In debate Palin states there's Toxic waste on Main Street!

The vice presidential debate Thursday appears to have been a win for both sides of the fence. For Joe BidenJoe Biden, he performed better during this debate than I think I've ever seen him perform before. And for Sarah PalinSarah Palin, she certainly was able to overcome the past couple of weeks worth of bad publicity.

But overall, was this debate enough to change how Americans feel about who they will vote for this election year? I think the answer is a resounding no. So let's look at where the candidates went right, and where they went wrong, then I'll give my two cents on what this means for the election overall.

First Sarah Palin showed some actual abilities this evening that many didn't believe her capable of. She was able to keep her sentences coherent, she expressed herself as an "energy expert", showed Americans where she's made some executive decisions, and generally came off quite well in terms of likability.

Joe Biden on the other hand, didn't make any major gaffes, as was expected of him. He stayed on his talking points, followed and responded to discussion points very well, countered Palin digs on Obama without coming across as overbearing or disrespectful, and was able to express detailed knowledge of John McCainJohn McCain's record, something which Palin was unable to show.

On the other hand, Biden came across a bit too "lawyerish". If anything, there were a couple of response where I had a heck of a time keeping up with his logic; he eventually righted the problem and I caught up with him, but for "average Americans" I just have to believe it was tough to connect with those moments, which is where Palin advances despite solid knowledge.

For Palin, she still has no substance. She deflected questions she was unsure of in favor of talking point issues (energy, ad nauseam) and on a couple of occasions showed obvious nervousness and uncertainty. Basically, although she kept her own head above water, she didn't help McCain much at all with her lack of knowledge in details over his record or economic and foreign policy issues.

Most polls are indicating, by a pretty overwhelming majority, that Biden was the clear winner in the debate. This is actually an interesting assessment, one that many pundits were in agreement on in the discussions following the debate on CNN. Here's why these assessments, by voters and pundits alike, are interesting.

On CNN you could follow a group of 32 individuals from Ohio (a very significant state for both candidates). The group was divided evenly among Independents, Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as divided between men and women equally. All of these individuals indicated they were "sway able" though some were leaning one way or another. On the bottom of the screen during the debate you could follow how responsive these individuals were to everything the candidates were saying with a graph that went up when these individuals liked what they heard and went down when they didn't.

While watching the graph throughout the debate, overall it appeared that Palin and Biden were fairly equal in their "high approval" numbers throughout as each was speaking. But the exceptions were this: when Palin started talking about McCain and his policies, the numbers went WAY down. But when Biden was talking about Obama policies, or referencing anything about Obama, the numbers were either neutral or went up.

When Palin discussed her "grass roots" issues (except the hockey mom and Joe Six-pack comments that got huge negatives immediately!) her numbers went up fairly well. But as soon as she tried to show McCain as a maverick, or to talk about his history and abilities, the number dropped significantly.

What does that mean? Basically overall voters kinda liked Palin. They don't think she has much substance at this point, and probably still don't believe she has enough experience for the job, but she's okay, and an "outsider". But McCain they obviously did not like!

What does this mean overall for the election? McCain will have a very tough time winning this election. He will have to overcome the dips his numbers have taken as a result of the economic issues in order to win and he may not be able to accomplish this, given the current financial circumstances. Currently CNN has Obama taking 250 electoral votes over McCain's 189. To win, Obama only needs 270 - Florida alone could give him that. McCain on the other hand needs to win ALL the remaining swing states in order to make up for his recent losses and take over the election. It is very unlikely he'll be able to accomplish this, save for some world or foreign disaster that takes over the headlines in the next few weeks as one CNN pundit pointed out.

Here are a few closing comments about this debate.

First, Palin held her own and was more like the Palin that debated in 2006 for her gubernatorial spot (although most of her answers were clearly scripted). But, I found her "camera winks" (I saw two of them, did anyone see more?) to be annoying and patronizing. This isn't a strip joint, it is a vice presidential debate!

She also made two huge slips in my mind. First, she stated in response to a question about the economy that there is a "toxic waste on Main Street that's affecting Wall Street". Let's truly pray she just misspoke there.

Next, she basically agreed with Biden and Obama that gays deserve equal rights in the constitution and in policies in regard to gay marriages. I'm not sure the evangelical right is going to take this assertion too well. I was also not thrilled when she made the comment (and I'm paraphrasing here) of Biden's wife that "her reward is in heaven" or some such nonsense. I felt it was uncalled for and inappropriate given the circumstances and was just kind of flung out there with no purpose.

And finally, in watching the numbers from those 32 undecidedes in Ohio, it seemed pretty clear that although Palin is a "like-able gal", most people weren't all that interested in her record, and they certainly weren't interested in her "hockey mom and Joe Six-pack" comments, as these clearly tanked for her for both men and women.

To Biden I give the "Best Zinger" and "Best Performance" awards, for these reasons. First, for his comment, in regard to the 20 million people he indicated would lose health insurance under the McCain plan, that this was "the ultimate bridge to nowhere".

Next, for standing up to the "I'm a mom therefore I understand every day people" line. Biden stated in no uncertain terms that as a single father, trying to deal with every day issues was something he was keenly aware of. He nearly had to stop speaking and one might almost say he was on the verge of a tear when referring to this part of his past. Whether this was purposeful or spontaneous, I think it made the message very clear - "just because I'm not a mother, doesn't mean I cannot understand and connect with working families, parents, women and those in need." Classic!

So how does all this affect the future of this election? Not much at all. If Palin had tanked this debate, McCain would have been seriously harmed. Because she didn't, she was able to increase Republican morale that was waning over the past couple of weeks but it probably does little more than that.

For those worried about Obama's experience, Biden was able to come out and say "look, Obama is intelligent, he's capable, and he's surrounded by good people who will help turn this economy around". He also very clearly outlined the differences between Obama and McCain's plans for the future, something that Palin , under normal circumstances as a vice presidential candidate, should have been able to do but couldn't because she had to defend her own record and intelligence.

From this point forward, I agree with pundit analysis that indicates Palin and both vice presidential candidates will be far less of an issue now going forward. McCain will have to do something extraordinary to move voters toward his direction in the next couple of weeks, but it is difficult no matter what he does to see how he will be able to separate his candidacy from that of a George BushGeorge Bush presidency.

So for now, the race continues, but I can say this - I'm so glad the drama of this debate is now over and done. In terms of changing this election, the next debate, set for October 7, is going to be far more significant than anything we've seen yet. Fasten your seat belts, we're in for a long five weeks ahead!

Pulled from Online Business Woman blog