How to Handle this Woman: A Playbook for the Democrats

John McCain's announcement last Friday morning that Sarah Palin, the obscure political neophyte who currently holds the largely ceremonial post of Governor of Alaska would be his running mate, stunned the political world. It also annoyed the political world, which is known for reacting to anything flying under its radar rather like the Strategic Air Command might.

With so little advance notice to prepare a "take" on Gov. Palin, the chattering classes lapsed into one of their analytical defaults. Anything unforeseen is, necessarily, a "Hail Mary." Now I will admit that John McCain is the sort of impulsive eccentric who is perfectly capable of throwing a Hail Mary when the game is tied and there's plenty of time on the clock, rather than call a dull series of running (Tim Pawlenty) and passing (Mitt Romney) plays. And, to the Fourth Estate, it must have seemed as though Lord Nelson had decided to fire on one of his own ships at Trafalgar to confuse the French.

But, let's just consider the possibility that McCain acted neither crazily or stupidily in choosing a rootin', tootin', shootin' lady politician from an Electorally worthless province of Canada to be his understudy. First of all, the Palin announcement bounced the Democratic Convention and Barack Obama's speech out of the news-cycle even before its 24-hour sell-by date. What was Obama saying about McCain and George Bush the other night? Who cares? Did you hear that Sarah Palin has a giant lacquered King Crab on her office coffee table?

Palin is also exactly the sort of debate opponent who could cause an incapacitating flare-up of Joe Biden's chronic verbal diarrhea. If she's smart -- or smart enough -- she can probably just sit back and watch him flounder. Biden, who never starts a sentence with an exit strategy in place, could easily seem like one of those bullies his mother had such a problem with.

For all we know, she could be like Eddie Gaedel, the 3-foot 7-inch pinch hitter for the St. Louis Browns. Eddie never hit any home runs, but his strike zone was so small that it was impossible not to walk him.

Then, just as the media flabbergastation was dying down in the midst of a three-anchor (plus Anderson Cooper) commitment to Hurricane Gustav and Labor Day lassitude, it flared anew with the revelation that Palin's 17-year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, was pregnant. Now, surely the moment had arrived when John McCain would pop out and announce that he was just kidding and how about a nice round of applause for a great American, Tom Ridge, everybody.

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But, yet again, the compulsive gloaters ("This is a great day to be alive," a blogger wrote. Someone else posted, "Dear God: I'm sorry I said I didn't believe in You, and thanks very much.") wrote Sarah Palin off prematurely.

While a teenage daughter with a bun in the oven might have embarrassed some old-line country club Republicans, Gov. Palin's core constituency are not likely to be terribly bothered by it. The rough-and-ready right wing of the Party has known a few unwed pregnant 17-year-old daughters in its time. And the fundamentalist Christians among them are awfully big (and genuinely sincere) in their belief that we are all sinners. They are a little more selective about forgiveness but unless the father turns out to be Rosie O'Donnell, Bristol and Sarah Palin can probably count on some of that, as well.

Still, I'm sure this is a "distraction" both McCain and Palin would have rather done without. So, why, is Sarah Palin still a smart running mate for John McCain?

What Palin has accomplished for McCain is that she helped to define his opponent -- and not in a flattering way. The media, both mainstream and blogocentric, fell into a trap by reacting with astonishment and then disdain to the notion that a title character from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" had been selected for the second-highest office in the land. When the immediate response to her was WTF? followed by a cavalcade of catty columns and posts, the elitist, Eastern establishment tenor of the anti-Palin forces became clear quickly. Obama's defenders were acting just like the Ivory Towered snobs that the other side says they are. When the media took the same general line, they proved themselves to be secret elitist Obama supporters through simple transitive arithmetic. A= B=C.

No, rather than rely on the startling facts we know so far and any that will come out in the days ahead to sink the McCain-Palin ticket, the Democrats have to acknowledge that their point-of-view may not be universal. Defects can be in the eye of the beholder. While Sarah Palin may seem to some like a sort of Republican Party Girl -- Kathleen Harris without the killer instinct -- to others she's an immensely appealing Jane Six-Pack. If they want to win, Senator Obama's surrogates must not wait for the scales to fall from the public's eyes so that they see Sarah Palin as she is and find her preposterous. Democrats must tarnish her on her own terms. Continuing to point out that she doesn't have a lot in common with Maureen Dowd and Tina Fey isn't going to get them anywhere.

