GOP Drop in Opinion Polls: My Opinion My Predictions

The last few days, Sarah Palin has taken an unprecedented beating at the hands of the news media. As the press piled on the McCain Palin bounce seemed to evaporate.Last night, the Palins showed up at the convention. They were calm and poised. They looked like a regular American family. They appeared unshaken by the treatment they received in the media.

Palin outdid all expectations. She laid out the basic differences between the two parties. She did so with eloquence and wit. The audience was energised by her performance. She portrayed the real, struggling America seen by millions and made the GOP's answers to its problems seem plausible.

Does anyone remember Thomas Eagleton? He was George McGovern's pick for Vice President. News that he had been hospitalised for depression brought about his withdrawal from the Democratic Party ticket in 1972. There was some talk that he had been judged too harshly. Had he wanted to, he might well have weathered the controversy, but he stepped down.

The Democratic attack on Palin was so brutal, some were perhaps expecting an Eagleton ending, in which Palin would say that family obligations precluded her being on the presidential ticket. It was clear last night that Palin was on the ticket to stay, with the full backing of her family.

Palin is not like Lurleen Wallace, wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace or Hillary Clinton, both of whom followed in their husband's footsteps to acieve high office. Palin made her own political career and defined herself. In this respect she resembles Margaret Thatcher, of Britain, who because she is Conservative is not counted as a woman by the feminist bean counters.

Palin's endurance shows the kind of toughness and stamina needed in the oval office. Both she and McCain are political mavericks who are likely to shake up the political landscape if elected. Because she is young, she would be the woman with the best shot at the Oval Office.

Bill Clinton's stock saying was "I feel your pain." It was a line delivered with a sound of sincerity that he could summon at will for any occasion. After the drubbing taken by Palin without flinching during the days since her nomination, thinking Americans know that she lives in the same world they do.

This election has shaped into a contest of vastly different visions for America championed by its two major parties. McCain and Palin are clearly able to articulate the GOP vision for America. They have stood above character assasination and personal negativity. They have mapped out the high road of debating the record of past performance as well as differing political philosophies. It is a high clean road that the GOP and the American people wish to travel until the November elections. The Democrats are cordially invited to join them