Will Palin's tough talk win over undecideds?

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: Thu September 4, 2008
Will Palin's tough talk win over undecideds?
By Kristi Keck

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came out swinging Wednesday night, but it's going to take more than just fighting words to win over the independent and undecided voters who hold the election in their hands....The Alaska governor tore into Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama as two-faced, arrogant and unable to lead while she painted Republican candidate John McCain as courageous reformer who is ready to take charge. Her prime time address was full of humor and sarcasm. Her tone was a hit with delegates watching in St. Paul, Minnesota, but it didn't resonate well with everyone outside of the Republican circle.

"She came across as angry and overconfident," said...an independent voter from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Palin had little to say about policy, and her speech was full "of smugness and mockery," Warwick said.

Independents like Warwick, combined with voters who have yet to make up their mind, are the ones who could decide who ends up in the White House. "The base of the Democratic and Republican parties -- their votes are predictable," said John Avlon, author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics." "It's the swing voters who decide who's going to carry the balance of power, who will ultimately win that election state-by-state and even nationwide."

Avlon didn't have a problem with Palin's tone. He said her humor and confidence will probably appeal to the independents, but it's the lack of substance that will leave that group in search of something more. Independent voters tend to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal, and they usually vote for the more centrist candidates. Palin's speech touched on her fiscal record, but her far-right stance on social issues, which Avlon says "could be a real wedge with independent voters," were largely unmentioned.

"I think she has really helped close the enthusiasm gap which existed and really energized them," Avlon said, but "there is a substance gap that still exists, things we don't know about Sarah Palin in terms of what policy she supports."...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.independents/index.html

[still_one]

1. Except the racist factor, independents are going to vote on issues, and record

not verbosity with no substance

[emulatorloo]

2. Most independents are not going to like her EXTREMIST VIEWS on

abortion, creationism, etc. That to me is why McCain is keeping her away from the press.

[Lex]

3. Exactly. Palin "shored up the base" at the expense of the moderate swing voters.

Stupid McCane.