Is it all just how you talk?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

I ask because my first reaction to the surprising Minnesota poll was, "Well, Palin is the first major party candidate in the TV age who talks like a caricature Minnesotan."

(A Ventura/Palin ticket would be something to hear!)

Accent is a major marker of regional identity, which is a quasi-tribal distinction.

How much do people favor candidates who sound like them?

(Thinking about the different national reaction to the same policies described by Bill Clinton versus Gore and Kerry. Is it that only Dems from the South can win? Or is it just the accent? Bush is from the north but talks like a hillbilly.)

[knowbody0]

1. dontcha know?

I reckon

[Zuiderelle]

2. I think it's why most southern politicians retain (or create) heavy southern accents.

[ben_meyers]

3. No, look back to the Ventura election

and see what else was on the ballot. There was also an amendment to the constitution to protect huntin' and fishin' rights that got every redneck in the state out to vote. Guess who they perceive to be the person to protect those "rights" this time?