centreleft // a new voice from the British left

Palin’s rise to political stardom has precipitated the most thorough media introspection in America since the Iraq War.  When Palin was first announced the media thought all its Noëls had come at once.  Result: in the words of Peggy Noonan, the media dropped the “A-bomb” on her within the first 72 hours.  They, and the Obama campaign, are still suffering from the blowback.

Before anyone had heard so much as squeak from this pleasant looking, hockey-mom-governor-of-five, the media went after her, and her family, in the most savage and disrespectful way possible.  You might well say at this point, “of course they did, that’s their job”, but it’s not the mainstream media’s job to kick around a pregnant seventeen-year old, nor is it within their remit to present sordid internet rumours of sexual affairs as national news.  In more ways that can be mentioned, Palin is an abominable choice for VP, but the media and Democrats overplayed their hand to such an extent that it gave Palin, and the McCain campaign, a golden opportunity.

An opportunity that she took with both hands, in front of over forty-million Americans who tuned in to watch, the same number that had watched Obama the week before.  Palin delivered one of the most well-crafted and pitch-perfect political speeches you could hope to see – the Republican equivalent of Obama’s 2004 Convention speech, but better because it was delivered against a backdrop of unequalled media intensity.

Candidates running for national office usually only get two opportunities to speak directly to the voters of America in the midst of the campaign: the Convention and the debates.  America was tuned-in, and they liked what they saw.  Most importantly, middle-America concluded that it was the media that couldn’t be trusted; not Sarah Palin.

In short, America has stopped listening to the (overwhelmingly liberal) media; they’ve made up their own mind.  Consequently, she is virtually bullet-proof to more attacks from Democrats or the media.  The only person who can damage Brand-Palin is Sarah herself, and it will take more than the Bush Doctrine to derail her.

Obama has only one option: ignore her.  He can’t go after her, but he can stop talking about her.  The campaign will come back to the top of the ticket, either this week or next, and the main issues will be at the centre of this election by the time of the first debate.  And it’s on these issues, not character, that Obama can still triumph.

NH@CentreLeft