Post Debate Reaction In A Red State - The Wink

[AldebTX]

Well after the debate last night, I went to bed a little bit early and had a good nights sleep. I didn't take in much of the after debate analysis and I woke up this morning, checked the polls and read my normal news feeds and morning paper so I could stock up on my facts to prepare for my repug friends at work. I expected them to be giddy since Ms Palin didn't melt down (as many of them feared) I felt Joe Biden won but in this bizarro world I find myself in, cute and perky often overwhelms substance.

I went into work loaded for bear and had my arguments arranged and then when I got there I was taken completely by surprise and was caught off guard.

No One wanted to talk about how well Palin did, Biden's performance, or anything I was ready for.

They were all talking about something I didn't even see. The Winks.

I guess I was too focused on what was said (and what WASN'T answered). I missed it completely. I just sorta sat there and listened to everyone talk, complain and moan. To my surprise they were almost to a person upset and embarrassed. My very repug secretary said..."what the HELL did that woman think she was doing....channeling Tina Fey?" Her assistant swears it WAS Tina Fey.

During the day I only had one serious 20 minute discussion with my boss about how overall the debate was not going to be the game changer he hoped for from Palin. However, even at the close of this discussion he said..."I just don't understand why she felt it was necessary to wink and shout out to the audience. It was embarrassing and made YOUR guy look good".

I fully admit I was a bit down as I headed for bed last night. I thought Palin would do OK but she exceeded my expectations. My fear was the MSM was going to start spinning this as the come back of the Palin / McCain ticket and try to drive ratings. I guess I am surprised that something Palin obvious threw in to try and look more folksy and "joe six pack" turned out to resonate so much in a negative way with some of the very people that WANTED to be inspired. The fact the media took this up and amplified it, made many look even more closely at the debate and a number of Palin's VERY obvious faults showed up on further examination. It's weird how a "wink" helped drive this.

In closing, just wanted to say thanks to the board for giving me a place to chat and read. I am currently forbidden from talking to my partner about politics because I am so wound up about this election. I've put some of that energy working in some of my spare time for the campaign and giving what I can. He says he fears for me after this all over because I won't have anything to do or discuss.

I know Texas is a very red state and in all likelihood will go McCain so I have to count on some of YOU to pick up the slack for us. I have to say I have been happy to see there is a tone to some of my "repug" friends this year that is almost one of embarrassment, tinged with a little bit of depression. I have had many a political discussion with friends and co-workers 180 degrees opposite of me when it comes to politics. Not once have they been disrespectful or demeaning. I don't know if it comes from the fact that they have such a bad candidate or from the fact that even from the repug side there is a desire to get past all these dirty tricks, screaming, and yelling.

Lets hope this election brings an end to the Rove Strategy and the politics of division.

[Bubbha Jo]

1. So how do winks work at your job interviews?

Those pissed me off to the max with all the fighting we've had to do to get treated as equals at work! That was the behavior of a cheap tramp.

Politics are off-limits in my relationship too but I bring them up when I can. He knows I was damn right pre-war now so I see some guilt in his eyes the rare times we discuss it. I'm pounding into my adorable's racist's head that my daughter's life is possibly up for vote since she's in OCS right now. I'm thinking the father in him will see the light in that voting booth.

The fighting can still up some passion we put to others uses when we shut up though ; )

[AldebTX]

3. He's Good Natured About It

His politics align with mine...He is just afraid I am going to pop a blood vessel yelling at the TV and had to remind me that they can't hear me.

[Cha]

2. Which begs the question...who

advised her to wink her way through the debate? Or was that pure palin instinct?

I'm reminded of Al Gore's sighs and rolling of eyes which were reported to be advised by none other than Paul Begala.

No worries, there will be plenty to do after we win this thing..this is just a step on along the way until we really get to work!

Welcome to DU, AldebTX, I enjoyed reading your story on "The Wink".;)

Sarah Palin treated the VP debate like it was an audition for SNL.

On Edit~ I see you've been around awhile:)

[AldebTX]

4. I Still Love the Channeling Tina Fey Comment

I wished I had thought of it.

[roguevalley]

15. I was waiting for a tic to do her in. I just knew she had one. She uses

her looks up here.

