The Palin Phenomenon

The MSM is trying to tell us it's over, and it's true the polls don't look good. But on the threshold of the second presidential debate, aging hippie network CBS must be shocked by its own poll. The race has tightened since Gov. Sarah Palin more than held her own in the VP debate against phony Joe Biden. We're talking CBS, we're talking registered voters (which tends to include more Democrats), not even likely ones:

In a sign that the race for president has returned to about where it was before the first presidential debate, the Obama-Biden ticket leads the McCain-Palin ticket 47 percent to 43 percent among registered voters in a new CBS News poll.

OK, they've got likely voters too, which narrows the margin by a point, 48-45. More:

Both Biden and Palin appear to have benefited from their performance in the vice presidential debate. Both now have 40 percent approval ratings - an increase of six points for Biden and eight points for Palin from their pre-debate approval ratings.

Very interesting. And this:

The race continues to be close among independents. In this poll McCain has a small edge, 44 percent to 39 percent, among the group. At the end of last week it was Obama with a small lead. Independents have swung back and forth between the two candidates for the last few weeks.

They also say Obama continues to only have 2 of 3 Hillary voters which is a huge percentage for McCain. There is other polling that independent women are up for grabs. Perhaps that is why Barack Obama felt compelled to dissemble in swing state Michigan the other day, implying that Hillary was on his short list when she was never vetted at all--she was never under serious consideration by the Obama campaign.

Despite the concentrated Obama/MSM assault, the Palin phenomenon is real--and it can only grow, given her stellar performance on the stump. She has Barack Obama's number on Bill Ayers.

P.S. Sarah Palin, trendsetter. Fargo Forum:

“If she walked down the street heads would turn. She looks like a classic young woman and not an old lady walking down the street in a business suit,” says Natalie Sparrow, a wardrobe consultant for the Fargo-based consultant firm Ultimate Image.

“I would say she’s one of the first women in office who doesn’t dress just classic. (She doesn’t) wear the Barbara Bush style of the suit. I believe she steps out of the comfort zone and puts a little bit of trendiness in it.”

The key with Palin’s clothing choices is that she maintains a feminine identity – such as ignoring pant suits – in a male-dominated profession while maintaining a relevant and youthful appearance.

The key is the youthful essence. Sparrow says that the desire to not look old is one of her most common requests from customers.

“Women are always searching for how to look their age and still look trendy and Sarah Palin does that,” Sparrow says.

Sarah is the fresh air.