Uh, you don't remember Ron Reagan and Patti Davis? Seriously?
I remember them quite a lot AFTER the election. Sure they were around before but there was much less media to trumpet their every idiocy. Besides they were more “sophisticated” and much more acceptable to the NY and LA media so they weren’t ridiculed as country bumpkin rubes. I’m not saying Palin can’t overcome those challenges in time but most people only heard of Palin...what 2 years ago? People knew Reagan for years and years so the Bedtime for Bonzo stuff just didn’t stick because he’d made many, many movies and was politically active for years before running for the third time and succeeding. Look, if she wins the nomination I’ll vote for her but I’m just trying to look at it objectively instead of just drinking the kool aid for her or just shooting her down because I’m supporting someone else (which I’m not).
I think they got locked in the basement until he actually won.