Very insightful analysis, one that the mainstream media does not engage in. I think you are at your best when you "tackle" these kinds of topics and issues in a way that others do not.

I have enjoyed following this blog and delving through the archives, but I'm afraid I have to take exception to today's posting.

"Who is so arrogant to think that they could do better with just five weeks' preparation?"

I and many people I know could do better. In fact, if all she learned in five weeks is what she presented in public, she is a slow learner, besides starting out pretty ignorant. I can excuse (regrettfully) such ignorance in a guy flipping burgers, but not in a public official, certainly not at her level.

"She delivered her lines very well. She played to the camera. She was friendly, and charming, and eloquent as long as you didn't mind that she talked about whatever she wanted."

Well, I did mind. If I ask you a question on behalf of the public and your response is to babble about something entirely unconnected, then you are arrogant in assuming you are above being questioned. An rude to boot, for assuming my question didn't deserve an answer.

"The thing is that most of politics is not about giving the right answer. It's about giving any answer the right way."

Style is indeed important, but only because many people do not look/see beyond it. What this says is that politicians are manipulators and the public is naive and unperceptive. That's probably true to some extent, but it does not make that sort of behavior admirable.

"Sure she's probably not ready to move into the White House"

Understatement of the year!"

"It's hard to believe that anyone could choose McCain after he has shown such poor judgment."

She didn't choose McCain - his handlers chose her and she jumped at the chance for advancement. She is ambitious, but ambition without integrity is dangerous and I see arrogance rather than integrity in Sarah Palin. Sometimes there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance, and Palin is way over the line.

"She is scrappy and she knows how to manage her image."

You are right on this to some extent, but I suspect the image-management that succeeded in Alaska may not be as successful when subjected to more intensive national scrutiny. Time will tell.

"Take advantage of the learning opportunity."

I shudder to think what young women would learn from Sarah Palin. She is not a suitable mentor. She is an excellent bad example.

Your admiration for her behavior is rather like admiring the Nazis for their efficiency in carrying out the Final Solution.

"if you think she's unqualified, don't vote for McCain…" The focus needs to stay on qualifications. Plain and simple. And doggone it,
let's hope that if Obama becomes president that he faces his learning curve with the same strong mentors,and is as fast a learner as Palin has been. Of-course, he won't need help "dressing up" after all he is from the big city of Chicago. Is this post sincere? I would like it to be- but I keep hearing the whisper between the lines…. you can not make a silk purse from a sow's ear…"

Katybeth

Sorry, you just lost an avid reader with that post. Come on…

Sorry to see that we can't avoid political pontificating even in a career management blog. Maybe I'll add you back to my RSS reader after the election.

I absolutely agree that delivery and confidence counts for a lot. In my field, especially with two former coworkers who stand in my mind of examples of What Not To DO, we have the problem of technical ability and NO delivery. I'm starting to agree that a polished, confident but glib delivery goes over better with an audience (even an astute one) than 30 minutes of "um, um, well uh, um, this is actually a facet of formulary apportionment, which, um, you know, um is part of the Constitutionality, um, of interstate taxation, you know." I just sat in a professional meeting where one task force head gave an update on his group - FIVE MINUTES of "um, you know, uh, um, you know." Guy knows more than I probably ever will on the technical details, but no one has patience for the "Um Report" any longer.

You didn't lose this reader with this post. I agree completely. I'm not planning on voting for McCain/Palin, but I have to admit she came off very well in the debate. Although I like Biden's message better, which is why I'll be voting that way. But I give props to Palin for being so scrappy - a term that's used for me often. We need to celebrate us scrappy women often!

Who kidnapped Penelope and submitted this post under her name?? This post doesn't seem to have any purpose - just a rah rah rant for Palin, a great actress with little real substance. Come to think of it, this post seems to resemble her speaking style - meandering and pointless. I would have expected better.

ok, in the few minutes from opening my favorite pages to getting to the comments, the number of comments goes from 1 to 12 and I bet its around 20 by the time I finish and submit.

