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Her Biggest Test: Sarah Palin Dropping in Polls as She Heads Into Debate With Joe Biden

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Sarah Palin’s theatrical descents from airplanes holding her baby, her skirting questions with memorized scripts, her studied folksy language, her going for the jugular while smiling sweetly, the barracuda glare behind her spectacles—all this might charm and energize the social conservative base, but it’s not going to sway many independent voters. Her shallow grasp of the substantive issues aside, the more independent voters get to know the real Sarah Palin, the more she will turn them off. John McCain made a huge mistake letting his handlers pick the lip-stick, pit-bull, barracuda hockey mom as his running mate. If he loses the election, it will be largely because of her.

Felipe Romero of VA 11:02AM October 09, 2008

That John McCain is out of touch with America is evident in his asking who Barak Obama is. The senator from Illinois has been vetted and re-vetted more thoroughly than any political figure in recent history. Every American who reads a newspaper or watches TV knows full well who and what Barak Obama is. The man is an open book. The same, though, cannot be said of John McCain’s running mate. The public has yet to know the full story behind her ties with the secessionist Alaskan Independence party, her veiled acceptance of earmarks, her undisclosed government perks, her alleged abuse of power, her anti-witchcraft rituals, her daughter’s shotgun wedding, and so forth. The pit-bull, barracuda, untutored hockey mom from the most sparsely populated state in the nation is the one who is a mystery. Why John McCain chose her over far better qualified candidates as his running mate is also a mystery.

Carlos Navarro of NC 10:58AM October 09, 2008

When I watched her debut at the Republican National Convention, I worried that America would fall for her populist style and her commercial appeal and vote for McCain-Palin because of it. I worried that McCain's team was on to something. Sure, they weren't fooling me but I thought they would succeed based on that night's performance. Yes, it was a performance and I knew it! LOL
I am so thankful that we have youtube, and the internet in addition to the typical mediums we have had in prior elections, because one really can't fly under the radar so easily these days. Without the aforementioned, and because so few people read newspapers or watch news or do any real research on candidates, most would not have seen with their own eyes Sarah Palin's true colors and obvious lack of experience and understanding of world affairs and issues.
I didn't think we would ever see anyone as idiotic as George W. Bush but I was incorrect. It is pathetic to watch her stutter and grimace and struggle to prove she is qualified for anything more than head of the PTA and almost sad for her to be exposed as a liar, as an actress, as a woman who obviously had no understanding of the microscope she would be under that just doesn't lie. Did she really think she was the best candidate? Does she really think she was chosen for her political prowess? Aaahahahaha! Didn't she realize she was just a gimmick and a means to an end for McCain in his attempt to capitalize on the guilt of all who should have voted for Hillary and didn't? That she was just the bait for the puppet-minded Republicans who are desperate to prove that they aren't all as stupid as their candidates and who have been defending themselves for 6 of the last 8 years as their leader Bush has embarrassed them and destroyed all the America was before he took office?
It must have shocked her when she was asked to join the ticket, and they must have really sold her a bill of goods because she started to believe she was qualified. If only they would let her do what she does best and sling redneck insults about people and things she really doesn't understand...and make all of the comments the typical sheep-like Christians do...if only they would stop asking her questions about what she would do and how she would change things and foreign policy and energy and Supreme Court rulings and the law and what the VP does, right? These aren't even HARD questions!!! Every day citizens are capable of writing editorials on what they would change, then they drive off to a blue collar job and yet they seem more qualified than she. Aaawww...and to think she brought her daughter with her on the campaign trails so she could see a powerful woman in action. How sad! Sarah is NOT qualifed and she is NOT fooling anyone.
I predict McCain is brainstorming a way out of this ridiculous choice for a running mate, and that he is being yelled at by his wife right now for screwing her out of First Lady honors! LOL

Mrs. McCay of CA 9:07PM October 08, 2008

Everyone who is stating Biden was "trying to fit too much info into one sentence" obviously has dumbed down over the past 8 years. You guys are so used to hearing "W" stutter, sneer and screw up during his speeches, that Palin's mangled words sound normal. WELL THEY ARE NOT. When are we going to start electing a president we can look up to again, instead of a president we look down upon? When is the rest of the world going to stop laughing at us and start respecting us again? I'll tell you when. When we get the democrats back into the White House. Thats when the stupidity and utter embarassment will end.

Kelley of FL 12:20AM October 07, 2008

Everyone making cracks about Biden trying to "fit too much info" into one sentence are blind to the facts that there was absolutely NO SUBSTANCE in any of what Palin said. Maybe some are so used to listening to DUBYA speak for the last 8 years that hearing someone intelligent speak is astounding.

of 12:15AM October 07, 2008

And I'm embarrassed to find a person who actually supports Palin. God help us all.

Kelley of FL 12:12AM October 07, 2008

totaly overcoached, talking point stuffed, no substance, empty skirt !!! then had the ignorance to go to the more power for the VP card ! like that served us well over the last 8 yrs. god help us all if were fooled by the dumbed down folksy idiocy of W and the SP'S of the world again.

leftnut of UT 1:31AM October 04, 2008

Just because Palin was nervous/unexperienced in debates and being in front of the United States does not mean she cant do the job she has shown she can get the job done. Im sure she will get more comfortable. Of course there is no doubt what BOTH partys prepared as THEY SHOULD for the debate but if you look Palin kept writing notes when question were asked... what more do you people want a JERRY SPRINGER throw down these people have to keep there cool, be professional and get there point and arguements across.
Biden is used this media/performance if you will, all the time. Hes real good at lying and telling the people what the want to hear I wanna know what Biden said so special... he didnt do anything but distract/confuse by throwing numbers around, like billions and trillions to scare everyone (power issue)he knows money scares people... WHAT has he said that is going to save us those billions and trillions, he never explained how he was going to save it, ...The government needs to start drug testing the ones on living off the state so we arent paying for someones drug and alcohol habit, which is something Id like to see. Even though we want or troops to come home NEITHER party CAN pull our troops out ...IT CANT, WONT, AND WILL never happen UNTIL the job is done no matter whose in office they cant say "ok. pull back and come home" its not that easy and has more technical issues than one person saying two words and everyone who doesnt know that SHOULD(so no savings there).
Palin is not like the everyday regular politicians these days, I like the fact she is not in the circle of the politic power issue games.(this is a benefit to the American people) These other politicians do not have our struggles for the middle class people I believe Palin knows what is like and how we feel and she can speak for us. People who have been in politics for a long time have no idea what we go through because they do not suffer and their freedom is NOT being taken away but in fact the ones who have been taken our freedom away, AND PALIN SEES THIS, and SHE SAID IT IN HER DEBATE.
Politicians have nothing to lose its a win win and they are protected by the government they have formed and we have allowed to be formed!(vote people and educate your children to vote)

Crystal of TN 11:36AM October 03, 2008

Im proud of the fact that im the only person on this blog that seems to be REPUBLICAN. :) :)

Brett Favre of NM 9:59AM October 03, 2008

Palin is awesome. Its so stupid that Democrats do not like her. If her views were slightly different and she was a Democrat the Democratic Party would be praising her. Its only because she is a Republican. I thought she held her own in the debate. She may have not won. But she proved to everyone that she could go against someone with alot more of experience. Of course she was not reading cue cards thats the most moronic thing I have ever heard someone say. You can say the samething about Biden

Brett Favre of NM 9:55AM October 03, 2008