At the end of the day, it wasn't about expectations. Palin surpassed hers. Shattered them, in fact. The stumbling, tongue-tied, intellectually uncertain novice who withered before Katie Couric's steady questioning was absent this evening. Palin was confident, on-message, and at times, sharp. But it didn't matter. The polls were clear: CNN showed 51 percent for Biden, 36 percent for Palin. CBS, restricting their sample to undecided voters, showed 46 percent for Biden, 21 percent for Palin. Like McCain before her, Palin performed at the top of her game, and it wasn't enough.That's two straight victories for the Democratic ticket. And as Jonathan Cohn notes, two extremely similar victories. Last week's CNN debate poll showed 51 percent for Obama, 39 percent McCain. CBS showed 39 percent Obama, 25 percent McCain. The symmetry is strange. The debate styles and expectations and pundit perceptions have not held steady. The breakdown has not matched the polling in the broader election, and so is not reflecting the nation's natural split. Rather, only the ideas have linked the two contests. And in both, a solid, consistent, and similar majority have walked away from the debates impressed with the Democratic message. They were impressed when it was articulated in Barack Obama's cool, cerebral baritone. They were impressed when it was defended by Joe Biden's hot, confident, staccato. The debates, in a sense, are exposing the bedrock facts of the election. The Democratic case is winning. Elections, of course, are more than an argument. They are a meeting of tribes, and a moment of self-definition, and a referendum on the previous presidency. But they are an argument, too, and two weeks in a row, we've seen the Democrats win that argument. That the Republicans now speak like populists and swear to govern as regulators is further evidence of the lopsided reality of the playing field. Obama and Biden's advantage in the polls may be slight, but week by week, we're learning that their agenda is far in the lead.Image used under a CC license from Barack Obama. THE REALITY BEHIND 2-0.
At the end of the day, it wasn't about expectations. Palin surpassed hers. Shattered them, in fact. The stumbling, tongue-tied, intellectually uncertain novice who withered before Katie Couric's steady questioning was absent this evening. Palin was confident, on-message, and at times, sharp. But it didn't matter. The polls were clear: CNN showed 51 percent for Biden, 36 percent for Palin. CBS, restricting their sample to undecided voters, showed 46 percent for Biden, 21 percent for Palin. Like McCain before her, Palin performed at the top of her game, and it wasn't enough.That's two straight victories for the Democratic ticket. And as Jonathan Cohn notes, two extremely similar victories. Last week's CNN debate poll showed 51 percent for Obama, 39 percent McCain. CBS showed 39 percent Obama, 25 percent McCain. The symmetry is strange. The debate styles and expectations and pundit perceptions have not held steady. The breakdown has not matched the polling in the broader election, and so is not reflecting the nation's natural split. Rather, only the ideas have linked the two contests. And in both, a solid, consistent, and similar majority have walked away from the debates impressed with the Democratic message. They were impressed when it was articulated in Barack Obama's cool, cerebral baritone. They were impressed when it was defended by Joe Biden's hot, confident, staccato. The debates, in a sense, are exposing the bedrock facts of the election. The Democratic case is winning. Elections, of course, are more than an argument. They are a meeting of tribes, and a moment of self-definition, and a referendum on the previous presidency. But they are an argument, too, and two weeks in a row, we've seen the Democrats win that argument. That the Republicans now speak like populists and swear to govern as regulators is further evidence of the lopsided reality of the playing field. Obama and Biden's advantage in the polls may be slight, but week by week, we're learning that their agenda is far in the lead.Image used under a CC license from Barack Obama. 
