1. Create the Biography of Sarah Palin……and do it fast

The Republicans made a brilliant pick, most notably because Sarah Palin was only introduced to the world at the Republican National convention. Approximately 60 days before the election, Republicans have introduced a “moose hunting, hockey mom, beauty queen, small-town hero, good ole’ boy bashing, basketball playing, e-bay listing, reform driven VP that knows how to cut government waste.” Sound appealing?

Democrats quickly responded with “where is the substance?” Smart, but not good enough. Democrats need to create the substance of Sarah Palin. Democrats need to negate the personal story resonating with the American voters through a policy biography.

Through a series of ads and powerfully chosen rhetoric, the Democrats must create a biography leaving American’s with a series of tag-lines that resonate. Democrats need to create a “anti-women’s rights, cold war era mindset, right wing, gun toting, wedge issue lover, who may be connected on E-bay but is disconnected from the reality.” Sound appealing?

2. The Great Divider

The Democrats need to frame Sarah Palin as the “Great Divider.” While the right wing base is roaring in excitement, Democrats need to drive a stake between the moderates and the right with practical examples of how Sarah Palin’s policies will divide this nation. Most Americans are tired of divisive partisan politics. Does America really believe a right-wing candidate can be effective? Right now, yes. America believes Sarah Palin can be effective because the Democrats have failed to come out of the gates quickly with legitimate examples of how extreme views create inefficiency and drag down progress. Where do you get the ammunition?

Start in city hall. Time magazine and other news outlets have reported that Sarah Palin introduced abortion and gun control in her city council campaign. I am not a civics expert, but when was the last time your city council was in a deep debate over abortion and gun control? Social wedge issues are great for winning certain electorates, but they are the same issues that drive a fault line between rational human beings – leaving progress to fall through the cracks.

Democrats need to create the paradigm of the “Great Divider” from polarizing issues and examples of how Sarah Palin’s views of the world are not the mainstream. “More of the same” works for John McCain, but it doesn’t work for Palin. Democrats need to create a new approach for Palin. Think about this for a few seconds. How can the Democrats connect her decisions as a city council member and the Governor to the Bush Administration? You are probably thinking, “I don’ know, that is a good question.”

That is the problem. The Democrats haven’t clearly connected Palin’s ideology and decisions with the political reality. In fact, they haven’t connected her views on the world with anything. We know McCain is “more of the same,” but people are not buying that line with Palin. That is why the Democrats need to step up, harness the polarizing issues and extreme views associated with Palin’s conservative ideology, and connect the dots for the American public that Sarah Palin is the “Great Divider.”

3. Disconnected

Sarah Palin may be connected on E-Bay but she is disconnected from reality. As I watched Palin talk about how: (1) she put the state budget online; and (2) she listed the jet on E-Bay… I was thinking “We don’t need a webmaster, we need a competent VP.”

Democrats need to accept the fact that the way she has raised her family and worked countless hours in the political world is a noble feat. Democrats need to inoculate that strength through: (1) admitting it; and (2) telling their story about balancing family life and politics. Love or hate Palin’s politics, no one’s family life is perfect, and it is in part why she is appealing.

The point for bringing Palin’s strength up is this, she may connect to American’s with her family life, she may connect with conservatives with her ideology, but she is completely disconnected from many of the important issues that Democrats can capitalize on this election cycle.

Start disconnecting Sarah Palin with foreign policy, education, crime, and her views that have created the title “conservative.” Alaska is close to Russia and Palin was the head of the Alaska National Guard. Okay, stop laughing, and use it as a disconnection from the problems we are facing abroad. Alaska must have tremendous gang and crime issues like most major American cities? Where do Alaskan values fall with the rest of America?

Those questions are only the starting point. Pundits always talk about the South, how it is important to win, why politicians win it. Politicians win the south because like Bill Clinton, they connect. Democrats need to start drawing the disconnect with troublesome realities America is facing from the glacier of conservative politics that catapulted Palin to the top. Disconnect Sarah Palin.