Why Palin? McCain v. Rove

Why did John McCain select Sarah Palin as his running mate? The real reason is that he made an impulsive decision to prove his independence in reaction to pressure from Karl Rove, who was lobbying for Mitt Romney, as I explain in a forum on Firedoglake.com on my new book, The Strange Death of Republican America: Chronicles of a Collapsing Party.

I explain the inside story, according to sources close to the McCain campaign:

On Palin: My information is that Karl Rove wanted Romney and pushed him. McCain pushed back. He really wanted Lieberman. That was completely out of the question. Palin is the result. One element of the Palin nomination is McCain establishing himself apart from the Bush/Rove political operation, even as his campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, is one of their creatures. From the outside, it's often hard to figure out how vicious and divided the Republicans can be with each other.

I further explain that McCain rationalized his hasty choice as an appeal to the Republican base:

On McCain and the GOP base: Conventions are real tests of party unity, as we've just seen with the Democrats. McCain still has to pass the test through his own convention. Palin, among other things, enables him to bring along the social conservatives, or it ought to do so. Once McCain receives the nomination he is freer to move to the center. He is already campaigning more as a "maverick" and behind the scenes he is in some conflict with both Bush and Rove on policy and politics. If we had a sensate political press corps they might report on these abrasions.

McCain's emergence as the GOP nominee represents the fracturing of the conservative Republican dominance of the party, shattered as a consequence of George W. Bush's radicalism. I explain the story of how the Republicans came apart in "The Strange Death of Republican America." On the ruins, McCain must attempt to piece together the broken shards. In McCain's case, the political motive has combined with the temperamental. Thus, Sarah Palin.

Comments

[mojuan]

I have always been tired of the GOP using Religion and God to sway voters….it should simply be about the critical issues and the best leaders to build concensus and implement necessary change to help ALL Americans, not just the faithful. I thought it was hypocritical that Gov. Palin had her poor 17year old daughter holding the 4-month baby with a blanket covering her belly…if she was sooo proud, why were they hiding this? This is so obviously a tactic and it insults educated women like me who can see right thru this risky move. I wonder how the GOP and the media would react if it was a political family that happeed to be Hispanic or black? Would we see it as simply a “common mistake”?! or, would we call it another example of the lack of American values and a baby out of wedlock?!?

Clearly there is a double standard and hypocrisy…Again, it should be about the best candidates and focus on issues.

[get-to-the-point]

I think all this stuff about Palin's personal life is to be expected. She was and still is a political newcomer..­.so there is plenty of revelation ahead.
However being a newcomer she is the perfect mirror for the Obama ticket's experience issue. Any question about hers is a mirror on his. Ask away and the answer will have something to do with the top of the Obama ticket being light on experience.
In the meantime, here now stand reformers/mavericks with records of accomplishement on the Republican ticket while the Dems have a standard bearer of historic inexperience and an old washington insider as veep.
Now can we get to a discussion about which party's ticket has a chance to make Washington work?

[mandybee]

This darkhorse candidate stuff is really amazing! Two competent guys lose out in favour of an inexperienced but 'safe' candidate? Now, let's see when this has happened before....­.

Ah yes. The 1852 Democratic convention at which 48 ballots could not decide the nominee among party heavyweights like Lewis Cass, James Buchanan (future president) and Stephen Douglas. Franklin Pierce was chosen on the 49th ballot as a nice, congenial, affable fellow who would do no harm. The only thing known about him at the time nationally was a biography of him written by his college roommate and famous American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. He proceeded to be one of the worst presidents in American history and holds the record as the only sitting President denied his party's nomination to run for a second term. He also was involved in decisions that led to the American Civil War (Ostend Manifesto and Kansas-Nebraska act). Barbara Bush (nee Pierce), wife of Bush 41 and mother of Bush 42 is descended from that family.

We should be wary of people who look nice, affable, we'll like to have a beer with etc etc without knowing what their experience is. The amount of research done by the McCain camp before selecting this woman is abysmal. One meeting? No FBI check???

[JerseyGirl4Obama]

No matter who McBush picked or may re-pick - Vote for Obama-Biden2008.

Votes accepted from Democrats, Republican, Independents and anyone else who knows this

country needs Obama-Biden to work with the American people to get our country on to a positive

road.

[cmmt08]

Whether or not Carl Rove participated in McCain's choice of Palin is not so much the issue for me. What bothers me is the fact that man is still running loose and continuing to actively participate in our political process while his butt should have been in jail. Again this is due to the Democratic party's own weakness in pursuing justice, and making characters like Carl Rove accountable for their illegal, if not criminal, behavior.
How many times was this man called to testify in front of congress, and yet instead of showing up, he made a big mockery of our judicial process.

[mosh]

All this talk about foreign policy when it's really about the economy (stupid).

What would a Sarah Palin do to sort out the eight year economic mess created and left by her predecessors?

I hope the press starts honing in on the economy since in terms of Iraq the American people are, for the most part, disinterested.

[ktodack]

Might the American people be interested in NOT spending $10 Billion a month in the toilet called Iraq. Do you think that saving that much money per month might have an effect on the economy. 10 Billions dollars per month has been spent in Iraq for so long that people don't even give it a thought-- over a years time 120 Billion dollars. That's a huge amount of money that could have gone toward energy independence and education to make OUR country stronger. Stopping the war in Iraq is directly linked to helping solve our economic mess-- just one part, but a huge part. We need the money spent here in the US for all of us not just for the fat cats at Halliburton and Blackwater who are reaping in a big part of the monthly 10 Billion being spent for Iraq.

[mosh]

He picked his vp to prove his independence from a two bit political operative?

Yeah, that's putting the country first alright -

[TrevorAlan]

If all this internal GOP infighting is true AND YET the Dems lose in Nov., I'll have to give up.

