Published on TheHill.com on September 3, 2008
When you are smearing a politician, make sure you wait until after they have given their introductory speech to the nation. If you strike before, she will wipe you out with her speech and you will be embarrassed by your accusations. That’s the lesson the Democrats are likely learning this morning.
The two other attempts to destroy a vice presidential candidate — Eagleton in ‘72 and Ferraro in ‘84 — both revved up after they had spoken at their convention. Revelations of Eagleton’s psychiatric treatment, in patient, at a mental hospital surfaced after the convention was over as did charges against Geraldine Ferraro’s husband and the demand for a release of their tax returns. But Palin’s accusers struck too soon — right after her candidacy was announced. Their hair trigger response was to throw everything they could at the nominee as fast as they could dish it out.
But Palin had a speech coming. Because of the publicity surrounding her, it was probably one of the most widely watched orations of the political season. As this is written, we don’t know how she did, but I know her and I am confident that she hit it out of the park.
If Palin emerges from her speech in good shape, the Democrats will be falling all over themselves trying to explain to alienated women why they attacked her on such personal issues, blaming her for her sister’s messy divorce, her daughter’s pregnancy, and her husband’s DWI of twenty years ago. Women — and men — will be impressed that Palin is the kind of anti-Washington establishment candidate for whom they are yearning. She’ll explain what she did in Alaska and what she’ll do to the power elite in Washington. Her integrity, courage, and commitment are going to shine through.
Not only will this juxtaposition of the personal smears against her and her fine speech cause the Democrats to look bad, but it will further alienate them from the women they must win in order to triumph.
The McCain strategy has to begin by breaking apart the linkage the Democrats are trying to forge between McCain and the man he ran against eight years ago, George W. Bush. Lieberman’s speech on Tuesday night and the Palin designation are going a long way toward accomplishing that objective. McCain’s speech on Thursday night will likely complete the task.
By narrowing the differences between Obama and McCain, and making McCain as good a change agent as Obama, the Republicans stand to profit from fears about how Obama’s tax hikes will endagner the economy and his lack of any foreign policy experience will weaken us in confronting Russia, Iran, and the terrorists. These fears would not necessarily win any converts to the GOP if their candidate were Bush. But by emphasizing the differences between Bush and McCain, the Republicans will have laid in the predicate for their campaign.
And Sarah Palin is a big part of those plans.
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Comments
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Probably the most perplexing thing about Palin is not her selection, but McCain’s defense of it. McCain’s campaign continues to offer statement after statement in the hopes that the voters will swallow. The sum effect on American voter is a feeling of consummate contempt for the intelligence of the American people; a contempt that will be justified should Palin be the major factor that makes McCain a winner in November. Even though the cable networks can find matched pairs of pundits to take opposite sides on just about anything, I can’t help but think that the vast majority of American voters recognize that there is something seriously out of whack with the Palin selection.
As I listen to the speeches Tuesday night it is going to be extraordinarily hard to sell four more years of the same old Bush policies. And yet the word “change” kept falling from the lips of speaker after speaker in a concerted effort to hide the unbalanced experience of the presumptive Republican ticket. McCain’s failure to fully vet Sarah Palin is less a reflection on the Alaskan governor, and more a reflection on his carelessness as a quick judge of character. McCain clearly shares more in common with Bush than just Bush’s record.
It is the price we pay for the decisions we make…….good luck Maverick John and Mustang Sally.
One of your best pieces yet Dick. Its all about strategy.
OH YE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT .. be afraid.. be VERY AFRAID…Sarah Palin will be your undoing as she is able to authoritatively speak on ANWAR, your holiest of holies. And when the oil begins to flow there IT WILL FLOW EVERYWHERE breaking the back of your warmed over communist carnard of global warming. She will expose your prophet AL Gore for his falsehoods and he will be stoned into the oblivion of political obscurity…. BE VERY AFRAID!!!!!
Just saw Governor Palin’s speech in person at the RNC. I was worried going in, but it was amazingly good. Confident and dramatic delivery, with good cheer, yet with devastating barbs at Senator Obama’s total lack of executive experience. It would be a superior speech under normal circumstances, but it was truly great in my opinion, given the relentless and unfair pounding on her family by the MSM.
