No one denies that John McCain's choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his VP running mate was an act of desperation - but by an extraordinary stroke of luck, she was precisely what his campaign needed to energize a reluctant base of religious and conservative groups.
Palin's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention and consequent anointing as the Next Biggest Star in the political sphere proved that winning the presidential race really is a beauty contest: It helps to have a brain, but you get most of your points for looking good.
When all was said and done, Palin looked more cheerful and more genial than Obama on that stage. She also gave a rousing pep talk that genuinely electrified the congregation and decisively converted the skeptics of her Party. By contrast, Obama had had all the life and fire sucked out of him by Democratic strategists who wanted him to play it safe and move his message to the middle. As a result, his presidential acceptance speech was rather constraint and bland. It succeeded only in preaching to the converted. He was so focused on hitting all the right points that he lost sight of what a political speech is suppose to do - and what he does so well - which is to inspire.
Sounding Off
Most people had never even heard of Sarah Palin prior to McCain's introduction. After her speech, all that changed. Yet, in the din of media and Party acclaim and adulation, the truth is that Palin's speech and, in the weeks to come, her position as John McCain's running mate could prove more of a liability than an asset. While her speech firmed up McCain's conservative and religious base, it also sent many undecided voters flying into the arms of Obama.
Reportedly, her speech helped to generate over $10 million in contributions for the Republicans. But she also helped the Democrat, sparking a similar amount in contributions for Obama. The glib, comfortable way in which she distorted and lied outright about her own record versus that of Obama's did not sit well with everyone. Social conservatives saw her as their savior, but others saw her as the Church Lady on steroids.
High on God
Coming out of the starting gate, Palin has also set the bar for herself exceptionally high: as a defender of family values; as a God-fearing individual whose actions are guided by her deep, religious convictions and moral strength; and as an ethical public servant who is politically independent. These are moral baggage of massive weight that few human beings could ever realistically shoulder. If history has taught us one thing, it is that people who are most vocal about their moral superiority and their right to impose it upon others - they are the ones whose private lives are most flawed. And under unrelenting public scrutiny, their contradictions eventually surface.
Signs are already there that the euphoria of Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention could prove the equivalent of a one-night stand. The morning after, people were already beginning to question some of her claims. For example, expounding family values, she paraded her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter and the baby's startled young father before millions of Americans. Was teenage sex and pregnancy part of the wholesome family picture? Palin's "bridge to nowhere" reference also angered many Alaskans and political leaders of both parties, who saw her claim as false and a betrayal of their community.
An Offer They Can't Refuse
In her opening speech, Sarah Palin also threw down the gauntlet to the media and the opposition party, daring them to cross the line and challenge her version of the truth - and that's an offer they can't refuse. Her hometown is probably already swarming with Paparazzi and Democratic "operatives" who are determined to pry into her personal life and find a few skeletons - preferably those that come with pictures. Undoubtedly, reporters are also furiously trolling MySpace and other sites on the Internet for entries by her teenage children. Young people tend to post dubious pictures of themselves online in questionable situations.
The irony is that McCain was probably better off staying his old boring self and not "shaking up" his campaign. There were already indications that he was beginning to slowly gain on Obama in the weeks before Palin. Undecided voters acknowledged that McCain was a terrific bore - yet, for various reasons, they could not bring themselves to vote for Obama; reluctantly, they were drifting toward McCain.
McCain's selection of a woman also took away the shock value of Obama as the first African American who could become President. It neutralized the weighty sense of historical precedence some voters felt. History was going to be made either way, so why obsess over the choice? Finally, the same social conservatives who are skeptical of putting an African American at the helm also tend to worry about putting an "emotional woman" a heartbeat from the presidential office. Gender was a major issue in Hillary Clinton's campaign. Now it's an issue for McCain.
When all is said and done, it comes down to Sarah Palin herself: she can dish it out, but can she take it? She has yet to experience the trial by fire that is the burning hot spotlight of the national media. Like rats after the cheese, they scurry over every nook and cranny of one's personal life until they find the crumbs of scandals. The truth is out there. And the new generation of tabloid journalism - no, not the Washington Post or The New York Times - will dig it up and expose it to the world.
She's got no base of support or credibility, so as the drip-drip of her hypocricy continues, the thrill will be gone. Remember, Geraldine Ferraro took Mondale from 16 points behind Reagan going into the '84 Demo convention to almost dead even in the polls. The excitement died, and so did Mondale's chances.
Palin's speech was mean-spirited and juvenile, but extremely entertaining. Can we please start calling her entertaining instead of electrifying and all of these other adjectives that exaggerate her abilities.
