Abuse plays into Palin’s hands

The Financial Times ^ | September 30, 2008 | Edward Luce

[Berlin_Freeper]

...In Ms Palin’s favour tomorrow night is a tendency to be underestimated. In 2006 she went through a gruelling 12 televised debates with her opponents in the Alaskan gubernatorial race. Then, as now, she was written off as a neophyte who was out of her depth. Although she made several gaffes, voters were prepared to overlook them because they identified with her personality.

Ms Palin can also continue to draw on a sympathy factor from voters who dislike the often unsupported and sometimes vicious torrent of abuse from the liberal blogsphere about her life.

Likewise, after a brief furore the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation last week ditched an online columnist, Heather Mallick, who wrote about the “hillbillies” supporting Ms Palin and described her as having the “toned-down version of the porn actress look . . . the overtreated hair, puffy lips and permanently alarmed expression”.

Such comments play straight into Ms Palin’s hands. Meanwhile, Alaska’s most famous moose hunter has been expertly talking up her opponent and lowering her own expectations in advance of tomorrow’s encounter.

“I have to admit Joe Biden’s a great debater, and he looks pretty doggone confident, like he’s sure he’s going to win,” she told a rally on Monday.

[tioga]

those are some great shoes! wonder if they are her trademark naughty monkeys?