Here, then, are a few suggested talking points based, for the most part, on lies and half-truths because, so far, the truth is having insufficient traction. (And, to be fair, I'm glad to offer my help to the Republicans in undermining Joe Biden, though I have a feeling that Biden doesn't need my help to do that.)

Instead of harping on her NRA membership and enthusiasm for killing defenseless wild animals, Democrats should hint darkly that Palin uses a fancy foreign-made Beretta T-3 rifle rather than a fine, decent American gun like a Remington VS SF II.

And can't Keith Olbermann find anyone from Alaska who will say that she's really not that great a shot and only joined the NRA in order to get discount car insurance?

Instead of tsk-tsking about Bristol Palin's pregnancy, Obamaites should start wondering aloud what sort of names "Bristol," "Piper," "Track," "Willow," and "Trig" are in the first place. They sound an awful lot like the next five Pitt-Jolie kids. What's wrong with Matthew, Mark, Prudence, Sally, and John?

Okay, her husband's a snowmobile racer. But from what I've been told the race that he's won four times, the Tesoro Iron Dog, is regarded by people who know as a "bullshit" snowmobile race that is strictly for beginners.

Yes, Saran Palin came in second in the Miss Alaska pageant in 1984 but she never really took pageants seriously.

And, by the way, she's not actually a native Alaskan. She was born "back East" in Sandpoint, Idaho.

The girl's high school basketball team on which the played (and where she earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda") siphoned much-needed funds from boys' teams.

And, finally, as a former sports reporter with a degree in journalism, she's a part of the mainstream media, the most hated and distrusted group in this country.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin

Comments

[LightningJoe]

If A = "biased," and A = B is true, then B is "biased," yes.

But if instead, A = "perceptive," "intelligent," or "right," then B must also be that.

In the first case, the ethical meaning of the comparison implies a failure of some sort: "biased" is bad. But in the second, things are looking up for the country!

The ethical values of either case are additive, in the sense that two bads make a worse bad, and two goods are bound to be better than one; as even one is better than no good, or even a little bad -- of course we are also assuming here that good is better than bad, that intelligence and rightness are good qualities, and that better is what we want.

So it seems there are TWO ways to look at it (thank Gad for math, eh?).

And that many of those who look at it in either way, are instantly polarized to the extremes of their range. If intelligent views and actions by a political actor look "biased" to you, then you are deeply distrustful of that actor, and it doesn't take much to make you want to vote for ANYONE else.

But if the so-named "biased" actions of an actor appear driven instead by a broader perception or vision, then you may find that you very much respect him.

(Respect is good, right?)

[79flh]

palin this palin that. I SMELL FEAR ON HUFFINGTON POST

[outmost1]

You should learn to light those. They won't be so overwhelming.

[iLogos]

Smell? Who do you think you are the Rock?

What you are reading is incredulity.

[TEPK]

After following presidential politics and election campaigns since 1952 ... I'm just about ready to hang it up and say "Fugeddaboudit!"
Sarah Palin? With all due respect ... a bumpkin from the boondocks! A reincarnation of "The Flying Nun". Alaska? Hell ... what does the State of Alaska have in common with the lower 48?
I couldn't believe it when a none-too-bright, B-list, Hollywood actor was elected President 28 years ago! Now ... some woman from the backwoods whose claim to fame is her Moose Stew ... is going to be a heartbeat away from some old doddering dude who should have retired on his trophy wife's multi-millions ten years ago! (Hell! McSame came in second- or third-best to George W. Bush in the 2000 primaries! Can you believe a 65-year old guy who wasn't considered as good as Dubya eight years ago is now trumpeted by the GOPs as the best of the best - - to be assisted by and possibly replaced by ... a reality show contestant?
Heaven help us all!

[iLogos]

This is the funniest thing I've read on HuffPo in weeks.

[LightningJoe]

Sorry,

http://www.lightningjoe.blog-city.com/

[Katerbee]

Biden should connect both Palin and McCain to Bush's failed policies repeatedly...point out that she is right of Bush.

[Elmo]

"Democrats must tarnish her on her own terms. "

so much for eschewing the "politics of personal destruction." that's okay, everybody knew that was a lie, anyway.

