How Democrats set Sarah Palin up to 'win' Thursday's VP debate

According to a news release from CBS News, Harry Smith will have an exclusive interview this morning with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, on "The Early Show."

It's not really exclusive, of course. CNN's Drew Griffin interviewed the proud father of the Republican Party's first female vice presidential candidate way back on Sept. 8 (see video by clicking on the "Read More" line below), when her father said, "She's still my little girl."

But, hey, this is TV and the CBS interview is exclusive for this morning.

It'll be the last peek into the family of Palin before her much-anticipated debate Thursday in St. Louis against longtime Sen. Joe Biden. But have Palin's Democratic opponents overplayed their hand in portraying the 44-year-old mother of five so derisively in recent days?

Was John McCain manager Steve Schmidt's puzzingly strong attack on the New York Times last week really a trap, an intentional bid to call even more attention to negative coverage of Palin to lower expectations? 

Harry Smith flew all the way up to Alaska last week and drove out to Wasilla with his crew to learn that Chuck Heath, who looks like the high school track coach he was when his daughter ran to a cross-country championship for him, thinks:

"She is ready to do anything she wants to. She perseveres. She works so hard. She learns so fast."

Knowing full well what he's going to get back from the worried....

. . .parent of anyone in American public life these days, but desperately hoping to generate at least some news for all those trans-continental expense dollars, the prominent member of the media himself puts words into the father's mouth.

Harry: "There’s a sense that she hasn’t been treated fairly by the media.”

Chuck Heath: “That’s what I feel. Someone said, ‘Well they have to get to know Sarah Palin.’ But Sarah Palin -- there is a good side of Sarah Palin and they’re digging and digging for the bad side and there is no real bad side. They’re fabricating a lot of things that I don’t want to go into.”

That much news is certainly worth getting up early for. But here's a really silly idea for this gotcha society:

If a candidate's family is not being arrested or not out on the campaign trail inviting news coverage as McCain's 96-year-old mother, Roberta, does, why don't we just leave them alone?

The way the U.S. media has so conscientiously managed to deny itself virtually any inquisitions of Barack Obama's poor half-brother in Africa and his half-sister in Hawaii and Joe Biden's mother and Michelle's family.

It's not new that American political campaigns, beneath a thinning veneer of public gentility, can be intrusive, brutal, even disgusting affairs, especially online.

McCain knows this too well from personal experience in 2000 when his adopted daughter from Bangladesh was portrayed in South Carolina as the illegitimate child of a biracial affair.

All big-time candidates develop very thick skin; some staffs even collect the worst insults in scrapbooks as badges of honor and humor. It's the candidates' defenseless families who really suffer.

And by keeping the governor herself largely away from the media, the McCain campaign is, in effect, playing a prevent defense, ceding the public relations playing field to others to describe, define and caricature Palin, strangely unanswered by her for a week now.

One recent Alaska poll showed Palin's approval rating there had tumbled to 68%, which is still about 20 points higher than either presidential candidate and seven times greater than Congress' approval.

The upcoming downside for the Obama-Biden campaign is that its supporters became so flustered over Palin's surprisingly explosive popularity coming out of the GOP convention. They have so successfully mocked, derided and lowered expectations for Palin in Thursday night's VP debate that if she doesn't drool or speak in tongues, many millions still open to persuasion will be impressed.

Al Gore's campaign made the exact same mistake going into the 2000 debates. So all Texas Gov. George W. Bush had to do was not lose.

In that sense, Democrats may have played right into a PR cul-de-sac. Biden, for instance, described Palin as merely better-looking than him. A far better communications strategy would have been to insincerely portray Palin with superlatives as a superwoman, making it harder, not easier, for her to impress. Too late now. 

It'll be difficult for Palin's parents because they so want to keep up and cheer their daughter on. But if they are wise, for their own mental health, they'll pretty much avoid the news for the next six weeks or so. What the threatened Alaskan Republican establishment tried to do to stop Palin, the political insurgent, back in 2005-06 is nothing.

And Chuck and Sally should never ever go online where they might stumble upon the sites portraying their "little girl" as, among other things, a naked porn star in action. Welcome to American politics 2008, Web-style.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Top photo: Sarah Palin's parents. Credit: Al Grillo / Associated Press

Bottom photo: Joseph Kaczmarek / Associated Press

Comments

[JRDevo]

I'm truly surprised that some voters can't do math on Palin.

It goes like this: If Palin isn't qualified to be #2 - then Obama can't possibly be qualified to be #1, since his "experience" is inferior to hers. It's really simple, folks - just think about it.

