Palin:0 SNL:2

If only Palin would do a little better during her interviews, give the media more chances to see her shine, or present herself as a strong leader independent of McCain, maybe Saturday Night Live would stop picking on her. 

Palin's interview with Katie Couric was not easy to watch. I take that back, it was easy to watch if you're a Palin-hater. She stumbled, avoided hard questions, and even told Couric she'd "get back to ya."

Does this have anything to do with McCain canceling on David Letterman? According to McCain, no. He had to rush back to Washington to put his campaign on pause and deal with the financial crisis.  But I'm sure getting teased about Palin's lack of interview skills was at least on the list of reasons he didn't show. Letterman was pretty harsh on the last-minute ditch, but our focus here is on Palin.

And SNL.

The genius of Tina Fey is captured in her Palin character. But even though everyone love's Fey's impression of Palin, Fey announced that she would really like to stop impersonating Palin on November 5. 

What makes the least sense to me is how the McCain campaign allows Palin very few interview chances, especially with the vice presidential debates so close. They argue that Palin has very little debate experience, and needs the debate setup to be altered to tailor her experience. Yet she can be gaining experience answering probing questions by interviewing. Paradoxes of the McCain/Palin ticket. 

I think I'll be watching yet another Tina Fey opening on Saturday Night Live very soon.

Legally Blonde 4: Palin in the White House

So maybe Sarah Palin isn’t blonde. But this NYTimes Op/Ed points out some very interesting similarities.

Could Sarah Palin be Washington’s Elle Woods?

Consider these points:

Elle Woods seemed superficial; she was blonde and beautiful and no one took her seriously. Sarah Palin was a beauty queen.

Elle Woods is met with skepticism at Harvard; her peers and professors alike doubt her abilities. Sarah Palin has met skeptics.

Elle Woods keeps a secret for her client. Sarah Palin doesn’t do interviews.

Elle Woods had very little legal experience, yet overtook her professor’s case and won, when the odds were against her. Sarah Palin has little experience.

Maybe Palin’s naivety and lack of experience will be the catalyst Washington needs to change. Palin could be the big pink bow in a room full of balding, white-haired heads. Maybe America needs a break from the traditional and start moving away from historically effective and towards change.

But life isn’t always like Elle’s.

“Real life is different, of course, from Hollywood fantasy. Incompetence has consequences, political and personal. Glorifying or glamorizing the sense of just not being up to the tasks of life has consequences, too. It means that any woman who exudes competence will necessarily be excluded from the circle of sisterhood. We can’t afford any more of that.” –Judith Warner

The Strategy of Hiding

Are the media the only ones complaining? Do voters not care if Palin has only done three network interviews, while Biden has agreed to dozens of interviews?

That's what the Republican Party wants us to believe: Palin doesn't have to legitimize her candidacy, because voters know she's capable. It's the media that wants to take Palin down!

What is the strategy behind this?

Maybe the McCain campaign is being cautious: in that case, is Palin really fit for the Presidency?

I like to think that the people controlling our country (or potentially controlling) are smarter than that. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but it helps me get through the day.

Just look at how much more hype Palin's interviews get than Biden's. We get excited when we get the opportunity to see Palin. We're addicted to her, whether we support her or not. The McCain campaign is exploiting our celebrity-like obsession with Palin by keeping her hidden and giving us sneak peaks at her potential.

Is this strategy working? It's frustrating the media, which may be part of McCain's strategy anyway. Either way, Palin is being talked about.

And any press is good press, right?

Debates are the most fun part of campaigning.

Thank you youdecide.com!

September 26, 2008: Presidential debate with foreign policy focus, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

October 2, 2008: Vice Presidential debate, Washington University, St. Louis, MO

October 7, 2008: Presidential debate in a town hall format, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

October 15, 2008: Presidential debate with domestic policy focus, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Each debate will begin at 9pm eastern, 6pm pacific time and last for 90 minutes. They will be aired on every major broadcast network such as CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX. They will also be aired on cable outlets such as Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and many others.

Countdown to Palin's debate: only 9 more days!!

Energizing the Base

Evangelical Christians overwhelmingly support Palin’s religiosity, large family, pro-life stance, and creationistic views. According to the Washington Post, socially conservative voters will not only turn out in larger numbers, but also be more active in the campaign because of Palin. This makes me wonder how we can value the separation of church and state so highly, yet push for a candidate whose values are saturated in the religious experience.

