Ready for Thursday night’s Vice Presidential debate? Across the country, they're wondering - is Sarah Palin up to the task? Will Joe Biden be mean? In short, who'll come out on top?

We’ve been asking people in our area what they expect and it's pretty clear who people want to see, but what are they looking for? That's much tougher to answer.

We've heard him refer to his running mate as "Barack America."   We've heard her, well, once or twice if you were paying attention. So, what do you get when you put them together?

Fred Terrell, Lynchburg - "It's hard to tell right now."

Anne Simms, Lynchburg - "I'm not sure I'm expecting to hear anything out of these candidates tonight. I pretty much know where they both stand and I think they're politicians."

We hear that a lot. So, why is this matchup getting so much attention?

Dennis Stevens, Randolph College (web) - "I think people are hoping for big mistakes, either from Biden or from Sarah Palin. And, so, I think people will be very disappointed if there isn't a big event tonight."

In other words, most people may not know what they want to hear, but 90 minutes on the recent economic bailout plan probably isn't high on their list. As for who people what to hear from -- that's pretty easy.

Katelyn Mayberry, Lynchburg - "I'm hoping to hear a lot from Sarah Palin."

Love her or leave her, Sarah Palin is the topic of this debate.

Stevens - "She's brought a lot of excitement to the Republican ticket, but she's also made some mistakes in recent days that have made people wonder about her. So, that adds to the drama and to the high expectations."

Katelyn Mayberry, Lynchburg - "I think the pressure's on Sarah Palin, of course, because she doesn't have as much experience as Joe Biden and I think she's got a lot to prove."

Linda Duerson, Lynchburg - "I'd like to learn more about her. I'd like to be able to support her."

In theory, the answers all come tonight. In practice, it could just be a few catchy one-liners. Either way, the world is watching.

Stevens - "In general, people don't expect much. Usually, vice presidential candidates don't mean much. But this is a different kind of year."

You can bet people out there are going to be ready for the "big gaffe," whatever it is and whoever it comes from.

 

A lot of you out there have told us you won't just be watching the candidates. There's a whole other story around this debate. It’s the controversy over the debate's moderator, PBS journalist Gwen Ifill. Ifill's impartiality is being questioned - after news broke that she is writing a book about race, politics, and Obama. Ifill says Obama's story is a small part of the book, a part she hasn't even written yet. The book is set to be published on January 20th, the day our new president is inaugurated.

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