This is really a referendum on how stupid the American people are. Will they vote for the former football star/war hero who is now a physical mess and his aging cheerleader girlfriend or the nerd who accidentally turned out to be a hottie. I'm placing my money on the nerd turned hottie.
You and I clearly saw two diffferent events. I saw a speech filled with h8, sarcassim and extreme divisive comments..
Community Organizers are the backbone to society.. She claims they are nothing and have no responsibilities... Funny coming from a PTA-Hockey mom..-who as I remember are community organizers.. guess they didn't have any responsiblities..
You can say though- Sarah Palin now has a speech she gave in 2008.
Good Night and Good Luck...
Obama's speech is much much better than Palin's speech in that his didn't have the insinuous, small-mindedness of a small town governor who is used to have it her way in not too many issues that she has confronted to form her "executive experience" she so boasted. The USA is a big country of 320 millions, not 670,000 residents as Alaska, and its population produces a maelstrom of diverse racial, cultural, educational, religious or non-religious, emotional, culinary,..., kind of society very much like a mini-world. Unlike in Alaska , for example, most whites look at colored people with disdain as second-class citizens. But of course, a manager of a small local company can't have the same kind of training as that of a multi-national company. That shows when you are a frog at the bottom of a well, you'd think the universe is a plate.
Vote for issues, not beauty: AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE, WOMEN'S CHOICE, VETS BENEFITS, EQUAL PAY.
Thanks anyway.
What speech were you watching on the last night of the DNC? Your analysis of Obama is so poor that I wish you had asked someone to proofread read your essay before you posted it. Obama's speech was MUCH better than Palin's. His had soaring rhetoric AND substance (he laid out SPECIFIC policy proposals. Hers was a hodgepodge of juvenile insults that were occasionally punctuated by disingenuous statements.
Here we go again.... Sorry to break it to you, but Obama is and always has been a centrist. Which is just fine with me, as that's what I and franky most Americans want. Let's look at some Democratic presidential candidates who ran centrist campaigns. Clinton won twice. Gore won the popular vote. Kerry lost, but not by much, and to a wartime president.
Now let's look at Democratic presidential candidates who ran to the left. McGovern. Mondale. Dukakis. They all got CREAMED in the general election.
"his presidential acceptance speech was rather constraint and bland."
You must have watched a different speech than I did, because the one I saw was pretty damn impressive and inspiring.
Monegan says he was dismissed for his refusal to fire Governor's former in-law.
ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS OP-ED: Palin Stonewalling Investigation
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/516641.html
That's an advocate you don't need.
Luckily most special education programs are funded by the federal government. Of course, she might soon be in a position to slash those budgets as well.
Tell McCain/Palin that all children with special needs have value, not just hers.
O'Reilly insists Sarah Palin supervised daughter's sexual escapades
The latest to point out that hypocrisy was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Cynthia Tucker. As a result, O'Reilly sent a camera crew to ambush her at her home:
As Tucker stopped outside her house to pick up her mail, the Fox camera crew emerged out of a car parked across the street and advanced on her, yelling questions. At this point, I’ll turn the account over to Tucker for the blow-by-blow account, as she recalls it:
O’Reilly guy: “Cynthia, in your column, were you comparing Bristol Palin to Jamie Lynn Spears?”
Cynthia: “In my column, I was criticizing Bill O”Reilly. And I stand by that.”
O’Reilly guy: “Bill pointed out that Jamie Lynn Spears was running around unsupervised. You know that. So you were saying that Bristol Palin was running around unsupervised.”
Cynthia: “If I said that, read that part. You’re holding the column (in your hand). Read where I said Bristol Palin was running around unsupervised.”
O’Reilly guy: “You inferred it.”
Cynthia: “I inferred O’Reilly is a hypocrite. And I stand by that. Good day, gentlemen. I’m going inside to finish my Saturday chores.”
It showsthe hypocrisy of the Right Wing.
Palin is a hypocrit..it shows already..and we wonder what kind of a MOM would throw her pregnant teen to the wolves and hide behind her moral values??Only a politcal animal
What we have to be careful of is once again letting the Repubs define who is and is not a real American.
Also we need to counter the growing imagery of Obama vs Palin. He is running against McC. To have him "pitted" against Palin only brings up deeply-rooted racist garbage of scary black males stalking defenseless white women -- sparking all manner of agresssion. The GOP attack dogs are already mining the ground for this sneak attack.
He might have given a slightly different type of nuance, but it was what he needed to do ..and YES, he inspired and united.