Does This Black Republican Understand Sarah Palin's Appeal? You Betcha!

The GOP All Pause!

by Kevin Ross

This was the post that started it:

"Many of you know I'm a Republican. Before I give you my thoughts, however, I'm curious to know what you guys REALLY think of former Alaska Governor and GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin?"

Who could have imagined that this question would illicit such an avalanche of insightful, hilarious, disturbing, and outrageous comments from many of my African American Facebook friends?

I certainly couldn't. But I completely understand why the controversial political vixen is "Going Rogue"... all the way to the bank.

Having been on Facebook now for almost two years, I have NEVER had 55 comments on anything I posted. The closest was when I asked my over 1900 friends to use one word to describe me. That garnered about 31 replies. Even cajoling folks to recall how we met only snag 29 willing participants. Take for example this comment:

"I thinks she's a "back asswards", intellectually "dithering", bobblehead whose absolutely dangerous in her willful and purposeful stupidity and ignorance."

So for the moose-hunting darling of the GOP to have this many individuals bag, dis, clown and essentially give no dap to a "Richard Nixon in lipstick" tells me there is something extra special about this "MILF" of five and grandmother to a boy whose daddy is big on armpit hair.

And Sarah Palin is "all sorts of pissed about it." No, not just about the recent Newsweek cover featuring her looking quite fetching in a sexy jogger number that amply shows off her gams. Those liberal media news outlets are all on her doo-doo list -- particularly that porn collage called Playgirl featuring the suddenly ubiquitous and perennial thorn in her side Levi Johnston.

It's that righteous indignation that Palin has down to a science that have some on the political left and moderates on the right regularly experiencing Schadenfreude whenever the 45-year-old is knocked down a peg.

And yet everyone who gets on board the SS Sarah Smile strikes gold. Katie Couric effortlessly makes Palin look mentally numb and voila, her ratings and reputation for being a stellar journalist suddenly reappear. SNL's Tina Fey portrays a spot-on caricature of presidential candidate John McCain's unusual vice-president choice and walks away with an Emmy.

Oprah invites Palin on her show for a gabfest and reinforces, during November sweeps and the announced ending of her syndicated talker no less, why Winfrey's the queen of daytime. Associated Press reporters must really love her. With 11 reporters assigned to fact-check Palin's HarperCollins tomb Going Rogue during the midst of company layoffs, I'm sure few are complaining at AP, particularly when the alternative would be job hunting during a sustained economic downturn.

We won't even talk about the book publishing world that is thanking God-Almighty for delivering a tectonic wonder woman capable of moving 1.6 million books with lightening speed off the shelves to salvage what has otherwise been a disastrous year for many New York literary companies.

Yet despite Sarah Palin's success as a wife, a mother, politician, opinion leader and now author, large numbers of black people just are not feeling her. Another comment echoed the sentiments of many:

"Sarah Palin perfectly represents the backwards-thinking types in this country who are, more often than not, uneducated and not exposed to people of different cultures. I dislike her, not because she's a Republican, but because she stirs up so much moronic rhetoric. She does nothing to push forward an intelligent discussion. I am not even a Democrat, I'm an Independent. While I have close friends as well as my father who are Republican, I have serious doubts about the intelligence of anyone who seriously supports Palin."

While my Facebook compadres pale to Palin's 1 million plus supporters, another person who I attended college with years ago went much deeper:

"As I watched the opening ceremony of this year's RNC convention as I do every four years, I was taken aback by her nasty and snarky comments. Her divisive behavior continued on the campaign trail. As a Christian, I was struck by her dishonesty and outright unchristian-like behavior. Sarah Palin is part and parcel of the problem that has created this frenzy in the extreme right wing fringe of the Republican party. This is the same group who is now selling t-shirts using scripture to abdicate the assassination of the President of the United States.

Palin is far from stupid, but certainly media hungry and a political scab willing to cut down anyone to further her own agenda. Another LIAR in the political arena, but too slow to cover her own story.

While I wish to never hear from Sarah Palin again, she will never go away as long as she can draw the lines she gets in conservative states like Michigan. She is divisive to the country and the Republican party as a whole. What a can of worms McCain opened when he selected her. He had several excellent choices to pick as a viable female running mate, and now we will have her hanging around our neck for years."

