Market Gopher

Continuing Palin chatter has produced a new dichotomy for voters to decide on this morning.  With the comment by Obama about “lipstick on a pig” and wrapping up “an old fish in a piece of paper”—contextually confirmed as referring generally to McCain/Palin politics—now everyone is in a whole new kind of tizzy about Palin’s image.  Is she the hardboiled state-level politician who can hold her own or is she a delicate conservative flower who needs protection from all the sexist liberals?

Never mind the democratic record on progress for women or the fact that McCain himself used the same phrase to refer to one of Hillary Clinton’s policy plans (the same Hillary who just ran against Obama for the top spot on the democratic ticket), it still seems the republicans have cast Palin as some sort of untouchable totem.  She can let loose whatever she comes up with but anything that could possibly be construed as a personal slight from the left (al la the Hillary bashing engaged in by legions of conservatives) is treated like blasphemy.

It’s too bad we can’t collectively mind read to see what kind of internal tennis match is taking place as independent voters absorb all this stuff.  After all, people never give straight answers about why they like someone—they either do or don’t and can always justify themselves after they’ve made up their minds.