Is there any way in which Palin’s dude appeal might ultimately be a good thing for future female candidates? An article in today’s NYTimes points to Palin’s appeal among “the dudes” and notes two contradictory impulses:

Yes, some men come to ogle the candidate, too. “She’s beautiful,” said a man wearing a John Deere T-shirt in Weirs Beach. “I came here to look at her,” he said, and his admiration for Ms. Palin’s appearance became more and more animated. Sheepish over his ogling, he declined to give his real name (“Just call me ‘John Deere’ ”).

But some male fans do seem to feel a deeper connection to Ms. Palin. To a surprising degree, they mention the unusual nature of her candidacy, the chance to make history, break the glass ceiling. (Read the rest here.)

Just as I’m starting to wonder, yet again, whether there might be a small leap forward for womankind embedded in Palin’s run, Michelle Goldberg sets me straight. Goldberg reminds us that by trying to “flirt her way to victory” (aka the Vice-Presidential debate), her farcical performance lowers the standards for both female candidates and US political discourse. Goldberg concludes,

In her only vice-presidential debate, she was shallow, mendacious and phoney. What kind of maverick, after all, keeps harping on what a maverick she is? That her performance was considered anything but a farce doesn’t show how high Palin has risen, but how low we all have sunk.

I wholeheartedly agree. But I still want to be convinced. Is there any way, do you think, that Palin’s run will make things better for future female candidates? Any way…at all?

(Thanks to Jackie for the heads up.)