Do you really think a VP debate could affect the outcome of this election?

[ecstatic]

The closer we get to the debate, the more I say to myself, F it! I WANT Biden to expose her and rip her to shreds. How bad could the fallout be? This woman is one heartbeat away from the presidency!! Why the hell should he tip toe around this? Besides, women have jumped ship from McShame's camp since the Palin pick. Palin is no longer viewed by most women as a "peer" or someone to sympathize with, IMO.

[WI_DEM]

1. If Palin really tanks it calls McCain's judgement into question.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. I agree - only if Palin has a complete meltdown will it affect the election

If Palin comes off as merely mediocre or if she does allright, it won't affect anything four weeks from now.

[Lucky 13]

2. I don't think it would be enough to WIN an election, but it could LOSE it.

If she goes out there and makes a fool of herself, it confirms their campaign is DOA.

[renegade000]

3. my thoughts exactly. n/t

[Phoonzang]

4. Palin could very well do or say something to kill the campaign, or she could do very well

and with the help of the media bring the race back to a tie.

[YOY]

If she magically grows a brain, yes it could.

Otherwise no.

[AndyA]

5. I feel like something really, really AWFUL or something really, really stellar would have to happen

to make a big impact on the election. If Palin were even worse than she's been on her interviews, I think it could seal McSame's fate.

Or, if Joe Biden did something really awful like attack Palin directly, she would garner sympathy because of it.

And if Palin were 150% with no mistakes, it could reverse what people think of her and give McSame the edge. Really, I just don't see anything earth shattering happening tonight. But who knows... :shrug:

[amitten]

6. I want him to rip her apart politely. The public doesn't like "mean"

and we saw proof of that after McCain was rude toward Obama in the last debate.

Can you imagine if McCain had been that rude to a *female* candidate? It would have looked even worse.

Biden needs to be a gentleman tonight (while he simultaneously shows her for the idiot she is).

[Bill McBlueState]

7. There's quite a bit of data out there

One could look at the past several Presidential elections to determine the maximum change in poll numbers in the week following a VP debate. I *doubt* it's very big, suggesting that elections don't hinge on the VP debates, but I don't have the numbers in front of me.

[NewJeffCT]

8. Yes, in two ways...

If Palin bombs, McCain's numbers will drop even further and Obama will rise even more. If there is a 5-8 point spread now, it would widen to 8-11 points as McCain's judgment will really look bad.

However, if Palin does well and she can snap off a "don't patronize me" line, she could shore up flagging support among independents and non-fundy Republicans, and the 5-8 point spread could shrink to 2-5 points.

[Johonny]

9. Palin is already damaged goods

In politics you don't in general get "saved" by a debate. When you bomb as bad as Palin has bombed in these interviews, you generally don't get up. The best Palin can do tonight is save some form of her image. But how that helps McCain I don't know. People vote for the top of the ticket not the bottom. Her "win" tactic will be to be angry and negative and name call. That simply reinforces the negative image generated by McCain in his first debate and he delivered far more substance than she ever can.