IndepCentristMA
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2012
- Messages
- 2,110
- Reaction score
- 669
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
Yeah, because as we all know, Vice Presidential debates are so important to the result of Presidential elections!:lamo
They are...
Vice Presidential debates can make a huge impact on how people are seen...
Best example... Ross Perot in 92... He was third party, and splintering the vote of the Republicans... but he also picked up a great deal of independents and Democrats as well... So much that after the first presidential debate, which everyone said Perot won, and attributed his success to the fresh direct style he took... After which the polls were near a 3-way tie... Then the vice presidential debate occurs... and his Vice Presidential candidate, Admiral Stockdale, looked like an old out of touch statue, and someone who wasn't really able to command the office, should something happen to the old crazy Perot who seemed a heartbeat away himself... From that point on Perot was seen as the crazy old clown show who was taking votes away from Bush...
Geraldine Ferraro... another example... was extremely outclassed by the wise and experienced George H W Bush, further cementing the belief that she wasn't qualified...
The same thing occured with Bentson and Quayle... After Quayle tried to claim he was experienced, as experienced as JFK was before taking office, and he got put in his place with "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy: He was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy..." to a huge erruption of applause (and still stands as probably the most popular thing said in all of the presidential debates)... which made the race seem like an actual race again, after Dukakis punted his lead in the polls with the tank photo op, and the failure to explain the willie horton situation... Something he wasn't able to overcome...