Vice Presidential Debate
Today is a great day. You have, in this sequence, the Red Sox playoff game, the Yankee playoff game, and the mother of all entertaining events ? the vice presidential debate.
The Red Sox game is something I?ll talk about in a sports column. Same with the Yankee game. They both should be good and if the Sox win the World Series I will have to move out of Boston. But the VP debate is something I need to talk about, and for good reason.
Normally the vice presidential debate has about as much buildup as the start of the WNBA season. I mean come on, last time we had Dick Cheney and Lieberman with Bernard Shaw moderating. Remember Al Gore and Jack Kemp? Yeah, me either. What about Gore, Dan Quayle and James Stockdale. I remember that one only because of Stockdale. And the only reason I remember the Quayle Lloyd Bentsen one was because they keep showing the ?You are not Jack Kennedy? thing ALL THE TIME.
Anyway, this year is different. This year we have something to watch. Not so much because I think the election is tight (I will not say who I think has it wrapped up) but because there could not be more opposing styles than Cheney and Edwards. Cheney is like the high school dean or vice principal who is dry as the desert. I think of Edwards as the high school senior who is a good athlete, good with the girls, has a swagger and self confidence. And the high school student walks into the dean?s office after getting caught mouthing off in class and he gets a lashing by the dean so bad he walks out with his shoulders slumped and tears in his eyes. Yeah, I know this is not the same because Edwards is a great trial lawyer and gets paid 20K an hour forcing HMOs to up my fee 100% each year and Cheney is involved with the Haliburton conspiracy and is a very good executive but not real personable. They each have something to offer. The great thing is that Edwards appeals to the younger voters and the ladies and Cheney appeals to the rich and corporate guys, and they could not be more different.
I thought Edwards did a great job at the DNC and I thought Cheney was boring at the RNC. I am looking forward to the debate tonight to listen to Cheney?s dry voice and sourpuss face explain to the young and inexperienced Edwards what the real world is all about. And I look forward to Edwards smoothly discussing the issues and making me want to listen to what he has to say.
I like Cheney a little bit more because I think he is a very very smart guy and I believe running a large international company makes him more qualified to run the country. I think Edwards, while smart and charismatic, is a little too slick and being a rich lawyer might not make him the best political leader. But I guess we?ll see what happens in November. Either way, tonight should be interesting.