USC dean offers unique insight on vice presidential debate

The vice presidential candidates are getting ready for what could be the most-watched vice presidential debate in history. The 1984 debate between then-vice president George H.W. Bush and Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket, attracted a TV audience of nearly 57 million.

Now, the second woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic opponent, Sen. Joe Biden, could attract an even larger audience.

Charles Bierbauer is now dean of the College of Mass Communication and Information Studies at the University of South Carolina, but he’s also a former CNN correspondent who covered vice presidential debates. He says the basic rule for any vice presidential candidate in a debate is “don’t screw up”.

“You could describe it as tougher for Biden than it is for Palin because, yes, he’s got to be polished to some degree. He’s got to show experience. He’s got to show knowledge. He can’t be condescending. He can’t beat her up.“ Bierbauer says.

Biden is also well-known for putting his foot in his mouth, and for sometimes giving long-winded answers.

But Palin is facing her own pressures in the debate. Bierbauer says, “Her expectations are low. Her interviews have not been good. She needs to show some polish. She needs to be of a sort that shows that she can think on her feet. That’s kind of what we’re looking for.“

Vice presidential debates don’t usually have much impact on an election. The best-known was between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, when Quayle compared his experience to that of Jack Kennedy. “Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine,“ Bentsen said. “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.“

But while he got the memorable line, he didn’t get the votes. Bierbauer says it’s different this time, though.

“The advantage Quayle had was the Bush-Quayle ticket was running against Dukakis-Bentsen and it (the debate) didn’t matter. That’s not the case this time. Senator McCain needs some help from his running mate, has gotten some in terms of boosting the ticket’s popularity with the ultra-conservatives of the Republican Party. But she can’t founder,“ he says.