Who will you take to see 'The Undefeated?' Five target groups

There is fertile ground to be plowed here
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"The Undefeated," now beginning its third week in theaters, has attracted large numbers of Sarah Palin supporters to see it. This is as expected, and it is necessary that Palinistas see this film. But we are not the people Stephen Bannon had in mind when he made his groundbreaking documentary. He made his film with Palin skeptics in mind, with the goal of changing their perceptions about Gov. Palin. His film has proven itself more than able to accomplish this mission, if only sufficiently large numbers of these skeptics can be persuaded to watch it.

This is where the Palinistas come in, for we have a critically important job to do. The governor's loyal supporters must help get the skeptics into the theater seats. That's why it is essential that we target those among our friends who do not share our admiration for Sarah Palin to see this film. Many of these skeptics will not go to see "The Undefeated" on their own or at our prodding, but when we offer to buy their tickets and challenge their sense of fair play to view the film with an open mind, most of them will go along.

Palin skeptics can be roughly sorted into six main categories: liberals, independents, Blue Collar Democrats, libertarians, moderate Republicans and fiscal conservatives. We have read reports of some liberals who have seen the film with Palin supporter friends and had their eyes -- and more importantly their minds -- opened. But of the six groups of Palin skeptics, liberals will be the hardest to get to the theaters, and once there, open their minds to allow the film to make the case for the governor. While any liberal attitudes which can be changed to be more positive toward Sarah Palin are pluses, few of this group would vote for her even if they were to discover that she has been unfairly demonized by their fellows on the left and a media which is all too willing to serve the leftist cause. Liberals account for only about 20 percent of all voters anyway, so much more fertile ground for changing minds lies among the other five groups:

Independents - This is the obvious target group we most want to see "The Undefeated." Independents -- called swing voters because they have the power to literally swing elections from one party's candidates to the other -- are the keys to the highway that leads to the White House. Although Gov. Palin's numbers have started to rebound with this group, there is still much work to be done. Most independents have not even a remote idea of what her record as governor of Alaska looks like, and it is among these swing voters that the film has the most potential to change attitudes. Seek out your independent voter friends and invite them to see the film with you. Matinee tickets are inexpensive, and you should consider paying the way for swing voter friends to see "The Undefeated an investment equally as important as a donation to SarahPAC.

Blue Collar Democrats - These are the working class Democrats who in The Gipper's day were called "Reagan Democrats" because so many of them who had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 crossed over to mark their ballots for Reagan in 1980. Although many of the Reagan Democrats changed their party affiliation to the GOP and many others became independent voters, there are still significant numbers of them who, although not at all happy with the way hard core liberals dominate their party, would never think of being anything other than a Democrat. There are strong family ties to the party that go back for generations, and many Blue Collar Dems are rank and file union members. There are many fiscal conservatives among this group, and though many are also culturally conservative, they tend to tolerate social diversity -- to a point. That point is most often reached when liberals try to force things Reagan Dems disagree with upon them and their children. Sarah Palin must reassemble the Reagan Coalition to win the presidency, and Blue Collar Democrats are an important component of that coalition. Like their independent counterparts, this demographic doesn't know Gov. Palin's history as a city councilwoman, mayor, oil & gas commissioner and governor in remote Alaska. "The Undefeated" can have a significant impact on how Blue Collar Democrats view her, so make a point of targeting your friends in this group to watch the film with you.

Libertarians - Many small-l libertarians believe the media narrative about Gov. Palin and are surprised when they learn that she governed Alaska as neither theocrat nor far right wing bomb thrower. Social libertarians have been only too willing to spread the false left wing talking points about Sarah Palin to their libertarian brethren, so there is much gold to be mined among this demographic. Libertarians were an important part of the Reagan Coalition, and as many of them we can get the truth to, the better. They need to see "The Undefeated" to learn that Sarah Palin put Alaska's constitution ahead of her religious views and was one of the most fiscally responsible governors among her peers in the 50 states. By all means get your libertarian friends in the theater seats for two hours, and watch their perceptions of Gov. Palin change.

Moderate Republicans - Perhaps no group has been led more astray about our favorite governor than these important voters. The hostility of the GOP establishment towards Sarah Palin has definitely had its effect on moderates, and the McCain campaign's misuse and abuse of her in 2008 has only served to harden that impression. Yet moderate Republicans can be quite receptive to conservative ideas, as Ronald Reagan demonstrated by making GOP moderates a key part of his coalition. For many of the same reasons that independent voters and libertarians need to see "The Undefeated," so do moderate Republicans. Don't leave your friends who are among this demographic off of your list of people to take to see the documentary.

Fiscal conservatives - It's all about perceptions, and polling indicates that among conservatives, Gov. Palin is perceived as strongest on national security and foreign policy matters. She also gets high marks from social conservatives, but fiscal issues -- government spending & power, and business & the economy -- are the number one concerns among conservatives. Surprisingly, it is on the economy where her support among conservatives is softest. Though one would think that the media's obfuscation of Sarah Palin's record would have little effect on conservatives -- a group very distrustful of the media -- such is not entirely the case. Fiscal conservatives in particular apparently are not aware that Gov. Palin was a fiscally responsible governor who cut state spending and left Alaska with a $12 Billion surplus when she resigned. As the documentary does such an effective job of bringing these facts to light, friends who are fiscal conservatives should be high on your list of people to take to see "The Undefeated." And speaking of that resignation, her reasons for leaving office are perhaps the most misunderstood piece of the puzzle the media has made of her record in Alaska. The film does an excellent job of putting the viewer in her place and considering what they would do when faced with more than half a million dollars worth of legal bills stamped "Due Now - Please Pay Promptly."

Until the film is released on DVD and Pay Per View, which begins in September, you won't be able to make any new friends for Sarah Palin in your homes unless you are among the very lucky few who have an early release DVD of "The Undefeated." So for the month of August, you need to get them to one of the theaters which will be showing the film. As mentioned, tickets for matinee screenings are relatively inexpensive at $5 each, but you may have to sweeten the pot with a dinner invitation to break the resistance of the most determined Palin skeptic. Is it worth it? If you want to see Sarah Palin as the next President of the Unities States, it is more than worth it -- it is essential.

- JP