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twitterElection 2008:
Why Palin softened her rhetoric
Shift, in Henderson, to message aimed at women reflects polling
Steve Marcus
Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee, poses with supporters Tuesday in Henderson at a rally that produced a change in the candidate’s tone.
Published Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 | 2:42 p.m.
Palin Rallies in Henderson
Sarah Palin visited Henderson Tuesday for some last minute campaigning.
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unveiled a new stump speech before a crowd of thousands at the Henderson Pavilion, appealing directly to women and softening her overall tone.
“It’s about time we shattered that glass ceiling once and for all,” said Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee.
And the chant went up: “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!”
Palin offered a range of women- and family-friendly policy proposals not usually heard from Republican candidates.
She called for equal-pay-for-equal-work and more family-friendly policies such as flexible workweeks. She offered an homage to the federal law requiring that women’s collegiate sports have the same resources as men’s.
She castigated the subjugation of women abroad.
Meet Sarah Palin, feminist extraordinaire.
Moreover, although she indirectly called Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama a socialist, that was the brunt of her attack, with none of the accusations of recent weeks that he is a pal of terrorists.
The calculation in deploying this softer, gauzier speech was savvy, if transparent. Picked by Sen. John McCain as a candidate who would draw independent women, polls show that Palin has instead become a drag on his candidacy, a polarizing figure and the least popular of all four of the major nominees. Her qualifications – she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, from 1996 to 2002 — rank as voters’ top concern about McCain’s candidacy, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Forty-seven percent of respondents view Palin negatively, with 38 percent viewing her positively.
Palin’s image has deteriorated following unsuccessful national TV interviews that showed her unable to discuss some issues authoritatively, as well as rallies in which her supporters seemed unhinged.
Michael McDonald, an expert in voter behavior at the Brookings Institution and George Mason University, said the strategy of softening the Palin image makes sense.
Voters still undecided at this point may not decide their vote on some reasoned, issue-based argument. The voters Palin was pursuing Tuesday are most susceptible to an emotional appeal, McDonald said.
So, Palin talked about helping families, like her own, with special-needs children and said they would have a voice in the White House.
For the most part, Palin has worked in Republican strongholds where she finds ready acceptance of her harsh attacks. Her appearance in Northern Nevada earlier Tuesday was no exception.
The trip to moderate, suburban Henderson hours later was the perfect place to try out a tempered message, said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Although there was plenty of political carnivoria in the crowd, with shouts of “socialist!” and Nobama T-shirts, the event featured some surprising atmospherics, as well. Sitting behind Palin were Linda Klinge, vice president of the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for Women, as well as the wealthy heiress and Democratic activist Lynn Forester de Rothschild.
Indeed, the Palin message resonated with some in the crowd, and especially supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, the failed Democratic candidate.
Barbara Dimmick is a registered Democrat who volunteered for Clinton’s campaign during the caucus. When Clinton lost, she said, she was devastated — until McCain announced Palin.
“I wasn’t going to vote at all,” said Dimmick, who was laid off from her job as a cage cashier at Circus Circus in August. “Then Sarah jumped in and got my vote ... We need women in politics. It’s long overdue.”
She voted early for McCain.
Marge Cameron, who’s 78 and a registered Democrat, also supported Clinton in the caucus: “Hillary started it, and Sarah’s going to finish it,” she said.
The problem for Palin, and, ultimately, McCain, is that the public doesn’t see the Republican Party as a credible messenger on behalf of equality or policies important to women. Obama is beating McCain among women by 15 percentage points, according the Hotline/Diageo daily tracking poll.
And, as McDonald noted, “it’s not clear that (Palin’s) the best messenger for this.”
Duffy noted that most Democratic women were pro-abortion-rights before they were pro-Hillary.
Both Palin and McCain oppose abortion, including in cases of rape and incest. McCain opposed legislation, the so-called Lilly Ledbetter law, that would have helped women sue employers found to have discriminated against them. (It would have eliminated the statute of limitations on suing for gender discrimination; McCain said it was a boon to the litigious trial lawyer lobby.)
On other issues of importance to women, including education and health care, Republicans have trouble competing.
Moreover, the public is suspicious of Republicans playing so-called identity politics, after years of denouncing it.
Gloriana Kaiser, who was wearing a T-shirt with Palin as Rosie the Riveter, doesn’t think the vice-presidential candidate should win support from women just because she’s also a women.
