Please Don’t Talk

This is likely the main thought on the brain of every strategist inside both the McCain and Obama camps as the Vice-Presidential debates approach. So far, Palin has been so bad at answering questions, that McCain is now chaperoning her interviews and accusing random voters who try to shout questions at her of “gotcha journalism” if she gives an answer.

On the other side, Joe Biden has contracted foot-in-mouth disease. Now he’s no Sarah Palin, and has 35 years of intelligent comments, has given hundreds of interviews over the past few years, and has debated Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (did quite well in these debates too). But he should still try to keep from talking about FDR going on TV.

So as the two campaigns near the end of a ridiculously long election, both sides I’m sure are hoping their candidate will shut the hell up and let the other person embarrass themselves.

However, I personally think the Republicans NEED Sarah Palin to talk at this debate. A lot. And say really, really intelligent things. McCain is getting slammed in the polls. Check out the latest numbers from my favorite (and the most accurate from the primary season) political predication website, fivethirty-eight.com. They currently have Obama up 4 points in the polls, and are predicting 325 electoral college votes for Obama, with an 83% chance of an Obama victory overall. If Palin doesn’t do something to convince people that McCain has not placed the country at risk with a reckless VP choice, expect these numbers, as bad as they are, to only get worse for McCain.