Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in New Hampshire yesterday, and as you'd expect, her speechwriters were sure to sprinkle a little local flavor into her comments. She informed supporters that she planned to watch last night's debate "right here in Red Sox Nation," and added with (I'm guessing) a wink and smile (via Shysterball), "Red Sox fans know how to turn an underdog into a victor."
Har har, how topical! Because the Red Sox currently face some long odds down 3-1 to the Rays, doncha' know? As Mark Leibovich of the New York Times points out, though, Palin might want to consider mixing up her one-liners.
It seems, however, that Ms. Palin voiced a similar sentiment - actually, identical sentiment - last week at a rally in Florida.
"How about those Tampa Bay Rays?" Ms. Palin said after the Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox.
"You know what that tells me? It tells me that the people in this area know a little something about turning an underdog into a victor."
What's this? A political candidate caught pandering to local sports fans? You betcha! I'm not surprised how quick a candidate can hop bandwagons, but at least try to look sincere, okay? Palin was introduced to yesterday's event by Curt Schilling's wife, Shonda, who scored points of her own with the local crowd by comparing Barack Obama supporters with Yankee fans:
"They're good people," Mrs. Schilling said graciously of Obama supporters. "They just root for the wrong team."
Considering her husband is officially a free agent this winter, she might want to ease up on the rhetoric herself.