“It shouldn’t just be about that,” said Kaiser, 18, adding she supports Palin because of her opposition to gun control and abortion.
But even if Palin isn’t successful persuading women voters to move into the Republican column in the coming two weeks, there’s plenty of time before 2012.
(Editor's note: This story has been corrected. An earlier version did not give the correct year for when Palin served as mayor.)
Michael J. Mishak and Megan McCloskey contributed to this report.
Discussion: 39 comments so far…
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This woman is so uneducated and makes it painfully obvious each time she speaks. She is an embarrassment to any woman with half a brain. Yesterday she told a third grader that the job of Vice President is to oversee the Senate. She STILL does not know what a Vice's job is. Perhaps the third grader should change places with Palin!
I feel sorry for her family. Her 15 (3 Months) minutes of fame will kill her family. When you sell your soul to the devil you have hell to pay.
Did she bring along the Family for some fun in Las Vegas and bill the taxpayers in Alaska for it?
For someone who has been in office such a short time, she surely does know how to abuse power and privilege.
Carolo, you are revealing that you do not know the Constitution.
You should stop while you are ahead.
Article I - Legislative Branch, Section 3
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
Any day that the VP wants to they can seat in the chair and rule over the session.
The VPs at first did run all sessions that but later because it so boring they do not run the Senate sessions.
Generally, now the VP only rule over sessions when there is an expected tie vote on an important matter.
Perhaps, you need to go back to 3rd grade.
"This woman is so uneducated and makes it painfully obvious each time she speaks. She is an embarrassment to any woman with half a brain."
If she was a liberal, you conservative-woman-haters be skywriting her name across the Nevada sky - except the airplane fuel would (a bogus concept) contribute to global warming, err, i mean cooling, err, nope, I mean change.
xxxx
"Yesterday she told a third grader that the job of Vice President is to oversee the Senate. She STILL does not know what a Vice's job is."
"nance" (and by extention recently, Dick Cheney) is Constitutionally correct. The VP's Constitutional "job" is as President of the Senate first; backup to the POTUS is secondary.
Cindy McCain hand picked Palin; she was tired of changing John's diapers. It's Sahara's job now.
The lefties hate anyone who believes and lives the 'American values'.
Leftists are very angry elves...
Palins total cost of shipping her kids with her on business was $22K in over 2 years. If any of you had a good job which you had to travel you'd know in a lot of situations companies will fly your family where you are on company money, that silly talk. If she would have hired a nanny to watch the kids then she would have been a bad mother.
I didn't like the comments tying Obama to terrorists, so I am glad she stopped them, I think they should have been hammering the entire time that taking more money from any americans to have politicans determine how to spend (give away to other americans) is dead wrong. Socialism light as I call it could have been their rallying cry.
As for the job of a VP, Palin was dead right on one aspect of it. The VP really doesn't do ANYTHING anymore. They get dispatched to deal with less than critical items, are an advisor, and do a lot of photo ops.
A shopping spree of $150,000+ by the GOP for Ms. Palin and she is still just an uneducated pig with lipstick on... oh and a fantastic wardrobe!
Spending $150,000+ on clothing for a pig in Neiman Marcus clothing right now should be an outrage to folks who donate to the GOP. How many meals could that have paid for? How many people could have been saved from foreclosure? How many medical procedures or prescriptions would that money have paid for?
Putting Christian Dior on a pig still only buys you fatty bacon.
DMZMarine: what year, what unit, what mos, who was your co? Semper Fi, but only if you're real.
I am most certainly not a "lefty" (I voted Reagan), yet Palin is perhaps the most embarassing excuse for a Vice-Presidential candidate in the history of the United States. She has no business being a heartbeat away from the presidency, and McCain turned me away from his campaign with her selection.
"The lefties hate anyone who believes and lives the 'American values'".
Values as defined by the right, you mean. Things like, white people first, we own the world, kill everyone whose against us. Yes, you are right, we hate those values, and you for having them and promoting them.
We also hate your incompetent "leadership". King George and the rest of his appointed right-wing thugs should be in prison. They are all a bunch of incredibly corrupt liars.
"Palins total cost of shipping her kids with her on business was $22K in over 2 years."
Good to know that fraud is okay with you. Since you righties continue to ignore/support the massive fraud in the current Monarchy, this comes as no surprise.
By the way, no company or corporation I have ever worked for ever paid for any of my family to travel anywhere with me and I do not know anyone with such a privilege.
