In addition to our in-depth analysis of the vice presidential debate, this feature focuses on how Sarah Palin and Joe Biden defined the term maverick and how often they referred to their running mates and the other presidential candidate during the debate.


1. References to Presidential Candidates

The frequency with which Sarah Palin and Joe Biden refer to their running mates and the other presidential candidate during the debate is revealing.

Palin more than twice as much refers to her own running mate, John McCain, than to Barack Obama.

However, although Joe Biden mentions Barack Obama more than Sarah Palin alludes to her own running mate, he to a disproportionate degree (much more than Palin) refers to John McCain during the debate.

In other words, as the chart below illustrates, Joe Biden is thus more sucessful than Sarah Palin in referencing not only his own running mate, but also pointing to the other party's front runner.






2. Maverick

The collocations for maverick, one of the catchwords of the McCain campaign, are particularly interesting as a consciously crafted political message and the response it triggers.

As the cluster below shows, Sarah Palins collocations around the word maverick predominantly circle around John McCain, his experience and his record. They are meant to underscore McCain's image as a role model for his service to the nation (American), thereby boosting Palin's own standing (team), as well as the Republican ticket's commitment and determination to reform.

This message is complemented by the choice of verbs associated with the term (support, believe, assure, promise).





Joe Biden, on the other hand, tries to deconstruct this very image designed by Palin and the McCain campaign.

His message is that the term maverick is not consistent with reality and a product of political spin (talk, not, affect). As Biden argues, the label maverick does not withstand a critical look at McCain's record.

In other words, with his attack on the term maverick Biden goes directly after what he sees as a prime case of the McCain campaign creating a specific political image through campaign rhetoric.