- How can women stomach this crap? Palin's delivery is Fran Drescher meets Gidget. It's the ugliest piece of the reverse-elitism card she plays. And she plays it often.

Just imagine if a man running for Vice President, during the singular VP debate of an election, used phrases like:

• "You betcha!"
• "Yer darn right!"
• "Joe Six-Pack"
• "That's fer sure"

And so on.

(By the way, I'm looking forward to Tina Fey bringing down the house with more direct quotes from Palin's own lines.)

Among its other ills, sexism claims women aren't to be taken as seriously as men. If a woman says something profound, it must be a lie, or she must be a liberal. But if a woman can deliver a serious line while keeping the bimbo persona intact, well, that's a different story altogether.

No doubt Palin's performance tickled the hard right - it was obviously programmed to do so. But I think the reserve sexism angle will bother more women than it comforts.

Won't surprise me if most women come away from the debate with a lower opinion of Palin. Time will very soon tell.

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