"Palintology" : The Sarah Palin Effect

So after watching the Republican's VP Nominee, Governor Sarah Palin's speech a lot of interesting emotions stirred up inside of me.  I use the word interesting because I not only felt my usual sensation of cynicism towards a republican candidate, but I also found myself in a state of shock and utter disbelief.  The part of her speech that has been highlighted in many news sources across the country is this quote that struck me the most as well:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

This is an obvious attack on Barack Obama and his experience as a community organizer when he was 24 years old.  Directing an attack at that aspect of Barack Obama seems as though there are either very weak and vacuous attacks to make on Obama, or rather her campaign struggles to attack Obama with a legitimate concern.  

When stepping back and thinking about this in a tactical perspective, I am a bit confused as how that type of attack can be effective? Are the republicans trying to say that Obama really doesn't do anything and is all words and no action, or are they trying to draw the legitimacy and honor from the work that Barack was once committed to?  

In class we discussed some of Sarah Palin's tactics in convincing her audience (the American people) that she and John McCain are the ticket, and the answer for Washington, come January 2009.  But instead of elaborating on these tactics, I would like to go a different route:

 I would like to raise the McCain campaign's decision in choosing Sarah Palin as the VP candidate.  Why was a unknown politician from Alaska chosen over assumed, experienced, well-known candidates such as Mitt Romney or Joe Lieberman?  I think it is fair to say that the news media and the rest of the country (myself definitely included) were in shock when the McCain campaign announced her as his running mate.  Was this a last minute, careless decision? Or was it purely tactical? ...

While watching different news media channels tonight, I began to wonder about "The Sarah Palin Effect".  Her presence in the Republican campaign, whether you like it or not, has proven to be the "shake-up" and revival that the McCain campaign desperately needed.  However, the decision of Palin seems like a contradiction to what the campaign previously attacked the Obama campaign of.  The celebrity and passionate crowds that drove thousands of people to attend many of Obama's rallies and speeches were touted as unprofessional like, and only strong words.  Obama's passionate supporters were painted as crazed fans that could be compared to screaming teenage girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.  

There is also the fact that McCain chose a woman as his running mate.  After the Democrats dealt with the drama of Hilary and Bill Clinton and their supporters, the Republican party and the McCain campaign jumped on this opportunity to lure those who had lasting anger about the Democratic party's choice of Obama as the candidate.  With the surprise of Palin as the VP nominee, it was as though the Republicans sat back and smiled and waited for a rally of former Hiliaryites to come running towards the McCain campaign.

Is Sarah Palin really a legitimate person to serve as the Vice President of the United States of America? Or, was the choice to place her on the ticket tactical?  Is the hype and popularity surrounding the religious-like movement of Sarah Palin a legitimate force in choosing the next president of the United States?  

I would love to know what you think of this new found movement: Palintology

Click here for the article accompanying the Newsweek cover pictured above.