Why didn't we see this Palin fiasco coming?

[Bill McBlueState]

After McCain announced his running mate, all the Democrats I knew were almost literally voiding their bowels in response to the Palin pick.

Today, Palin's favorability is the lowest among the four major players. Since she was chosen only to be "favorable" and not at all to be "knowledgable," this number means she's basically a drag on the ticket, not at all the pathway to 270 EV's we feared she'd be.

So why didn't we see it coming? It's not as though the inexperience she revealed in the network interviews was all that surprising.

My theory is that we're all (understandably) paranoid after eight years of idiots in the executive branch.

[FSogol]

1. We're not as cynical as the GOP?

We assumed they would provide competent candidates.

[w4rma]

2. What do you mean "we"? I knew it was going to happen from the moment she was announced.

(Although, I do admit that I didn't know it would this huge a drag.)

[Cosmocat]

10. Ditto, and drag to the ticket was the words I used ...

And, SOMEHOW, she is worse than I thought she would be.

[NewJeffCT]

3. She has at least energized the Republican fundy base

maybe Huckabee could have done it as well, but he did not have the ability to be a cynical ploy for disaffected Hillary voters.


That said, nobody else likes her and a Romney could have at least looked moderately capable in regards to the financial crisis...

[Buck Rabbit]

4. I thought it was great when he picked her, though I had no idea

she would be such a dim bulb. I thought he basically threw away his best talking point, "Experience" with the pick. Her boneheadedness was an unexpected bonus.

[Wednesdays]

5. "Voiding their bowels"?

:shrug:

My reaction was an expulsion that took place on the other end. :puke:

[Dr. Death]

6. I saw it from the beginning also

The day she was announced, after I finished laughing, I told everyone I knew that the pukes were conceding.

I'd heard this bit about the great Washington outsider governor before, you see: I used to live in Texas.

[Uzybone]

7. Who was voiding thier bowels

Everyone I spoke to knew this was a disastrous pick. It galvanized fence sitters to come to Obama because no sane person could think this was a "country first" pick by madman McCain.

[stopbush]

8. Wha?? I was relieved when Mc picked Moose. I was afraid he'd

pick Colin Powell. Had Powell accepted, we'd be in an extremely tight race.

[quakerboy]

9. Which we?

There have been some doom+gloomers here at DU. But for the most part, I think we here recognized her for the empty suit she was very early on.

[frickaline]

11. I'd have to go with incredulous

The belief that this had to be a trick of some sort - that in no way could they honestly believe this was going to work.

[Arugula Latte]

12. At first I was gleeful because she was such an obviously horrible pick, but then

when she was trumpeted as the greatest thing since sliced bread and a significant chunk of Amurikins BOUGHT it, I was depressed. Very depressed. Now I realize that things that are evident from Minute One here on DU sometimes take days, weeks, and months to trickle down to the rest of the population, and that is what we're seeing.

[Marsala]

16. Ditto

I watched the huge media feeding frenzy over Palin in real time and thought that she would bomb, but somehow she was incredibly popular. Then I got worried. Thankfully, it wore off. The Couric interview in particular was what we were expecting from the beginning, as soon as McCain started hiding her.

[Fleshdancer]

13. I think the fear was valid for several reasons...

In no particular order...

1. We didn't know much about her.

2. McCain chose a woman at the time when the Democrats were finally healing from the Obama/Clinton war.

3. The pick was such a shock that it consumed the media.

4. The first reports of Palin included: hunter, mom of a small clan, baby with autism, attractive, and religious...all the things to whip the religious right in a frenzy (exactly what McCain needed) and she was a woman too.

5. We're all paranoid after 8 yrs of idiots in the executive branch.


And then she opened her mouth and all was right with the world again. :D

[cyndensco]

14. I celebrated when he announced palin was his pick.

I could not think of anyone who would have been more beneficial to us.

During their convention - particularly after her speech - it seemed 'the others' had totally embraced her. Things got rather dicey then - I put nothing past republicans and realized intelligence is not a requirement for the folks they elect.

The stars have realigned themselves, fortunately, and while she still has many supporters, many have recognized her for what she is.

Obama/Biden '08

[MaryBear]

15. See what coming?

Palin has energized the far right.

She has not cost him votes he already has.

She has not cost him Dem voters who are committed to Obama.

She is a net gain.

She has given him votes that would have gone to the Constitution candidate or some other conservative party or to no one.

[Marsala]

17. She cost him strategically

His "experience" argument was heavily weakened
His "celebrity" angle of attack was annihilated
His popularity with the media was further damaged

Sarah Palin was a major factor in the implosion of McCain's campaign.

[TwilightGardener]

18. I thought it was a fraud and a disaster from the git-go.

[ShortnFiery]

19. I did. But the GOP is still viewing women politicians through a lens from the 1970s.

They are real slow to catch on that WINKING and BLOWING KISSES may have helped *some women* in the early days of breaking into politics.

What I find very promising is that some right wing women are even turned off with these "poll dancing" kind of tactics to draw in the Mens' little head votes. Wow, that's good news. :thumbsup:

[chicagoexpat]

20. Some of us did

We weren't distracted by that shiny new object in the road (Look! Ayers!)

While others ran around like chicken little

Palin’s Already Shot Herself in the Mouth


Palin's Effect on McCain's Chances