Mostly because I don't think Palin is a smart choice. She was definitely a flashy choice, and I definitely agree that the timing of the announcement stripped Obama of media attention, though the announcement might have been even more effective if they'd made it before the DNC and Hillary throwing her support behind Obama.
I think the reason they didn't do it before the DNC (other than the obvious reason) is because they didn't want to announce her right before the Democrats had 4 days of unlimited tv coverage and a ton of speakers who could start making the case against her (thereby killing the momentum), before they really got the chance to introduce her themselves.
Conventions are strange things, and Palin's snarky, "pitbull" style isn't going to fly in debates and policy discussions the way it did in front of a stadium of supporters.
See, I disagree here - especially when it comes to the debates. She's going up against Joe Biden, who isn't exactly known for tact and tip toeing around the issues. From what I can tell, the Democrats picked him to be their attack dog, and she's going to go toe to toe with him.
So here we have this old crusty Democrat going up against a hockey mom from Alaska? She's being sold as the underdog here, the Washington outsider - and I think that appeals to a lot of people (Christ, they might as well call her Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington. It's like something right out of a Frank Capra film). She's going to be able to get away with a lot more than he is and I actually expect her to kick Biden's ass in the debates, but we'll see if I'm right.
Then again, I think Joe Biden was a terrible VP pick on the Democrat's side. Not that I think they should have necessarily picked Hillary (I think Obama was between a rock and a hard place on that one) - but I really don't think they gain very much with him on the ticket.
And the kerfuffle around her daughter and mom stuff is going to die down, hopefully reducing the chances for Democratic supporters to make asses of themselves (not Obama himself; he's been classy about the whole thing from what I've seen) and for Republicans to play the paternalistic protectors of poor maligned Sarah.
I agree that Obama has been classy about this whole thing, and I'm really not sure what he could do to get his supporters to chill out.
But I still think that there's time for other people to royally fuck this one up for him. For example, Michael Moore is going to be on Larry King tonight. Given his track record, I expect him to say something totally moronic that's going to get everyone pissed at the Democrats. Those are the people the Democrats need to put a freaking muzzle on.
It is the Democrats' race to lose, but they haven't lost it already. It's early September, and I'm not ready to panic yet.
Oh I agree that it's not all lost (Rasmussen Reports has them just about even - taking in the information from the start of the convention, but not her speech), but let's face it, Democrats are pros at losing races that they should have won. Right now is the crucial time though. If they let the Republicans define the debate and make it about hard middle class working people vs. east and west coast elitists and liberal media (which is what the Palin pick is all about), they're going to lose - just like they've lost before.
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I think the reason they didn't do it before the DNC (other than the obvious reason) is because they didn't want to announce her right before the Democrats had 4 days of unlimited tv coverage and a ton of speakers who could start making the case against her (thereby killing the momentum), before they really got the chance to introduce her themselves.
Conventions are strange things, and Palin's snarky, "pitbull" style isn't going to fly in debates and policy discussions the way it did in front of a stadium of supporters.
See, I disagree here - especially when it comes to the debates. She's going up against Joe Biden, who isn't exactly known for tact and tip toeing around the issues. From what I can tell, the Democrats picked him to be their attack dog, and she's going to go toe to toe with him.
So here we have this old crusty Democrat going up against a hockey mom from Alaska? She's being sold as the underdog here, the Washington outsider - and I think that appeals to a lot of people (Christ, they might as well call her Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington. It's like something right out of a Frank Capra film). She's going to be able to get away with a lot more than he is and I actually expect her to kick Biden's ass in the debates, but we'll see if I'm right.
Then again, I think Joe Biden was a terrible VP pick on the Democrat's side. Not that I think they should have necessarily picked Hillary (I think Obama was between a rock and a hard place on that one) - but I really don't think they gain very much with him on the ticket.
And the kerfuffle around her daughter and mom stuff is going to die down, hopefully reducing the chances for Democratic supporters to make asses of themselves (not Obama himself; he's been classy about the whole thing from what I've seen) and for Republicans to play the paternalistic protectors of poor maligned Sarah.
I agree that Obama has been classy about this whole thing, and I'm really not sure what he could do to get his supporters to chill out.
But I still think that there's time for other people to royally fuck this one up for him. For example, Michael Moore is going to be on Larry King tonight. Given his track record, I expect him to say something totally moronic that's going to get everyone pissed at the Democrats. Those are the people the Democrats need to put a freaking muzzle on.
It is the Democrats' race to lose, but they haven't lost it already. It's early September, and I'm not ready to panic yet.
Oh I agree that it's not all lost (Rasmussen Reports has them just about even - taking in the information from the start of the convention, but not her speech), but let's face it, Democrats are pros at losing races that they should have won. Right now is the crucial time though. If they let the Republicans define the debate and make it about hard middle class working people vs. east and west coast elitists and liberal media (which is what the Palin pick is all about), they're going to lose - just like they've lost before.
Or not. I could be wrong lol.