Me, I totally get why Blacks can't stand her. When you see the overwhelmingly white men and women rabid over the barracuda from Wasilla, quite a few look like a mix of trailer park dwellers, KKK recruiters, and backwoods hillbillies. Progressive African Americans are not letting the "yahoos" back into the mix without a verbal beatdown, and thus the sometimes shrill but no less robotic, Pavlovian response whenever Palin's name is even whispered.

But I also understand why middle America, the hockey moms, NASCAR fans, Ann Coulter, and small business owners are sprung. They are among those 4 million viewers that Fox News regularly caters to. Sarah Palin is hands down the most attractive Republican candidate since Ronald Reagan stepped on the scene to die-hard, GOP enthusiasts waiting with open arms. And while people joked about how stupid and how much of a light-weight the B-movie actor was, Reagan knew how to work a camera and television screen.

Also a former governor, Reagan (who had enough sense to finish out his term before making a White House run) was a blue-ribbon superstar in that he was able to raise money and get people to buy into his bigger than life persona, all the while maintaining his common man touch. Possessing charisma and charm the likes of which had not been seen before, Ronald Reagan had the "it" factor, something no other Republican leader has had since he exited stage left.

Until Sarah Palin!

Now, do I believe the 2008 trophy candidate was qualified to be president? Absolutely not. I had already decided that I was casting my vote for then Senator Barack Obama even before Palin gave me a little wink. After her debut, I was that much more convinced that my party was going down in flames on the down-ticket races as well. Sarah Palin was a cynical choice, based on having a limited pedigree that perfectly fit all the necessary boxes: good looking, pro-gun, pro-life, pro-military, driven, and a fresh face that would fire up the base without McCain being upstaged.

As for a woman being used to trump the historical significance of an African-American ascending to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue once Hillary Clinton was pummeled in the Democratic primary, well, that goes without saying.

On so many levels, however, Sarah Palin has exemplified the same intangible attributes our current president possesses. There is something special about Barack Hussein Obama. Despite over-promising and under-delivering, Obama has the ability to captivate and mesmerize. He has tapped into the country's change zeitgeist, even if the results are mixed at best.

That in itself is no small fete. It requires a tactical, resilient individual who not only understands their brand, but recognizes that it's more potent than lightening in a bottle. At least during their 15 minutes of fame. This is why so many people unknowingly embolden Sarah Palin every time they relegate her to being a clueless tool for those who ultimately want Obama to fail and fail miserably.

Yet, these are the same citizens baffled as to why demagogue Rush Limbaugh is more popular than ever, while CNN continues to rearrange the Titanic deck chairs when it comes to their dismal ratings and dwindling influence in the hardball political journalism arena.

Is Palin academically challenged? Duh! And here is where any comparisons to President Obama end. As Oprah was very fond of saying, "He's brilliant!" Palin, well... not so much.

That notwithstanding, do Sarah Palin's other assets more than make up for her lacking of intellectual rigor? Can a audacious gal who's easy on the eyes, carries herself a certain way, has her own authentic message of hope, and who demonstrates a tenacious work ethic get over in this country (i.e. get paid and be a potential king maker) without running for president in 2012?

Res ipsa loquitur. That's Latin Sarah, for the fact speaks for itself.

Kevin Ross is president and CEO of 3BAAS Media Group and an online host for Blogtalkradio.com

QUICKIE: T-Shirt Saying "Nigger Please, It's A White House" Makes Sarah Palin's Fashion Controversy Seem Silly!

Thoughts???

Video of Sarah Palin And Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live

Folks Who Get It: Tina Fey As Palin & Latifah as Ifill On SNL

2008 VP Debate Between Biden & Palin: Joe 6-Pack Kicked Some Barracuda Butt!

"Say It Ain't So Joe" and a shout-out to a group of 3rd graders was the highlight of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's performance. Let's call it what it is -- she's in over her head and no amount of lipstick is making this pig purty!

The Showdown in the Show Me state had vice presidential candidates, Democrat Joe Biden, 65, and Republican Sarah Palin, 44, debating for 90 minutes at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Nice to meet you," Palin greeted Biden, because indeed they hadn't met before. "Can I call you Joe?"

