In Thomas Frank's book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" he describes how the moderate Johnson County Republicans, affluent fiscal conservatives who value education and are moderate on social issues, revolted in their party against the anti-evolutionists on the school board and ultimately, in the state government. These moderates are exactly the independent voters John McCain needs to win the election. And we can jam Palin down their throats.
Independents, people who actually can and have voted for members of both parties, value competence and are moderate on social issues for the most part. They are the most likely to value experience as a pre-requisite for governance and most likely to already be uneasy about someone with Palin's resume potentially running the country.
But the best is that with Palin's 1880 views on science and religion, she exemplifies exactly what they don't like about the modern republican party. In Palin, you have both Brownie incompetence AND Dobson fundie anti-intellectualism in one package.
Begin to highlight her story and we will begin the flood of independents away from McSame. She's everything they don't like.
Also, while this would have to be done delicately, and by an outside group, is it possible to run the numbers the way a health insurance company would on a 72 year old man with a history of skin cancer and physical trauma's life expectancy. I would love to see this message from someone:
According to America's best health experts, John McCain has an average of x years to live. Can we afford President Palin for the other x?
I know many have blogged about how Palin's charisma and biographical appeal do a great deal for her and might make her very popular with voters. But ultimately, hard core pro lifers only get hard core pro life votes, and McCain was getting these anyway. I also know that she has energized the fundies and got them excited and giving money. But I feel they were always gonna come around anyway. They hate liberals. They'll get in gear when it really looks scary, like it does now.
So ultimately, if we do our job and paint Palin as Brownie Dobson, we can peel off the Lieberman types out of the McCain coalition and win the election in Novermber.