First you have to accept what should be obvious by now: facts and logic do not move voters; emotions move voters. And Republicans understand this while Democrats are still struggling with it.
Paul Simon said it best in The Boxer: "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
You need to persuade the persuadables. And pointing out all the lies and hypocrisies that Palin engages in will only fall on deaf ears. The persuadables have already decided that they like her.
What you have to do is convince them that liking her is OK ... but voting for her is absolutely beyond the pale.
Accept what you -- and they -- already know. That she's the heroine in a whacky comedy, the improbable unknown plucked from obscurity and made into a household word. Whatever you do, acknowledge that she fits into a story that we are already familiar with -- and like.
Remember Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? Don't fight it. Go with it.
But take the next step. If you are really afraid that Palin may become President one day -- far too soon -- you're going to have to deal with this baked-in advantage that she already has. And you can't do it with facts and logic.
Try this approach instead:
"Sarah is very likable, no doubt about it. But this isn't a sitcom or a movie. You don't pick someone to be one heartbeat from the Presidency who is so untested she won't even do a press conference on foreign policy, can you?"
"Yes, she'd be great in a movie; seeing Russia from your front door is a great punch line. But that won't cut it in the real world, will it?"
"I know -- you'd love to have a beer with her, or go hunting or snowmobiling with her. But you have to agree: we tried picking a president that way the last time and it turned out really, really badly, didn't it?"
"Let's not do that again. The world is more dangerous now and we already know some things that we didn't know then. Let's not make the same mistake twice, OK?"
"Fact is, Barack Obama has explained in great detail what his solutions are to a the problems America faces in this dangerous world. But John McCain? John McCain picked someone who could take over for him if he dies in office who won’t even face a few questions in a press conference. That's not right, is it?"
"If she can't handle a few reporters now, how is she going to handle Vladimir Putin tomorrow?"
"Look: if you made a movie out of Sarah Palin's life, we'd all go buy a ticket, eat some popcorn, have a few laughs, maybe shed a tear and feel good walking out. But this is real life, not a TV show or a movie. We cannot afford another presidency that won't answer real questions from real people about the solutions to the real problems we face in this dangerous world, can we?"
"We don't do that in America. It's an insult to the voters of this good country of ours and an insult to you. Vote for a real candidate -- not a sitcom candidate."
Get it? Good. Now go out and tell this story to 5 people who think they like Sarah Palin.
As for me, I'm done talking about her. This election is about John McCain and how he is going to be Bush's third term.