I was glad to see Sarah Palin go after Obama/Biden, which we expect from the VP candidate from either party. She could have played it safe, but chose not to, to her credit. If she had played it safe, she would have given credence to the Democrats’ argument that she has not the credibility and is simply out of her league. Sarah Palin showed America last night that she will not back down and that she is buoyed by the weight of her executive experience. She showed herself to be a woman of substance, faith, and family. Considering how full of it (and full of himself) Obama so often appears to be, Sarah’s “take-no-crap” approach is a great contrast. The Republicans now have a strong ticket as McCain also has a consistent record of refusing to take any crap. Maybe we really can shake up Washington and force the soft hands of the do-nothing Congress! Maybe we can sell Air Force 1 on eBay! Talk about HOPE and CHANGE!
Palin speech last night was what was expected. A great deliverance, but it lacked “true grit and substance.” Too generic, and to be honest, none of the major issues were addressed. This concept of I’am Annie Okaley; I’m tough; and will fight corruption in Washington; well many have come and gone before Sarah….and you know what……the last time I looked out my window……Washington is still the same; bothe from the outside and particularly in the inside. Sarah is being so played and the femminists are swallowing hook, line and sinker.
Perhaps the most significant thing about Palin’s speech of last night is how the liberal talking heads of this morning are finding it so very difficult to be critical of her. On the basis of Palin’s speech alone, it would not surprise me if we see a 5 point bump for McCain in the polls tomorrow morning, making the race practically a dead heat. If McCain can put it together tonight in his own acceptance speech, if he can further distinguish himself from Bush and continue to establish himself as a maverick, then it would not surprise me if Obama has seen his last lead in the polls. Obama has been riding on air, floating on hype, for weeks. Palin’s speech was one nail of deflation for Obama. If McCain can sink in the second nail tonight then it’s “game over” for Obama.
Phil Garner
Winston-Salem, NC
It is so amusing watching the mainstream libs in the media in projectile sweat over soon to be VP Sarah Palin. The woman are so catty and the men have no idea how to react except to repeat talking points. I have never enjoyed watching NBC so much. Every word that comes out of their mouths is followed by a foot. By insulting her (Harry Reid calling her “shrill”) they are trashing the very voters they need to win for Obama. Today is a most historic day of a new era in politics.
I was very against this candidate, then I heard her speak. I am very sorry that my gut reaction was to be a sexist. On top of that I consider myself a feminist. Sarah Palin is a beautiful man and woman’s woman. I am so very proud of her. She has a lot to offer. On top of that I did notice the Africian American pundits tried to slam her. From a cultural viewpoint we can again decide if the white house will have its first Africian American or first Woman. You were right all along Dick, Obama would be the looser if he did not choose Hillary. Or did you say McCain had to choose a woman? Whatever, you were right.
Michaelcoogen, I’m sure you’re a good and sincere person, but you have swallowed the hate rhetoric for so long (I’m guessing since the 2000 election), it has choked off your ability appreciate the irony: McCain and Palin will be the true agents of change. Both parties are responsible for the mess in Washington (as supported by low approval numbers for Bush, even lower for Reid and Pelosi’s hate-filled and impotent Congress). It is going to take both sides giving a little ideologically this election cycle in order to move the country forward. John McCain is the closest to Center and the only candidate with a proven track record for reaching across the aisle. None of us will get everything we want, but we’ll all get something we need: kinesis.
I have a street feel for the democrats thuggish behavior having always lived in Chicago(home to Barack Obama), and it is ugly. The democrats seem to operate to eliminate opposition. A few years back Mayor Daley in Chicago no longer wanted an airport (Meigs Field) on the lakefront, but couldn’t get political backing to close the airport. His solution was to send bulldozers in the middle of the night, and rip up the runways, and the airport closed shortly thereafter. Even his political supporters couldn’t stomach his act of vandalism. This is the mentality that Sarah Palin and the Republican party is up against.