You would have thought that after last week’s sorry debate performance that Sarah Palin’s star would have completely faded from the sky. However, you would have been wrong. Like Rich Lowry and so many other conservative pundits, there is a certain segment of the electorate that is … well … let’s face it:
They’re hot for Sarah.
They don’t care if she’s not any smarter than the average voter. They don’t care that she’s got an ethics scandal brewing in her background. They don’t care about the long, long list of lies that she has told.
They just think she’s hot and that’s all that matters.
Up until he picked Sarah Palin, John McCain’s campaign was languishing. He inspires very little passion or enthusiasm among Republicans and, while many Democrats have “kinda liked him” in the past, they certainly aren’t going to vote for him over someone like Barack Obama. But Sarah. Oh, Sarah. She was just the shot in the arm that his campaign needed.
Except now she has eclipsed him. He’s now seen as the old, creepy guy who is flailing around in an erratic fashion in the middle of a crisis while his opponent remains calm and reasoned and thoughtful. Sarah is now the star power on their ticket.
I knew all this and it’s been on my mind for over a week now. But it wasn’t until I saw that yard sign yesterday, that it really came slamming home for me.
The sign literally had McCain’s name and website address spray-painted out on both sides of the sign. It’s not McCain they like. It’s Palin.
As we canvass around our area for the Obama campaign, it’s very common to have some version of this conversation:
ME: Hello! My name is Eclectablog and I’m a volunteer for Senator Obama’s Campaign for Change. How are you today?
CANVASEE (with trepidation): Uh, okay…
ME: That’s great! We’re out talking to people in your neighborhood today about the Senator campaign and to find out if we can count on your support for Barack Obama in November?
CANVASEE: You’re at the wrong house, buddy boy.
ME: Does that mean you’ll be voting for John McCain?
CANVASEE: That means I’m NOT voting for Obama and that’s all I’m gonna say!
*SLAM!*
Not exactly pride in your candidate is it? When you can’t even rally your base to support you and they like your over-her-head-and-out-of-her-league vice presidential candidate better than you, you gotchyerself a problem.
And that suits me just fine.
I’m just sayin’…
