David Brooks, the captive cuff link conservative at The New York Times, had this to say, probably with extended pinky as he drank his morning latte:
To many ears, her accent, her colloquialisms and her constant invocations of the accoutrements of everyday life will seem cloying. But in the casual parts of the country, I suspect, it went down fine.
Pudgy Style columnist Tom Shales of The Washington Post is so addled that he doesn’t realize that Sarah Palin existed before Tina Fey began imitating her:
Sarah Palin looked as though she had prepared for her appearance at the vice presidential debate last night by studying Tina Fey’s impressions of her on “Saturday Night Live.” She twinkled and winked and piled on the perkiness, a “darn right” here and an “I’ll betcha” there.
Andrea Peyser of the New York Post saw it quite differently:
Sarah set the tone the moment she walked onstage here at Washington University and asked Biden, cheekily, “Can I call you Joe?”
She ran like a linebacker in lipstick with the first question. It was about the economy.
“Go to a kids’ soccer game on Saturday and ask . . . how are you feeling about the economy?’ You betcha you’re gonna hear some fear.”
The “you betchas” and “Joe Sixpacks” that crossed her lips, so hokey from just about anyone else, somehow worked.
The reliably hysterical Derrick Z. Jackson proclaimed Palin the scourge of endangered species for her imminently reasonable skepticism about human-caused global warming. Note to Derrick: the science is NOT settled on this:
Did a substantive Sarah Palin show up? Darn right she did. And if you are an endangered species, look out.
The New York Daily News‘ Michael Goodwin could hardly spit out his words this morning:
She sometimes sputtered nonsense, seemed like a Thanksgiving turkey stuffed with facts and was no match for his knowledge and experience on foreign affairs.
But Sarah Palin demonstrated a remarkable political skill Thursday night: She looked into the camera and talked to people as one of them, while Joe Biden talked mostly to the moderator as a teacher to a student.
On her ability to connect with the audience, and because the expectations for her were so pitifully low, Palin was the victor.
The totally unbiased former Clinton stooge George Stephanopoulos of ABC News also had it a tie, additional evidence that Palin won this debate:
From the minute Palin walked onstage and said, “Nice to meet you, Joe — can I call you Joe?” she had her performance down. It was very winning and very appealing and we saw that throughout the debate. She also tried to wink to the audience about four or five times and you got the sense that she really was connecting with the people back home.
Dana Milbank of The Washington Post represented the snooty, East Coast, elite, effete, liberal media well this morning:
Palin, in her 90 minutes on the stage Thursday night, left the firm impression that she is indeed ready to lead the nation — with an unnerving mixture of platitudes and cute, folksy phrases that poured from her lips even when they bore no relation to the questions asked.
The Boston Globe‘s non-liberal Jeff Jacoby said Biden’s performance was predictable:
In other words, he was exactly what you’d expect of a man who has served in the US Senate for more than 35 years and run for president twice.
But Sarah Palin was incredible! She turned in a performance that would have done any vice presidential nominee proud – and she did it after less than six weeks in national life, and having never before debated in front of a national audience.
Craig Gordon of New York Newsday wrote a news story that should have been labeled as opinion:
For a single night at least, Sarah Palin was back, the homespun hockey mom voters once fell for hard.
She delivered a forceful but folksy debate performance designed to exorcise the memory of her recent disastrous TV outings – as someone who could bring soccer-sidelines common sense to a confused capital, the same appealing delivery that sent her approval ratings soaring just five weeks ago.
But just because it worked once for Palin doesn’t mean it will work again.
Exit question: Now that the Palin-is-a-backwoods-dunce meme has fallen through, what will be the next line the MSM decides to push. Stay tuned, for it will come.
Exit question No. 2: Where’s columnist Kathleen Parker? No word from her. Too busy eating crow with David Brooks and Peggy Noonan I guess.
ADDED: She’s not an MSM’er, but Michelle Malkin’s take begged to be added:
Sarah Palin looked presidential.
Joe Biden looked tired.
Sarah made history.
Biden is history.
UPDATE: The victimized Kathleen Parker has weighed in with a snarky admission that Palin did OK:
Well, darnit all, if that dadgum girl (wink, wink) didn’t beat the tarnation out of Joe Biden. Maverick Sarah Palin fersure surpassed expectations and said everything under the sun, also. And Biden smiled and smiled.
UPDATE: Peggy Noonan, who, like Parker, earlier criticized Palin as VP choice, has now given her reaction:
She killed. She had him at “Nice to meet you. Hey, can I call you Joe?” She was the star. He was the second male lead, the good-natured best friend of the leading man. She was not petrified but peppy.
