Palin revs up both bases in O.C., regardless of performance

Tonight's vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden is the talk of the political universe. Whatever happens in St. Louis, however, is unlikely to change things in Orange County, where Palin’s emergence on the national scene last month has energized Republicans and Democrats alike.

"Our phones have been ringing off the hook," said George Andrews, executive director of the Orange County Republican Party. While he's confident Palin will more than hold her own in tonight's debate, Andrews doesn't see her performance changing much in terms of volunteer enthusiasm. "We're very confident that the unprecedented momentum she's created" will continue unabated, said Andrews.

Andrews' counterpart at the O.C. Democratic Party, executive director Melahat Rafiel, reports a similar upsurge in enthusiasm. "She's invigorated our base as well," Rafiel said. "People are terrified that this woman could possibly be president."

Rafiel couldn't resist pointing out Palin's widely ridiculed interviews on network television. "I think the American public is tired of having a C or D student running the country," Rafiel said. "We don't want stupid people running the government anymore."

Andrews, however, remained unperturbed by the Alaskan Governor's recent performance. "I'm confident in the homely feeling that she conveys to the Republican activists and volunteers," he said.

Palin will make her only public appearance in California on Saturday, when she'll headline a rally at the Home Depot Center in Carson.