Having a Woman on the Ticket Good for TV Ratings

Nielsen ratings indicate that nearly 70 million viewers watched the 2008 vice presidential debates. A political yawner in the past, this was was enlivened by Sarah 'Train Wreck' Palin and Joe 'Foot in Mouth' Biden, neither of whom committed any of the gaffes viewers undoubtedly expected to see.

Not only was this the most-watched VP debate ever, but it was the most-watched of any nationally televised political debate in the past 16 years.

In her analysis of previous vice presidential debates, my colleague Kathy Gill notes that the only other comparably-viewed VP debate involved Geraldine Ferraro, thus proving why "Veep Debate with Women Candidates Set Records."