New Palin details may help, not hurt

[DeepModem Mom]

Politico: New Palin details may help, not hurt
By: Charles Mahtesian
September 2, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Fishing permit violations. A blue-collar husband who racked up a DUI citation as a 22-year-old. An unmarried teenage daughter who is pregnant and a nasty child custody battle involving a family member.

All of this, to one degree or another, has surfaced in recent days as a result of efforts to discredit or undermine Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. But these revelations may have the opposite effect: In one sense, they could reinforce how remarkably unremarkable she is.

So far — and it is hard to tell what the future may hold for Palin’s unexpected national candidacy — the travails of the Palin family probably seem awfully familiar to many average Americans. It is this averageness that makes her such a politically promising running mate for John McCain — and such a dangerous opponent for Democrats. Many voters will find it easy to identify with her family’s struggles — a significant advantage in an election where the voting calculus is so unusually and intensely personal.

Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden hardly come from blue-blood backgrounds; Biden, now famously, is an Irish-Catholic son of Scranton, Pa., and Obama was raised by a single mother. But the fact that Palin, even as a governor, remains grounded in a recognizable American lifestyle — warts and all — has not gone unnoticed among Republicans, as the first wave of opposition research has been unloaded on her....

***

If Palin can withstand more media vetting — a big if — and if she can avoid being framed as a nutty, gun-toting, Bible-thumper — another big if — it will suddenly become clear that there is no playbook for how to contend with a national politician who hasn’t been in the public arena long enough to accumulate the kind of personal and ethical baggage that almost invariably accompanies the ascent to power....

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=202B4E02-18FE-70B2-A80A4298569F42B9

[Thrill]

1. Not a surprise from Politico

[flamingdem]

2. OMG this election is not a popularity or empathy contest!

Don't people want a leader who is a bit above them in intelligence and integrity?????????????

[CakeGrrl]

7. Apparently not; hence 2 terms of GWB

As Bill Maher put it, people don't vote on logic; they vote for a "story".

And the Right could spin quite a story for this beleaguered, struggling hockey mom, attacked by the vicious left-wing blogosphere, still managing to balance the challenges of family AND public office. What a trouper, right?

:argh:

[TwilightGardener]

11. Because of that very reason--Americans want a story and a narrative, they

don't pay attention to issues--it's important to hit Palin on her motherhood. That emotional aspect will turn women off, ultimately. IMO, most women don't agree with leaving your needy children to run for VP.

[flamingdem]

14. Luckily the story is a bit of a streeeeeech even for wannabe supporters of Palin nt

[theboss]

12. You've clearly not been paying attention

It's always the popular kids who win.

[flamingdem]

15. Obama is pretty popular (whew) nt

[villager]

3. no mention of AIP, Politico? Plus, most parents of unwed teen mothers don't go around

...insisting they know what kind of sex education is best for *your* household.

Politico -- and most of the MSM -- is desperate to prop up this failing candidacy...

[TwilightGardener]

4. Puhleeze. They are desperately trying for some sort of spin that will

even up the race, now. Speaking as a mother, I think the most damaging thing to Palin's candidacy is the fact that she's got a brand new infant plus a daughter who desperately needs mom's love and guidance right now, and instead mom shoves them both to the side (along with her other kids) to realize her ambitions. Women can do all things well--but probably not all at the same time, same as men--nor SHOULD they. Most Americans will realize that someone is going to get short shrift, especially if McLoon croaks--is it going to be her family, or us?

[barack the house]

23. Palin can do career and home but it's the lack of organisation that is the biggest worry. Would she>

bring that to DC. If she isn't managing her homelife well how would that tranlate to national level.

[Occam Bandage]

5. Politico's gotta make it look like she's got a chance. She won't avoid being framed as

a nutty, gun-toting Bible thumper because she is a nutty, gun-toting Bible thumper. And most Americans do not identify with her abuse-of-power bullshit, or her extremist fringe stances on issues, thank you very much.

[gateley]

6. Biden remains grounded in a recognizable American lifestyle, too --

Commuting to work daily, hauling out his own garbage, planting flowers in his garden, mows his own lawn. Sounds pretty grounded to me. :shrug:

Our VP can hold his own in that area.

[trudyco]

8. What about her no-nothing experience? Earmarks? AIP?

Her reckless behavior regarding her son's birth (why was she risking a flight to Texas at all????)?
What about the 20 million debt she left her town after getting earmarks for hundreds of millions?
What about that bridge to nowhere - and how she lied about it to the USA?

[nc4bo]

9. Soon as I saw St. Paul, I knew the bs would be in black and white.

Forget the family drama asshole M$M let's get to the legal red meat:

Possibly unethical behavior with trooper-gate and this is with a Gov. and VP whose entire platform stump is all about cleaning up government and ethic reform.

Ask her what happened to all those federal "pork" funds that went to "other" things.

How about Ms Congeniality want to secede from the United States and take her state with her?

What about trying to throw the local librarian under the Palin bus because the librarian doesn't believe in censoring.

Why is Alaska ranked #1 in rape and violence against women?

How about the Republican nominee for POTUS can't even vet his VP properly?

Why does she support aerial killing of wolves?

Why doesn't she admit that global warming is melting the polar icecap?

Why doesn't she want to protect the water from contamination caused by mining?

How's that Canadian pipeline going?




oh man.......... STFU Politico, we know you're full of it.

[Dawgs]

10. Only if you ignore the corruption charges and wanting to secede from the United States.

Typical Politico.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. This is bullshit--

"hasn’t been in the public arena long enough to accumulate the kind of personal and ethical baggage that almost invariably accompanies the ascent to power...."

In her brief tenure as Gubner she's racked up enough scandal already to sink an ordinary (i.e. Dem) politician. Troopergate, Bridgegate, etc.

[thoughtcrime1984]

17. With that logic, I would be a great choice! No political baggage at all!

No amount of experience is too little (IF you are a Republican, that is).

[Cha]

16. NOT THIS TIME

Get with the fucking program.

[bunkerbuster1]

18. Another edition of "This is GOOD NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS!"

very similar to all the Good News for Rudy Guiliani we received, just up to his withdrawal from the race.

[Bleacher Creature]

19. Don't you know by now, EVERYTHING is good news for John McCain!

Even if it's not.

[mythyc]

20. Politico's version of spin is

equivalent to a one eyed dog chasing its own tail

(i.e. FUCK that right-wing front P.O.S. Politco)

[barack the house]

21. I don't really identify with their hypocisy myself but everyones different I guess.

[theboss]

22. I do think that all this has the big big potential to backfire

The big problem is that people on the Left really don't understand evangelical/fundamentalist culture. Churches close the ranks quickly over stuff like this.