A Gleaming Facade

Sarah Palin has not had much going for her this last fortnight. For that, we are all forever indebted to Katie Couric. Somehow, the Alaskan Angie emerged from last night's debate relatively unscathed. As usual, we are all baffled as to just how that is. She is the most corrupt, most neocon person, let alone woman to have a legitimate shot at the White House in a long time. Her policies make those of George W. Bush look sensible. Lost in a sea of radical creationism and economic wishwash is a compass that, inexplicably, gets the Alaska Governor out of more bonds than 007. Even Washington's most knowledgeable commentators have stumbled when trying to explain just how a woman who in many cases has no policy, no facts, commands so much respect from the American people.
Its easy to understand how the analysts missed the answer: it was staring them in the face. Simply put, Sarah Palin is at the level of the average Midwestern voter. Facts don't matter because she can relate to them. That is an unfortunate reflection on that huge chosm of our society. Resentment to the articulate politicos of Capitol Hill has festered to such a level that someone like Palin can come in and rack up ridiculous popularity basically for the simple reason that she is one of them. It doesn't matter that she doesn't know squat, that she's corrupt and backward. The only relevant issue is that she does not fit the traditional mold of the alleged Washington bureaucrats and among the down-at-hand, that is a good thing.
Such an image makes it hard to forget that what Palin proposes is essentially a more partisan form of Bush's reign of terrifying stupidity. Read: American popularity, economy to think further. Her response in the debate with Joe Biden to the economic difficulties was that "we must stop being pushed around by the banks," or words to that effect. Words that mean basically nothing in political terms.
Most of the world realises this. Now all we need is for American down-at-hand to give up the illusion. We need change and that is something that only Barack Obama can deliver.