"They like her looks and her folksy ways."

Of course! ;-) Nothing works like good looks (or the right kind of looks) and folksy ways to get someone into the White House. There's a long and proud tradition of getting American politicians elected on the basis of their looks and their folksy ways. It usually beats intellectual prowess and clear thinking by a mile. Being seen as too intellectual is usually a big drawback for American politicians, because they are thought to be "elitist" if they appear too well-spoken and don't say things like "Aw, shucks!" now and then.

Fortunately, though, Obama's obviously keen intelligence was not enough to keep him from being elected this last time, because the Republicans had totally run ouf of credibility by 2008.

And Obama does look good, of course, so he didn't have that particular strike against him. His main disadvantages were being "Black" (although he's half White)...being "Muslim" (although he isn't)...and being "elitist", of course, because he talks like a very intelligent and well-educated man and has an international outlook. Whoa! Scary!!! ;-) Could he be a secret Al Queda operative infiltrating the White House????? Yikes! I'm sure there were people who thought he was, and who still think so.

Palin's main disadvantage in 2008, despite her good looks and folksy ways, was that the Republicans, as I said before, had totally blown their credibility in the previous 8 years. McCain picked her in what must have been a mood of recklessness or desperation...but I don't think it would have made much difference whom he had picked in the final analysis (though he could definitely have done a bit better than Palin). He was not going to win that election after the economy tanked on top of everything else that had gone wrong under Bush. No way. His only hope really was that enough Americans were still so terrified by the thought of a "Black" man in the White House that Obama couldn't win merely on account of his skin color. That, fortunately, didn't happen.

It's very common to see a party get kicked out of office when the economy takes a nosedive. That's why Bush the Elder didn't get re-elected in '92, despite his successful war with Iraq the year before. That's why McCain had no chance in November. Palin was an intriguing sideshow to the main event. She both got McCain votes and lost him votes...but the economy was what killed him.