Bare Minimum

If the standard was the bottom of the barrel for screw ups on the national stage last night then YES Palin did do MUCH better than expected. She definitely won the folksy appeal to voters by making it the main substance of her 90 minutes. What I didn't hear was was SHE thinks, how she would lead (other than to say that the Constitution gives her much more power than is actually in Article II). I heard rehearsed, vapid answers that when she didn't know or want to answer a given question she returned to the practiced party line (usually adding a beauty pageant like wink).

So with that being said, did last night make a real difference? Did she pull more undecided voters into thier camp? With a little over 30days to go alot can still happen. I look for McCain to make more brash decisions like pulling out of MI that are so true to his Maverick nature. My friend Laura that I watched the debate with last night, made a great point that the economic relief that the Republicans always try to sell the middle class (usually wrapped in an American flag of values rhetoric) is never really attainable.

Tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and corporate America don't add to the workforce in the numbers promised. Trickle down economics has and never will work. It takes people who are vested in helping others by being willing to hand over a portion of their earnings to make a real difference (even if it means higher taxes). Unfortunately this is a tenant of the Democrats not the Republicans.

It is unfortunate that once again the Republicans are erroneously promoting themselves as champions of the middle class. Once again I am afraid that too many voters are going to vote who they want to have a beer with not lead the free world on election day.