Asked about Congress's work on the Wall Street bailout package, Biden said it was evidence of eight years of failed policies.Biden pledged to "fundamentally" change policies to focus on the middle class.

Palin answered that a barometer is to go to a kids' soccer game, and said "I betcha" that you'll hear fear. She also said that federal government not provided "sound oversight," and said running mate John McCain had sounded the warning bell on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and said McCain had put politics aside by suspending his campaign to return to Washington to work on the bailout.

Biden responded by saying that McCain said two weeks ago that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. "He's out of touch," the senator said.

"He was talking to and talking about the American workforce," she retorted. Asked if predatory lenders were to blame for the subprime mortgage crisis, Palin answered, "Darn right, it was the predatory lenders."

"Joe six-packs" and "hockey moms" need to band together and say, "Never again," she said, filling her answers with everyday conversational language.

Biden, who never looked at Palin and answered Gwen Ifill directly, blamed McCain and other Republicans for deregulation that allowed subprime lenders to run free. He also disputed Palin saying that Barack Obama had voted to raise taxes, asserting that it was a procedural vote and by that measure McCain had voted to raise taxes much more often.

"It's a bogus standard," Biden said.

While simultaneously winking at the camera, Palin went after Biden for saying in a television interview last month that it would be "patriotic" if wealthier Americans paid higher taxes, as under Obama's plan under which those making $250,000 or more a year would lose their income tax cuts passed under President Bush.

Palin said that she comes from the middle class, and there "That's not patriotic. Patriotic is saying, 'Government you're not always the solution, often you're the problem."

Biden replied that he grew up in the middle class as well, and that McCain would give more tax breaks to big oil companies. He also pointed out that small business owners typically make under $250,000 a year, dispelling the idea that these individuals would suffer due to this tax imposition Barack imposes.

Palin, repeatedly looking down and apparently checking her notes, accused Obama of supporting tax breaks for Big Oil that she tried to undo as Alaska's governor.

Biden said Obama voted for the bill because it included alternative energy, and tried to strip out the tax breaks. Palin defended McCain's vote for a bankruptcy bill that made it more difficult for consumers to get out from under debt, but acknowledged that circumstances are changing.

Biden also voted for the bill, while Obama opposed it. "Barack saw the glass as half empty, I saw it as half full," he said.

Asked about her position on global warming, Palin said Alaska is feeling the effects more than any other state because it is closest to the Arctic.

"We know it's real," though she said she would not attribute all of climate change to man's activities.

Not answering many of the questions directly, Palin promoted McCain's "all of the above" plan for energy independence that includes wind, solar, nuclear, and offshore oil drilling.

Biden said global warming is "clearly man-made," asserting that if you don't understand the causes, you can't come up with a solution. He derided McCain's call for offshore drilling, saying the first drop wouldn't be produced for 10 years.

Biden said he supported equal rights for same-sex couples when it comes to hospital visitation, contracts, property, and other issues, but does not support gay marriage.

Palin said she opposed moves toward a change in the traditional definition of marriage, but said she is tolerant of people who choose to be homosexual.

On the Iraq war, Palin said McCain has the right strategy, put in place by General David Petraeus. "We're getting closer and closer to victory," she said.

Biden said Obama has a clear plan -- to withdraw troops within 16 months of taking office -- that President Bush and Iraq leaders are now negotiating. "We will end this war," Biden said. "John McCain has no end in sight."

"Your plan is a white flag of surrender," Palin replied.

They also sparred over whether Obama had voted not to fund the troops; Biden said McCain had done the same thing by voting against a funding bill that included a timetable for withdrawal.

Biden disputed McCain's assertion that Iraq is the central front on the war on terror, arguing that any attack on the United States would be planned in the badlands of Pakistan.

Palin asserted that Petraeus and leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq had said that of Iraq.

She tried to turn the tables, calling Obama not only naive but dangerous for agreeing to meet without preconditions with dictators who hate America.

"This is simply not true," Biden replied, saying that former secretaries of state and allies are urging US leaders to negotiate.

He then criticized McCain for saying he would not promise to meet as president with leader of Spain, a NATO ally. "I find that incredible," Biden said.

Palin broadened her critique of Obama and Biden, saying that voters will tire of them constantly criticizing the Bush administration's eight years.

