Biden-Palin Debate

How did they do? Depends on what metric is important to you I'd say. With me the metric is honesty. Biden had a biased message but came across as being straight with the audience--Palin's message was pure propaganda. She was honest about it saying she was not going to follow the mediator's wishes about what she was going to say--cardstacking in other words. Cardstacking is a propaganda ploy that slants the message by only giving one side of an issue and ignoring any facts that would tend to disprove the propagandist's argument. Sticking to "talking points" in other words.
Another propaganda ploy she used is the "I am just one of the folks" ploy, just one of you so you can trust me to do what you'd do. Her "darn" and "shucks" add to the image of "I'm just one of you, just an ordinary "six-pack" person.
She uses her being from Alaska as a "transfer symbol" propaganda ploy. Like being a "hockey Mom", a hunter etc. Transfer symbols are ploys used to transfer emotional symbols to a person or issue. Bush and others use the flag effectively--called wrapping themselves in the flag.
She continually uses slogans and labels effectively like "McCain is a Maverick", or I'm a Washington "Outsider". The words "Maverick" and "Washington Outsider" have emotional connotations in some quarters.
McCain's and Palin's campaign tactics are very similar to G.W. Bush's--pure propaganda.