What's interesting, however, is that while there is a gender gap in these numbers, it's not the one many observers were anticipating. Rather, along a variety of metrics, men like the Palin choice better than women:I have to say that I'm not surprised that women are harder on Palin than men---she's repping for them, after all. But moreover, I'd be utterly surprised if there weren't an "insult factor" at work here. More to the point, I bet there's a strong possibility that a portion of Hillary voters will actually be repelled by the pick of Palin. I'd be very interested to see how these numbers broke down by age, for instance. The more I think about this, the more ite appears that the upside here is in locking down the evangelicals. I don't know what else there could be. It's not like McCain needed help with men, or working class whites.
These numbers pretty much speak for themselves, but men have a favorable imperssion of Palin by a 35-point margin, whereas women have a favorable impression of her by an 18-point margin. Conversely, by a 23-point margin, women do not think Palin is ready to be President, whereas Palin lost this question among men by a considerably smaller 6-point magrin.
Why does this gap exist? Don't know, but it may simply be a matter of ideology. Men are generally a bit more conservative than women, and opinions of Palin are very strongly determined by ideology.
Let's not kid ourselves; it was a blatant play at the PUMAs and low-info white women. Part of me wonders if McCain bought into the mainstream media's over-reporting of the PUMA problem.
A lot of people have panned the pick but I'm pretty sure he just locked in my girlfriend's mom's vote. She was already leaning McCain as it was, because her work environment is full of smear merchants. It makes me shake my head; she doesn't have a high school education and makes about $7.50 an hour as a secretary at a car dealership.
]]>If there ever were Reagan Democrats, they're now what we call "Republicans".
]]>Sorry, but it works for Faux News.
]]>Except McCain and Huck hate each other. Palin will be grateful for the elevation and likely be more pliable running mate.
And politics aside, I have a huge amount of respect for Huckabee
Huckabee's a dangerous candidate--probably the most dangerous the Republicans have. He's a likable guy, comes off as genuine, has a lot of crossover appeal to Dems, and has his base in lockstep.
The only thing that kept him from beating McCain was the money. A VP slot would have piped him into the Republican cash reserves, and locked him into pole position for 2012. Be grateful he didn't get the nod.
(and FWIW I agree with sdbh)
]]>Do white women want Sarah Palin to be their appointed spokeswoman? And, appointed by John McCain?
Replacing something of value that was lost with an inexact clone, who wouldn't leap at that?
And oh yes, Fox News is about to become MILF News, 24/7— and more shameless about it than anything Chris Matthews could dream of pulling off.
]]>The Christian right is ecstatic. And the base is actually excited and energized, something one couldn't say previously about this campaign. Aside from that her value may be in bringing out the nasty in Democrats--after months of tearing people apart when they tried to claim that Hawaii wasn't America, the same people turn around and claim governing Alaska isn't governing. And then go on to diss working mothers, everyone in a small or rural state or town, moose in general, and on to alienating all those voters we were eager to pick up.
Criticize McCain for picking someone he barely knows. I don't think she's been thinking about governing the nation and the US's role in the world, but about governing Alaska and its issues and concerns. I could be wrong, though, so let's at least set the bar high--An unknown, she must be fabulous! An awesome command of the issues of the day, that he would elevate her over more obvious choices! Her record must be stellar! And so on. The way Obama supporters (not Obama and Biden, to their credit, or Hillary, to hers) have been going on about her, a modest ability to keep it together in an interview and not flub the way McCain does will seem like a stellar command of the issues, and be reported as "We underestimated her."
Don't underestimate her. Give her plenty of credit, and let her hang herself with enough rope. At least if she doesn't, you're then playing on equal footing, rather than pouting about how she fooled everyone.
]]>Palin is a such a strange choice. I think there are a lot of other female Republican candidates that would have been more competent, I don't understand why he chose her.
]]>Maybe it will encourage the religious crazies to come out and volunteer for McCain. I don't know if the VP slot is really that exciting for people, though... especially since no one has an idea of what she'll actually be doing as a VP.
]]>But it'd sure be nice to see her provide some evidence that she's up for the job she's running for, especially given McCain's age and previous health problems.