"There's just too much finger pointing backwards," she said.

She acknowledged "huge blunders" by the Bush administration, like every administration, but vowed, "Change is coming."

Palin said McCain will learn from the mistakes, put aside partisanship, and move the country forward.

But Biden said the comparison to Bush is entirely fair because McCain has not proposed any different policies on a wide range of issues.

"Past is prologue," he said. The bottom-line challenges for the candidates:

It is the most-anticipated vice presidential debate in years, with some predicting a record audience. Of course, the same predictions were made about the first presidential debate last Friday, and it ended up not even cracking the top 10, though typical light TV viewership on Friday nights likely kept the numbers down.

John McCain Is No Maverick On Kitchen Table Issues

Biden really came into his own the second half of the 90 minute showdown. He clearly was in his own element, and show strong emotion when he talked about being a single father taking care of two boys after his wife died. Holding back tears, he checkmated Palin on the whole mom of five thing and demonstrated that this race is personal for him.

The most-watched veep face-off so far was George H.W. Bush vs. Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 with 56.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2004 version between Dick Cheney and John Edwards drew an audience of 43.6 million.

The candidates at the top of the ticket are both watching the debate from afar, Obama in a hotel in Lansing, Mich., and McCain at one in Denver.

VP Candidate Sarah Palin On The Financial Crisis...You Decide

That Sinking Feeling: One Black Woman's Take On Sarah Palin

What Does John McCain's VP Pick Say About Us?

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

All my life I’ve resisted the philosophy of the Communist party members and other deeply disenchanted types that America is a lost cause. I’ve had my criticisms of this country, plenty of them. I still do. I don’t disagree too much with Communist Party’s analysis of America as a corporate plutocracy masquerading (very badly at this point) as a representative democracy.

But unlike the Party, I believe America can be redeemed. I believe it can change gears. I believe that beneath the rust and slime and infuriating hypocrisy is an ideal that’s battered but still intact, and we can save ourselves if we decide to use just a bit of it. I believe in a guiding light, even if we haven’t seen much wattage lately.

But with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin joined the Republican ticket as a vice-presidential candiate, I almost saw that light go out. The possibility I’ve believed in for the last 30 years felt, for the first time, like a complete sham, like I’d been believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

It’s not simply that Sarah Palin represents the worst American archetype out there—arrogant, cutthroat, contemptuous of any reality other than her own (which can often mean racist), smile-in-your-face smarmy, and proud of all of the above; it’s that this worst archetype represents so much of America itself.

I would like to believe Palin is on the fringe of our groupthink, but she isn’t. True, she doesn’t fully reflect all voters out there, with the exception of the rabid Christian right. But too many people identify with too many parts of her, whether it’s the Christian certitude, the unfettered ambition, the perky pitbull image, or most importantly, the blithe sense of entitlement and righteousness that markets itself as American chutzpah but is really white privilege with good PR.

Actually, white privilege in America is good PR. They’re the same thing. Whites get the fullest benefit of PR and the rest of us are always doing damage control, even when we haven’t done any damage.

Imagine, for a moment, if Barack Obama had chosen a personable but remarkably inexperienced running mate, like Snoop Dogg. Imagine Obama insisting that Snoop had the chops to run the country because he’s a wildly successful businessman and a “quick study.”

Imagine Obama touting Snoop’s commitment to his kids’ Pop Warner league as evidence that he’s just a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy and a devoted “football dad.” Imagine Snoop bragging about his small-town bona fides (he grew up in North Long Beach, one of a million small towns in and around L.A.)

Laughable, right? Right. So why is it that Sarah Palin isn’t equally laughable?

Why is her ignorance so charming, while black ignorance of any degree (associated heavily with hip-hop) so threatening? Forget ignorance for a moment--why is Barack Obama’s intelligence equally suspect?

The answer is that when it comes to marketing, that endeavor of American invention, there is no such thing as a really good Negro. There is no such thing as a Negro who credibly represents all of “us,” which we think of as hockey moms or lunch-bucket workers or Reagan Democrats. The distressing fact is, it doesn’t matter how credible Obama (or Snoop) is or isn’t, they can never be credible enough because of their color.

