Posted on 09/14/2008 5:49:53 AM PDT by markomalley
WASHINGTON - Sarah Palin has so far taken the country by storm, giving a needed boost to Republican John McCain's bid for the White House, but over the next few weeks both the McCain and Obama campaigns will be watching closely to see if she has staying power.
Palin, a surprise and historic pick as the first female GOP vice-presidential candidate, has unexpectedly added a new dimension to the presidential race, as well as some unpredictability in the role she will play over the next 51 days before the Nov. 4 election.
"I don't think we have ever seen a situation like this," said veteran GOP strategist Bill Lacy, director of a University of Kansas political think tank.
Several factors will affect what happens to Palin's current star power, including her performance as a national candidate, new disclosures about her, the political calendar and her position as No. 2 on the GOP ticket, experts in politics and public relations said.
"I don't think we can extrapolate where she is today and say this is where she will be by Nov. 4," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, whose polling showed Palin has helped McCain's image.
Yet as she enters her third week as McCain's running mate, Palin is still the center of a tug-of-war between the McCain and Obama campaigns over the attention of the public and media.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
He just wanted to use the word “extrapolate”. LOL I’m impressed.
Exactly.
These experts are the ones that are backing O’Bambi, and they’ll predict anything that’ll get him elected.
She has substance, looks and every one can relate to her. She has moxie. Of course she has staying power. This article is just another whack at her knees in an effort to bring her down.
Sure, those “experts” who thought John Kerry was a shoo-in. Can I have their salaries, please?
"Ex" = "has been"
"spert" = drip under pressure
Gibson’s hit piece was painful to watch.
Even an amateur can see that the thing was edited with a chain saw.
IMHO, everything the MSM does now will be seen as what it will be; a personal hit on Sarah.
Nobody will listen to them now.
Sounds like the “experts” (MSM) have moved from denial and anger, and are now into the bargaining stage of grief. “If Palin has to be the VP pick, could her star power fade out by Nov 4 so our guy can President?”
Is Obama still running agains Palin for the vice presidency? My gut tells me that that is the job he really feels most comfortable with.
They don't get it. They're comparing her "star power" against Obamas. Obama only had start power for as long as he did because he was a fresh face AND had a press that never said anything negative about him, his family, or his policies. Governor Palin on the other hand has "star power" despite negative reporting about her, her family and her policies. Hers will last because it's based upon popularity among those who know and agree with her despite the media.
Hell we just getting warmed up!
big difference is the MSMholes are attacking M-P to ensure they lose, and protecting O-B to ensure they win.
It shows how intellectually, morally and ethically bankrupt the dems are, what a pathetic bunch of losers they nominate (Gore, Kerry, Obama), that with the MSM a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DNC, they still lose.
Another reason they lose elections is because they believe their own bull$h!t..
Her popularity arises from her principles. The left just doesn’t get it.
Look at the situation this way - Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., the charismatic, messianic Magic Negro, could sustain his star power for over a year and a half, with vastly MORE exposure to critical comment, than even the most concentrated barrage that can be set up over the next seven weeks or so.
There is just not enough time to overtake the huge emotional surge that has borne Sarah Palin into the heartland of America.
Should the McCain-Palin ticket manage to gain entry to the Oval Office, do not expect the caustic attacks to stop. They will only get more carefully crafted and work at more arcane points than the head-on collision by a locomotive that was the first response to Sarah bursting upon the scene.
For right now, Sarah has them discombobulated.
Should McCain-Palin win in November, you’ll see the media do to her what they did to Dan Quayle. Every misstep, every verbal slip, every act she takes will be reported in such a way as to make her look like a boob.
Hey if Bambi can run his star power on next to nothing for 4 years, Palin can do without blinking.
Her selection:
Democrat Barack Obama wants to make it about the unpopular Bush administration.
Barack spent the last two weeks running against Palin and lost, I guess someone finally told him that Palin is not running for President. Now he wants to run against Bush. Perhaps we could save some time if someone would inform him that Bush has run two terms and is not running in this race.
Time is ticking by, he kinda needs to get on the stick to present his platform one of these days.
Nice work, all.
Lotta great insights on this thread.
Staying power: A woman at the office who is the furthest person from political junkie-dom had this to say — I didn’t hear her speech, but when I saw her picture in the paper I smiled. She makes me smile.
Sarah Palin connects on a personal level. She is genuine. Not often do you see a truly beautiful woman who does not intimidate with her aura. It’s the charisma that’s often attributed to celebs but, unlike celebrity of Paris H., comes from a well of substance. It’s Reaganesque. Thus answering the question about wearing off. It can’t wear off — it’s 24K. Beneath the surface beauty is more of the same.
Sarah Palin is no one-day wonder. The more they whale (and wail) on her, the more decent people will come to her defense. As long as she maintains her grace, humility and dignity, the American people will reject attacks and continue to worship her both as a person and a principled politician.
Sarah Palin is truly the answer to that question every thoughtful American has been asking for decades: Are there no good men and women willing to stand up to the vicious onslaught to run for President?
There is that one comment, though, from THEBADDOG. He speaks of my unspeakable nightmare, one I’ve been having with increasing frequency, one that imagines a cynical, worst-case-possible scenario: O bumps Biden . . . BUT invites Hillary onto the ticket at the top spot so he can assume the second spot, where he feels comfortable. The question is: Is his ego too huge? And Question 2: Is the will to win at any cynical cost too unbearably irresistible?
In this campaign of surprises, is this the worst surprise of all?
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