Palin's Speech Can't Spark the GOP

Posted by Digby, Hullabaloo at 6:36 AM on September 4, 2008.

I expect that a lot of people on both sides of the aisle were surprised that Palin didn't run out on stage dressed like Ellie May Clampett, chomping on a wad of tobacco and talking like Roseann Barr. Instead, she gave a successful political speech in the style of a female political icon like Ann Richards (if she had a Fargo accent.) She was confident and poised and she is obviously not going to embarrass the GOP with amateur, provincial incompetence. I don't think anyone's as sure she'll be dumped from the ticket tomorrow morning as they were today.

But the bottom line is that while she may not sink this ticket (at least immediately) she can't save it either. They'll get out their base, which until now was a questionable proposition. But that won't be enough. Their base has shrunk. They have to win over a chunk of independents and I just don't know if they can successfully separate themselves from the disaster of the past eight years, even if Maverick decides to move the White House to Point Barrow.

They are Republicans. Both of them. And that should be enough to sink them if the Democrats actually run against them.

Tagged as: rnc, mccain, palin

Digby is the proprietor of Hullabaloo.