Sarah Palin only has to be as credible as a contestant on “American Idol,” and that’s evidently enough to capture our imagination. We eagerly lap up all the Palin details custom-built for mythology: the librarian up-do and glasses that coyly speaks to a beauty-pageant past, the red-carpet smile, the vague Minnesota accent.

What possibility, we say. Only in America could a relative (but good-looking) nobody come out of nowhere and nab the second-highest office in the land.

But I don’t want a nobody in that office. I don’t want an average hockey mom. Black or white, I want somebody qualified, knowledgeable, empathetic, even extraordinary.

Sarah Palin is none of those things, but the scariest part is, her supporters know that. But they’ll willingly swallow the hype because the alternative, putting a black man in charge (albeit with a white VP a hearbeat away), scares them—and a lot of us--even more.

That’s not possibility, that’s capitulation. Obama has said we’re a better country than we’ve been the last eight years. I’d like to believe him, but I have precious little belief in the country left. With the lack of light, my vision is getting dimmer all the time.

ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN is the first African American in history to be a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her musings continue to appear in the Times, Essence magazine, and a host of other publications. Among her many projects, Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book.

While I May Not Agree With This View of Sarah Palin, NY Times Writer Frank Rich Is Wickedly Good With A Keyboard

By Frank Rich

WITH all due deference to lipstick, let’s advance the story.

A week ago the question was: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? The question today: What kind of president would Sarah Palin be?

It’s an urgent matter, because if we’ve learned anything from the G.O.P. convention and its aftermath, it’s that the 2008 edition of John McCain is too weak to serve as America’s chief executive. This unmentionable truth, more than race, is now the real elephant in the room of this election. No longer able to remember his principles any better than he can distinguish between Sunnis and Shia, McCain stands revealed as a guy who can be easily rolled by anyone who sells him a plan for “victory,” whether in Iraq or in Michigan. A McCain victory on Election Day will usher in a Palin presidency, with McCain serving as a transitional front man, an even weaker Bush to her Cheney.

The ambitious Palin and the ruthless forces she represents know it, too. You can almost see them smacking their lips in anticipation, whether they’re wearing lipstick or not.

This was made clear in the most chilling passage of Palin’s acceptance speech. Aligning herself with “a young farmer and a haberdasher from Missouri” who “followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency,” she read a quote from an unidentified writer who, she claimed, had praised Truman: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity.” Then Palin added a snide observation of her own: Such small-town Americans, she said, “run our factories” and “fight our wars” and are “always proud” of their country. As opposed to those lazy, shiftless, unproud Americans — she didn’t have to name names — who are none of the above.

Continue...

KINI-CLAD, GUN TOTIN' SARAH PALIN: GOD BLESS AMERICA!

In short, Sarah Palin is the emblem of what feminism was supposed to be all about: an unafraid, independent, audacious woman, who soared on her own merits without the aid of a patriarchal jumpstart, high-brow matrimonial tutelage and capital, and old-boy liaisons and networking.

For the rest of this guys take on McCain's VP pick, click here. And if anyone believes Govenor Palin's spot on the GOP all-star team is not about abortion, check this out.

Meanwhile, Time Magazine discusses how Team Barack is handling this latest curve ball:

Nobody was more surprised by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate than the people who run the Barack Obama's campaign. "I can honestly say that we weren't prepared for that," says David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist. "I mean her name wasn't on anybody's list. It was a surprise to a lot of Republicans as well."

Their shock was evident in their initial, clumsy reaction, a hard-hitting two sentence statement from Obama spokesman Bill Burton which included this zinger: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency." Eighty-six minutes later, the campaign corrected course, issuing a second statement from both Obama and his running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden: "While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward Governor Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign."

Later that afternoon, Obama, almost apologetically, explained the discrepancy: "You know campaigns start getting these hair triggers and the statement that Joe and I put out reflects our sentiments." The do-si-do by the campaign reflects their initial uncertainty on how to deal with Palin, a rare moment of unsure footing for the usually flawlessly managed 19-month-old operation.

The dilemma the campaign has about how to deal with the sudden emergence of this political superstar comes down to this: it possibly can't ignore her, but going after her directly could easily backfire. If anything, the past week has shown that Palin wears a similar coat of Teflon as Obama. Just as many of Obama's opponents suddenly found themselves accused of playing the race card, many of Palin's supporters have been quick to accuse Dems of outrageous sexism in the frontal assault on Palin's record and family.

