On Demand
The Palin effect
By Andrea Bernstein
September 3, 2008
Brian and I were just chatting on air about the reaction to Sarah Palin. While she’s gotten good react inside the hall (with a few exceptions, like that from partisans of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney) there’s some evidence she’s not going over that well outside the convention-land bubble we’re in. A new poll commissioned by Emily’s List (albeit a group devoted to electing pro-choice Democratic women) finds that by a wide margin, women voters think McCain’s choice of Palin was political. Only a quarter of respondents said they were very impressed by her qualifications, and when asked about her positions on abortion and increased pre-K education funding (against them), a big majority of women said they’d be “less likely” to vote for her. Now this last question is essentially a push-poll, trying to get respondents to change their views based on an argument. But it does suggest that there’s some weakness of support among swing voters — more than the McCain people were probably counting on. Palin has a really heavy lift for McCain — firing up the base AND the swing voters, people on either end of the spectrum. More later.
Comments
Comment from Maryann Gomez
Date: September 3, 2008, 10:39 pm
Sarah Palin disgusts me. It is so insulting and patronizing for the Republicans to nominate her for vice president. She cannot hold a candle to Hilary Clinton and she is the least experienced woman that I can think of in the Republican party. There are a million woman in this Country with more experience than this woman! Actually, I cannot imagine why republican woman think that they can compare her to Hilary Clinton when she has completly opposite views from Hilary. She scares me! As much as John McCain disgusts me, that is how much she disgusts me. I think that they are perfect together!
Comment from Pauline Schneider
Date: September 4, 2008, 8:42 am
Sarah Palin is no maverick. She is a goose-stepping, right-wing, Republican. That is why she is adored by Republicans.
Palin is anti women(against choice and real sex ed), anti education (book banner), anti environment(pro drilling), anti progress and diplomacy (mocks the american public for wanting health care and peace).
I was disgusted by the republican convention last night when they chanted “Drill baby drill”. The republicans have not learned from their greed-driven mistakes over the last eight years and we cannot let them make the only change they can offer America and that would be the name of the republican president in the oval office.
Comment from Michael from Westfield
Date: September 4, 2008, 9:27 am
Of course Sarah Palin’s selection was political.
But strangely her speech and the unbridled attack on her family and her ‘experience’ has caught the attention of my workplace in a part of the country that one would think would be pro-Obama.
I think she will play very well in Republican leaning counties and parts of the nation and her family travails will actually enhance her image.
Given our nations pre-disposition to celebrity how clever for the Rove and the Republicans to unwittingly find someone that can supplant Obama’s ‘celebrity’.
Was his speech at Invesco a week ago tonight? One hardly remembers.
The Democrats have a real battle on their hands.
This could be like 1960 all over again and not be decided until the following morning.
Comment from Elizabeth Dodd
Date: September 4, 2008, 12:12 pm
I am a born again Christian who takes my religion very seriously - I go to church and I read my Bible daily - I respect other Christian’s differing viewpoints - that being disclosed, I am very disappointed by Palin as a VP choice and specifically as the “Christian” choice. As a Christian woman who is STRONGLY pro choice, pro sex eduction, pro eduction in general (especially pre-K and expanding our reading lists, not banning books!) I think it’s important for people to know that there are CHRISTIAN women out there who do NOT associate with Palin’s positions. Please, do not judge all Christians by this woman! I think environmental responsibility, personal responsibility, not legislating religious viewpoints on abortion ect are VERY Christian tenants, and Palin LACKS these basic tenants. A poor choice by the Republican party, and ultimately a reactionary one.
Comment from celine secada
Date: September 4, 2008, 1:29 pm
I’ve been a Democrat for all my life. Thought this was to be the Year of the Woman, and along came this bright and polished man, with no experience running anything, with friends (the reverent and the priest) who said some of the nastiest things I’ve ever heard about a woman, a wife with a big chip on her shoulders, a media that has been sucking (from) Obama’s straw, and celebrities, lots of them, who can’t help but being drawn to other celebrities, and The woman was vilified, belittled, insulted and worse. AND HERE WE GO AGAIN. Sorry, my fellow democrats, SARAH PALIN HAS MORE EXPERIENCE THAN OBAMA TO RUN THIS COUNTRY. I’LL VOTE FOR HER OVER THIS FLUFFY, WELL PACKAGED BI-RACIAL community organizer anytime.
Comment from leni vargas
Date: September 4, 2008, 1:36 pm
I’ am Latina and I don’t agree with all the positions the Republicans advocate, but I’d much prefer a REAL WOMAN with real problems who has ACTUALLY DONE SOMETHING FOR HER TOWN AND HER STATE than a man who needs a teacher (Biden) by his side and who has NEVER DONE ANYTHING. Sarah Palin is my kind of Pitbull!!! And I’m a Democrat who will vote Republican this year.
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