I was in the bidness. The writing is fair. When many readers do not get the point, the writer failed. It is not the fault of the reader.
Far as "skimmers" is concerned, knowing how to skim is a very useful ability and should not be disparaged. Many professionals skim reading text which is upside down (very useful and somewhat intimidating ability for an editor..or was before computers when copy would lie on a desk).
And it can be an invaluable career skill, when you're in your boss's office.
While I agree this isn't prize winning writing at its best, within the first four sentences the reader/skimmer should be able to detect the writer is about to switch positions from 'yes, she's crazy' to 'no, she's not crazy and here's why'. This switch is evident by the fifth sentence where the writer reveals his support of Palin, and then dedicates the remainder of the article in support of her stance.
Ignoring the body of the article, even by just skimming the article one can easily read that the writer concludes with "Sarah Palin is not crazy".
sorry for my post..that was not needed.