Look, I will be the first to concede that McCains chances are looking slim. The problem is really McCain - the right has never been excited about him and while Sarah has rallied the Republicans, she is still only the VP.

That said, I commend you on the brilliance of this post. Several of my friends (why are all of my friends for Obama?) have tried to go with "she didn't answer the questions!" or "she was not even debating Biden, she was just getting out her message! (the second point is how her message is all lies).

My response is that she played it exactly right. The point of the debate is not the debate. Just like the point of a war is not really to shoot guns and kill people. She realized what her purpose was (1 - don't look dumb, 2 - attack Obama) and she got it done.

Some brief points:

1. I am from Wasilla. (I never knew Sara Palin) So I get the whole moose killing, ANWR drilling thing.

2. Nobody in Wasilla talks like Sarah Palin. I seriously don't know where the hell that accent came from.

3. I actually thought she did horribly in the debate: The "folksy" style REALLy turns me off and I thought she looked fairly inarticulate and not particularly deft in the format. (I was relieved to hear everyone else thought she did well)

4. (Last point) I saw the softball interview on Foxnews where they asked her about the Katie Couric question about magazines and news papers. I know nobody else on here will believe me on this one, but her answer ("I read everything - the same as everyone else") actually made perfect sense to anyone from Alaska. You would not believe the questions Alaskans get about living up there - do you live in an igloo, do they have roads, how do you mail things, do you have a pet polar bear, etc. Her frame in answering that question was defensive, but distinctly Alaskan - she did not take it as face value, but took it as "what sort of media actually makes its way up there?".

5. The cynical part of me can't help but wonder if you are only able to be objective about Sarah Palin now that they are 7 points down :)

Wow, I lost track of the number of "nazi" references in the comments. That tells you more about the commenter than they care to admit.

Sarah Palin, with six weeks on the national scene took on a sitting senator and two-time presidential candidate and pushed him back at times. She did not make the "Hezbollah out of Lebanon" and "Article 1" errors, he did and they are in his area of expertise.

In any event, if the McCain/Palin ticket loses, Governor Palin will go back to Alaska and finish her term and likely be re-elected in a landslide as she is the most popular governor in America. In four years, the $40B pipeline deal she negotiated with Canada and the private sector will be under way and she will be well positioned to run for President if she chooses.

I thought the only thing she did well was ask Biden if she could call him Joe.

From that moment on, I was struck by how patronizing she sounds–as if she thinks her audience is made up of children. Actually, it's an annoying way to talk to children.

Uh, gun-loving, gay-marriage hating, environment destroying, fiscally unsound xenophobes are NOT welcome in MY version of the Democratic party, WHATEVER package they come in, even if she's a GILF.

@Hockey Mom, I find her manner irritating (at least on TV) and her politics abhorrent. Both would be true for me no matter what party she belonged to. Except that because of her political opinions, I can't imagine that she would run on the democratic ticket.

By the way, I'd also find that manner and those political opinions objectionable in a man, regardless of party.

Penelope, you say "it's hard to find a woman who is as good at it as she is and public about how she's doing it."

What about Hillary Clinton? I don't recall you writing this many (or any) posts about Hillary Clinton and her performance during and after her campaign.

The bottom line is that Sarah Palin was hand-picked by McCain like a daisy from the side of the road on his way to the White House. Her performance at the debate was a surprise because she appeared to be DOING her job. But that doesn't mean it was a GREAT job.

* * * * * *

The what-about-Hilary-Clinton comment is an interesting one. I just wouldn't want to be her. I'm sure she's a genius, and a really hard worker. But she's not fun to watch, she's not inspiring to me. She seems very my-mom's-generation to me. Like old news. Or like a great example of a great achiever for someone who is not in my shoes. I love that some Republican-image-maker decided that Sarah can wear her hair sort of like a school girl. Women with power can do that now. Women could not have done that a generation ago, I don't think. It's a million things like that that add up to the freshness I see in her.