Still, given her attacks on Obama, his campaign will have a hard time resisting the urge to respond head on. Many observers had assumed that the choice of Palin would effectively take the McCain campaign's experience argument off the table. But the Republicans have shown no such reluctance, continuing to claim that Palin's eight years as a small-town mayor and two years as Alaska Governor make her more qualified than Obama with his seven years in the Illinois Senate and three years in the U.S. Senate — or even Biden with his 35 years in the U.S. Senate.

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Meet Bristol's Baby Daddy: Levi "F---in Redneck" Johnston

Potential VP's Daughter & Hockey Badboy Have Some 'Esplainin To Do!!!

Doe-eyed Bristol Palin, 17, and Jamie Lynn Spears have a lot in common. Both are white, pretty, young ladies who's family members helped thrust them into the national spotlight.

Oh, Bristol and Jamie have also become the poster twins for teen pregnancy. The only difference, however, is that Bristol's soon-to-be baby daddy is a self described "F---n' Redneck".

Maybe it's me, but something tells me that won't go over well with the brothers. I'm just saying!

A ruggedly handsome varsity hockey jock that obviously was not properly vetted, Levi Johnston is an 18-year-old who's dating VP pick Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, for about a year according to locals in Wasilla, Alaska.


The all-American teen twosome will make the Alaska governor a grandma at age 44 - just in time for Christmas.

And the pregnancy? It was an open secret in the close-knit town of 9,780. Wasilla High School Warriors' coach Bill Sturdevant said he never believed that talk. "He was the same kid from the beginning of the season to the end. No signs of anything like that," the coach said.

"He was a good kid to be around, with lots of friends. He was well-liked."

A telephone number for Levi Johnston's parents, Sherry and Keith Johnston, was disconnected.

Besides his hard play on the ice, Levi Johnston was also a bit of a hell-raiser off it - another reason Bristol may have been smitten. State troopers popped Johnston last year for snagging some king salmon out of season in Moose Lake, records from Alaska wildlife enforcement show. He had to pay $370 bail.

On his MySpace page, Johnston proudly declares: "I don't want kids." "I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing," he says on the site. He also warns that if anyone messes with him, "I'll kick ass."

Given the almost zero appeal the GOP currently has with African Americans right now, this is not a good look for John McCain in general and Republicans in particular. I mean seriously, how do you spin that bull???

This election is just the gift that keeps on giving. I'm already busy casting the movie.

My vote is Will Smith and Kimberly Elise as Barack and Michelle Obama, and Richard Dreyfuss or Colonel Saul Tigh of Battlestar Galatica as John McCain. To round this thing out let's go with Emma Thompson as Hillary, William Hurt as Bill Clinton, John Voight as Joe Biden, Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Hillary Duff as Chelsea, Robin Wright Penn as Cindy McCain, and High School Musical's Zac Efron as Levi. Stop me if you think I'm off track.

Source

With a Pregnant 17-Year-Old And A Husband With A DUI Arrest, Sarah Palin Is Just Like Everyone Else

Not Sex, Alcohol or Even Hurricanes Can Stop The GOP

Sarah Palin got a standing ovation among the Louisiana delegation at the Republican National Convention Monday — reflecting what many say is the “bounce” in enthusiasm John McCain’s vice presidential pick has brought to the campaign.

This despite what can only be seen as bad news for the campaign on Monday — the Republican National Convention being disrupted by Gustav slamming the Gulf Coast, the Palins announcing that her daughter Bristol is five months pregnant, and that husband Todd had gotten a DUI in 1986.

Wild Internet rumors were claiming that Palin's youngest child with down syndrome, Trig, was actually her daughter's baby. That would explained how even at seven months, the 44-year-old Alaska governor was able to conceal her pregnancy. It also provided a legitimate reason why her oldest girl Bristol, 17, had been out of school for months, allegedly for having a severe case of mono.

Still puzzling, however, is why Palin would get on a plane in Texas after her water broke, then travel eight hours to deliver a special needs child in Alaska. And should Governor Palin, who McCain just met once before, be more focus on raising her children and tending to her family's needs.

