Shocker From McLean County Illinois

My wife's family is from deep Republican McLean County Illinois. In the 30 years I have been married to Pam, her parents have never had a good thing to say about any democrat running or elected to office. This weekend, while visiting them, they told us they were voting for OBAMA.

I almost fell off the chair. Their reasoning - they watched the entire coverage of the Democratic Convention last week and liked what they heard about the direction of the country needing a change. In addition, they loved Obama's speech on Thursday. They also said McCain was "way to old" to have to handle the stress of the job. Her parents are both 70 years old, by the way. In addition, they said what sealed the deal for them was the pick for VP of Palin.

They said all McCain was doing was showing that he would do anything to get elected even if it meant picking someone who had could not "run the military" as his VP. They said it was an insult to think that just because"that Hillary woman" almost won, that women would vote for the ticket just because a woman was on the team and it showed that he was desperate.

My son also came back from a float trip this weekend with several people he knew who are also from Central Illinois, many of them farmers or related to farm families. He said they discussed the Palin pick and all agreed that this just showed either McCain knew he was going to lose the election and he could blame it on Palin or he was so out of touch he didn't realize how bad a choice he made. Either way, most of them said it would be either Obama or sitting out the vote.

I just have to wonder if there is a trend that the national media and polling has not yet picked up on how unhappy the normally strong Republican voter are with both McCain and his VP pick? At church yesterday, I heard a number of people saying they just didn't understand what McCain was thinking in his choice for VP. The next few days will be telling as the speeches by both are broadcast to the nation and he has a chance to explain it. Everyone I talked to said it was ridiculous to claim that she had more experience to become Commander and Chief than would Obama. The claim of the Republicans that as the governor of Alaska running the Alaskan National Guard gave her the edge. It was the joke of the day.

I think that McCain will come across on the campaign trail as old and frail and Palin ( if she lasts that long) as shrill and a light weight. Only time will tell.