Last fall when Christine O’Donnell was getting beat up from the establishment types Rush Limbaugh blurted out in frustration one day ‘at least she’d vote the right way’. Sarah Palin’s strong support...does anyone really believe it’s due to what she did as governor of Alaska (and in previous jobs)? No. Her strong support comes from things she said/done since being picked for VP. It comes from ‘drill baby drill’ and ‘don’t retreat, reload’. People listen to her and say she has the balls to take on Obama. If she had never been governor of Alaska would this view of her change? I doubt it. I think the same can be said for Bachmann. Primary voters see her as someone who stands up for the values they believe in, someone who fights the good fight. Right now I think that trumps the “experience” card.
When it gets into the real election, when the debates begin, then people will really start paying attention. I think the debates are a great way for the candidate to get past the media fog and really say what he or she thinks. The debates are a great way to educate the people. A candidate who has vision and can speak clearly will sway many people to his/her side. It is not all about public perception until the public actually gets to see the candidate in action during the debates.