[Kerris]

Elmo. 'Sarcasm'. I know, it goes over the head of a lot of GOP lovers, but... look it up. Understanding it will help with your future attempts at jibe.

[LuxEtVeritas]

The issues of taxation might be Palin's Achilles heel-progressive windfall profits taxes on big oil, her hypocrisy on the bridge to nowhere, the fact that by not levying state taxes Alaska sticks American taxpayers with a big bill-She appears to be a cafeteria conservative who is very sincere in her social mores but does a lot more talking than walking on fiscal matters. All parka, no moose. If this cognitive disconnect is exposed, it would erode the perception of authenticity, which is her strongest asset.

[certainot]

your strategy would work if you had control of a talk radio monopoly

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

What there is Air America

[Synergist]

Duh!!! You've always had NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, CNN, TIME, Rolling Stone, Oprah, etc... Why do you need more media control.
Oh then you could block all intelligent opposition and push for a fascist state.
Or better yet with Obama maybe a new totalitarian one.
Never mind I understand it all goes back to your childhoods.

[certainot]

NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, CNN, TIME
are corporatized news organizations owned and managed by repubicans, even PBS now. they have to look somewhat balanced or they will all look like fox. so they leave important and relevant stories and topics out. talk radio is what would have made sure that if the chairman of the Arkansas GOP had been assassinated by a democrat it would have been all over NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, CNN, TIME all the way to the elections in some form or another. that's the way it works, despite what rush tells you everyday. and that's why republicans can whine the press is being mean and should leave palin's family alone and completely deny the memory of what they did to the shiavo family for political purposes a few years ago. republicans hypocrisy meter is stuck on zero - it won't even twitter. what sane loving mother would ever do to her daughter what palin has just done to hers.

[DasBoatless]

Disturbing fact of Alaska life is the cost of fuel/perishable goods (produce/dairy/meatmeat) The residents of AK in general pay NO state income taxes or sales taxes. Sarah Palin enjoys an 80% favorable rating in her home-state. But bear in mind that every Oct every Alaska resident gets a dividend from a state investment which gives ALL Alaskan residents nearly $2100 very soon. It's pretty hard to be unpopular as a Governor in a state where you are offering up a piece of pie like that. Palin decided to return ONEbillon dollars in revenue to residents ($1200) in energy relief rather than heed responsible Alaskan's wishes to furlough savings into setting up infrastructure to accomodate wind/solar/hydro projects to benefit ALL Alaskans in the future. Instead she chose to give the money as a handout, netting the populace a windfall of $3300 per individuaL. Money that would have hastened the development of renewableresources that would have benefitted ALL Alsakans. A bribe that led to threats to any legislator who dared veto the bill and stand between the people and new big screen TV's. This was merelya "bribe" to pacify people who routinely view ANY Governor w/high ratings when the Dividend amount is announced. additional $1200 was conceived by oil companies to further energy spending by the Alaska population INSTEAD of being put into future energy independance because it would set a bad example to the rest of US by making an OILSTATE independant of....OIL...

[Craniumdude]

Brilliant!

[LightningJoe]

Right you are, Boatless. Soon enough, I shall receive a check for about that amount, and it will be just in time, too.

The bribe, er energy supplemental was announced just about six months ago now. Just about when, let me think a bit, Mr. McCain's people called our grrl for the first time, re the VP slot. I'm sure it's not directly connected, but hey -- it can't hurt to get on the voters' good side in any case, can it?

What many don't appreciate is that the cost of living here, along with wages that DON'T make us much richer than the average 48'er, conspire to keep many of us on the edge of poverty, including (sometimes) myself. By Bangladeshi standards, I'm sure I'm filthy rich; but by "middle-income" standards, I'm just another untouchable.

Travel is also prohibitive in this state, unless you are (like Palin and her friends and neighbors) on the road system. In places like Ketchikan, you have to pay at least a hundred bucks to go forty miles (because the road is only thirty miles long, duh). And boats are much more expensive than cars, per mile traveled. The ferry is about the same price (but taking a car) as the airlines are per mile.

Believe me when I say I'm waiting for that dividend, and none of it will go to waste.

[LightningJoe]

Okay, so it may be a "bribe" in this context, but it was originally a defacto inducement to stay in the state, rather than swarm in seasonally for the fish harvest, and then fly off to our grand mansions in the South of France for the winter.

