In order for McCain to compete, there had to be an appeal along racial lines for two reasons: 1. McCain has to offset the swelling number of black voters who will turn out to vote for Obama simply because he's black; 2. Racial fears normally cause people to make irrational decisions such as a $40,000-a-year plumber getting upset about tax hikes on people making six times more money than him.
...
And look what happened. With a credit score in the low 200s, Sarah Palin still had fraudulent lenders such as Sean Hannity ready to extend her more credit. With McCain sitting by her side to co-sign the loan, Hannity walked Palin through the process of pretending to be a qualified candidate for the vice presidency to the delight of Fox News viewers.
It was stunning. And it's depressing that it's actually working.