2008 Woodie Awards
Love her or hate her, keep on talking
Editorial Board
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Opinions
You can call Sarah Palin what you want. Inexperienced or charming. Dim-witted or strong-willed. Nerve-grating or adorable. But one thing's for sure-Thursday's debate created a palpable excitement throughout the community and the nation. And Joe Biden, with his old-Washington ways and arguably uncontroversial image, probably wasn't the main cause for all the hubbub. It was Palin, and millions tuned in eager to see her fail or shatter expectations and succeed.
The televised debate between vice presidential candidates Palin and Biden on Thursday was the most-watched vice presidential debate in history, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research.
From 7 to 9 p.m. MDT, 69.9 million Americans watched all or part of the debate, 17 and a half million more than those who watched the Sept. 26 presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.
It's also 13 million more viewers than the 1984 vice presidential debate between Geraldine Ferraro and George H.W. Bush, and it's the most-watched of any political debate since 1992's debate between Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot, which also drew 69.9 million viewers.
In the top 56 of the country's television markets, an average of 45 percent of households watched part or all of the debate.
There was more pressure on Palin to deliver than Biden, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. After a performance in her speech at the Republican National Convention was lauded by most of the Republican party, the Alaska governor had repeatedly stumbled in interviews with the national media, prompting a few party insiders to suggest she should remove herself from the ticket. She needed to show that she could go 90 minutes with Biden before millions of viewers. And although her answers weren't always responsive to the questions or entirely coherent, although she often appeared to be reciting rehearsed lines, she came across as moderately competent going face-to-face with a veteran like Biden. Biden, we think, was the victor. But Palin didn't fall flat on her face, and that's more than a lot of us expected.
It's been heavily speculated that much of the viewership was due to Palin's embarrassing comments during her now infamous interviews with CBS's Katie Couric and ABC's Charlie Gibson.
No matter why so many people tuned in, though, this election has people talking. The MTSU campus has been abuzz with debate about the debate. Whether making fun of Palin's excessive winking or extolling her likability, the community has taken notice. And right now, that's all that matters.
The question "did you watch the debate?" replaced "what did you do last night?" among several students over the weekend. Love her or hate her, Pro-Bama or No-Bama, old-Washington or new-Washington, MTSU students seem to be using their voice. So keep talking.
The televised debate between vice presidential candidates Palin and Biden on Thursday was the most-watched vice presidential debate in history, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research.
From 7 to 9 p.m. MDT, 69.9 million Americans watched all or part of the debate, 17 and a half million more than those who watched the Sept. 26 presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.
It's also 13 million more viewers than the 1984 vice presidential debate between Geraldine Ferraro and George H.W. Bush, and it's the most-watched of any political debate since 1992's debate between Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot, which also drew 69.9 million viewers.
In the top 56 of the country's television markets, an average of 45 percent of households watched part or all of the debate.
There was more pressure on Palin to deliver than Biden, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. After a performance in her speech at the Republican National Convention was lauded by most of the Republican party, the Alaska governor had repeatedly stumbled in interviews with the national media, prompting a few party insiders to suggest she should remove herself from the ticket. She needed to show that she could go 90 minutes with Biden before millions of viewers. And although her answers weren't always responsive to the questions or entirely coherent, although she often appeared to be reciting rehearsed lines, she came across as moderately competent going face-to-face with a veteran like Biden. Biden, we think, was the victor. But Palin didn't fall flat on her face, and that's more than a lot of us expected.
It's been heavily speculated that much of the viewership was due to Palin's embarrassing comments during her now infamous interviews with CBS's Katie Couric and ABC's Charlie Gibson.
No matter why so many people tuned in, though, this election has people talking. The MTSU campus has been abuzz with debate about the debate. Whether making fun of Palin's excessive winking or extolling her likability, the community has taken notice. And right now, that's all that matters.
The question "did you watch the debate?" replaced "what did you do last night?" among several students over the weekend. Love her or hate her, Pro-Bama or No-Bama, old-Washington or new-Washington, MTSU students seem to be using their voice. So keep talking.
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