In VP Debate, Economy, Foreign Policy and Energy on Tap

To hear pundits on both sides of the political spectrum, this debate could pack all of the excitement of watching two blind drunks stumble across an interstate highway during rush hour. Many Americans have been prepped by the media for a debate between Tina Fey reprising her role as a clueless female Alaskan governor and Joe Biden doing his best imitation of Jerry Seinfeld. Nevertheless, with the financial system on the brink of collapse, gas still close to four dollars a gallon, and Iran on the verge attaining nuclear weapons, Americans will be closely focusing on whether either Governor Sarah Palin or Senator Joe Biden can comfortably occupy the oval office.

With only one vice presidential debate, viewers can expect Governor Palin and Senator Biden to field questions on a complete range of national and international issues. These will center around three interrelated topics: the economy, energy and foreign policy. Both candidates would be wise to steer the conversation away from topics where they are perceived as weak to those where they can impress voters with their knowledge and strength.

The VP Debate and the Economy

Polling results since the first Presidential debate indicate the voters favor the Democrats on this issue. Governor Palin's challenge will be to use her ability to connect with everyday Americans to recapture this issue for Senator McCain. She must answer the Obama/Biden argument that our current financial crisis was caused by the Republican's laissez-faire attitude towards regulating Wall Street. She can do this by reciting the record of Republican attempts, going back to 2004, to rein in lending and accounting abuses by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Palin needs to emphasize how these reforms would have prevented the current crisis if they had not been blocked by Democrats. Senator Biden has a much easier task, particularly if a bailout bill has not yet passed. Should Palin make this argument, Biden can criticize her for poisoning the legislative process with partisan attacks. By repeating Senator Obama's economic arguments from his first debate, Biden should be able to maintain the Democrat's lead on this issue.

The VP Debate and Energy

The advantage here goes to Palin, particularly in light of Senator Biden's contradicting Obama on promoting the use of clean coal technology. Energy is where Palin can speak with greater confidence and knowledge, especially in the area of developing domestic energy reserves. She would be smart to reshape economic questions into energy questions. Governor Palin might point out that $700 billion is not only the price of the proposed financial bailout but also the amount of capital leaving the U.S. each year to purchase foreign oil.

With both Virginia and Pennsylvania being key swing states, Senator Biden's first challenge is to correct his earlier misstatements regarding clean coal technology. He would then be wise to agree in principle with Palin on increasing domestic energy production, but emphasize that this must be done in an environmentally responsible way. Biden is helped by Congressional Democrats' dropping their opposition to offshore drilling and Senator Obama's recent embrace of the same.

The VP Debate and Foreign Policy

This, without a doubt, is Joe Biden's strong suit. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Biden brings to this issue an intimidating aura of knowledge and experience. Just as McCain did against Obama, Biden will be able to recount meetings with foreign leaders and visits to critical regions of the world as he answers foreign policy questions. Governor Palin would be foolish to try and go toe-to-toe on foreign policy with Biden. Her best counter punch will be to draw a distinction between experience and judgment, pointing to Biden's "wrong" foreign policy votes going all the way back to the first Gulf War. Expect her to hammer Biden with his party's defeatist attitude regarding Iraq and the surge.

She should emphasize Senator McCain's greater experience on foreign policy and remind voters that Obama, not Biden, would be Commander-in-Chief in the event of a crisis. It might serve her well to openly admit her role as a foreign policy apprentice, but emphasize she will be learning from a master in McCain. As a grace note to that remark, she might ask, in mock wonder, why the Democrats have put their apprentice at the top of their ticket.

The personal style of each candidate will be critical to their connecting with the voters. Governor Palin needs to moderate her tendency to sound as if she is chatting over the fence with a next door neighbor, as well as avoid sounding like an ill-prepared student answering questions in class. She needs to present a friendly and approachable image of confident competence. Senator Biden's challenge lies in not being seen as condescending towards Palin and thereby alienating female voters. Here, perhaps, Biden might use his past gaffes to his advantage, employing self-deprecation as a means of softening his image and creating a more relaxed context within which to deliver his message. Should Governor Palin make light of past Biden misstatements, he might retort by saying, "to quote our current President, I'm often misunderestimated." The right mix of self-deprecation will give Biden the cover he needs to hammer away at Palin's inexperience.

So there you have it, the first Vice-Presidential debate that, to viewers, will feel like it's taking place on a busy interstate highway, with both candidates trying to avoid being run over by questions instead of cars. Democrats and Republicans alike will be sitting on the edge of their seats, fighting the desire to hide their eyes and cover their ears each time their candidate opens their mouth. For the networks, this should be a ratings bonanza. How often do viewers get the intellectual gravitas of PBS combined with the excitement of SPIKE TV? Though voters will be hoping to see a debate between two people capable of becoming President, one thing is for certain. Should either or both candidates live up to the more comical shadings of their reputations, we might all be hoping that the first two actions of a new Congress will be to triple the budget for the Secret Service and increase funding for geriatric health research.