American values?
I was at the rally yesterday and noticed so many rally participants drove to the event in a BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. Yet, they were sporting $1 American Flag pin made in China, and some were proudly wearing sweatshirts with letters "U.S.A." probably made in Southeast Asia...
BTW, do you see a lovely Granny with a replica of the Statue of Liberty in two of LV Sun's photos? The statue was also made in Communist China. Sad.
Obama voters are brainwashed. Wake up and learn the truth about him.
Bill Ayers, 1960-70s Weather Underground bomber, admitted to12 bombings. From 1987 to 2002 served with Obama at The Woods Fund, Community Development Project, The Joyce Foundation, and The Annenberg Challenge.
Bernadine Dohrn, Ayers wife, leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) participated in making a bomb that unexpectedly exploded and killed three SDS members.
Marilyn Katz, SDS leader, lives in Hyde Park Chicago and has held several fundraisers for Obama's early campaigns.
Michael Kolinsky, SDS leader, today still a hard-line maoist, wants communist govt. for U.S. he worked as chief blogger for Obama's Campaign.
Rev. Wright, preacher of hate filled anti-American and racist sermons. Obama's pastor for 20 years. Obama lied when he said " I never heard those type of sermons"
James Cone, author of Black Theology and Black Power, Obama claims him a mentor. Cone blames white people for everything. Read for yourself online excerpts from his book.
John and Richard Daley Political Machine controls who gets campaign money to run for public office, who gets a city job or promotion, who gets city construction and service contracts. Obama is part of this corrupt Political Machine.
Tony Rezko, Daley Political Machine contractor, slum lord, convicted felon, donated $60,000 to Obama's early campaigns, and then raised $150,000 from wealthy friends. After elected Obama used his influence to get Rezko city construction contracts worth millions.
Jim Johnson CEO of Fannie Mae from 1991-98 and Franklin Raines CEO of Fannie Mae 1999-2004 both inflated earnings and took millions in salary bonuses. Both of these men are at the heart of the sub-prime mortgage mess and both worked for Obama as advisors.
ACORN has submitted thousands of fake voter registration cards in 15 battleground states. According to Madeleine Talbot and Toni Foulkes Chicago ACORN leaders in the 1990s Obama recruited and trained workers for ACORN.
ACORN receives federal money and is suppose to be non-partisan but is supporting Obama. Obama his given ACORN $823,000 to steel this election. When is this going to be the lead story on TV news and on the front pages?
Obama, his news media, and left wing websites have attacked and smeared Joe the plumber just for asking Obama a question. Obama and his supporters don't want the America people to know or understand Obama's redistributive tax plan and business anti-growth proposals.
In Obama's America people will be afraid to ask politicians questions.
jfnance32,Thanks for your daily contribution to the 'how smart jfnance32' is. Would you just let people post and be quite. You are not the post cop or everyones mommy.
Homer, Are you the thread queen?
I did not get the memo.
Sorry.
Truth Please You arguments are worn out. McCains election committee is made up of Fannie and Freddie exectuives. Rick Davis was still on their payroll while working for McCain. John McCain was the secound highest reciever of donations from Freddie and Fannie.
Bill Ayers was doing his thing when Obama was eight years old.Obama has been cleared of any wrong doing many times but it is still the mantra for lying Republicans. Do you suppose all of McCain associates are nice peole? John Keating 'tested ' McCain and McCain failed.McCain was censored by Congress and made to pay back money for trips to the Bahamas. McCain belongs in prison with Keating. Togethe they bankrupted many Americans.Palin and her husband support a seperatist movement in Alaska that supports Alaska seceding fromthe United States.Thats pro America?
While worrying about Acorn pay attention o the arrest in California yesterday of a Republican supporter for voter fraud,and it was not his first arrest. He is linked to a wealthy contactor from western Arizona who pays five dollars for every fraudlent voter card.
Lets thank McCain and his chief economic advisor Phil Gramm or deregulating the banking industry that helped put us where we are now. McCain said "I am a deregulator and I want to deregulate the health industry". After what America has been through we need oversight not dergulation.
Obama supporters are not brainwashed they are thinking clearly and they want an honest President.If he is good enough for Warren Buffett( the real capitalist)then so be it. It is you right wing neo con nut jobs that are brainwashed and can not come of your eight year old comma.
