December 2, 2008 7:49:08 PM CST
(Newser) – Sarah Palin has brought an “onslaught of wild soap opera storylines” to the McCain campaign, and his party is defending itself by insisting that “life happens,” Maureen Dowd observes in the New York Times. Palin already has a Troopergate, a pregnant teen daughter, and a National Enquirer headline —and the party that once attacked such narratives is now using them to its advantage.
Republicans argue that “Todd’s old DUI arrest or Sarah’s messy family vengeance story will just let them relate better to average Americans,” Dowd notes. But, just as John McCain has played the POW card when “in trouble,” Republicans are “pulling out the sexist card” in response to attacks on Palin. “But when you use sexism as an across-the-board shield for any legitimate question,” Dowd writes, “you only hurt women.”
Source New York Times
13 hours, 26 minutes ago Georgia decides its Senate race today and both sides are going all-out to secure a victory that could help determine the direction of the next Congress, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The GOP has sent in Sarah Palin to stump for incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss, while Democratic challenger Jim Martin held a final rally in Atlanta joined by hip-hop stars and a civil rights leader. More »
Nov 25, 08 2:24 PM CST Sarah Palin will lend her star power to Saxby Chambliss in his Senate runoff battle against Democrat Jim Martin, Politico reports. Palin will appear with Chambliss at rallies across Georgia the day before the Dec. 2 runoff, capping a GOP full-court press that has seen Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain drop by to try to keep Chambliss’ seat in Republican hands. More »
Nov 20, 08 9:37 AM CST Sarah Palin’s non-answer to Katie Couric’s question about what periodicals she reads still has the CBS anchor puzzled. Couric visited with David Letterman last night, and he quizzed her about why post-election interviewers haven’t asked the VP wannabe about her non-response, Gawker reports. Meanwhile, Letterman has a theory: “She was afraid of offending people who don’t read.” More »
Nov 19, 08 1:55 PM CST Missouri, the last state up for grabs, looks to have gone Republican by less than a 1% margin, leaving John McCain with 173 electoral votes to Barack Obama’s 365, the Kansas City Star reports. There are still 3,000 uncounted provisional ballots, but McCain’s margin is large enough to declare him the winner of the state’s 11 electoral votes. More »
Nov 17, 08 4:45 PM CST Sarah Palin made such a splash in American politics this year that she deserves consideration for Time magazine Person of the Year, Kathryn Jean Lopez writes for the National Review. “They’ve probably long picked The One,” Lopez writes, referring to Barack Obama. But “like Obama, all you had to do was look at her to see that she offered something different on a national ticket.” More »
Even as Republicans push Sarah Barracuda as the glamorous but tough mom who can juggle it all, they rant at reporters who wonder how she will juggle it all and question some of her judgments. - Maureen Dowd
When you make a gimmicky pick of an unknown, without proper vetting, there’s bound to be a sticky press conference sooner or later. - Maureen Dowd
Election 2008 • John McCain • Sarah Palin • sexism
