Without taking the easy way out and blaming the media, last night's debate was framed in such a way that should be outrageous to every American who watched it. The debate was framed in such a way that it was Palin's push for competence, and Biden's push for not seeming like a "bully," without anyone questioning it. The debate should have been framed as a discourse over policies, track records, and philosophies, which would allow the American people to decide who to get behind. Instead, far too many Americans (citizens, journalists, commentators) were swept away into judging the debate on goodness criteria that could double as the criteria for evaluating a new crime show on TBS.
The punditry is swooning over the "grades" for Biden and Palin last night with the wrong goodness criteria. "Palin held her own," "everybody won," and "she reinvigorated the base" without giving reference to what counts as the evaluation criteria, which was really nothing more than Palin avoiding looking incompetent and Biden holding back his passion, immense knowledge, and due criticism of the circus that is the GOP. Needless to say, I think it was a sad day in America that so many people can get caught up in a hollow framing without questioning it.
Certainly there are those who watched it and realized this framing problem, too. To you, I say thanks. But you don't really matter for the purpose of this debate, because you're already committed. This debate was about pandering to the uncommitted that can swing this election for better or worse.
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