But look at it another way -- It works because it was realized that the State had a stake in its people, and that stake was fleshed out into a yearly income supplement -- which people needed -- driven by THE INTEREST from oil-money investments.

This is EXACTLY the thing the Republicans say they fear most. It is, in fact, SOCIALISM. (except in this case, they don't rank on it much, as it appears to be working out quite well for all Alaskans, including Republicans)

Wouldn't it be luverly, if EVERY state had such a resource-investment-based sharing pool? Anyone who brings up the PFD, and is not Alaskan, does so with a hint of wistfulness.

So which is it? socialism = death to the nation, or socialism = useful tool?

[diagda]

she is not a patriot she supports secessionists passions through her husband. One has to wonder if that is the REAL reason why she got elected into the top job in Alaska and it isn't because of no new taxes or any of that that's old as apple pie in Alaska a state that has strong Republican ties all the way into D.C. as in elected officials but it is nice to hear Palin is just like one of the big boys as in the Sen. Ted Stevens scandal hehee.

[alaska5123]

The problem is that Palin is a real person. She will not self-destruct because there is nothing that will destroy her. Without some major crime she will continue to dominate the press because she is so interesting. "Troopergate" is the only thing you can hope for,

[martinchill]

the debates, my friend.

[PopeRatzo]

"The problem is that Palin is a real person. "

Don't be so sure. Sit back and watch.

[LightningJoe]

Second that, Ratzo.

The Sarah I "knew" last week, is not the Sarah I "know" now, and the story isn't even half over.

I thought I was informed, too -- look at these two posts of mine, only a week apart:

http://lightningjoe.blog-city.com/say_its_not_so_sarah.htm 08-29-08

http://lightningjoe.blog-city.com/alpha_sarah.htm 09-05-08

[Synergist]

She's hot too. Getting everyone's attention and a good speaker. Well maybe since she's not married competely to either party we could just start pushing more conservationally sound resource management ideas so our whole country can prosper into a green future.

[LightningJoe]

Yeah, keep working on that crush, Synergist.

Yeah, she's hot -- hot for drilling. Why -- on Earth -- would she want to do any of that mushy conservation stuff, when what really gets her blood moving is the thought of drilling, selling, and burning oil?

[rwt1138]

Hardly. The stuff that came out over the weekend is all chaff, they haven't even begun to kick over the rocks yet. Or do you think a thorough investigation of the Mat-Maid debacle would withstand national scrutiny? What about the decision to build a Sports Complex of Dreams in the valley? Apparently, "If you build it. . . people will come" only works in the movies. Who knew? Or what if reporters start asking how you take a small town with a 6 million dollar budget in the black and leave it 22 million in the red after only two terms at what is, essentially, a middle management job overseeing 53 employees?
She won't have to self destruct, she'll collapse under any serious scrutiny.

[LightningJoe]

But WILL she receive serious scrutiny?

Not from voting Republicans, she won't.

She's Anne of Green Gables, Lassie, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all rolled into one, as far as the Rep base is concerned. She's an alpha wolf, shaking her prey by the throat until it dies. That's how she swept through Wasilla, and then Juneau (though her Gubernatorial Offices are in Anchorage -- on the Road System she loves so much).

No, Sarah won't rest until she gets her chance to do what she said she wanted to do: run the Vice President's office for the benefit of Alaska. And she wouldn't blink an eye, if she had to step into the Oval Office. She's "bulletproof."

Just keep her away from the Button.

[dudervision]

Here we go again with people screaming about attacking Palin! Oh, Obama better open up on her. Biden better slam her when we get her in the debate ring. Folks, a black man (even if it's the future president) attacking a white hockey mom with 5 children would end his campaign right then and there. Biden is also shackled to really open up a can of whoop ass on her. BUT, if we use her to frame McCain and just how much is values winning over the future of nature (compared with "scary" Obama, this woman and the mystery surrounding her sounds a little like giving the keys to your new car to your daughters new boy friend who she just went out for the first time). Though we must not ignore her, we need to use her to frame better McCain and how he could very well be a much WORSE president than Bush.

[LightningJoe]

That's why the ladies are taking on the job, dudervision. This must have happened when you were out of the room (or tranced on the couch).

