The Palin Factor
by Big Dog on Sep 22, 2008 at 06:13 Political
Governor Sarah Palin has energized the Republican base and John McCain is bringing in the Independents. Despite what some say the Democrats are running scared. Folks in California, which should easily go to Obama, are organizing and working in nearby swing states in order to swing the vote in the Republican’s direction. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
Post-convention swing state polls are tipping toward Sen. John McCain, the TV pundits are waxing about “The Palin Factor,” and Sen. Barack Obama’s California supporters are freaking out about a race Democrats were uncommonly confident about only a month ago.
~snip~
So Californians seeking to get involved in either campaign have options: pick up the phone, get on a plane, or hop in a car and contact a voter in a swing state that’s still in play. Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado are the closest swing states. Most of the Great Lakes states are still up for grabs, and Florida always beckons.
While it is true that any post convention bounce has been erased, a statement true for each campaign, this is a year in which Democrats were expected to roll to victory. Barack Obama made a few tactical errors and has been unable to completely regroup. He failed to pick Clinton as his running mate, a move that would have guaranteed him the White House, and he was taken by surprise by the Palin selection which caused him to respond very negatively. Obama’s most important selection to date was for VP and he blew that. Then he compounded things by insulting Governor Palin and his surrogates have unleashed a lot of trash that has failed to get them anywhere. In fact, there are many who were turned off by the attacks, especially the ones on her kids. The hacking of her email account also brought negative attention especially since Obama had just told his followers to “get in their faces.”
Several of the pundits have said the Palin fervor will wear off and the race will tighten or move in Obama’s favor. While national polls show Obama with a small lead the electoral college is extremely tight with a number of surprise states up for grabs. It is possible that we will have another election where the person with the highest number of votes will lose. Thank goodness the Founders had the sense to make the election 50 individual elections.
Has the Palin influence worn off? Was she a flash in the pan or does she have appeal? While Barack Obama was in Florida telling lies to senior citizens about Social Security Sarah Palin was there to discuss the issues. She drew a crowd of 60,000 people who were interested in what she had to say. So, if the Palin influence is wearing off, then why is she drawing such large crowds? Florida was considered to be very much in play but I have read Obama might scale back there if McCain increases his lead so that money can be concentrated in other battleground states. Another Obama error might have been saying no to federal funds. He might not raise the money needed to compete so he will have to concentrate in states where he has the best chances to win.
I think the next few weeks will be pretty exciting. I am looking forward to the debates. I want to see the open style for the presidential candidates but I am very interested in the VP debates. I think if Palin holds her own with Biden or wins then the balance of power will swing. Of course, Palin is at a disadvantage because she has to fight Biden and the media wing of the Obama campaign. But she is tough enough.
Sarah Palin is here to stay and she will have a lot of influence on this election. The rumors are that Biden will get some previously undisclosed illness and be replaced with Hillary. That would make things interesting but it would lead to questions about Obama’s leadership abilities. There are not many chances for do-overs in the White House.
Get the popcorn, this is going to be fun.
Tags: battleground states, biden, crowds, debates, McCain, Obama, palin
You know what the Palin factor is? A drastic increase in the amount of wishful thinking and fiction you guys have come up with when it comes to the Obama campaign.
There is nobody in the Obama campaign freaking out because their team is ahead or behind by a certain amount. There is no mystery Biden illness and no back down or Clinton regrets from the choice. There is no cash problem and no reason he should have taken federal funding while he was setting donation records and still is. Obama doesn’t have trouble speaking without his teleprompter and the 10,000 Hillary/Obama debates showed that.
There’s plenty to attack Obama on so I’m not sure why we keep having to rehash the topics above. If we’re gonna have election commentary at least base it in realty and not wishful thinking.
Look Adam,
I am writing what is being reported in the extremely left biased news. People are freaking out. All one has to do is listen to them. Add that to the information coming in that Axlerod is using his astroturf methods and you have some questions to answer. Couple this with the PR firm with which he has a relationship putting up blatant lies about Sarah Palin and you can see that the pristine One is not so clean.
Biden will be gone by October 5th (I have seen this all over). This will allow him to debate and Hillary to come in and not have to face palin. Hillary has already shown she is afraid of her by backing out of the rally. Then, of course, Democrats pressured them to drop Palin (with threats to their tax exempt status, no less).
Obama has to raise 100 million a month to keep up and he has not done it. Now he is forced to spend time fund raising instead of campaigning.
He is generally thought to have done poorly in the debates and he goes off message. There are a lot of uhhs and errs when he does not have it written out.
I don’t think it is wishful thinking. After it gets out how Obama has sex with his little girls the end will be near (with all except the hardcore lefties who think that is OK).
Turn about is fair play.
You talk about Palin lies like every falsehood that comes out isn’t followed by an equal or greater number from McCain. It’s strange how much lying is going on in the race. The same day you were ripping Obama for his Spanish ad taking Windbagh’s quotes out of context McCain was releasing his own Spanish fairy tale ad.
Anybody who says Biden is on the way out is just spinning a yarn. You can believe it if it makes you feel better but if I were you I’d stick to the places you can hit Obama on and stop echoing these nonsense rumors.
What is the $100 million figure from? I couldn’t track that down for sure.
I think Hillary whipped Obama in the debates for sure, but to say he has to tour with his teleprompter is a joke. Attacking Obama on that point is just a counter to the fact that McCain can’t deliver a good speech to save his life. I’ve heard of picking a running mate to complete your campaign but really Palin is about the only thing interesting McCain has going if you ask me.
I am sorry Adam, I was not aware that anyone accused Obama of having sex with his own children. I was not aware they accused his wife of having an affair with a business associate. I am aware that Obama was accused of being involved in a radical church but that is because it is 100% true.
Obama can’t speak off the cuff. When he does he makes pig comments and blames himself for sleazy ads.
That figure came from an article a few weeks ago that discussed a meeting the campaign had with fundraisers. They need to make 100 million a month in order to keep pace with what McCain has because out of it Obambi will only keep 85 million because of overhead.
Obama can deliver a speech that says absolutely nothing very eloquently. McCain says things of substance in a not so articulate manner.
I am going to keep up the Biden is on the way out. You see, Axlerod is creating a lot of rumors but distancing himself. He is using Kos and PR firms to send things around to make it look like every lib in the world had the same idea at the same time and it goes viral. Let’s see how far this goes.
But I think the rumor was mentioned on CNN.
“Obama can deliver a speech that says absolutely nothing very eloquently. ”
And then there are some things that say a lot…….
OBAMA: They get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy towards people who aren’t like them. (about middle America)
MICHELLE OBAMA: Barack knows that there’s a hole in our soul.
OBAMA: I know my country has not perfected itself.
MICHELLE OBAMA: It’s easier to hold onto your own stereotypes and misconceptions. It makes you feel justified in your ignorance. That’s America.
OBAMA: We’re confronting the history and stain of slavery in this country. We’re confronting those scars.
MICHELLE OBAMA: For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.
OBAMA: America is no longer what it could be, what it once was.
OBAMA: We may be passing on an America to our children that is less prosperous, maybe meaner and more divided than the country we inherited from our parents. (If I lose)
“My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.” — Barack Obama …
Barak Obama-“Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”
Excellent points Victoria. I particularly liked this:
“My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.” — Barack Obama
Now that says quite a bit. Should have had teleprompter…
That is actually one of my favorites as well.