At First Glance, Palin Is A Smart Choice
I can't say I'm all that surprised by John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as his runningmate. At first glance - and this will be negated if bad scandals come out - the choice is a very smart one, so smart, in fact, that, as an Obama supporter, it scares me.
Here's four reasons why this is a pretty smart choice - and for progressives, I think its a good idea that we look at these factors as we head into the final stretch of the campaign:
1. Putting a woman on the ticket is McCain's best hope to peel off some disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. I'm not saying it's going to work all that well, as I don't think most women simply vote for women, regardless of their positions on issues. But if McCain really does have a chance to win over Clinton supporters, picking Palin is as good a shot as any to try to do that.2. Palin comes from an energy state, and specifically, an oil and gas state. With Democrats' pathetically (yet predictably) tepid behavior on the drilling issue, the GOP senses an opportunity to exploit it, and you can bet Palin will be making the drilling case, with first-person narratives and anecdotes.
3. It will be difficult - though not impossible - for the Obama campaign to make an experience argument against Palin. Even though Palin is probably the most inexperienced candidate for vice president in contemporary American history, the Republicans have spent months attacking Obama's supposed lack of experience. So when gnats like Rahm Emanuel issue silly, over-the-top press releases about Palin's career, they re-open an experience debate that John McCain probably wants to have with Obama.
4. As the Nation's Chris Hayes reports, Palin is a die-hard right-winger who could help McCain solidify the Republican base.
Again, all of these assets could be negated by things that come out about Palin's career and/or gaffes she makes on the campaign trail. I'm sure hoping that's what happens, and we'll need to really help examine and publicize the most odious parts of her record, as well as make the case that the experience of a 72-year-old candidate's VP choice is especially important. But we underestimate her - and the McCain operation - at our peril.
Finally, let's step back a moment, take off the partisan blinders, and celebrate. Palin's nomination all but guarantees that the United States will either have its first African American president or its first female vice-president. I desperately hope its the former, and not the latter - but the historic nature of either is something to be pretty happy about.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
This pick is also very smart because many people were going to vote for Obama because they didn't want to get in the way of making history. But now McCain has destroyed that burden by offering to make history of their own.
I've seen excerpts of inteviews done with Palin. She actually handles herself quite well and with her son serving in Iraq will be very credible when talking about Iraq and terrorism. I think Democrats are very much underestimating her.
What's so scary is that this pick is such a good political pick but also a very poor governing pick.
I hope you all know that Palin was for the bridge to nowhere and was going to use earmarks to fund it and now she is saying that she is against it and against the earmarks. The first day she comes to the nation and she is already caught flip flopping. Not to mention she is on tape talking about how she has no interest in foreign policy.
I must say, David, I believe your post is dead on. Unfortunately, as you can read from most of the responses, your warnings are going unheeded already. Let's face facts. 80% of this contry(40% Dem-40% Rep.) are going to vote the party line and in either case it wouldn't matter if Magilla Gorilla were on the ticket to make that decision. To win the presidency, what you have to win is the 20% who are open-minded Repubs, Dems or are independents. I have to admit that I was leaning towards Obama because I figured that with the Dems holding significant majorities in both the House and the Senate that they would block most of McCains' initiatives and we would have 4 more years of nothing getting done. But with this choice, I see this woman who challenges corruption in her own party, and it shows she puts her country before her party. I see a woman who got rid of the gubernatorial limo and chef provided to her because she viewed it as wasteful spending, and it shows she is in it to serve the public, not be served. And the fact that she is NOT a Washington insider, I like that. And anyone who foolishly thinks this pick automatically clinches the election for OB because of her inexperience misses the point of who she may really appeal to. So for the Dems, take this choice lightly at your own peril.
You guys are having a melt down
She walks the talk
Kept her Down Syndrome baby (anti abortion)
Son leaving for Iraq (pro defense)
Sucessfully sought out corruption and cleaned it up even if Republican
Stop wishing for John to die - he'll be around a long time
Whats with "she's not an Washinton insider", "She has kids, how will she take care of them and be VP?"
How hypocricial of you when you say
a) We need a fresh face, we want change - not washington inside
b) She has kids, how will she run the country
She is exactly want we want - she's got my vote
Great insight. As a Republican I think David hit the nail on the head with his four points behind this choice. People don't vote for the bottom of the ticket. All she has to do is hold her own (dont' get killed) against Biden in the debate and the four points David points out in his article may be enough to give McCain the presidency. She only has to sway maybe 3-5% to have a huge impact. All the people posting here have already made up thier minds. By the way, I appreciate David's clear thinking and lack of shrill name-calling, unlike 95% of the posters on Huffpost. A nice breath of fresh air for a Dem on this site.
sorry--dragging harriet miers' love child into the arena makes mccain look "tetched", not wiley.
its like he threw away trump, experience and judgment, low trump but his best and only cards....
d
Two more points. The media is gushing over her 'popularity' in Alaska. Not true! The dems and repubs are actually quite fed up with much of her management incompetence and lack of consistency in governing. (Go to the link in the Anchorage newspapers)
The legislature there is stunned that McCain would pick someone so inexperienced as she.
C' mon- being the governor of Alaska? That's like managing a deli in Manhattan.
Her own scandal. She is not the voice of ethics that McCain thinks she is. The scandal whereby she may have fired her brother in law for retribution for a messy custody battle with her sister is not fully written and will dog this campaing over the fall.
She may, in fact, have to withdraw from the VP due to these potential ethics lapses.
Isn't the Alaska legislature investigating Palin regarding her undue influence over the firing of her ex-brother-in-law?
Will that be swept under the rug now?
Back again.
3.) The experience question is definitely on the table. BO has been in the senate, observed and participated in its function. He has thought long and hard and developed comprehensive recommendations for foreign policy decisions during the past 19 months, all the while working and studying with his foreign policy team to craft solutions in a pragmatic and organized fashion.
This woman- SP stated in March '07 that "she hadn't had much time to think about Iraq" at all.
I trust Obama will just stay focus on McCain and leave Palin alone. He's not into attacking people and all surrogents on tv should just say "I really don't know anything about her BUT McCain is following the same fail policies of the last 8 years"....
Palin's choice makes Dan Quayle look like Winston-bl
Guess I'd better do it in pieces so I don't lose it all again.
1.) I don't think women will flock to this woman simply because she has pushed out 5 children from her Alaskan vagina (as if McMcain's cynical campaign is suggesting) out of some sort of primal visceral female identication.
2. She is anti abortion, pro creationism - and has suggested that schools teach both as if evolution and creationism are equivalent.
McCain proved how desperate the Republicans are. Palin will definitely motivate the extreme right wing of the Republican party but everyone else is questioning McCain's judgment.
I have you as one, of two actually, of my favorite bloggers here. But you disappoint me with this. The most salient observation about Palin is that she is even less a choice for change than is McCain. McCain who has at least shown some evidence of principle in the past if not recently, even if coupled with the Keating Five.
Personally, I think McCain picked her because he would not have to argue against any established resistance in order to do it. It was just easier that way. And this speaks to McCain's character. One, it was easy, and two, he does not give a rat's ass about the long term consequences. Oh, and three, he is certain that he can dominate a woman, a right wing woman anyway.
So what will be revealed is that she has no intellectual depth, no more than Quayle, and will be an embarrassment to the GOP as a representative of their party to the general public. Otherwise, she would not be a favorite of the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
I just hope the press senses the opportunity to make a big score revealing an intellectual dwarf positioned to take over the leadership of the free world. And how do I know she is an intellectual dwarf? She advocates creationism. Creationism!
no judgement
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