]]>Conservatives dig this choice, life issues.
libertarian (leaner)s do too, small gov. In the near term, keeping this coalition together is important/essential for conservative political success.
She unseated a Republican governor to get where she is, so she can be the image of the "New GOP". Everyone says the GOP "brand" is damaged, and she presents a legitimate shot at effective "rebranding" (not band timing for such an opportunity).
Of course, it could end up coming off like "New Coke".
]]>sometimes you really have to shake your head....
that said, it is amusing that it may well turn out that mccain played to his true base - older white guys - with this pick....
]]>I'm not sure what evangelical women will think of her in the end-- she's got a four-month old with special needs. Granted, they sleep all the time at that age, but...I don't know.
]]>Anyone else know what 'MILF' means?
]]>Has anyone in the MSM not worked where young, hot interns are not loathed by anyone over the age of 30 with kids?
Look - it is one thing if she shared the same ideology with HRC supporters. But to bring on a hotter version of HRC without any of the same ideals only further indicts her in the minds of HRC supporters.
Of course men love her. We always like the younger, hot secretary.
]]>The thought is she does well with GOP men because she is good-looking in that "Fox News anchor" kind of way. Myself, I don't see it, but then again, I'm not a Republican man.
]]>This pick comes off as amazingly condescending. Rice, Whitman, Hutchinson or Snowe would have been a genuine (and somewhat effective) appeal to Hillary supporters. Picking Palin has rallied the Hillary supporters to Obama in a way I never dreamed possible.
She's totally a pick for men and for the religious right.
And a base energizer. It's dramatic and exciting and unpredictable and none of that could have been used to describe the Republican side of the race until now.
]]>As someone who once took a very long and hard look at the Libertarian Party, it somewhat angers me to see the term "libertarian" used like this. To me it seemed as if the favor towards small government amongst libertarians was that the larger government was, the more likely it was to violate individual liberty. It was less about paying for government programs than it was about making sure that government needed people more than people needed government.
I don't see Palin coming off well amongst those kinds of people.
]]>There are no Reagan Democrats. They either became full-fledged Republicans (mainly those in the South), or reverted to full-time Democrats (most of the Rust Belt ones).
Re: And the base is actually excited and energized
How long will that last? Through the convention maybe?
Re: I am so surprised McCain didn't pick Huckabee.
Too many negatives with Huckabee. McCain’s best pick would have been Pawlenty. Solid pro-life credentials, good resume (including executive experience), no negatives, may have been able to put a swing state in play.
Re: think there are a lot of other female Republican candidates that would have been more competent
Liddy Dole is too old, and the rest of the women in the GOP field are either more obscure than Palin, or insufficiently pro-life.
Re: libertarian (leaner)s do too, small gov.
Alaska makes a grand pretense of being a very libertarian state, what with its liberal pot law and all. But if you look at the bottom line it’s the most socialist state in the union. How many other states skim enough money off their major industry to send a welfare check to every resident?
Re: Everyone says the GOP "brand" is damaged, and she presents a legitimate shot at effective "rebranding"
How so? OK, she’s more photogenic than your average GOP pol, but she supports the same old tired stuff the rest of the GOP does. There’s not a trace of The New Republican Party (whatever that is) to be seen in her.
]]>]]>
Sarah Palin is not human. She gives birth at 43 and there is not one single photo showing even a bulge? (There are lots of photos and she looks like... Superwoman in glasses.)
She breaks water in Texas, gives a speech, gets on an Alaskan Airlines flight
"Governor Palin was extremely pleasant to flight attendants and her stage of pregnancy was not apparent by observation as she didn’t show any signs of distress," Alaska Airlines representative Caroline Boren.
And travels not to Anchorage but to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, right outside of Wasilla!!!
Sarah Palin is Superwoman!!! Since when do HRC voters want to vote for Superwoman?
Hillary voters might vote for a protective mom who bears her teenage daughter Bristol's baby to spare here daughter shame. But that's not the story Sarah Palin and the RNC tell. Purely circumstantial evidence for that, (Bristol out of school for 5+ months before Trig's birth with mono, photos where Bristol looks a lot more pregnat than mom). That story might get some Hillary voters.