en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:09:50 GMT 15 By Sarah Bailey
With the presidential elections looming right around the corner, it is difficult not to notice the amount of publicity surrounding each candidate, their platform, and their running mate. The choice of Vice President has rarely ever been a main concern of the public. Most controversies revolved around the candidate and their manifesto. However, this election has placed more emphasis on the running mate then any other election. This emphasis seems to stem from the medical health and age of one of the candidates. As most would agree, John McCain, the Republican nominee, is autumnal and has an extensive history of medical procedures and tribulations. Therefore, the stipulation that he may not live through his term places a great deal of importance on his choice of Vice President. Although this is not the case for Barack Obama, the Vice Presidential nominees have been placed in the spotlight through this election and their superiority will greatly assist or detract from each candidate’s overall performance. Subsequently, as the Vice Presidential debate transpired, the expectations of each running mate were elevated. As Ralph Marston reminds us, “Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.” It is expected, in keeping with the long history of Presidential debates, that Sarah Palm and Joe Biden can present America with a performance that will convince us of their proposals for America’s future. Before one an even discuss the actual events of the debate, they must first consider their initial expectations of each participant’s performance. Personally, I had very low expectations for this debate. I harbor neither sympathy nor respect for either choice for Vice President. Sarah Palin has continually embarrassed the Republican Party through numerous interviews. In these interviews, she seems to forget her own platform and avoids answering directly by talking in circles, confusing people rather than clarifying the issues. Joe Biden, although more experienced, seems to become over emotional and accidentally mentions things that detract from his argument. Those accidental slips often create a sense of incredibility about his platform. As one can see, my personal expectations of the debate and the candidate’s performance are minimal and substandard. I guess when Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations, he forgot about the absurdity of Sarah Palm and Joe Biden. Subsequent to watching the debate, my expectations began to obtain a fundamental factual basis. Sarah Palm continually bombarded the American public with her “hockey mom” campaign and introduced familiar gestures, which seemed too planed and therefore insincere. At one moment, Sarah Palm winked at the viewers distracting them from her answer, which was anything but satisfactory. By doing so, she detracts from the importance of her words and ultimately creates a beauty contest rather than a political debate. Consequently, by repeating the aforementioned actions Sarah Palm remains far below par in my expectations and gains no sympathy, but rather distaste, for her apparent cheap ploys to snag the public’s commiseration. Despite my utter distaste for a cheap attempt for pity, I must say Joe Biden was not that far ahead of Palm in his failed attempt to grasp America’s vote. Joe Biden continually avoided eye contact with the viewers and seemed to have an utter lack of charisma and personality in comparison to Sarah Palm. By employing such tactics, Biden lost connection with the audience and, much like Palin, therefore lost all sensible interest in his words. It seems as though neither candidate exceeded my expectations, but rather reassured my disappointment. Ralph Marston asks us to expect the best and raise our performance to meet and exceed other’s expectations. If this remains a fundamental rule, how are we to choose between two aspirants who can achieve neither? How can we acknowledge Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations when there are none? ]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:25:00 GMT