McCain and Palin both show characteristics of socialized antisocial personalities.  That is, their goals are embedded in society so they can't afford not to get along in it, unlike cons who operate outside the law.  The main symptoms one or both of them exhibit are the ability to lie with ease and look at the person they are lying to, lying for their own personal gain frequently, impulsivity, hot temper with neither true remorse nor left-over anger afterwards, obliviousness to the consequences of their acts, contempt for people who don't see things their way.

Ordinary people don't know how to deal with them because most people assume that they aren't being lied to in a major way, etc.  Ordinary people have trouble being confrontive.

How to deal with them: confront them directly with their lies.  Ask directly why they don't want to address the issues.  Be calm and unemotional when doing it.  You won't get answers, probably, but you might get a real look at how they react which may not be pretty.  But it will be telling. 

And then show the results in ads, etc.  I don't know what the MSM will do with them.