Live Blogging the VP Debate.

Adult beverage – check.  Sarah Palin Bingo card – check. Tums – check.

Mudflats chat is up and running – check.

7 minutes. (takes drink and checks off the free “Air Space” Palin picture in the center of the Bingo card).

Ahh!  Just announced that judge dismissed the lawsuit filed to stop the Troopergate investigation.

I don’t like the set. WAY too much color. And where’s the babbling brook?

Here we go.

Biden won the coin toss.  Bailout question.  Focus on the middle class, not just wealthy.

Palin:  Soccer game! Parents on sideline! Betcha! Fear Fear Fear! Reform. Freddie & Fannie (Bingo card!) Country first.

Q: Polarization

Biden. Talking about experience. Reaching across the aisle. Republican friends. “Fundamentals of the economy are strong” said McCain. 9:00 the economy was strong, 11:00 we are in crisis. 

Palin:  Fundamentals means work force. Greatest in this world.  Governor, mayor, track record of reform. Maverick! (Bingo card)  Barack Obama 96% along party line. Energy, reform.

Q” Who was at fault in the meltdown?

Palin: Lenders. Deception. Greed. Wall Street. Getting rid of corruption. Joe six-pack! Hockey Mom! (2 bingo card marks!)  Heck! (Bingo card)  I can’t keep up!

Biden: Let Wall St. run wild. John McCain wants deregulation. Believed Wall St. could self-regulate. John McCain called for deregulation 20 times.  Wants to deregulate healthcare industry. Deregulation is the promise. Story about Joey Danko who can’t fill his gas tank.

Palin: Darn right! Obama voted for largest tax increase. Obama voted to increase taxes 94 times. Need private sector. Keep what we earn. Government needs to be more efficient. Tax relief.  Obama raised taxes on middle income families.

Biden: Charges not true. Budget procedural vote. Didn’t raise taxes. McCain supported deregulation.

Palin: I’m still on the tax thing.

ARgh…lost connection

Back.

Palin: Health care plan is detailed. $5000 tax credit. Smart to do. Doesn’t cost anything. Obama wants to mandate health coverage.  Trying to be cute. Gee shucks… Budget neutral.

Biden: Don’t know where to start. Exxon Mobil $4 billion tax cut.  95% small businesses make less than $250,000/yr. No tax increase.  Health care. John McCain pays for health care by taxing health benefits.  20 million people will be dropped.  “Ultimate bridge to nowhere”.  First laugh of the night!

OK…..shaking out hands….drink.

Palin: Took on oil companies. Exxon. Conoco Philips.  Bless their hearts, they’re doing what they have to do, but they’re not my fans.  Bless their hearts??  Bless Exxon’s heart?!?!?  (Big drink)

Biden: Alternative energy.  Why is he adding $4 billion additional to Exxon. Windfall profits tax. Palin supported it in Alaska and gives her credit for it….  good one.

Palin: John McCain’s calls for reform. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac.  We have John McCain to thank for warning us all and putting his campaign aside….bla bla. “Main Streeters like me”.

Palin: STILL wants to talk about energy.  East Coast politicians who don’t want to talk about oil. Tap into domestic energy.  Flowin’. Heckuva lot. Energy future.

IFill:  What is true what is false about climate change.

Palin: Alaska feels it more than any other state. Don’t attribute man’s activities alone to climate change.  I don’t want to argue about the causes. Clean up this planet.  Blizzard of words. Reduce emissions. Energy independent. All the more reason to have an “all of the above” approach.

Biden:  Clearly manmade.  Fundamental difference. If you don’t understand what the cause is, it’s impossible to come up with the solution. 3% of reserves of oil, consume 25%.  McCain voted against alternative energy.  He’s doing really good on this one…

Biden has flag pin.  Palin has flag pin with pole and rhinestones.

Drill drill drill. 10 years for oil to come.

Palin corrected him!  The chant is “Drill Baby Drill!”   Oh. My. God…..(hits head on desk. Drinks more wine).  Called him Senator O’Biden?  It is safe to drill and we need to do more of that. Offshore drilling.  Nukular.

Biden: Why did John vote 20 times against funding alternative energy.

Ifill: Same sex benefits?

