Palin's appeal to blue collar America

Chuck Raasch:

Much of the reaction to John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate has focused on whether the Alaska governor can peel away female Hillary Rodham Clinton voters for the Republican ticket in November. But that analysis misses a crucial Palin target: blue-collar, white men.

They went to Clinton over rival Barack Obama by more than 2-1 in some swing states, like Ohio, in the Democratic primaries.

While Democrats have tried to portray Palin as a combination of Dan Quayle and Katherine Harris, the Republicans are introducing her as an independent and accomplished outsider. They're featuring everything from her National Rifle Association membership to the fact that she played basketball as a young woman and that she still hunts and fishes today.

"She is a gun owner, she is an athlete, she is accomplished, she is independent," Republican House Leader John Boehner told GNS and USA TODAY on Tuesday. "When you look at the voters that Hillary Clinton had in her contest against Barack Obama, the ones that Obama can't quite get his arms around, she can. That is why she is on the ticket."

Boehner further described this target audience as union members who "own guns, go to church."

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Many Americans will get their first real look at the Alaska governor when she delivers an expected prime-time address from the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.

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I think she will do well on the big stage. People who study to be TV newscasters are not shy about the cameras and a big audience. That is one reason why she was so good in her introductory remarks. While I am sometimes critical of the media, I understand the talent it takes to do the job and I think she clearly has the talent to present herself with grace and courage. I look forward to her speech tonight.

I also look forward to seeing her on the stump in the blue collar towns of the Midwest where the election may be decided.