[krkaufman]

17. Thanks, maybe, to all those "Let Sarah be Sarah" champions.

Or maybe the winks and body language were intentional, to divert post-debate discussion away from her not having answered the questions.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. I was watching the debate & thinking she was doing better than expected then suddenly "WINK". Then

later "WINK, WINK". I was knocked back on my heels! Did a vp candidate actually wink suggestively at the national audience? I'm glad to hear that repubs and independents were taken aback also.

It's not like this was a light hearted debate. America is spinning into recession. People are losing their jobs and "WINK".

[ORDem]

8. Yeah, I was LOL when I saw the first wink, but then almost flabbergasted that she

did it again and again. I'm thinking it's sort of a nervous tic with her, a sign of her insecurity. No one, not even herself, could really take her seriously on that stage with "Joe". I don't care that she didn't blatantly gaffe (though it's hard to tell when someone is as frequently incoherent as she is), she was clearly out of her league up there. If Gwen had been doing her job it would have been clearly obvious, but she let all of Palin's inane generalities pass w/o comment (grrrr!).

:dem:

[AldebTX]

10. Watching Them Stung Together

They did not look like a nervous tick...They looked like they were done on purpose.

Some of the repug pundits were the first to point them out...with pride.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. They were on purpose. Bet she practiced in the mirror

[krkaufman]

18. And who gives a damn if her pet chant is "drill, baby, drill" rather than ...

... "drill, drill, drill." (I'd love to learn that Biden intentionally misquoted that one.) That made her seem exceedingly juvenile.

[Cha]

21. Whether it was inadvertant or not

from Biden..he was gold!

[Nevernose]

6. That's all I heard anyone talk about, too - and TX isn't the reddest state

From the Republicans at my work to the non-partisans whose doors I knocked on, virtually everyone's first reaction to the debate was "What's with all the winking? Can you imagine the president WINKING during the state of the union?"

All your neighbors in a beeline straight north of you are redder in this election that Texas. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, all Dem, and even in the redneckiest part of Redneckville, small towns like Texarkana and Nacogdoches are reliably Democratic. There's still a lot of smart people in Texas.

[cameozalaznick]

7. I'm in texas too...

And although it's very red, there are pockets of blue and purple. But because the national guys never campaign here, it's like a self-fulfilling prophesy: they don't win because they don't campaign and they don't campaign because they don't win. I guess it's the same on the other side with California. Alas.

[krkaufman]

19. No noticeable changes this year? n/t

[blogslut]

9. I think a lot of Texas repubs are downright ashamed

Disheartened, disillusioned and disgusted. Ms. Winky McSame didn't help her cause one darned bit. I think repubs in Texas are going to stay home in droves, come election day.

[AldebTX]

11. Well Dallas Voted For Kerry Over Bush in 2004

I expect it to do the same this year. There are still a lot of old time repugs...but overall they are waning.

Back when I was young Dallas was reliably the only major Repug City in the state while the rest of the state was democratic. Its nice to see the change slowly filtering in.

[RepublicanElephant]

12. winking wonder of wasilla.

[K8-EEE]

13. LOVE IT!

Thanks for the uplifting post!

A GOP fundie lady on a music board I post on said she thought the winking was "a nice touch" and she informed me she was winking AT HER FATHER like that would make it less annoying.

But everybody jumped on that and was like BLECCCCH!!! The RWers there didn't argue they just shut up....LOL...

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Nice to be surprised like that. I was also worried that the "folks" would

get taken in by her winkin and blinkin. It was great to see how many were not fooled.

And I think your refocusing of your energy into the campaign is fantastic.

[No Elephants]

20. The good news and the bad news is that a lot of conservatives are, well, conservative. But, the

only thing I care about is what they do on the first Tuesday in November. If they are still going to vote for McCain Palin, I could care less how embarrassing they find Palin. They are still willing--nay, hoping--to expose my country to a very considerable risk of having her at its helm. I consider that partisanship to the point of near treason. So, don't tell me how bad Palin is unless you intend to vote Obama Biden instead of McCain Palin.

BTW, you are very brave to make your politics obvious to your Pub boss. I applaud you.