Would you please educate Palin on what the vice-president"s job is?
Bill Ayres in his book admitted to taking part in bombing the NYC police HQ, Pentagon and the Capital Building.
He has never apologized for doing that.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...
In the above NY Times article is was quoted as saying, "I don't regret setting bombs" and "I feel we didn't do enough", and, when asked if he would "do it all again," as saying "I don't want to discount the possibility"
It is very clear that Obama and Libs have trouble with sound judgement.
Are you stating that the Honorable Walter H. Annenberg, a good friend of President George H. Bush Sr., gave a grant to the "domestic terrorist" through his foundation?
Annenberg, if alive, would have cringed if he heard the details of the grant and Ayers who is unrependent domestic terrorist.
At least, Annenberg did not start his political career by having his very first fund raiser in the house of an unrependent domestic terrorist.
At least, Anneberg did not give a glowing book review for a book by an unrependent domestic terrorist.
Perhaps, Hussien needs a lesson in English. "Unrepedent" means one does not think they did any wrong by taking part in bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ and Capital building.
"Perhaps, Hussien needs a lesson in English. "Unrepedent" means one does not think they did any wrong by taking part in bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ and Capital building."
Actually, "unrependent" ISN'T A WORD, English major!
And you even misspelled Hussein.
LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!
jfnance32, Bill Ayers has not been convicted of a crime. Keating was. Where was McCains judgement with Keating? It's very clear right wing neo con hatemongering Republicans like to dish it out but they can't keep their own hands clean. The last eight years has been an exercise in bad to horrible judgement.Judgement that is a good word for these times.
Ayers admitted to taking part in bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ and Capital building in HIS OWN BOOK!
"Ayers admitted to taking part in bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ and Capital building in HIS OWN BOOK!"
If you actually read his book, which I'd be willing to bet you HAVE NOT, you'd know that you're absolutely wrong.
You're too willing to repeat whatever Limbaugh told you to say, though.
Ayers wrote, of the Pentagon, in that book YOU DIDN'T READ... "I say "I" even though I didn't actually bomb the Pentagon."
You're just exhibiting how little you know about what you mindlessly repeat. You're being "unrependently" taken advantage of! LOLOL!
You did not read what I said.
I said that "Ayers admitted to taking part in bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ and Capital building in HIS OWN BOOK!"
Do you understand the words "taking part"?
Here is a NY Times article where it takes with Unrependent Domestic terrorist Ayers.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...
"''I don't regret setting bombs,'' Bill Ayers said. "
"He writes that he participated in the bombings of New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, of the Capitol building in 1971, the Pentagon in 1972. "
Do you see the words: "participated in the bombings"
He has never never ever apologized for taking part in those bombings.
It is obvious that Obama and libs just love their unrependent domestic terrorist.
Um, you didn't "say" anything, you wrote something.
I can't "read" what you "said." LOL! Or is that how you think this internet thing works? Do you talk to the monitor, expecting the other readers of this website to hear you? LOL!
If anything, you should apologize for being nonspecific.
But thanks for admitting that you haven't read his book. You can't quote from it firsthand, just quote second-hand information that you've found via Google.
My point stands, he says, in his book, that he did NOT bomb the Pentagon. I quoted him. You INCORRECTLY declared that he admitted bombing the Pentagon. You've been proven wrong.
But hey, I don't really expect you to understand. You've demonstrated how poorly you parse words.
"I can't "read" what you "said." LOL! Or is that how you think this internet thing works? Do you talk to the monitor, expecting the other readers of this website to hear you? LOL!"
+1.
Getting back to the original topic of this article, it's too obvious why Palin's rhetoric softened; it was pushing away the independents in droves. McCain's negatives have gone up since he began ignoring the actual, substantive issues of the day in favor of pointing at Obama while whispering, "Ooooh! Scary!"
The language and focus of the McCain campaign for the past two weeks has been completely out-of-touch with everyday citizens... the same type of everyday citizen that "Joe the plumber" claimed to be.
McCain's screaming socialism one minute, then telling us he wants the government to buy up foreclosed homes. In case he needs a quick lesson in socialism, his real estate venture would be an exercise in socialism.
But that's not the point; the point is that McCain's replaying Hillary's strategy. Maybe in a week or two he'll realize where that got Mrs. Clinton.
I can't not apologize for your inability to read words.
Only you can do that.
I was very specific. I wrote "Ayers admitted to taking part in the bombings".
