How the widower won vs. the Wasilla winker
I’ll make one brief comment on last night’s debate, as most people will be up to their moose antlers in punditry.
Last night one could argue over which candidate best met or beat expectations, saved or hurt their party etc. The spin doctors will earn their money in that respect, though I’m confident the public will make up their own mind after a day or two digesting what they saw.
What I took from the debate was simply this – Joe Biden produced the most personal moment of the entire campaign, of all the candidates, including the primaries.
This moment came after Palin recited her “mantra of the hockey mom,” and made the case that her way of life and her experiences raising a family was a reflection of this country in a way her opponent could not measure.
And in a split second, Biden neutralized that argument and the whole Palin-six-pack mystique, in an unscripted moment that cut Palin’s target audience from under her – women.
The hurt on his face was obvious as he said he doesn’t understand how just because he is a man doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the hardship of parenting and loss. And the pause to compose himself, the flood of emotion which you could see welling up in his face, and the half sentence he spoke of his hardship after the loss of his wife and child, connected with America in a way Palin’s cutesy antics and rehearsed tag lines never could.
Of the two images on stage, despite the wonky catch phrases and the “shout outs” to her crew back in the hood, it was Joe who truly “kept it real.” Up until now he’s been overshadowed by the new kid on the block, but after last night, I believe voters, and women in particular, will be curious to know more about his story, and finally understand his remarkable love for family and for the ideals supposedly trademarked by red-state Americans. For independents who want to vote for change but don’t want to be lopped into the “elitist” camp, this is what they needed to come on board.
On a personal note, as a father and husband, I am glad that Joe allowed the world to see that side of him. Too often men of power feel that letting people see their devotion to their families is a sign of weakness. Joe showed America that a Dad in the Senate is just as much a parent as any hockey mom. And with that, McCain has lost the Palin advantage.
Last night one could argue over which candidate best met or beat expectations, saved or hurt their party etc. The spin doctors will earn their money in that respect, though I’m confident the public will make up their own mind after a day or two digesting what they saw.
What I took from the debate was simply this – Joe Biden produced the most personal moment of the entire campaign, of all the candidates, including the primaries.
This moment came after Palin recited her “mantra of the hockey mom,” and made the case that her way of life and her experiences raising a family was a reflection of this country in a way her opponent could not measure.
And in a split second, Biden neutralized that argument and the whole Palin-six-pack mystique, in an unscripted moment that cut Palin’s target audience from under her – women.
The hurt on his face was obvious as he said he doesn’t understand how just because he is a man doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the hardship of parenting and loss. And the pause to compose himself, the flood of emotion which you could see welling up in his face, and the half sentence he spoke of his hardship after the loss of his wife and child, connected with America in a way Palin’s cutesy antics and rehearsed tag lines never could.
“Look, I understand what it's like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it's like as a parent to wonder what it's like if your kid's going to make it.Add to that Palin’s lack of a humane response of any kind, as she continued down her cheat sheet of talking points, and America finally saw Palin for what she was at that moment – a caricature, concocted by a desperate campaign of a dying party.
I understand what it's like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, "I've got to leave, champ, because there's no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we'll bring you down."
I understand what it's like. I'm much better off than almost all Americans now. I get a good salary with the United States Senate. I live in a beautiful house that's my total investment that I have. So I -- I am much better off now.
But the notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to -- is going to make it -- I understand.
I understand, as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it's like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They're looking for help. They're looking for help. They're not looking for more of the same.”
Of the two images on stage, despite the wonky catch phrases and the “shout outs” to her crew back in the hood, it was Joe who truly “kept it real.” Up until now he’s been overshadowed by the new kid on the block, but after last night, I believe voters, and women in particular, will be curious to know more about his story, and finally understand his remarkable love for family and for the ideals supposedly trademarked by red-state Americans. For independents who want to vote for change but don’t want to be lopped into the “elitist” camp, this is what they needed to come on board.
On a personal note, as a father and husband, I am glad that Joe allowed the world to see that side of him. Too often men of power feel that letting people see their devotion to their families is a sign of weakness. Joe showed America that a Dad in the Senate is just as much a parent as any hockey mom. And with that, McCain has lost the Palin advantage.
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