Palin Has Obama, Democrats Off Balance and Struggling to Connect with Blue Collar Voters; Hillary in No Mood to Help

Arlette Figdore of York, Pa., right, holds a campaign sign
with an image of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin
as "Rosie the Riveter" at a campaign rally in Lancaster, Pa.
Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Times on how Gov. Palin complicates Sen. Obama's already-troubled efforts to reach blue collar voters:

Some fear Obama's more aggressive tone could enhance [Palin's] appeal among white, blue-collar voters.

The emergence of Sarah Palin as a political force in the presidential race has left many top Democrats fretting that, just two weeks after their convention ended on an emotional high, Barack Obama's campaign has suddenly lost its stride.

Obama has responded aggressively this week to Palin's presence on the Republican ticket, using TV ads and campaign rallies to attack her contention that she is a political reformer who will take on the Washington establishment -- a role Obama has long claimed as his alone.

But some Democrats are now worried about the perils of Obama's strategy, saying that his campaign, instead of engaging the Alaska governor, should avoid any move that draws more attention to her and could enhance her appeal among the white, blue-collar voters who remain cool to Obama's candidacy.

A series of new polls suggests that Palin has given a major boost to John McCain's campaign, exciting the GOP base, winning over white women and all but erasing Obama's lead.

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Of course the natural antidote to Sen Obama's "Palin problem" is none other than Sen. Hillary Clinton. But Ed Morrissey explains why Hillary is "not motivated to assist":

The Clintons would appear to give Barack Obama everything he needs in surrogates — experience, a natural constituency, and in Hillary a strong female presence to counteract Sarah Palin. Thus far, though, the Clintons have remained on the sidelines, with Hillary expressly declining opportunities to attack Palin. This disconnect comes from unhealed divisions from the primaries, ironically in the same vein as the recent Palin meltdown for Team Obama, and is unlikely to be resolved soon...

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Perhaps the treatment Gov. Palin has received from Team Obama and the nuttier contingent among his supporters is an all too vivid reminder to Sen. Clinton and those who backed her of Sen. Obama's dismissive and misogynistic smarminess toward the women who stand in the way of his "exercise in self discovery".