Mind you that's not what I want. I'm just as worried as I am hopeful about our possibilities. And I am Damn fed up about having our best lose to their worst.

[elijawan]

McCain puts personal ascendancy before the needs of the country for qualified, tempered, and visionary leadership. Palin was, politically, just about the only choice McCain could make. And, she represents only the latest capitulation of John McCain to "outside" (if you believe he's a maverick) pressure from "the base" of the republican party. When he was down and out late last year, he brought in K Street and the right wing power brokers - the price of their support? Go Along With Bush Economic Policy (I say policy and wince in pain). Next, when it became clear that Obama would be the nominee (around late April/early may) he brought in Rove acolytes to run his PR and parts of his campaign.

Now, Palin: McCain's kow tow to the religious right. She WILL get out their vote, the pro-gun vote, the anti-choice anti-gay vote. Perhaps equally as important to the right, who's ring McCain knelt to and kissed, she will raise tons of ca$h for groups like Focus on the Family, RNC, et al.

Given: She's completely unqualified, lacks any sort of perspective on world issues, and, as unfolding scandals including firings and loyalty tests show, does not have the temperament for national leadership.

Stick to the story: McCain's wisdom and temperament.

[vilisar1]

I guess the "experience" issue is off the table. This morning radio Republicans were claiming that, if Ms Pallin doesn't actually perhaps have that much experience, at least it is 'executive' experience as Governor or Alaska and Mayor of Wasilla (where?).

Alaska has a population of only less than 700,000 altogether. Wasilla is a one-horse town of 5,000 souls. Only 25% of Alaska's surface is actually administered by the State, the remainder being all federal lands. Alaska has fewer persons per square mile than used to be required to gain statehood (i.e., 6/sq.mile) and the state today basically lives from the federal teat and by exporting nationally-owned natural resources (e.g. oil). It's the American version of Kuwait or Dubai. With two senators and one congressman and decades of working the federal milking machines, it is almost a joke when one hears Alaskans claiming to be modern frontiersmen.

The main 'experience' a politico needs in Alaska is how to work the D.C. system to get everything paid for by the other taxpayers.

[siegfried89]

Being a charmer of the opposite sex, I thought the dashing knight of neo-conservatism, Karl Rove, would have personally chose Mrs. Palin.

[orgnet]

Yeah, Palin seems like a Rove pick -- energize the base and confuse the other side. Even the pregnancy works for them. When are the Dems going to get that people vote on perception­s/emotions­, not reality/issues?

[siegfried89]

Well, I guess McCain is not all bad by defying that @#$%& very over rated so-called Bush's Brain, but that doesn't mean I'll vote for him.

[VetKor51]

Believing that Karl Rove had nothing to do with the selection of Sarah Palin is like believing that an egg doesn't have a yolk.

[RIP2]

Please do not get so complacent that you think Mccain and Palin won't be the next President and VP of the United States and Palin will become our President.
Don't you remember? Our public voted for George W. Bush TWO Times..
Don't tell me about"they stole it" The Republicans have beat the Democrats 7 out of the last 10 times we've had elections Now you see why the economy, the war and the whole mess we are in
The public forgets about the "end of the game in November and they don't "vote".

[LeftRight]

But let's be serious. Yes, the people got them close enough to steal it, but in 2000 bushco(tm) did NOT win the presidency!

[DS1Roger]

No amount of recounts has ever shown any difference in the out come of the 2000 election.

[livesimply]

The stakes are too high. Most of the people not voting will be republicans because the ticket is so sorry.

[nunzia]

you're right.

[hquain]

"The real reason is that he made an impulsive decision to prove his independence in reaction to pressure from Karl Rove..."

Do we even know that McCain "made" the decision? This is, alas, typical journalistic bravado, based on anonymous sources "close to" the whatever.

Curious that we never read an insider article declaring that we just don't have enough information to figure out what actually happened -- or that what happened was so messy and contingent that even the participants don't really know.

[johnthomascook]

I was watching an interview of a McCain spokes person (at Tuesday 7:10 am MST), The interviewer suggested that McCain did not vet his VP selection since he only had talked with her 2 times, The spokes person, hold your hats, said that McCain had told her that the VP selection was his soul mate!!! strange but true.!!!!!

[Alethea]

Ooooo! Just wait until McCain calls her a "trollop."

Won't that be fun?

[Mango]

Good point, hquain, but I find Blumenthal's account of intra-party struggle easily believeable, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he knows who he's talking with and what he's talking about.

As for the lack of insider articles declaring events too confusing to be explained--there wouldn't be much purpose in writing such articles, and there is quite a bit of incentive to write an insider's account when you have some information to convey.

You, unfortunately, are stuck with the task of proving a negative without any information.

[suzibren]

McCain does not want to be the President - he lost interest in the position when he realized that we would not be at war forever. All he wants is to run a war(s) and keep it going and going and going. So, by picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, he is sure to lose the election to Obama, thereby getting him off the hook and he can then blame "the babe" for his loss. So, he intentionally sabatoged himself, probably thinking this is the honorable way out of a situation he does not want . And it shows you his disdain for women, by his choosing a woman to lay the blame on.....

[uclafan]

I wondered if Rove supported this pick

[Gener]

To me, it was really a death wish on the part of McCain to pick Palin as VP.
Subconsciously and probably unknown to him himself, McCain doesn't really want to be President! Note the major personality changes he has undergone recently.
I can see his fight with Rove over the VP pick and his urge to underscore his 'independence'.
Rove again is right. Picking Palin is a calamity and will take the party to ruin. It is not beyond the pale that a revolution in the party will occur, Palin will be dumped and Romney will replace her as VP. Of course this assures that Obama will be the next President without a doubt!