But who am I to say that humankind makes greenhouse gases, or a woman’s body should be under her own control?

Ironically, Palin’s pro-life stance, which includes instances of rape and incest, doesn’t apply to her views of lives in the Middle East. PressTV explores the link between the Christian Right and the Zionist movement, or Israeli occupation of Palestine.

While some people disagree that the War in Iraq is a “task from God,” evangelicals can identify with Palin’s conservative views.  This is not to say that all evangelicals will vote for Palin. Increasing numbers of “freestyle” evangelicals are moving away from the evangelical “bloc.” While they may be socially conservative, they may be politically liberal.

It used to be that securing the evangelical vote would strengthen a candidate’s, generally of the Republican ticket, chances. This isn’t the case any more, but maybe Palin will intensify evangelical identity and produce yet another powerful voting bloc in 2008.

Get Out Her Vote Video

Palin is anti-abortion.

I am not.

Watch this video.

The Source of the Bounce

According to politicalwire.com, the polls as of September 12 showed a very tight race:

AP/Ipsos: McCain 46%, Obama 45%

Diageo/Hotline: Obama 45%, McCain 44%

Gallup Daily: McCain 48%, Obama 45%

Rasmussen: McCain 48%, Obama 45%

Research 2000: Obama 47%, McCain 46%

 

Likewise, a Newsweek poll (http://www.newsweek.com/id/158627) showed a dead even between the candidates. The Newsweek poll noted that the Republican ticket is “Buoyed by the Republican convention and overwhelming partisan enthusiasm for his choice of Sarah Palin as [McCain’s] running mate.”

But what does that bump mean? Is the race closer because of Palin’s entry?

Maybe, but maybe not. It seems as though Palin has only strengthened the Republican base, rather than drawn undecideds to the Republican ticket. Newsweek reported that in July, only 39% of McCain voters supported him strongly, whereas now, 71% of McCain voters support him strongly.

The biggest bounce group the Republicans are seeing is white women. McCain was backed by 5% in July, and is now up to 53% by added a woman to his ticket.

What struck me most about the bump in white women were these numbers:

“Overall, a majority of voters (52 percent) have a favorable opinion of Palin, even if they are not familiar with some of the details in her record. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters did not know that Palin opposes abortion even in instances of rape and incest. Sixty-nine percent did not know that she favors teaching creationism in public schools. Asked if Palin shares their view on abortion, 43 percent of white women said yes, 41 percent said no and 16 percent did not know.”

However, only 29% of voters said Palin makes them more likely to support McCain, and 22% said Palin makes them less likely to support McCain.

Overall, I think that Palin’s addition to the Republican ticket did surprise people. It reenergized the Republican base, and enhanced enthusiasm for the ticket. However, once the shock subsides, it will be a tough and interesting battle between the presidential candidates, and Palin and Biden will be on the sidelines cheering with the rest of us.

On a side note, I think John McCain should start watching ABC. No, not for the news coverage. One show ABC piloted, called “Commander-in-Chief,” produced a scenario in which a conservative presidential candidate, in an effort to get women voters, picked an inexperienced woman as his VP. He died, and she had to take over. Sound familiar, McCain?

Identity or Ideology?

It’s interesting how we’re supposed to ignore private life, and focus on the policies of the candidates. But a lot of critics of Republicans' strategy point out that their strategy is putting a lot of emphasis on biography, rather than policy. McCain is playing up his experience in foreign policy and heroism in the Vietnam War, an area in which Obama/Biden is severely lacking. Palin is playing up her womanhood, another area in which Obama/Biden is lacking.

We've even begun to look at clothes. Are there seriously articles written about how much Cindy McCain's outfit cost? (Yes--Vanity Fair). Yes, I want my President to be well dressed, but why am I watching a video on what the candidates are wearing? Here’s a CNN video on Palin’s style:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/09/05/Sarah.palins.style.cnn

This video explores how many are talking about Palin’s fashion style instead of her policy. And just in case you're interested, Palin's designer glasses were name-dropped. There's also a  sound clip from Palin’s speech: “The difference between a pitbull and a hockey mom? Lipstick.”

