The Expectations Game
In politics, sadly, it’s often the case that perception matters more than reality. And a key element of how we perceive a candidate is how they perform based on our expectations. Last week, Sen. Obama battled Sen. McCain to a draw (regardless of protests to the contrary from both sides) in the first presidential debate. However, foreign policy was supposed to McCain’s forte; he was expected to clearly outclass Obama on this topic. Obama’s firm grasp on the subject and his ability to go toe-to-toe with McCain on each major issue served to give Obama a noticeable bump in the polls.
This brings me to tonight’s VP debate. Based on what we’ve seen so far from Rep. VP nominee Sarah Palin, many expect her to crash and burn in a battle of words with the verbose-to-a-fault Joe Biden. However, it is far more likely that she does a mediocre (not terrible) job, doesn’t embarrass herself, and gets many viewers thinking, “Hey, she’s not so bad…”. That’s exactly what happened during the RNC, when her great speech served as an answer to the skewering she took in the media upon her announcement as VP candidate, giving McCain a huge bump in the polls.
So, all you Democrats vocally chomping at the bit to see Palin get crushed tonight— temper your enthusiasm a little bit, you might actually be helping her win the debate. Remember, in politics (to borrow from Sprite)— substance is nothing, image is everything.