The Alaska governor’s star power nevertheless is still on the rise. “Overwhelming excitement” is how Ellen Davis, Louisiana delegate and former Republican state chairwoman, described the reaction to Palin at a breakfast featuring first lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain.

In the days proceeding the Republican event, headlines suggested that the enthusiasm for McCain and for the convention week were on the wane. But Davis said Palin has infused the campaign with what was missing — excitement for the top of the GOP ticket.

Bush and McCain drew warm applause at the breakfast reception hosted by the Louisiana delegates, but it wasn’t until Bush’s praise of Palin that the crowd rose to its feet.

“I’m so happy because I’m finally going to have a chance to vote for a Republican woman this time,” said the first lady to a standing ovation. “Every woman in this room knows she is truly a superwoman.”

Bush went on to suggest that Palin’s experience as the mayor of the small Alaska town of Wasilla was a plus for her vice presidential prospects, particularly in terms of emergency response and coordinating local, state and federal resources. “That’s experience that no one on either side of the ticket has — and that’s local experience.”

McCain was equally charged in her comments. “I am extremely proud of his pick for vice president,” McCain said of her husband. The room erupted with applause. Then she picked up on a familiar theme going into the conventions. “She’s a straight talker and a maverick just like my husband — she’s not afraid to say no.”

As news trickled trough the convention about Palin’s family issues, several delegates said the story should remain just that — personal and private. More so, it did not seem to quell their initial reactions to her.

“I think it makes her more human — we all experience those kinds of things,” said Lula Bridges, a delegate from Alabama. “It says to me that she can relate to the general population.”

“I don’t think they were looking for perfection in a candidate,” said Scott Glover, a Florida delegate. “I think we’re looking for a real person, that can relate to us and we can relate to them on some level, and we all have issues of some sort. I don’t want to be judged on what my children do — and I know we all do our best as parents.”

Stu Rothenberg, a Washington, DC pollster who publishes the Rothenberg Political Report tip sheet, said he talked to a number of delegates at the Xcel Center Monday who had heard the news and had rushed to defend her.

“It’s a full completion of the ticket,” said George Ackel, also from Louisiana.

“This was a clearly the deal closer with all the activist base of the Republican Party and the conservative movement,” said Chris Healy, chairman of the the Connecticut State Republican Party. “Those are the ones who we really do have to capture.”

A recent Gallup Poll taken of voters Aug. 28 through Aug. 30 — including at least two days after the Palin announcement — found that McCain got a 5-point jump from the news. Democratic challenger Barack Obama, fresh out of his own convention, was enjoying an 8 point bounce, leaving the poll at Obama ahead of McCain, 48 to 42 percent.

Aside from the family issues, more serious questions about her policy views are looming — like supporting the teaching of creationism, or intelligent design, alongside evolution in public schools, or her lack of public positions on the war in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Middle East.

And Rothenberg noted that not all independents — another group that McCain has been after — have necessarily reacted the same way as the base of the party.

“I also heard from people that it looks too political, that instead of picking someone with great political bloodlines and credentials, he went with a young woman to try and trump Obama, or do the Hillary thing, and it was just a political pick,” he said, “he put politics before the country — I have heard some of that — not from Republicans, but from some independents.” Source

Gender Trumps Race??? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin To Be McCain's VP Pick!

GOP Hillary Clone Steals Barack's Thunder

So after all that Kumbaya with Black Presidential candidate Barack Obama, John McCain has just stole his thunder. According to reports Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 44, is the one that John McCain feels he needs to snatch victory from the democrats.

The announcement may come any time soon today. FOX news reports that Mitt Romeny is out of the list as is Tim Pawlenty.

I have to give it to the Republicans, who cast Palin like Geena Davis in ABC's Commander in Chief. So much for "24's" groundbreaking portrayel of President Palmer vis-a-vis Dennis Haysbert.

Bloggers all of the net are speculating on the issue of Mccain's Veep choice focusing on Sarah Palin. It's not the governor of Minnesota. It's not Romney, but a plane flew in last night from Alaska to a small airport just outside of Dayton, Ohio. Could it be that McCain has picked a woman - a woman with 5 children and the governor of Alaska.

A mother of five, Sarah Palin is less than a month younger than Michelle Obama and the first governor of Alaska to be born there since it became a state.