Ticket Replay: McCain's 'Stop Sarah Palin' strategy working like a charm

From time to time during the next couple of weeks The Ticket is republishing some of our favorite items from this amazing 2007-08 political season. This item was originally published Oct. 2, 2008:

Fresh evidence tonight that the brilliant McCain campaign strategy to lock away the political effervescence of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to stoke overconfidence among the nation's Democrats and set the stage for yet another improbable Arizona comeback is working exactly as planned.

For more than 10 days now the 44-year-old mother of five, who upset the ancient Republican establishment in Alaska two years ago by driving herself to campaign events and talking to pretty much any group that would have her, has been cut off from normal Americans who watched her by the many millions give a spunky speech at the Republican National Convention and then overnight turned her name into seven of the top 10 search terms on Google.

But John McCain's strategists had a better idea than letting Palin be Palin. They set her up with TV reporters born to ask questions until they found some she couldn't answer.

No doubt the campaign's idea was to show the hockey mom was pretty much like any other American who couldn't recall Marbury vs. Madison if their cellphone depended on it.

Wait, come to think of it, the other vice presidential candidate didn't cite a famous Supreme Court case by name either. But never mind. We don't want to confuse the conventional Palin storyline.

So the pressure is even greater for Thursday night's sole vice presidential debate between Palin and Democrat Joe Biden, the senator from somewhere who wears his hair down pretty much all the time.

The Washington Post published a new poll this morning showing that six out of 10 Americans now see Palin's two years as governor of the largest state as insufficient experience to become president.

Almost half the voters polled expressed discomfort with McCain's age and, of those, 85% found Palin too inexperienced to take over. A third of those polled now say they're less likely to vote for McCain because of Palin. It's almost like a dream, it's working so well. A previous Times poll showed little Palin effect on female voters.

Our colleague Mark Silva over at the Swamp reports on a separate Pew Research Center poll that also shows this Hanoi strategy unfolding perfectly. Confidence in Palin's ability to lead has plummeted from 52% in early September before the imprisonment of Palin to 37% now.

It's not all good news though. The Pew poll finds 70% view Palin as down-to-earth, vs. only 55% for the gaffey guy who's been a yabbering senator with congressional perqs since Palin was eight years old.

Also discouraging for the McCain camp must be the finding of a new Marist Poll, described by the Swamp's same Silva. It reveals that while a plurality (45%) expect Biden to perform better in the debate and a majority (61%) expect him to show a greater understanding of issues, compared to Palin's 36% and 28%, nearly two out of three expect Palin to come across as more likeable, compared to Biden's measly 23% anticipated likeability.

To facilitate the latest McCain plunge into oblivion by Nov. 4, the hockey mom is clearly going to have to do something outrageous during the debate to drive down her likeability. Maybe talk innocently about hairplugs. Or let slip something about her home state being 279 times larger than, say, Delaware. 

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Office of the Alaska Governor

Comments

[katie]

Sarah Palin is just what we need, someone who makes Washington scared! Come on Sarah lets shake things up!! Every day I look at my Sarah Palin calendar and I am inspired to fight! She will make it to the White House! (the calendar by the way, is on amazon, and is GORGEOUS!! it also makes a great gift!!) SARAH PALIN 2012!!

[geek]

Sarah Palin's resume has been sold like a package of sub prime investments. The stock price totally over inflated with not real underlying asset value.

Palin was a symptom of packaging something and then selling it as if it was of real substance rather than just plain old fluff.

The people of Alaska bought the pretty package, but those who are smart enough to strip away the glitter see her for what she is. A nice looking lady who cannot even manage her own family, saw nothing wrong with spending lavishly on clothes, charges her state for using her own home, has a very young unmarried daughter pregnant with her perhaps future in-laws recently arrested for dealing drugs. Oh, did I forget the abuse of her office to go after her brother in law? Is this really the resume of a leader?

Mc Cain saw the pretty face and package and made an impulsive decision. The problem was he was not taking home a lady for the night, but picking someone who would fill his shoes.

If I was looking for a MILF Sarah would have my vote, but for any kind of leadership role, no.

[Dolmance]

The people who interviewed Sarah Palin couldn't find a question that she could answer. And the "spunky," speech the governor of Alaska read at the Republican Convention was written for her by a professional speechwriter for George Bush. So the people who continue to tout this woman as a qualified candidate for President are even more ridiculous than they seem - they apparently think that reading from a teleprompter is qualification enough.

When did the Republicans turn into a cult?

[Don]

I think the lay public really doesn't care what the experience truly is like...if they did, they'd understand that being a governor of a state is much more similar to being a president (i.e. being a public CEO or chief administrator) as opposed to being a Senator.

As far as Sara Palin's "inexperience", even the likes of Bill Clinton can become president. Look at Obama: he doesn't even have much experience as a Senator or administrator and he becomes president. Joe Biden becomes vice president after many a try for the Democratic Presidential Bid over the years...what's the irony in that?

In other words, anything goes in this country and experience really can't be used as a detractor...

[adam]

Well, they could have done a better job of informing her. She could have done a better job of studying up. I think McCain should have asked her some basic US history questions before he put her on the team.

arr24@arrpirate.com

[Joe]

Sarah Palin often comes across as a huge moron. I look forward to her next foray into national politics. She's the crown princess of comedy.

[sweetwater]

If Sarah Palin had the brains of Einstein and a lifetime of world travel she would not be a good candidate for 2012. The problem? She's too far right, too religiously radical.

If the GOP hopes to survive as a party it must break free of two of its biggest detractors: the conservative talk faction and the religion factor.

The conservative talk personalities and their followers are vicious and self-serving bigots, a turnoff to the majority of Americans. Many see these people as racists and anti-American. White supremacy is a fading concept in America as the white population enters the future as a minority.

I personally do not sanction mixing religion and politics, and it is a fatal mistake for the GOP to continue doing so. 21st century America has a rapidly growing ethnic population, many different ethnic groups with as many different religions. How can these people be expected to obey laws based on Christian principles if those laws conflict with their own religious beliefs?

[Rindi]

I have heard enough about Sarah. She is a terrific lady. You people got the Kenyan in so let it go.