A lot of us have been nervous about the Biden-Palin debate that will be taking place next month. Since Biden plays the role of the “attack dog,” the concern is that by attacking Palin too much, his tone and body language might send subtle cues to the audience that may cause then to become more sympathetic to Palin. It’s a fair concern, and I have to say that it’s certainly crossed my mind, as well.
I’ve said for a week now that Biden doesn’t need to attack Palin to win the debate, bur should rather stick to two things: 1) attack McCain, not Palin, and 2) debate Palin on policy. Sticking to that script, I don’t think he can lose. And the Obama-Biden campaign has largely focued on McCain rather than Palin - all evidence suggests that they know that Palin is a red herring. Indeed, this is what Joe Biden recently said about the debate:
“I don’t care whether or not she built a bridge to nowhere. I don’t care if she sold a plane. What I care about is what in God’s name is she going to do along with John McCain about the thousands of people who don’t have health care.”
I’m writing about this because we got some good news today: Joe Biden’s debate prep partner is none other than Michigan’s Gov. Jennifer Granholm. In that role, she’ll be playing the part of Sarah Palin, and giving advice and strategy over the course of four days. Here’s some background:
“Jennifer Granholm (is) the 49-year-old Democratic governor of Michigan, mother of three and former Miss San Carlos, Calif…Ms. Granholm is particularly well-suited to the task, having herself faced questions of inexperience when she was first elected governor in 2002 against a field of male candidates with many years in public office, including former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard.”
A colleague of mine who’s done some new media work with Gov. Granholm tells me that she’s an exceptionally skilled debater, which pleases me to hear.
