It is become more and more clear that nominating McCain nominated Palin as a means of changing the conversation from issues to personalities. Her speech last night focusing almost entirely on personal attacks made this clear. At this point it is obvious that focusing on Palin's pregnant daughter is a mistake, but even though we are not making it for the most part, any discussion of Palin is often spun as an attack on Bristol.
As Josh Marshall said:
Let's be clear about what's happening here. Overwhelmingly, reporters are pressing eminently reasonable questions -- her role in troopergate, her lack of experience, her connections to the AIP, her history of earmarking and lobbyists, etc. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign is going absolutely non-stop about Palin's daughter. It is unmistakable.
But even when that spin fails, too much focus on Palin changes the subject for McCain.
Steven M. Teles lays out the logic:
That is why I think that Democrats salivating over a Palin meltdown are on the wrong track. Spending too much time going after McCain’s judgment may be a serious mistake. McCain’s only strategy for success is to make the election about himself and Obama as individuals—if he’s being attacked on that level, he’s at least moved the debate to the terrain it must be on for him to win.
I honestly believe that the Palin pick, as irresponsible as it is in governing terms, was the only plausible move that McCain could have made where politics is concerned. I have just read a great essay by Richard Bensel on the 1896 Democratic convention, which quotes William Jennings Bryan stating before the convention that he would be the nominee because "I represent the logic of the situation." I am afraid that Palin was not a mistake—she was the logic of the situation. McCain took a gamble, but if he was not willing to play it safe and hope for an Obama meltdown, this was the only move he could make.
The only plausible Democratic counter-response is not to take the bait. Don’t waste any advertising space attacking either Palin or McCain on their person (not even on McCain’s temperament). Spend the next eight weeks saying, "All personalities aside, if you elect Obama, you will get the following three things. If you elect McCain and Palin, you won’t." If this is election is on party policies, the Democrats win. If it’s not, anything could happen.
I think Teles takes the logic a bit too far. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can't attack McCain only on the issues while he and Palin aim blow after blow on Obama's character. But I think the direction Teles is thinking is right. The main campaign has to be aimed at reminding people of the difference in what Obama and McCain with character issues kept secondary. We can't let McCain or the RNC make the campaign mainly about character. Character is a terrain with room for infinite improvisation. A right wing media can make drinking orange juice instead of coffee a sign of weakness, or deliberate lying a sign of being a mavericky straight-talker.
Digby explains in more depth:
The instincts that make us gloat over the headlines on the new issue of US Magazine, may not have the desired result. As much as McCain says "celebrity" is something to condemn, in America of 2008, we know that isn't true. This is the land of average folks becoming "stars" on reality TV.
Palin could become the winner of America's Working Mom from all this --- at least to those who don't know enough about politics to realize that she wants her church and the government to be our "Dad."
Digby points to Jay Rosen's article on how the right might turn too much focus on Palin to McCain's benefit.
I will note that this is the conclusion that the Obama campaign seems to have to come to early. Or perhaps they were merely following well-honed instincts. But you will note their ads focus on issues and on campaigns. They are not distracted by right shiny Palins. They do not accept McCain campaign manager Rick Davis's claim that "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
Not even the great Orange Satan can give orders on this blog, so I certainly can't. But my advice would be to follow the Obama campaign's example in this matter. No, don't ignore Palin. Don't fail to counterattack. But put most of our efforts into attacking McCain - and focus most of those attacks on issues besides his poor judgment in picking Palin.