Going to be a lighter-than-usual blogging day afternoon, as I’m doing my day job (consulting).  But I wanted to pass on this thought:

Usually the VP candidate’s acceptance speech is all about attacking the opposing party’s Presidential nominee.  But right now, Sarah Palin has to focus on biography and highlight her policy chops.  I think we’ll still see some red meat, particularly a claim that the “angry left” has been attacking her family and how proud she is to honor conservative values.

But Palin can’t use two of the key themes of the McCain attack on Obama:  experience and tabloid celebrity.  So what does that leave?  Values?  Sure, but that will please the base, not slice off independents.  Energy?  Maybe, but it hasn’t been a winner so far.  Her role as a change agent?  That leaves her open to the facts — that she actually has spent more time gaming the system (hiring an Abramoff protege to be a lobbyist for Wasilla, leading Stevens’ 527, supporting the bridge to nowhere before she opposed to it, etc.) than she did opposing it.

As I noted in an earlier post, Palin has to walk the fine line between outrage and victimhood.  If she veers toward the former, she’ll sound shrill.  If she moves too close to the latter, she risks looking weak.

If she pulls it off, it may reshape the campaign and end talk of her coming off the ticket.  If she fails, the McCain campaign is going to face growing pressure from Republican elites to replace Palin. And that risks moving him into McGovern-Eagleton territory.

Whatever happens, Democrats (and my fellow members of the progosphere) would be wise not to groan, pounce on mistakes, or gloat.

Photo: bobster1985 via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons License.

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