Ayers admitted in his book that he took part in bombing of the Pentagon.
That is was I said.
I can't help if you do not know how to read.
I guess that you do not have the ability to read what Ayers wrote either.
If you want to make up stuff then perhaps you get a job writing for the funny pages.
That's all fine and dandy, but it still ignores the fact that Obama really has nothing to do with Ayers.
McCain is much more connected to Keating and that whole scandal, but I would like to think McCain is not a crook.
To try and implicate that Obama is somehow connected to terrorism is idiotic and anyone with half a brain knows that. It's one notch up over calling him a communist. What do you propose Obama will do? Move into the white house and then bomb it? What is your point?
You guys are just regurgitating the McCain campaign's smears which all lack much substance. It's played out and hasn't worked so why hold on to it?
Oh and JFNANCE, why do you keep bringing up Obama's medical record? What could possibly be in there that would be of any bearing on the election? I'm just curious what you are trying to hint at?
"Ayers admitted in his book that he took part in bombing of the Pentagon."
You never read his book, how would you know?
And I've demonstrated, with a quote from his book. that this is untrue. Since you have a hard time comprehending basic language, let me quote Bill Ayers again... from the book... that you never read...
"I say "I" even though I didn't actually bomb the Pentagon."
Can you read that? "...I didn't actually bomb the Pentagon..."
That's a declarative sentence, Jfnance32, from Ayers himself... from the book you did not read.
Is this the way the right-wingers argue now? They just make stuff up?
It's beyond insulting, it's just lazy. I'd tell you to stop posting if you can't get the facts straight but, who are we kidding, here? Facts don't matter to jfnance32.
And you're just demonstrating your ignorance every time you write"unrependent." Maybe you've misunderstood Rush Limbaugh's slurred speech, but that isn't a word.
No wonder you support McCain/Palin.
ksand99...Aryers admitted in his book that he had a part in the bombing the Pentagon, NY Police HQ and the Captial building.
That is what the New York Times is reporting that about this book.
Perhaps you think the New York Times is a right wing organization that make stuff up.
Again, what the heck does Ayers REALLY have to do with Obama? I mean, who are you trying to convince?
Let's compare, jfnance32.
We are both talking about the contents of Ayers' memoir.
You are paraphrasing a NYT book review.
I am QUOTING THE ACTUAL BOOK.
Only a complete dolt wouldn't understand that.
In his book, contrary to jfnance32's insistence, Ayers does NOT say that he bombed the Pentagon. He says, ""I say "I" even though I didn't actually bomb the Pentagon." Jfnance32 is using a BOOK REVIEW to prove his point, whereas I'm quoting the actual book.
Sadly, he can't comprehend this very simple fact. Despite evidence to the contrary, he'll just repeat what has been demonstrated to be false. Next, expect him to insist that the Earth is flat. Why? Because a book review of the bible told him so!
Camaro: Ayers is an irrelevant distraction from the issues (and only helping to pull McCain's poll numbers down), but displaying Jfnance32's particular brand of right-wing foolishness is just something I can't pass up.
Ksand99.....You are so full of BS.
In his book,"Fugitive Days," Ayers writes: "Everything was absolutely ideal on the day I bombed the Pentagon."
"Even though I didn't actually bomb the Pentagon -- we bombed it, in the sense that Weathermen organized it and claimed it.'
ksand99.....you need to stop drinking all that koolaid.
simple sarah(mrs joe 6 pack),yea she can relate to the hockey moms and average joes except when she shops for clothes for an election $150,000,but wait its ok because she is going to donate them,what a frigin hypocrite.plus she makes taxpayers pay to fly her family all over the place and keep them in expensive hotels,yea she can relate to us,what an idiot.i can only hope she is the republicans future because that will definitely keep a dem in the white house,go simple sarah and keep bleeding the taxpayers for your personnel gain,u hypocrite.
"Palin backs shipping Alaskan LNG to Japan"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_o......
While we face an energy crisis, Gov. Palin sends Alaska's liquefied natural gas to Asia but not to the lower 48!
Past relationships are a thing of the past.
The choice of a VP running mate is a clear indication of the candidate's judgement. And it's obvious to me that the better candidate is Barack Obama.
Gov. Palin will deliver her first major policy speech on Friday.
Hint: To divert attention from her deposition she will give to the independent investigator working for the Alaska personnel board also on Friday.