Biden:  Yes. Absolutely. Joint ownership, hospital visits.  It’s only fair. Same constitutional benefits as heterosexual couples do.

Palin: Not if it goes closer toward redefining marriage as anything but “one man one woman”.  I am tolerant and have a diverse group of family and friends. 

Biden: Don’t support redefining marriage.  Leave it to faiths.  Glad governor feels there should be no distinction in constitutional rights.

Ifill:  Both have sons in Iraq.

Palin:  Surge is working.  General Petraeus! (bingo card)  Obama voted against funding troops. Got to win in Iraq. The surge has worked.  Put more troops in Afghanistan.  Al Qaeda (bingo card!)

Biden: “With all due respect, I didn’t hear a plan” 1 point Biden!  McCain voted against funding the troops because of the timeline.  McCain has no plan to end the war.

Palin: “You waved the white flag of surrender”.  Not what our troops need to hear. Commanders on the ground will tell us when to end the war. (Yeah, that’ll work well).  You said you’d be honored to run with McCain on the ticket, and said Obama wasn’t ready to be commander in chief.  Don’t know how you can defend obama when he voted to cut off funding.

Biden: McCain voted to cut off funding for troops.  He repeated it twice.  He voted against it because the amendment had a timeline and he didn’t like it.  I said we wouldn’t be greeted as liberators and we’d be there a decade.  John McCain has been dead wrong on the fundamental issues related to the conduct of war.  Those are the facts.  Another point for Biden!

Ifill:  Nuclear Iran or Pakistan?

Biden: Iran is not close to getting nuclear weapon. John continues to tell us the main focus is Iraq.  The real threat is Afghanistan/Pakistan border.  Build schools, win hearts & minds.  Will go for Bin Laden.

Palin: General Petreus is the one who said the central war on terror is in Iraq.  Nuukular.  Then Nuclear.  Think of the creek Sarah, think of the creek!  Stinking corpse reference.  Obama willing to meet with leaders without precondition.  Goes beyond naievete and is downright dangerous.  Nucular.  She had a great conversation with Kissinger.  THey hate our freedoms and our respect for women’s rights!!!! (Except their reproductive rights!!! Head slam)

Biden:  Clarify. Not true.  breathe….  Theocracy controls security apparatus in Iran. Friends and allies want us to talk. His experience is showing here… McCain said he wouldn’t even sit down with the President of Spain! (hehe)

Ifill: 2 state solution in Israel Palestine?

Yes. Israel is strongest and best ally. “Seek to destroy” (bingo card)

Finger cramp! Must take break.

Palin: Cutsie, patronizing. Finger pointing, your party is looking to the past and people will get tired of it.  Totally patronizing….ugh.  Change is comin’

Biden: Past is prologue.  Haven’t heard about how McCain’s policy will be different than Bush’s.   He is cleaning her clock on foreign policy.

Ifill:  Nuclear weapons.  Should there be a trigger when nuclear weapons are put into play.

Palin: Not prepared for this question, obviously.  Nucular nucular blizzard of words.  “Can we talk about Afghanistan too though?”  Surge principles need to be implemented with Afghanistan.  Obama said all we’re doing is killing villiagers.  Reckless comment.  We’re building schools.. What is she talking about?

Biden:  Facts matter. Commanding General said that the surge principles used in Iraq WILL NOT WORK IN AFGHANISTAN.  I love Joe Biden.  3 weeks in Iraq we’ve spent what we have in 3 years in Afghanistan.

He knows how to say nuclear!  And he keeps saying it right! 2 points for Biden.  Obama reached across the aisle to Dick Lugar and wrote serious and real legislation.

Palin: I have no idea what she is saying. I still have no idea what she’s saying.

Biden: I don’t think he knows what she was saying either.

Biden is now talking about intervention in Darfur genocide, and Palin is standing there with a stupid smile on her face.

Palin: Americans are cravin’ straight talk. She’s rediculous.  Heck, gee, I’m a Washington outsider and I don’t know how you guys operate.  Bat bat bat.

Ifill: How would a Biden administration be different from an Obama administration?

