising considering what is going on with energy and the lack thereof - a lack that can be directly tied to Tom Udall's votes in congress. Candidate Udall is busy telling the voters that he's for more oil production, but Congressman Udall has a long history of voting to block domestic oil production.

If oil becomes the deciding factor in this race and if Congressman Pearce is able to claim it as his own, Udall will have a hard time selling his new found attitude about drilling.

Over the long holiday weekend, just about everywhere we went the conversation centered on Sarah Palin. It seems that the McCain Campaign caught everyone by surprise with the Alaska Governor's selection for Vice President. So far, we like the choice and respect Governor Palin's fire and tenacity but in our conversations Obama supporters seemed to be absolutely incensed.

By contrast, Joe Biden's selection brought a collective yawn from most people we talked to no matter who they were supporting in the election. We don't really believe that a Vice Presidential Candidate can win an election but they can lose one. Tell us who you think was the better choice in this week's Eye Poll!