Sarah Palin drags Republican ticket down the drain

Maybe John McCain can hire Joe the Plumber to plunge Sarah Palin from the ticket. Palin, the media and GOP darling a mere five weeks ago, has turned into a political clog that's draining the Republican ticket. Not even a (lame) appearance on Saturday Night Light can revive Palin's image among the "un-pro" American areas of the country. The only group she appeals to these days is right-wing radicals in "Pro-America" who feed off her messages of hate. Palin's unfavorable ratings skyrocketed during the last month, going from 30% unfavorable to 41% in a survey conducted Oct 10-13.

Along with telltale poll numbers, Palin has helped McCain lose the endorsements of many prominent conservative pundits including William F. Buckley, Jr., Kathleen Parker and Michael Smerconish. She has also contributed to McCain's lack of endorsements by most of the country's daily newspapers where Obama now leads McCain 58-16. Some of the commentary has been scathing. The Salt Lake Tribune, which supported George W. Bush in 2004, said,

"Out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously under-equipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a history of health problems, die in office. More than any single factor, McCain's bad judgment in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency."

McCain surely knows he screwed up, which is the reason the campaign has muzzled Palin. She is the first VP candidate in modern history to not conduct a press conference or make the rounds of the political talk shows -- sorry, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh don't count. The only place Palin is allowed to speak these days is at carefully orchestrated campaign stops in ultra-friendly scarlet red Republican territory.

It's time for voters to send the Republican ticket down the drain.