As an Independent - I'm voting safe for McCain/ Palin. Obama's not qualified and has too many skeletons in his closet - too much to worry about - & FAR MORE questions and issues than Palin.

[decompiler]

Win the debate? Palin? All Biden has to do is show up.

God in heaven forbid that this person gets elected as the V.P. and McCain passes away.

[Ivan]

Uh...didn't the L.A. Times interview Obama's half brother some weeks ago?

[buzz]

"but she's simply not qualified enough to be the second in command of our nation, especially when her running mate is so advanced in years. I think the debate will make it clear just how little prepared she is for the job."

Must suck for you then, anonymous. Not having anyone to vote for. McCain to old for you and Obama simply not qualified to be the First in command of our nation.

[Slingo]

" Ahmadinejad Feted at Obama Fundraiser’s Hotel
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was feted on Thursday night by left-wing U.S. religious leaders and self-styled pacifists at a gala reception at New York’s Hyatt hotel — which is owned by the family of the Obama campaign’s national finance chairperson, Penny Pritzker."

I wonder what the media would have said about Palin if She had recieved a bunch of campaign funds from Penny Pritzer and this story appeared.

[Gail]

The pressure on Gov. Palin must be enormous. I for one am cheering her on, hoping her basic decency and intelligence will contrast to full advantage Thursday evening when she stands beside pompous old Joe Biden. Give him a good pasting, Sarah! You're worth 20 of him!

[Dr. Thannisch]

Firstly, I would rather live naked in a ditch while eating grass and suffer through a great depression than give a single cent to bail anyone out that is in any way associated with this "crisis". I would rather lose my home, car and all other possessions than contribute to the perpetuation of greed, corrupt and unbridled political/private concerns. You know as well as I do that it will be business as usual even with all of the "oversight committees", transparencies, rules and regulations in place. That is just the way men are. I and the American public know it.
Women, by their very nature are more honest, more sensitive to the suffering of others, have a greater conscientiousness and are less likely to be genetically corrupt. It is incomprehensible to me that one would not vote for Palin. I feel strongly that McCain will not be able to finish his term. This will put Palin in the presidency. I predict she will do a great job and be re-elected for 2 terms. I have, since 1961, strongly held to the belief that, if possible, I would replace ALL men in ALL political offices with women. I will take that to my grave. There is one thing for certain, I know that no woman could have possibly screwed things up like the men have.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I appreciate it.
Dr. Thannisch

[SamHall]

Bush, Clinton, Carter, Reagan. All governors. Huh. Used to be enough of a training ground for President before 'community organizer' transcended all real experience.

[Ken]

Palin Attacks

You have to realize, the people attacking Sarah Palin literally cannot help themselves. They?re under an absolute compulsion to attack her, just like they have attacked President Bush for the last 8 years. And they are attacking both for the same reason: Both Sarah Palin and President Bush are born-again Christians. I know this is going to sound pretty wild, but it's all true: God, Satan, and the whole bit. And because the people attacking Palin sort of belong to the other side, Satan is able to compel them to attack her, just like President Bush. They could care about Democratic strategy, overselling her to make it impossible for her to live up to expectations, or anything else. All they know, all they can know is attack, attack, attack. At this point, many of the Democrats have given themselves over to an ideological viewpoint that has ultimately cost them their faculties. This isn't going to be a very popular point of view, but once upon a time, I did the same thing, and I finally figured out why. Maybe some of them can too.

[Tony]

>>She may be a nice lady, but she's simply not qualified enough to be the second in command of our nation,...<<

Either is George W. but he was elected twice.

[rite2left]

I think this is sad. Families are supposed to be off limits, but somehow I think this is a tactic or strategy of the McCain camp to use Palin's parents in the media for sympathy. The fact that Mrs Palin would allow this type of intrusion to her parents when she herself has been media wary is very disheartening as well as calculating on her part. Of course her parents would only know Sara Palin as being their little girl, their beloved daughter who could do no wrong in their eyes. What inside information would they have of her questionable governing activities. Her political life and policies are whats at question here. Not the fact that she's a hockey mom, has a disabled child or that she bakes cookies, but how her brand of politics will affect all americans.

[Sherry L]

It is amazing to me how people are saying Palin will not make a good Vice President. Obama is nothing but a parrot, he repeats what the other candidates say. All he can do is preach a sermon and never answer the question. Palin will be great in the debate with Biden

[Aiala]

After the debate, watch the McGang That Couldn't Spin Straight tell us all how brilliant Palin is, what a fearless leader McCain will be, and how the MSM is in the liberal tank for the black dude.

Sure, guys. Whatever.

~A~

[Sally]

This article was written by a neocon plant, obviously not by a sincere person who can think clearly.

