A couple of quick polling/media notes re: Palin, McHundred

1. national polls mean little. the electoral college matters. if voters are filing in behind Palin in Idaho, texas, alaska, louisiana, mississippi, and arizona, that's just fine. with the Obama camp's highly targeted approach, it's more likely that any swing to mccain will be neglible and/or reversible in Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, PA, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if Obama trails in each of these states either for a very short time or not at all, despite whatever happens with the national numbers.

2. don't be frustrated by palin's quick rise and celebrity status, and certainly don't fret over it. she has about eight running scandals, and in order for the one that's gonna stick to get any meaningful game-changing coverage, she has to first be larger than life. otherwise there's no reason to run the breaking scandal repeatedly on every cable news channel in every house in america.

3. erratic. mccain is erratic. when we talk to the undecided, we like john mccain, but we're afraid he's too erratic to lead. it's too bad, because, we say, he could've been great a few years ago, when he might've been able to control his temper and keep foreign affairs straight. now, he's just too erratic. (yes, that bit about the past john mccain will require a bit of pretending)

4. palin likes pork. she devours it. she never saw the hind of a pig without thinking about grabbing our hard-earned tax dollars and stuffing her face and crapping out a $237 million bridge to the moon. if you like pork and earmarks and want a bridge to the moon, then she's for you.

5. republicans and change. question: if republicans really wanted change, why didn't they change anything while they were in power?