Biden: Going over all Obama talking points. Health care, middle class, engage allies, find Osama Bin Laden, alternative energy, new jobs, clean energy. This is the most important election you will all vote in since 1932.  I agree with every major initiative he had suggested.

Palin: What do you expect?  A team of Mavericks.  We agree to disagree on ANWR. MccCain talking points.  REality from Main St. Wasilla brought to Washington.  BINGO!!!!!  Wasilla was my final bingo square!

Biden:  Goes to Home Depot, he’s a regular guy too.  People in his town recognize McCain is four more years of Bush.

Palin: There you go Joe, pointing backward again.  She is truly a caricature of herself.  Tina Fey has nowhere to go.

Ifill:What does the VP do every day???!!!

Palin:  Heck it was a lame attempt at a joke.  Be supportive of President’s policies.  Energy independence, reform of government, special needs children. I said, ” I can’t wait to get there and go to work with ya!”

Biden: History of getting things done. Record shows that.  Point person for legislative initiatives.  Obama wanted someone with independent judgment who wouldn’t be afraid to disagree.

Ifill:  Do you agree with Cheney who says VP isn’t part of executive branch?

Palin:  Looks like she’s reading.  Agrees with Cheney. We’ll do what we have to do to administer plans.  She has executive experience. Governor, Mayor, business owner.

Biden: Cheney is the most dangerous VP in history! (WOW!)  Bizarre assertion to aggrandize the power of the VP and it is very dangerous.

That was an awesome exchange.

Palin:  I’m a hockey mom. We’re a shining city on the hill. Reagan (Bingo square).  I’m worried about a son in the war.  Force for good in the world. How will we afford college?

Biden: Crime bill, violence against women act, Bosnia.  He’s also a single parent. I understand kitchen table. The notion that somehow because I’m a man I don’t know how to raise a family… I understand what it’s like sitting around the kitchen table. They are looking for help. They’re not looking for more of the same.

Palin:  Maverick. Maverick.  Change change. Took on her own party. Both sides of the aisle.  Lieberman, Giuliani, Romney and Lingle all think he’s the man we need to lead. We have to win the war. Entrenched partisanship.  Change is coming and John McCain is bringing it.

Biden:  McCain is no maverick.  (THANK you.)  War, education, tax cuts, hasn’t been a maverick on anything that people talk about around the kitchen table.  “Maverick he is not”.

Ifill:  Change opinion?

Biden: (missed it…..phone rang.)  Judicial philosophy matters.

Palin:  Passed budgets she didn’t veto.  Times she wanted to zero base budget and cut taxes and didn’t.  Never had to compromise because she’s accomplished everything she wanted to in Alaska.

Ifill:  How do you be bipartisan.

Biden:  Track record of doing it already.

Palin: You appoint people regardless of party.  At the end of the day as long as we’re all working for the greater good it’ll be OK.  Lower taxes, build infrastructure, rein in government spending.  Obama will increase taxes & spending, off she goes.  Clear choice is on November 4th.

Closing statement:

I like being able to answer tough question without the main stream media filtering what they’ve heard.  We’re going to fight for America, average, everyday family like mine.  I know the hurts. I know the joys.  I’ve always been proud to be an American.  Reagan quote. Really long Reagan quote. Only one man who has ever fought for you and that’s John McCain.

Biden:  Most important election in your life.  In the last 8 years we’ve been in a deep hole. No credibility.  Need for fundamental change economically and foreign policy.  We don’t measure success by tax breaks to Exxon.  WE measure it by paying mortgage, health care, troops.  Honesty, work hard. Obama will bring that back.  God bless the troops.

The families are up on the stage…..

No trainwreck, but I’m calling it pretty convincingly for Biden.  Palin started strong, but started to falter as soon as it went to foreign policy.  Biden hit his stride halfway through, and finished strong.

And of course, she didn’t answer questions, and basically admitted she wouldn’t at one point.  She was “folksy” to the point of pain.  She was a talking point machine, and a drill baby drill one-trick pony.  She had nothing to say in the face of actual experience.  I don’t know if she hurt John McCain, but she surely didn’t help.  And the “I agree with the Cheney philosophy of governing” was downright scary.

Absolutely no gaffes or bloviating from Biden.

Official Mudflats take:  Biden by a landslide.