With Palin, the personal is the political

Andrew Halcro, an Alaska politician who has debated Sarah Palin in the past says that Joe Biden's going to have his hands full. In this excerpt from his Anchorage Daily News essay, the emphases are all mine:

On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up against.

"Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers and yet when asked questions you spout off facts, figures and policies and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " Palin said.

While public policy wonks might cringe, the fact was that Sarah Palin was simply vocalizing her biggest campaign strength without realizing it. During the campaign, from January to November, Palin's message on important public policy issues never evolved -- because it didn't have to. Her ability to fill the debate halls with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy.

In one debate, a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the Legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Palin used her allotted time to criticize the unpopular incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: Palin didn't name a bill.

And when she does answer the actual question asked, she has the canny ability to connect with the audience on a personal level.

In the beginning, I had no expectation that Palin would be well-versed in policy intricacies. I assumed, though, a basic level of interest in national and international issues, and the ability to get up to speed quickly. What was so startling to me, especially after the Couric interviews, is how little she actually knows about things that are relevant to the vice presidency. A friend in Alaska writes to say:

This is neither a thoughtful woman nor an informed one. Nor does she see the need to be either. Nor can she surround herself with people who make up for her deficiencies.

It's the "nor does she see the need to be either" that hits home. This rings true to me. The thing is, I believe the Palin that so many of us on the right fell for really does exist: the small-town girl with small-town values and a hell of a lot of grit. But that's not enough to be president-in-waiting of the United States, not at this perilous time in our history.

Anyway, I think the only way Palin can avoid a catastrophe in Thursday's debate with Biden -- and you know that's exactly what the McCain campaign's afraid of, which is why they suggested subbing out a presidential debate for that one -- is if she tries to pull this personality-over-policy strategy. The problem with that is that Palin has already established herself as an empty pantsuit in those network interviews. This Tina Fey sketch from SNL last night is actually not too far off from Palin's actual interview with Couric. People are onto her, and an attempt to baffle 'em with b.s. isn't going to work.