Don't worry -- we've got plenty of female talent to take her to task with; and the beauty of it is, these ladies speak for themselves, no ghost-written scripts needed. With a tag-team of Democratic female detractors, the Republicans will be stuck behind the same ball they now think we're behind.

Of course they are even now lining up their own Republican Women, to serve the same purpose against our fem-bombers...

----
Shine a big light -- Shoot your television!

[LuxEtVeritas]

Regardless of my earlier post, I believe given the fact that the Reagan Democrats (and a segment of the estranged Hillary supporters) that the McCain campaign hopes to attract by picking Palin are moderate/conservative on social issues, they may overlook her extremely conservative views; to capture these voters the Obama campaign has to really concentrate on economic issues. Emphasize education and job creation-Sen. Obama has great ideas and shouldn't be afraid to get wonky. That was one of Hillary Clinton's strengths: she always seemed like the Woman with a Plan ready to take command, and she won a plurality/majority of this demographic in the primaries. Probably in order to strengthen his appeal to these voters, it seems to me that Obama has recently adopted a some what more familiar, chatting in the back yard mien during his rallies and meetings, which must be an attempt to counter the elitist/out-of-touch charge. Nothing wrong with that, but don't be afraid to flex some brain muscle too. Folks are hurting-they want to work but there is so little and they need to hear specifics. Barack must show them he intends to put the bottom rungs back in the ladder. The election of a McCain administration will mean more Bush economics-and America absolutely can not afford that.

[framante]

This Palin thing is bizarre -- it's even too unbelievable for a third-rate movie. If there's any justice in this world, Palin will self-destruct.

[realitylover]

Sarah Palin is likely a Trojan Horse. McCain really wanted Lieberman, but the party wouldn't stand for it and he'd be broke in a month. Palin is pulling in major contributions from the far right grass roots. By October 1st, McCain's campaign coffers will be bulging with all the same small contributions Obama brags about all the time. Then Palin will exit the race, explaining that she has overwhelming family obligations. The tear-jerking speech will mirror Hillary's endorsement of Obama - and it's a simple fact that when people have made a tangible (cash) investment in a candidate, they tend to go and vote for them because the cognitive dissonance would just be too great otherwise. So, out goes Palin and in comes Lieberman. Tons of evangelicals will now vote for McCain rather than stay home, Lieberman will be presented as the ultimate act of reaching across the aisle, McCain will be hailed as the real change agent, and it will be game, set and match for the Republicans.

[MrPragmatic]

WOW! If all that is true then JM is actually a genius and I will have to cast my vote for him come November. Seriously, you are not serious, right?

[Craniumdude]

That is an unselttling scenerio! Remind me not to play you in chess or the board game Risk.

[MsLiz]

Straight out of the McGovern playbook.

[MDhome]

Scarey to think about that. Could McCain be thinking that far ahead with such a plan?

[cog1000]

Glad for a sensible post finally. She's dangerous and I'm really scared by the overconfidence of all the political Dem bloggers. Are they idiots? She is HUGELY appealing to non-political voters. She will probably give a good speech. It's clear that she is an excellent politician or she wouldn't have risen so fast in AK. She's an opportunist who knows how to play all the political strings. She needs to be defined as extremist and a TRUE politician, not a reformer or a maverick. I hope the Dems don't blow it again. I think he's right about Biden. She is probably an excellent debater. And Biden will have all the built-in traps of little lady and spunky reformer crap to handle carefully. So far Obama has outwitted everyone: just pinning my hopes on him and his excellent campaigners. I think the choice of Fred Thompson promoting McCain as the "troublemaker" and reformer/maverick vs. Guiliani the standard Republican mouthpiece indicates that they are going to spin hard for her as spunky reformer lady. Uninformed Americans may well fall for it. There are politically uninformed moderates out there as well as the evangelical base.

[wilhelmR]

I don't know if what I am going to say will serve against Palin and McCain but I do know that will serve Obama very well indeed: REFORM the laws against cruelty of dogs and cats. He will get many votes from Police Officers (K-9 Unit) to the Humane Society, to the Blind Society to many elders Jewish in Florida. Right now any crazy fellow torturing a dog or a cat of a neighbor gets away with a fine and a misdeamor. Obama should promise to make this offense a FELONY!

[MsLiz]

Wouldn't that be a legislative function?