Ouch! Palin bump turns into a bruise.

Yahoo! Polls report that McCain’s decline in public image polls are also reflected in Palin’s decline in public image. Last month, people who said Palin made them more likely to vote for McCain exceeded those who said they were less likely by 14 points. This month, it is down to 3 points.

Mark Halperin and John Harris’ The Way to Win describes the most important Trade Secret during the Presidential Election: The presidential candidate who better keeps control of his public image wins the election. The McCain/Palin ticket is letting the image of supposed honest politics slip away quickly.

Of course, the image quote applies to ‘her’, too, but the McCain/Palin ticket is failing evenly, on both sides of the ticket. If I had to guess, I’d attribute this to the spike in negative ads. The Republican is making a last ditch attempt to grasp at straws to get more support. Some advice? Negative ads disaffect voters! No one wants to see you clawing at Obama’s face, while he stands there and takes it, ESPECIALLY if you have the facts wrong (Obama was 8 years old when Ayers was notorious; there is little plausibility they were working together, no matter how hard you try to link them).

Palin, stop focusing your speeches on Obama bashing! America barely knows you, and we don’t want to know you as “that woman who wasn’t qualified and was too busy letting her audience call Obama a terrorist to tell us what she believes in.”

You have 18 days to get in control of your image. Ready, set, go!

Side note: the picture above is from moremuslimthanobama.com. Hilarious.

Would McCain vote for Palin?

In last night’s final presidential debate, Senator Obama and Senator McCain were asked the question: Why would the country be better off if your running mate became president?

McCain’s answer included this: Americans have gotten to know Sarah Palin, they know she’s a role model… for women.

If Obama had said, “Joe Biden is a role model… for men,” I think that would have surprised a few people. Just because Palin is a woman doesn’t mean she can’t be a role model for boys and men, too.

This is just paraphrasing, but McCain says:

“She cuts taxes, she reforms, she knows about energy, she reforms, and she’s a breath of fresh air. Did I mention that she is a reformer? And she has a special needs child, I’m proud of her. And her husband is a manly man.”

McCain, did you forget to answer the question? What happens if she becomes president? She can only be fresh breath for so long. Is Palin ready to be the President?

According to a PBS poll, the results are split. This isn’t an accurate poll, so take the results with a grain of salt. Palin’s approval ratings have significantly lowered since the Republican National Convention. As we learn more about her, can we say that we have more confidence that she can lead our country as one of the most powerful people in the world if something were to happen to John McCain?

Does John McCain even think that Palin can lead if he died? Just watch his face:

PUMA attacks Palin!!!!

In an interview with CNN, Hilary Clinton discussed her opinion on a woman in the White House. She said,

“Well, I would like to see the very first woman in the White House who I agree with and who I think has policies that would really fulfill the goals that I have for our country. Of course it's exciting to have a woman on the ticket. The Democrats had a vice presidential candidate as a woman back in 1984. The Republicans did it this year. But that, in and of itself, is not enough reason, and really no one will shatter that ceiling until we have a woman serving as president or vice president. But I am going to be supporting women and men with whom I agree -- who I believe have the right policies and the right ideas about what's best for America.”

Despite the “Palin bump” and what some seemed to see as a shift in party support because of the introduction of a woman on the ticket, Palin’s nomination actually helped to reunify the Democratic Party. Many people thought that women would vote for Palin to see a woman in office, despite her “anti-woman” record and policies. Former Clinton supporters have seen the danger of electing the McCain/Palin ticket, and chose to support Obama in response, after their boycott of support because of their disappointment in Clinton’s loss.

The “Puma Effect”, as explained here, was comprised of Clinton supporters who had boycotted Obama. PUMA stands for “Party Unity My Ass,” and it had hurt Obama in the early summer. Strangely, it’s the Pumas that have supported Obama that have pushed him ahead in polls in key states.

 

What's the difference between Palin and a Puma?

Lipstick? 

Celebs Gone Political

Matt Damon has been in some pretty awesome movies, and therefore I value his opinion on politics. Joking, but here’s the video:

What most people got out of it was the comparison of Palin’s campaign to a bad Disney movie. The trailer:

 I think it’s interesting how a lot of people do value celebrity opinion. They have connections in high places; they must understand the political arena. Or, celebrities actually KNOW politicians, and so they must know their true character. Celebrities have money; they must want to spend it supporting the right candidate. I want to be like Angelina Jolie, so I’ll adopt a bunch of babies and vote for the candidate she votes for.

Who knows why people listen to Matt Damon. Sure, he makes some good points, but why value his opinion over a political scientist?

