Pit Bull in a Skirt

By Amy Yensi-

The beauty of low expectations is that when the bar is set so low, as long as you don’t make any gaffes, you succeed. On Wednesday night, Sarah Palin fought back against the naysayers and ‘elite media’ by serving more red meat than a butcher. Her speech was setup by the previous appearances of Senator John McCain’s formal rivals for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination—Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Rudolph Giuliani. Giuliani proclaimed that Senator Barack Obama had accomplished ‘zero’ and ‘nada’ amid profuse applause by the delegates. Palin succeeded in establishing herself as an attack dog, she went as far as saying that the only difference between a hockey mom, something she has labeled herself as, and a Pit Bull is lipstick. Palin drew the line in the sand, surely in an attempt to provoke the Obama campaign to cross it.

Obama though, is known for his cool demeanor, and will probably not take the bait. Tit for tat would surely lead to more cries of foul and sexism, reminiscent of the Democratic Primaries. Obama should focus on the one thing that Palin and the other Republicans mostly did not, the economy. At the end of the day all the stingers made some cheer and others jeer, in the words of James Carville: “It’s the economy stupid.”

So far, the Republicans have had a convention that for the most part, could have taken place during any of the past presidential elections. The problem with repeating tried and true arguments is that the public expects them. By purely focusing on the basis of the party and talking points, the Republicans are failing to address the current difficulties Americans are facing and can therefore add credibility to Obama’s argument that they are out of touch. Senator Joe Biden, who is known for his foreign affairs credentials, should hammer away at Palin’s lack of world travel and experience. In order to keep their lead, the Democrats must take back control of the public debate, such to focus on the issues that matter to voters.

Although Palin diminished Obama’s experience, he must be wary of simply mudslinging, he and Biden must talk about the solutions they have for America and corner Palin and McCain to offer their vision for the future. Palin achieved her goal for the audience she wanted to reach, the Republican base. However, all Americans were watching and now everyone can see that the gloves came off. She has opened the door for the Democrats to bring the fight right back to her. She rallied the ‘base’ while simultaneously losing some of the vulnerability that was shielding her from personal attacks from the Democrats, notably Obama who denounced the attacks on her family. Nevertheless, Palin proved to American she could dish it out and on October 2nd she will have to prove if she can also take it.