Play up your womanhood, Palin. It's working.

As for biography, do I care that Palin’s daughter is unwed and pregnant? Maybe no, that’s her body and her right to choose what enters and exits. Maybe yes, if Palin can’t lead her own family’s morals, how is she going to lead a country to morality? If her abstinence-only policy didn’t work at home, how does she expect it to work in our schools?

Playing up social roles and biography seem to be a distraction from policy. Some women may choose to change history by putting a woman in the White House and may forget that Palin is anti-abortion.

But these images aren’t DISTRACTING us from policy. They’re set up so that we become empathetic with the candidates. It’s a matter of identity politics. Not everyone votes along the lines of identification, but a lot of people do. When every other presidential election offers rich, white males verses two other rich, white males, identity politics doesn’t come into play nearly as much as when it’s black male and white male verses white male and white woman.

The question is, when do individuals decide to vote with their political ideology and when do they vote with their political identity? In exploring the dilemma facing black republicans, Manav Tanneeru and John Blake show that it’s not a clear-cut line, but rather a personal decision that takes into account history, background, etc. to make their decisions.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/obama.black.republicans/index.html

For example, some black Republicans are starting to call themselves “Hip-Hop Republicans,” explored in this video: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-64205.

Democrats are criticizing Republicans for putting too much of an emphasis on biography and images rather than policy and a plan for change. But maybe Republicans are getting it right. Democrats no longer have the history-changing ticket; history will be made with either party. Polls have shown that white women have been shifting support to McCain, ever since he announced Palin as his VP. So it’s up to the voters: policy or personality?

Politics' Dirty Diaper needs to be changed.

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change." –Sarah Palin (RNC VP Nomination Acceptance Speech)

Both campaigns are running on change. That poses a question: If both parties are going to be a NEW and DIFFERENT type of leadership, what’s in office now?

So instead of change, we’ll call it reform.

“[The] McCain-Palin plan is to reform Republicanism by keeping Republicans in control of the White House and most of the powerful posts in the federal government. That’ll show them.”

Gail Collins, in an Op-Ed column for the NY Times, highlights one of the biggest criticisms of the Republican platform: you can toss “change” into a speech in ever other sentence, but words don’t mean action. McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time. On the other hand, Palin put the Alaskan governor’s private jet on Ebay.

Reform.

But notably, Palin significantly changed Alaska’s “excess” spending and its financial state as governor. She crossed party lines to reform Alaskan politics.

And since both parties are calling for bipartisanship, reform shouldn’t be left within individual parties, but throughout Washington, too. Dirty campaigning? Let’s take the old ways of negative ads, personal attacks, and direct jabs and reform them, too.

"Victory in Iraq is finally in sight; he wants to forfeit."

“Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America; he's worried that someone won't read them their rights.”

"Government is too big; he wants to grow it."

Maybe party lines will be harder to cross than we thought. Last week, Palin put on her lipstick, took off her gloves, and is ready to knock some teeth out. Preferably polar bear teeth. 

Sarah Palin Accepts Nomination

Last night, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin accepted the Republican nomination for Vice Presidency. It was hard to hate her. She used her journalistic and beauty pageant experience to address an audience infatuated with her endearing family and hockey mom jokes.

http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.25.swf?vid=685569

She directly attacked her critics, including the media that has poked around a little too much into her personal life. Obama agreed, saying, “I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and, you know, teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that's off limits.”

Despite Obama’s urging to lay off of Palin’s personal life, Palin throws in a few jabs at Obama. Critics of Palin questioned her experience, and she reciprocates it by questioning Obama’s (“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities”).

In a race where political identity plays such a strong role, Palin identified herself as a woman, mother of a soldier and disabled child, wife of a blue-collar worker, daughter, hockey mom, governor of Alaska, and former mayor. Adding Palin to the ticket grabbed the attention and support of evangelicals and rural citizens, but will likely also sway the disbled vote, military vote (although McCain doesn’t need too much help there), and even some women who want to see a woman in the White House (despite her pro-life stance).

With the evolution of media technology, voters are able to see candidates in a more personal and private light than ever before. So how much will biography and identification play a part in this election? We’ll find out in exactly two months.