[d=]

Dude, don't be so facetious.

[donsmith7777]

Irrespective of the lack of substance of her answers, and their flimsy logic, her apparent inability to construct a simple sentence in which the appropriate words are comfortably juxtaposed to one another in their normal usage is indicative of an unpracticed intellect. A lack of reasoning ability at extreme odds with her often expressed confidence in her own abilities. A quick study? In what? Color me concerned bordering on terrified of seeing this woman within a time zone of the presidency.

[baz]

Gov Palin will spend the debate attacking Sen Obama.
Any question she's asked, she'll ignore, and attack Sen Obama.
Biden, if he's smart, will ignore Gov Palin, except for straightening out Palin's attacks on Sen Obama.
If Biden just does that, and doesn't fall into the trap of demeaning her, it will be a tie. A tie because Palin just showed up.
Of course, those still undecided, will learn nothing about Gov Palin, except she can attack, and probably make some snotty comments.
So, in the end, it'll be like the first debate... nothing that will improve McCain's chances, and possibly helping Sen Obama, because undecideds don't want to see the attacks... they want help.
The whole thing will be about trying to make Palin the victim.

[steve rodriguez]

Where are the Times bloggers? Can't we keep somebody on the Times blogs for 24 hrs. a day?

[steve rodriguez]

Phil O; Don't forget that he never satisfactorily ansewd for Rev. Wright his racist, anti-American pastor!

[Kratos]

You know... If people fall for Govenor Palin spell, then this country deserves everything it gets and more. If people fall for Senator McCain and his spell, then this country deserves everything that it gets... I am neither for or against Obama, but it doesn't take a scientist to figure out that the McCain / Palin ticket is going to be destructive! Can this country survive another Republican administration? Let's be truthful... Majority of White America will vote for McCain for they can't see a Black American in the Oval Office. Even Senator Obama knows it to be true... Majority of Americans know its true. White Women: You will only vote for McCain because of Palin on his ticket! Get a clue! She knew little about anything... She pimped her daughter out showing that she pregnant and now people say it is a private issue... If it was Michelle Obama's daughter, then she would be dogged out all over the media and Internet... Conservative and Liberal White America need to take a look in the mirror and check themselves... Black America: Stop being such backstabbers! Before you start questioning Senator Obama, you better look in the mirror and question yourself...Your own Blackness! You can steadily talk about White Americans, but you can't take the medicine that is dished out to you!

[John]

Well lets start with Obama- wth is a "political Organizer" they do what exactly?
Obama has had three years in the Senate, of which almost half have been spend campaining.....

Or you could have John McCain- former Captain, Son of an former US Navy Admiral, nearly 35 years in the senate.

Yet Obama has more foreign policy experence?

Also saying palin ahs no expereince while not entirly accurate has truth to it. But then again isn't that the Scretarys of State, Defense, and God knows what is for as well......?????

[tomas1]

The article is gobbledygook. It says nothing. and makes no point. Moreover, the article does not even relate to the same topic as its headline. What do they teach in journalism schools these days? Or is it just an uneducated, unethical, free-for-all?

[nancyjoe]

LMFAO...listen liberals. We're not handing this country over to lunatic loser Obama and has been Biden. Palin rocks. All of the nonsense you people have put her through and you have found NOTHING...but can we go through amoral Obama's background? He wouldn't even get an FBI security clearance with his best friends who are TERRORISTS like Ayers. And Biden is a three time POTUS loser and plagiarist. The Obama/Biden ticket is tired and old news. So Obama's out committing voter fraud, the polls are skewed, etc. All smoke and mirrors. When push comes to shove too many people LOVE AMERICA enough to protect her from radical insane nuts like Obama. MCCAIN/PALIN 08

[shimr]

It seems that the Republicans like to play games with the public. McCain's strategy is now to paint his choice as ignorant, albeit good-looking, and then to surprise everyone by showing that Palin is not that dumb. McCain the inveterate gambler likes to play games with voters, gambling with the future of America. Maybe, Palin is more competent than her reputation but McCain no way thought of picking competence. Gamblers move impulsively, playing hunches and taking chances. Were McCain really concerned about the future of America, he would have chosen someone who has demonstrated intelligence and has proven experience, rather than an interesting gamble, who may be better than she appears on the surface. He picked shock value-- a gamble--to generate excitement in his otherwise lackluster campaign. She may be as stupid as some say, and she may be smarter. But that's the nature of gambling. You never know until the dice come to rest.

[Rodger Lemonde]

Our only hope would be that as clueless as she is her attempts to carry out the policies if the Bush /McSame policies would mess them up totaly.