When a VP debate makes you cry
Many of us who watched the vice presidential debate (hosted by our very own Wash U.) last night, anticipated some cringe-worthy moments. Whether you were waiting for Biden to lose it or Palin fumble it, the potential for drama was sky high. But in the thick of all the political posturing, there was a surprising moment of real emotion. It was when Joe Biden talked about the loss of his first wife and daughter and whether his sons would survive the accident that nearly wiped out his family.
No matter how long ago, some hurts stay with you. How ironic that at a time when so many Americans were tuning in for bloodthirsty battle, we were reminded of our greatest blessings. It was humbling. Moreover, it was a man who choked up talking about his family. Just as Sarah Palin’s nomimation was a significant moment for working mothers, Joe Biden’s emotional mention of being a single parent - in a vice presidential debate, no less — is a significant moment for fathers.
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
Palin’s icy coldness in response was unbelievable:
“She didn’t have a prepared reaction … so she was trying to figure out which talking point was the easiest pivot from “opponent shows deep emotion over family tragedy.”"
“She pulled the string, and out came an answer about McCain being a maverick. Classless, and completely out of place in what was a somber movement. She could’ve shown some empathy, maybe even talked about the difficulties of raising her own family. Instead, she resorted to talking points.”
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/2/233824/042/906/618457
My first reaction when I saw this real time was having to Tivo back to see if it indeed was a minor breakdown or simply Sen. Biden mis-swallowing as he was talking - which we’ve all done. For me, it was indeed an emotional story…real…and one that touched me as being a father of two young boys. Too often, the dads are automatically written out of the equation on the family issue and it was nice to see this on a national stage.
The fun comes when the pundits and voters start looking at this incident in political terms. Was it a breakdown? Did he just stumble as we was talking a bit fast? We heard how Sen. Biden needed to make sure he wasn’t “too mean” against Palin…What a wonderful twist now as this will probably soften his attack dog image, and give him footing in the “family issue” vs. Gov. Palin.
Also, just to throw in…what if this were Gov. Palin breaking down a bit? For Biden, this makes him more of an attractive candidate…softer…something most of us can relate to better. If Gov. Palin, would that make her weak? Look what happened when Sen. Clinton broke down…the left said it made her look human…the right said it was Emmy worthy.
What made this moment so poignant, for me, was knowing that one of those sons, at whose bedside Biden stayed when their mother and sister were killed and they were seriously injured (was it just the day before he was sworn in as Senator for the first time?), was leaving for Iraq today. No wonder Joe cried.
I thought it was totally fake!
I thought it was genuine.
Why is this newsworthy? First point is that Biden’s (or Palin’s) emotional struggles should not be a part of the debate and secondly she was right to ignore his glitch in his throat. I want and need to know more about the prevalent issues: don’t really give a hoot about Joe’s struggles and don’t even want to hear about what Sara thought when told she was carrying a Down’s child. Too much valuable time is wasted on this crap.