Lots of food, smiles, grimaces for debate-watchers

BANGOR – Whether it was takeout Chinese food, Buffalo-style chicken wings or pork loin they were eating, one thing was clear Thursday evening. No matter what the food, local Democrats and Republicans took time while they munched to feast on the only debate between the two vice presidential nominees in the 2008 election.

About 25 Democrats gathered in the party’s campaign office on Central Street, some with boxes of Chinese food, as the debate began between Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. The vice presidential hopefuls took on such issues such as the House of Representatives’ failure to pass a Wall Street bailout bill and the subprime mortgage lending crisis.

Some of those watching laughed when Biden called a tax plan by Republican presidential nominee John McCain “the ultimate bridge to nowhere,” a reference to Palin’s claim she returned money for a bridge project in Alaska. Others rolled their eyes when Palin mentioned she took on the big oil companies in Alaska.

Meanwhile, 10 Greater Bangor Region Young Republicans took up a table in the front room at Bleecher’s Sports Bar on Outer Hammond Street, where they sat together over beers, sodas and chicken wings. There were smiles when Palin attacked Biden’s record on voting on the Iraq war, but a grimace when Palin seemed to stumble over a name.

Members of both parties also got together at the University of Maine and Husson University.

As expected, each party thought its candidate was the winner.

“I think Senator Biden answered the questions more concretely than Palin, so if you measure it that way, I believe he clearly won the debate,” said Portland resident Rachel Talbot Ross, a Democrat in town for a dinner at Husson.

“In my opinion, as well as the rest of my group, Sarah Palin [won],” said Allison Geagan, chairman of the Young Republicans group. “She was very straightforward on the questions, and we feel she did a great job.”

At Husson, the people who attended the 2008 WLBZ 2 Those Who Care awards dinner rushed from their pork loin and mashed potatoes to find televisions at the school.

Talbot Ross, who plans to vote for Democratic nominee Barack Obama regardless of what she heard in the debate, said she was interested in hearing both candidates offer specifics about the economy, especially considering the crisis on Wall Street and the House of Representatives’ failure on Monday to pass a bailout plan.

She didn’t exactly hear what she wanted from either candidate.

“I’m still not clear on what either candidate is specifically going to do to turn it around,” she said. “I’m still not clear, and in that regard, I’m slightly disappointed.”

Mainers, like most Americans, were interested in hearing Palin debate after several weeks of scripted presentations.

Palin came off fine, Geagan said.

“I feel she really did connect with the American public, proved she wasn’t an elitist and wants to do what’s best for country,” she added. “In the clips of debates I had seen from Alaska she did a good job, and … I think she proved herself tonight.”

Talbot Ross was not impressed.

“I could not keep track of what Governor Palin was talking about,” she said. “At times she strayed from answering the question and went into what appeared to be a sound bite on other topics.”

As far as the Republicans were concerned, the only disappointing moment of the night came when a life-size cutout of Palin, which they had brought to Bleecher’s to use as a photo op, was stolen during the evening, according to Geagan.

One of the Young Republicans was able to get the license plate of the car that drove off with the cutout, and the Bangor Police Department was called in. Geagan said the main concern was that the driver wasn’t drinking and driving, but she expressed concern because the cutout was on loan from the local Republican Party branch.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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