No matter how low they want to set the bar for Thursday, remember this

[LuckyTheDog]

People will be tuning in to see the Sarah Palin they saw at the Republican National Convention.

If her performance does not match or top that, the perception will be that she has bombed. People will be disappointed with anything less than what they saw at the RNC.

[Boz]

1. People will be tuning in for the NASCAR moment

Waiting for the if and when of the crash to happen. When they tuned in for the convention it because they knew nothing about her, now one month later they no little more except that what they do know says shes probably going to crash and burn and they don't ant to miss.

[TornadoTN]

2. Therein lies the problem: What if she doesn't crash and burn?

Personally, I think she will to some degree and it will be a great moment to watch.

But consider this: What if she doesn't crash and burn. What if she barely treads water to keep her head from going under? That's exactly what they want her to do - to not just get buried by Biden and the sheer weight of the questions. I'm not saying that she will come across as a genius or a masterful orator - I'm merely suggesting that she keeps her answers brief and somewhat on topic. She throws a few "zingers" out there and the media says "well she wasn't bad" and the spin starts from there.

[LuckyTheDog]

3. The base is expecting Palin to be great

If she does not wipe the floor with Biden, they will be disappointed... no matter what the pundits say.

If Palin is nor great, the "enthusiasm gap" could reemerge. If Palin does now "wow" the base as she did at the convention, many aill stay home on election day.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Those on the right who love Sarah Palin will not be disappointed by anything

they see or hear from her at this point. They are completely blind to her flaws and shortcomings and will see the brilliant performance that they expect from her. If any of them realize that she gave a bad answer or clearly didn't know what she was talking about, they will make excuses for her and blame anyone else in the room for her babbling non-answers. They have already made up their minds and won't be confused with facts.