I guess until someone from the GOP really comes out and calls her on the bullshit - she's going to be able to keep going. And that's not going to happen during the next couple of weeks. I'm amazed that some of the noises about the rift between her and McCain are even getting out. Just examples of how erratic the McCain-Palin ticket is. But after the election - there might come a reckoning - and I would hope that those who really believe in conservative values (small govt, less taxes, less foreign intervention) actually step up.
Reading Sullivan, who's a conservative, he talks of this internal war - and has a hope for the future of the conservative movement in the US. As a political way of thinking the McCain-Palin-GW Bush-Rove ideology is far removed from traditional conservatism. (As I understand it anyway.)
I think Palin is the obligatory result of the last 8 years of Rove-led/O'Reilly-managed/Fox spun bile. It's only natural for her to appeal the base level responses of the electorate - after all, that's what Rove appealed to and who Fox speaks too.
If you've watched any of O'Reilly's rants over the years - as dirty and as sordid as that might make you feel - you can understand how those screaming "socialist", "communist", "kill him" feel justified.
This isn't a culture war - it's a thinking war.
And war is not even the right word for it. It's a battle over the discourse - not the content of the discourse - but how we even go about discussing the content. Possibly a little too post-modern and meta for most - but hugely important.
I think the polls are showing that - they're so random and all over the place - and in part I think that's because so much polling takes place now, a certain percentage of those polled play the game. No-one really knows what those polls mean - and do people even believe the polls, or place much faith in them.
Palin and those who buy into her discourse are frustrating to me on a personal level.
But those who are thinking - on both sides of whatever issue is at hand - well they need to be looked out for and listened too.
Case in point:
http://www.conservativesforchange.com/