Election Issues Today

Sarah Palin has been taking high fast balls this week and last night she hit one…and I think it went deep. 

She needed to Hit one out of the Park, and she may have done it; at least she made no major gaffes and the crowd loved her.  She threw a few pitches of her own:  pitching her Mom image to the other hockey moms and mothers of special needs children; pitching her outsider status as an advantage in fixing the problems in Washington; pitching her small town background, small town values, the rural American girl who made good; pitching to the Unions with her husband’s Steel Worker membership; pitching to the Farmers, Teachers, etc. etc.  She didn’t cry.

Her best line, certain to be quoted everywhere today: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.” She is a very effective speaker.

She attacked the media, as expected, and warmly praised John McCain the American Hero.  That will be her job in the campaign and, from all indications, she will do a very capable job.  In the absence of any new major revelations in her Alaskan political affairs, she will probably be as strong a voice for McCain as he had hoped.

She will be more energetic on the stump than McCain could be.  At age 72, he can sit back and calmly appear to be “presidential” for the next two months, while she takes on the Democrats and the media.

This was a fun night.  Rudy Giulianni is a very funny guy.  He is quick with a smile while he cuts you down.  His best line, I thought, was a dig at the Obama themes, with this:

“Change is not a Destination; just as Hope is not a Strategy.”