Maybe it’s because Matt Damon has never looked like an idiot debating on network television. Matt Damon isn’t bashing his ideology into my head and telling me what I want, how I want it, and why I want it. Or maybe I don’t watch the news, I only watch entertainment television, so that’s what I’m exposed to. What ever the reason, I think that how some of us overlook the opinions of academics speaks to this huge disconnect we feel with the media. The media are the ones supposed to be HELPING us make our decisions, not causing our apathy.

When Victoria Beckham influences my choice of shoe more than CNN, I can sleep at night. But when she influences my choice of candidate, I think I’d rather eat my shoe. And when I think of how many people look to Entertainment Tonight to get their political news, I want to stick their shoes in unpleasant places.

And lastly, to address the Democratic bias of Celebrity Politics, Republicans say this:

"It's not surprising that the Barack Obama and his celebrity supporters continue to tear down Gov. Palin with little more than blatant name-calling. It's clear they're threatened by a candidate who actually has a record of achieving reform and change, while Barack Obama just talks about it." – Maria Comella, spokesperson for Palin.

Oh Maria, don't get too offended. I don't care what they say about Palin, I only care what kind of shoes she wears. 

Feminists for Life or Women Against the Right to Abortion?

“All abortions should be banned except when the mother’s health is in danger. That includes cases of rape and incest. Abortion is an atrocity.”

Well, according to Palin and the Feminists for Life (FFL), an organization that argues that being a pro-life feminists isn’t as paradoxical as it seems. Palin has been a member since 2006.

For the rest us, it’s hard to separate anti-abortion from anti-feminism. It seems like feminism is necessarily tied to the right for women to control their own bodies. How can Palin support an ideology that forces a victim of rape to carry her unwanted child to term? Did Palin choose to keep her son diagnosed with Down syndrome for political purposes? I doubt that is the case, but these are questions on voters’ minds, especially since one in five Clinton supporters are voting for Palin. Does it make sense that just because Palin is a woman, she should be supported by women? It depends on your definition and degree of feminism. With such a plurality of feminisms, it depends on to what degree you believe Palin will progress gender equality in office. If taking away a woman’s right to abortion isn’t your idea of progressing women’s equality, then you should probably reconsider your decision to vote for Palin just because she can give birth.

The Maverick Drinking Game

Anyone taking shots for any time Palin said “maverick” would have been six-shots in by the end of the VP Debate. Add Biden’s criticism of McCain as a maverick, and you’d add nine more shots. But by the end of the debate, you didn’t have to be drunk to have lost sense of the word “maverick.”

Who won? For Palin, the debate wasn’t about winning. Her goal was to survive, and in that sense, it was a successful debate. She held her own with the more experienced Biden. And although she avoided some questions and fell into her talking-point comfort zone (energy, energy, and energy), she did well in avoiding embarrassing herself as well.

Good training, McCain campaign.

The VP debate was quicker, and more interesting than the Presidential debate. Biden was on top of his facts, legitimizing his cocky style (how many times does Joe Biden need to refer to himself as Joe Biden? Let’s avoid the third person, Joe Biden). In all, both candidates met their expectations, a success for both candidates. The VP debate may not have altered the Presidential race significantly, but it’s reassuring to know that America isn’t a heartbeat away from getting screwed over. 

I was impressed by the difference in Palin's performance from her interviews to the debate. She seemed to finally have a foundation of understanding (although an unstable foundation) on a number of policy issues, not just oil. After all, a maverick needs to know the conventions before they can be unconventional ("maverick" SHOT!)

VP Showdown

It’s right v left. It’s GOP v Dems. It’s woman v man. It’s young v old. It’s innovation v experience. It’s Palin v Biden. 

The stage for the Vice Presidential debates is not set on even ground. Not in the same way that McCain had to stand on a stool, but in the expectations set for the VP picks. Biden is experienced, smart, quick, witty, and aware of national issues. Palin has no debate experience on the national level, and after her interview performances, she has set low expectations.

Is this part of the McCain/Palin strategy? Palin sandbags interviews, but at the last minute astounds the nation by her performance in the VP debates! Palin conquers the confdent and experienced Biden in a historical upset! Sounds like some horse race pieces, but fits with the pattern of daring moves by the McCain campaign. 

What we need to keep an eye out for are the VP nominee’s pitfalls. For Biden (according to the NY Times), it’s his “legendary loquaciousness”. He loves to rip on Republicans, but will need to tread lightly during the second national debate with a female nominee. For Palin (according to the CS Monitor), it’s her evasion of answering questions she’s unfamiliar with. Her network interviews have shown us her penchant for the “nonanswer”.

Both candidates have lots to gain. With a strong understanding of their ticket’s policy positions, the ability to articulate them, and a capability to relate to the crowd, either candidate could reinforce support for their party’s Presidential nominee. Any slip-ups, hesitations, gaffes, or obliviousness could seriously hinder their ticket.

Good luck Palin and Biden, we’ll be watching closely.

For a video on VP debate style, go here!