Well, I have to admit, she gives a pretty good speech. And she cuts a pretty impressive figure with her "story". And yes, she's a governor, but in a state that's fortunate to be floating on a sea of oil, with plenty of money to solve any problem, as long as you don't get in the way of that revenue stream.
The Repugs are going to claim that she's their Obama--but unlike Obama, she's not the leader of any political movement. She's just the appointed spokesperson for the same corporate cartel and other political players who brought you the Bush Administration, with the implicit aim to preserve, not change the political agenda. That's the simple truth--and that's exactly what we will use to defeat her.
I will admit I've underestimated Palin's strengths to date. But we all know that what she's selling is The Big Lie, the same lie the Republicans have been selling us for 28 years: "Taxes are bad, government is bad, corporations are good, Democrats are anti-Christian, Democrats are anti-defense, and there-are-no-fundamental-problems-in-America-the-greatest-country-on-earth-so-if-you-see-any-you-mus
t-be-an-anti-American-whiner-so-shut-the-fuck-up." It's the same Big Lie that Ronald Reagan, Mitt Romney, and every other Republican pitchman has sold, that Bill Clinton was never able to overcome, and that every Democratic nominee prior to Barack Obama has failed to confront head on. That's why we gasped when we saw Obama's acceptance speech--he was at last speaking The Truth, and taking the Big Lie to the woodshed. The Big Lie is our dragon, Obama is our St. George, and the battle is engaged.
And an essential part of The Truth is that Palin brings nothing to this battle but her face and her story. What she's selling is the same Big Lie as all the other pitchmen. Her script is written by handlers, she's just the television personality, the spokesmodel (former beauty queen, journalism degree, what else would you expect her to do?) for this big Republican infomercial. So how do we confront this truth?
I for one do not share the fear of being perceived as "picking on the girl" here. I mean, she's got one hell of a tomboy persona--didn't she kill her a b'ar when she was only 3 or something like that? Didn't she come out swinging like a hellcat last night? To turn wimpy would be a tremendous dent in her persona, as I see it.
However, she can play the "old boys' club" card if it's not done right. I think the best person to take her on as a personal project would be Hillary--not because Palin threatens her base, but because Palin is such an affront to her core values. If I were Hillary I would want to stop Palin in her tracks, and she's got weapons that nobody else has to beat back Palin's attempt to steal some of her thunder. If Hillary would hit the vulnerable areas of the industrial Midwest, including those Appalachian areas where Obama is particularly vulnerable, I think it could significantly blunt Palin's electoral impact. All Hillary needs to do is to be herself, and speak The Truth. Show them that this new face is selling the same old Bush agenda. Remind voters that this election is not about whether you like this spunky young lady, but whether your children will have a future with jobs, education, health care, and reproductive choice.