TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Palin's Visit Had Zero Chance Of Improv Moment

ADVERTISEMENT

By DANIEL RUTH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2008

There's a very simple reason why Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was willing to risk life and limb in order to appear in The Villages, Florida's answer to Stepford, over the weekend.

Yet again, all those presidential preference polls the candidates always profess to ignore indicate Florida is a virtual dead heat between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

Initially McCain's vice presidential running mate had canceled an appearance at The Villages, a hamlet that is more Republican than the Reagan Library, with campaign apparatchiks suggesting everything was just too, too chancy to hold a rally with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Fretting about rain in Florida is a bit like getting all frazzled at the prospect of dancing breaking out at a Radio City Rockettes show. Uh, apparently whoever was holding Palin's hand through the campaign process didn't realize there is a 30 percent chance of precipitation somewhere in the state on any given day.

And it had to look sorta silly that a pol from ALASKA, who ought to know a thing or two about inclement weather, would be put off by a bit of rain.

Always Dignity

So when it turned out the presidential race in Florida was now tighter than Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer contemplating parting with a dime, the visit to The Villages, which is more Republican than Karl Rove dining alone, was back on the schedule.

According to the McCain operatives, a crowd somewhere between The Beatles Shea Stadium concert and a Billy Graham revival turned out to see Palin and her "first dude," Todd, which calls to mind Gene Kelly's line from "Singing In The Rain": "Dignity, always dignity."

As speeches go, no one would confuse Palin's remarks with Lincoln's second inaugural address or Churchill's "Blood, sweat and tears" oratory.

After all, this is a woman who every time she opens her mouth sounds like she's auditioning for "Fargo II," don'cha know.

Chatty Relationship

Because Palin has been delivering essentially the same speech for the past three weeks, what it may have lacked in creativity it more than made up for in predictability.

Palin promoted oil drilling and reform, as well as staking out bold, visionary support in favor of helping developmentally disabled children. Whoa! Now there's a "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" moment for you.

And then after repeating again how she and McCain are tough mavericks, Palin concluded her remarks and ducked the press, declining to take questions even from the crowd at The Villages, which is so Republican it makes Collier County look like North Korea.

J. D. Salinger has a chattier relationship with reporters.

This has to be one of the weirdest oddities of a presidential campaign: a running mate candidate who spends more time in seclusion than the Unabomber.

How schizophrenic is this political picture? On one hand, the McCain campaign wants Sarah Palin to be on the stump performing the classic vice presidential candidate pit bull role, just as long as she doesn't say anything.
John McCain can't seem to figure out if he wants a "Reservoir Dog" or Toto.

Keyword: Book of Ruth, to read and comment on Daniel Ruth's blog.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT