” … people might not be able to tell the difference.” Why Joe Biden should resist the urge to trade zingers with Sarah Palin.
” … people might not be able to tell the difference.”
“Winston Smith,” the Philosoraptor, explains why Joe Biden shouldn’t trade zingers with Sarah Palin.
Also, of course, he should address and refer to her always as “Governor,” or “Governor Palin,” and neither condescend nor say anything mean. Even attacking McCain, usually the VP candidate’s job, might not be a good idea, since that would give Palin a chance to play the loyal subordinate defending her boss.
Biden’s strategy should be the same as Obama’s, only more so. His job is to stand on that stage and look like a President, while letting his opponent look like … something else. And remind the voters which ticket is proposing policies that work for working people.
Author: Mark Kleiman
Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out.
Books:
Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken)
When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist
Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993)
Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989)
UCLA Homepage
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com
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