“but their attacks have been far more personal”
Very true, Al. With Reagan, the attacks did not involve his family or his personal history. It was his age, his intellect and his martial tendencies (he’s gonna start WW III), not necessarily in that order. The charges were unfair and untrue but they weren’t overtly nasty and most of the American people worried about them until they saw him on the stage with Carter.
With Palin, they have fired all their ordinance-the good, the bad and the ugly-and they run a real risk that was absent with Reagan in 1980. The American people collectively have a great sense of decency and fair play. They react very strongly to unfair attacks (as witness the level of unity the country achieved after 9/11 and Pearl Harbor). The MSM is in the territory of creating support for Palin because they are unable to destroy her, especially with women and with anyone who has been in a position where someone is taking unfair advantage of them.
Her spunk, grit and humor in the face of it wins converts. The left always overreaches. Or, as an old priest used to say, “the devil always bites his tail.”
And because of the political attacks that made so many unsure of Reagan, and because of the fact that Americans were looking for an alternative to Carter despite the attacks on Reagan, 105 million people tuned into that debate just days before the election in 1980, still the most watched debate ever. Americans learned the truth that night and it was over.
I suspect it will come down to that again if Sarah Palin squares off against Obama. One on one, and I'm sure Sarah Palin will relish that and the debate audience record may well be broken after all these years.