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    Dump Palin?

    http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/csmstaff/2008/0930/...
    63 days ago in Campaign 2008: Patchwork Nation - The American voter beyond red and blue, and how you fit in. | The Christian Science Monitor · Authority: 151

    Two weeks can be a lifetime in politics. Just ask Sarah Palin. A fortnight ago, the Alaska governor was the toast of the town. She had energized the Republican base and lit a fire under the campaign of GOP nominee John McCain. Enormous crowds turned out to see her. Democrats were frightened and began contemplating how Sen. Barack Obama could lose in November when it seemed to be a year made for their party. But now, after a roundly panned interview with CBS’s Katie Couric and a few dead-on impersonations by comedienne Tina Fey, not to mention a Wall Street scare that has turned Americans’ attention to the economy, Governor Palin has become a target of criticism by Republicans as well as Democrats. Conservative opinion writers George Will and David Brooks have criticized her selection, and late last week, columnist Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, wrote that the governor was “clearly out of her league” and should step aside. That was enough to set people chattering in Washington. What if Palin left the ticket and was replaced by maybe former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is thought to know the economy well? Senator McCain couldn’t officially drop Palin, but what if she, say, decided to step aside on her own? Judging from the reaction in some of Patchwork Nation’s most socially conservative communities, the McCain camp might face a massive revolt from the people who were so enthusiastic about Palin’s selection. “I think a lot of Nixa people would be angry if she were removed from the ticket,” wrote John Schmalzbauer, a blogger in Nixa, Mo., in an e-mail. “The McCain/Palin signs are sprouting all over town. At Wal-Mart, I saw a vehicle with a Maverick/Barracuda sticker. The same car had a Christian radio sticker. She is resonating with evangelicals.” People we contacted in Nixa, our “Evangelical Epicenter” community, uniformly said that such a move would not happen – or if it did, the town would be up in arms. Many also said they expected her to do well in Thursday’s vice-presidential debate. “The people I have come in contact with feel (and I agree) Sarah Palin was an excellent choice for McCain,” wrote Brenda Rantz, treasurer for Nixa’s school district. “The liberals know this and as a result have attacked her personally. She is expected to do very well in the debate. She is a strong woman and will not leave the ticket (no matter how bad the liberals want her to).” The Rev. Gary Swearengin, pastor of Nixa’s Church of the Nazarene, indicated that he thought Palin’s weaknesses had been hyped by the media. “I think under the scrutiny of the media and the world, we’ve all got imperfections, and when everybody else is looking from the outside in, none of us qualify for much of anything if we differ in our views from those who are doing the looking,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I think that given a true ethics check, most of Congress would have to relinquish their seats to someone new.” Up in Sioux Center, Iowa – our agricultural “Tractor Country” community, another Republican stronghold – feelings were similar. Donald King, a professor at Dordt College, a Christian school, says people in his community are a bit cautious about Palin and her lack of experience, but she still speaks to many voters there. “Her plain speaking style strikes a chord with many voters, especially those who are tired of what they would describe as typical politicians. Like McCain, she is not very nuanced, but presents a very basic message that is applied to a wide variety of issues,” Professor King wrote in an e-mail. “She has clearly helped the McCain ticket and I am not sure there would be much gained by her stepping aside.” In our reporting, we have found that Palin is something of a double-edged sword. Along with “Evangelical Epicenter” and “Tractor Country” communities, she has unquestionably fired up voters in our aging “Emptying Nests” community of Clermont, Fla., and in our “Military Bastion” of Hopkinsville, Ky. But she seems to have hurt McCain in some crucial swing communities such as the wealthy, largely suburban “Monied ’Burbs” and the growing and diversifying “Boom Towns.” That dualism shows the danger the McCain camp would face if Palin left the ticket – which still seems a far-fetched idea. The better bid for team McCain may be to try to win back support for Palin and to try to recapture her original magic. With Thursday’s debate quickly approaching, that’s no small task.

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