–Penelope

Sarah Palin is a fascinating lesson in personal branding. Whether you agree with her politics or not, it's clear that she's very targeted with her message (or her handlers are), played to her strengths, and is delivering it effectively. The goal was to energize the base and she did that. The rest of us who don't agree with her politics? We're not her target audience. It's niche marketing at its best.

The other lesson I take from Sarah Palin's candidacy is to just get in the game. From the PTA to mayor to governor to VP candidate, you have to admire the bio. She's "only" 44 and has a long and successful political career ahead of her. Unfortunately, since my political views couldn't be any further from hers.

@ Paul, Sorry to see that Joe Biden has no place in your party (Biden said no on gay marriage, is a Clean Coal supporter after BO took him aside, and is the owner of two guns).

If it makes you feel better, Palin vetoed a bill in Alaska that would have denied benefits to same-sex partners.

Penelope, I think you have it backwards.

Sarah "rose to the occasion" with "5 weeks of prep" from the most elite minds & resources of modern day political stagecraft.

If that inspires you - more power to ya.

But the real "mentors", in the true sense of the word, are the people, ideas and techniques that enabled Sarah to pull it off.

Paul,

For a guy so concerned with the conservative party's stereotypical behavior ("hatred for anyone not white/christian/conservative" as us). You sure do a lot of name calling.

I'm voting for McCain/Palin, but I thought Biden did a pretty good job of staying calm, cool and collected…even evoking emotion at one point.

So, she was able to wing a difficult "speech" (because let's face it, that was hardly a debate) and memorize stuff, and she's cute and doesn't have a stalled career. Does that really a vice president make? And are we really supporting someone for office just because we like them and they *didn't* fail?
I'm sorry to see such low standards apply to such an important race. We really need to expect more of our potential leaders, folks.

I think for as much as Palin has been ripped to shreds (think: Katie Couric) by the mainstream media, you have to give her props for standing up on two feet at the debate.

Regardless of what I feel about SP, the obvious bias and hatred against her is what makes me want to cheer her on even more. I consider myself a strong public speaker but if I was in her (red) shoes, I would have crumbled by now.

Grit, the woman has grit.

I grew up in Wisconsin and Michigan so I feel qualified to talk about her "folksiness". Her style is not fake! Go to any supper club, diner, American Legion Hall, grocery store or church in the midwest or small town America and you will find friendly, confident, outgoing people who are not afraid to talk your ear off. Her politics may leave a bad taste in your mouth but when she winks at the third grade class and asks if she can call Joe, Joe she is just being friendly. Let's focus on the bigger issues.

Besides having her as a mentor we should take a lesson from her in old fasioned manners.

sarah is beautiful. she stands tall and holds to her beliefs. she is a woman but not a victim which might be why liberals have a tough time with her. hillary gets trampled and embarrassed by her husband and a grossly under qualified candidate so she is acceptable.

gov palin is not a product of affirmative action. she is a woman of achievement and respect. we should celebrate her success.

I'm not going to address the politics of either side. I don't have to agree with (or respect) what Palin said to acknowledge that she did a better job in the speech than I anticipated. Being in the business of writing speeches and delivering messages, I was struck by the fact that she did seem to speak to her audience well. Her delivery was good and she held her own, even if she didn't always answer the question asked.

I read a blog post where a woman said she closed her eyes and just listened to the debate so she missed all the winking and smiling and so on.

She said Biden was clear and logical and Palin was the complete opposite. Everything I've heard from her is mostly "word salad" –what brain damaged people produce when their language center is impaired–just a collection of words without grammatical structure or logic or coherence.

Yes, she is shiny and pretty and it is well documented that people only hear about 7% of what you say and go by how you look/act/project for the rest of it. So by that standard, she will win every time.

The tragedy is that we need a government of people who can actually string a complete sentence together under stress.