Oh my goodness, the Palin factor is starting to look not so good at the moment. Latest opinion polls are starting to turn for Obama as Americans start to focus more and more on the economy.
http://voanews.com/english/2008-09-18-voa11.cfm
McCain is looking weaker and weaker on economic issues. Can he turn it around? Does he really have a handle on economic matters?
Was the Palin selection a poor gamble? Will we see more of Sarah- the lip stick wearing, Bull Pit /Hockey Mum being interviewed without her using an auto-cue?
Only time will tell over the next several weeks but prospective Republican voters must be losing some of their initial euphoria!!!
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There are several reasons why a weak Economy hurts McCain.
1. The GOP has always been weak on economic issues, the last 3 GOP presidents have all suffered Recessions, long periods of Economic slowdowns and large Deficits. I have always said America's weakness was its pocketbook, historically long periods of economic malaise don't help the GOP. Of all the issues this is their Achilles heel.
2. McCain specifically has made some serious gaffes about the economy illustrating how out-of-touch he is, and perhaps even a slight indifference toward the middleclass plight. These include:
a. His Chief Economic adviser calling middle-class Americans "a bunch of whiners".
b. His belief that being "rich" meant making more than $5 Million a year
c. His not knowing how many houses he owns.
d. His remark the "fundamental structures of the economy are strong" during a severe economic downturn while just two hours later Wall Street took a 550 pt plunge.
e. His own admission that he knows nothing about economics, at a time where the economy is the biggest issue in America.
Furthermore there have been scandals that McCain was
not involved in but since he is in the same party and share the same platform of a extremely unpopular president his candidacy has suffered as a result.
a. "The Culture of Corruption" Scandals with Enron, WorldCom, and the shady dealings the GOP has with Halliburton.
b. The Bank bailouts -the impression that the GOP cares more about big business than the American Public.
As for Palin, its not surprising her star is waning. She has been less than candid on a number of issues including earmarks, her Foreign Policy Experiance, and most recently this troopgate scandal.
From a political standpoint I think her refusal to have her aides testify was a terrible decision for 4 reasons:
a. It shows the same contempt for the law that Bush has, when he did exactly the same thing with Rove, Gonzolas, and Miers.
b. She broke a promise to be open and not hinder the investigation.
c. She has made her aides vulnerable to possible imprisonment.
d.
IT MAKES HER LOOK GUILTY
And her claims that Obama is behind all this is ridiculous. She was under this investigation way BEFORE she became the VP nominee even before Obama even announced his candidacy. In fairness I do suspect that there are forces aligned against her, but they are of local Alaska politics not Obama, (although I will not deny that Obama has taken advantage at her legal woes). Palin is very similar to Elliot Spitzer the ex-governor of New York State. When she took office as Govonor she was ruthless, rewarding cronies while punishing detractors. She has also made a large amount of political enemies (both Dem and GOP) all of which would be delighted for her take a fall.
Do I think her nomination was a mistake for the GOP? In a word: Yes. She has been untruthful, she has shown a total lack of experience (which even her own party has acknowledged), she hasn't swung anybody to the McCain cause who wasn't already on board, and she her extreme social views are deeply disturbing to anyone who is not a social conservative.
The GOP will claim her purpose was to stir up the conservative base, but can they really tell me honestly that they couldn't find anybody else more qualified? While I would never vote for them, I could think of a dozen social conservatives who don't have the baggage this woman has.
