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It's funny how differently conservatives and liberals approach an argument.
"Wasilla is less than half the size of Cottage Grove," I told my sister. "Do you think being mayor of Cottage Grove qualifies you to be president? To negotiate arms treaties and command the military?"
"No," she said. "I do like McCain, though."
"McCain's 72 years old," I went on. "There's a major chance he's going to die in office. In four months, Sarah Palin could be president."
"I don't know... I still like McCain," she said.
"Really? I can't imagine 4 more years of this. McCain campaigns just like Bush did. And Sarah Palin? She's just Bush in a dress!"
My sister laughed.
"Bush in a dress?"
"Totally," I said. "She's just like him."
And BING! Just like that, the whole tenor of our conversation changed. Suddenly, it wasn't about whether or not she should vote for McCain, but whether the country could survive four more years of Just Like Bush.
I was so shocked at the change, that I tried the same approach with my Mom. And had the same result! Once I stuck the "Bush in a dress" frame in the conversation, it ended all the debate about Palin's qualifications. It was something they just knew on an intuitive level. Sarah Palin is just like Bush... except maybe even worse. And they don't want that.
"Do we really want to risk our whole country on her? On maybe 10 questions she'll have to answer during her debate? Isn't that terrifying? That's not the way you're supposed to become president," I said to my Mom.
She agreed with me.
So I'm just passing along this experience. I don't know what the conservatives or independents you know are like, but I think simply tagging Palin as "Bush in a dress" can go a long way towards moving them towards voting Obama, or at least not voting for McCain. Give it a try and see.
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