Why focusing on Palin is a mistake - with DRUDGE illustration

[bidenista]

I am convinced that the longer we keep the focus on Palin, the more we are rallying the RW base (look at their blogs, which until a week ago were lukewarm on the McCain ticket) and the more we are missing the match-up which really energizes people for Obama: Obama vs McCain.

I won't link to it, but look at what Drudge is running with at the moment. Ask yourself if it's what we want the story to be - a competition between our Pres. candidate and their VP candidate. Just framing it like that underlines their talking points about Obama's experience:

[cbc5g]

1. Drudge is grasping for straws

His days of controlling media spin are almost over.

[bidenista]

5. maybe, but i still think that attacking mccain is more important than palin. nt

[Forkboy]

17. Why does it have to be one or the other?

:)

[yellowdogintexas]

15. we can only hope nt

[elocs]

2. DUers are certainly focussed on Palin and have been since last Friday.

GD: P has become General Discussion: Palin. Obama is running agains McCain, not Palin. Let's redirect discussion where it should be and about our own candidate as well. Obama's great speech on Thursday night got short shrift here on Friday after Palin was announced and that was a shame.

[Egnever]

3. just leave her alone!

gimme a break

[gatorboy]

23. This calls for a video from that Britney Spears guy!

[Egnever]

26. Yea I couldnt be bothered to look for it for this stupid thread.

[pot luck]

4. McCain can't win with just the fundies.

He was chosen because he supposedly could appeal to independents and conservative Democrats. Ms. Mooseburger turns off the very people he was supposed to attract to beat Obama.

[bidenista]

6. nice sig! nt

[renie408]

7. There is a link to a Drudge discussion in another thread where they are ripping Palin to

shreds. I mean, shreds. Out of all the comments I saw, ONE was in her support.

This is the page on Drudge:

http://www.drudge.com/news/111799/palin-belonged-alaskan-secession-group

[yellowcanine]

20. That is the Drudge "Retort". It is a Drudge parody site.

[JBoris]

8. Why focusing on Palin is good- overshadows and undermines RNC. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. The RW base is energized because she's a bona fide gun-totin fundie.

Independents recoil at the stupidity of choosing so poorly.

[renie408]

12. The 'base' is about 35% of the GOP, which is about 40% of voters. They need to be

firing up somebody else. Their base can get as high as kites about Palin, they are not enough to carry this election. The problem with Palin is that as much as she excites the base, she turns off the middle.

[AllentownJake]

10. Underlines Judgement and actually Palin helps us

We had 20 independents come to our booth at the fair this Saturday to pick up bumper stickers. They were on the fence till the Palin pick and afterwards they were solid Obama. They think the old man has lost his marbles.

[thewiseguy]

11. We wont let up until this ticket goes down in flames

[blogslut]

13. Disagree

McCain chose this awful candidate. He owns that decision. The more Americans learn about her, the more they'll come to realize that John McCain has terrible judgment.

[Occam Bandage]

14. Drudge is Drudge. He's always going to bash the Dems.

[Thrill]

16. They can do what they want. They have lost their biggest argument against Obama

[BlooInBloo]

18. Then you're convinced of something that is stupid...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/10352/07997/1008/582744

"They Don't Like Her. They Really Don't Like Her.

The conservative base might be excited about McCain's selection of the first secessionist VP candidate since Jefferson Davis tapped Alexander Stephens, but they're the only ones.

Another week, another Frank Luntz/AARP focus group of undecided voters--this one in Minneapolis and with some bad news for John McCain: they don't like the choice of Sarah Palin for vice president. Only one person said Palin made him more likely to vote for McCain; about half the 25-member group raised their hands when asked if Palin made them less likely to vote for McCain. They had a negative impression of Palin by a 2-1 margin.

What was the overall impression of the un-vetted one?

They really saw this pick as a gimmick--and one that reflected badly on John McCain's judgment."


So you keep on hand-wringing all the way to Obama's victory - kkthxbai!

[jefferson_dem]

19. Fuck sludge and his minions.

He makes up a quote for Obama and links to a news story published in Brent Bozoelle's rag.

He's got nuthin'!

[ClarkUSA]

21. Um, the anti-Palin bounce has Obama over 50% (Rasmussen) for the first time

Bloggers are focusing on Palin's Problems while Obama surrogates are pounding McCain's "judgment" for choosing her.
It's a great pincer approach to taking the ticket down.

Just wait until she testifies for the Troopergate investigator this month...

[gatorboy]

22. Awww, look. She's praying!

For a quick escape route.

[Ichingcarpenter]

24. She's praying! We leave her alone....

I'm sick of these threads.

[Hansel]

25. Morning Joe spent at least a segment mocking Palin's "experience"

Hell, even Joe gushed over Obama's executive experience in running his campaign. Their opinion of her being more experienced than Obama can be summed up in one word "ridiculous".

They clearly are not buying into her being qualified to run the nation and were really going after McCain's judgment on this pick.

They also were mocking the picture of her with the M-16 and thought it would make a nice touch for her to wear an ankle holster during her acceptance speech.

It was brutal.