It seems weird to be thankful for one of the biggest jokes to hit the national political stage this year, but honestly I am grateful that Sarah Palin jumped on board the Straight Talk Cynicism Express. Yeah I know, the conservative whack jobs love her, being one of their own and all. She'll rally the base to some degree with her ridiculously partisan tone and cheap one liners. Though as much as she does that for the religious right, she does it even more so for the rest of us.
Not only does this energize the Democratic base, Palin will help move moderates and Independents over to the party that represents true change. Polls including her introduction to the RNC and her speech are still formulative, but before election day, one of the best ways to show your support of a candidate is from your wallet. So let's see what happened after Palin spoke, shall we?
From Democratic Underground:
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Barack Obama's presidential campaign said it raised $10 million Thursday following the Republican National Convention speech by rival John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Palin's address, heavily laced with digs at Obama, prompted an outpouring of donations from more than 130,000 donors.
"We're up over the previous record and the number is still climbing the more Palin's attacks are covered on cable and network news," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.
The Republican National Committee announced earlier Thursday, at mid-afternoon, that it had raised well in excess of $1 million since Palin's speech. Republicans expect Palin to mobilize their donors. But the Obama camp promptly used the speech as a fundraising hook, sending an overnight e-mail to supporters to contribute.
Ten million to one million, or for the benefit of the doubt for the GOP it could be 10 to 1.5. Whatever number you want to put after that decimal point is fine by me. While Palin pleases the GOP base because they were disappointed by the nominee himself, Barack Obama already had his base shored up. Sure there were some PUMAs out there, but most of them were Republicans dressed up as Hillary supporters. When Palin commended Hillary for her campaign, her crowd booed her. Women aren't fooled by this and while Republican women will still vote for the McCain/Palin ticket, Democratic women aren't swayed by a VP choice that is diametrically opposed to the way they view choice, domestic policy and world views. As for moderates and Independents, they are well aware of when someone is trying to placate and fool them.
The real fools here are the Republican leadership that made McCain go with Palin instead of Lieberman. John S. McCain may have the tag line "Country First" but really this is all about winning, at any cost. Whether it comes from the money of the religious right or the metaphorical bank account in his soul, McCain and his base are morally bankrupt...and it shows in real dollar amounts that are evidence for the enthusiasm for one campaign over the other.
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