Politics: August 2008 Archives

Beautiful! I love it!

The head fake with Pawlenty had me fooled.

McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as running mate, campaign officials say

John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a conservative who shares his maverick streak, to be the Republican vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

Palin's problems? Her home state is safely GOP, so delivering Alaska doesn't add any electoral votes to the R column there. She's been accused of firing a subordinate because he wouldn't fire her ex brother in law from his state trooper job. She's made enemies within her state GOP for her maverick crusade against corruption and pork. She's light on experience at the level necessary - Governor for two years.

Palin's bonuses? She's not in the top spot on the ticket - Nobody ever said Obama wasn't qualified for Vice President, which would give him time to learn what he needs for the top spot, and as young as she is, her experience is still greater than Obama's. The Democrats can't argue that she's too inexperienced without undercutting Obama. Particularly her executive experience is greater than his. Matter of fact, Palin's career reminds me of a certain other young vice presidential candidate.

She has a long history of being anti-pork and anti-corruption, being even more willing than John McCain to root it out, even when practiced by Republicans. Given four years as Vice President (or eight) she'd be ideally suited to run for President next cycle.

Finally, of course, she may not bring in Alaska's electoral votes, but that's thinking small. She gives McCain a good solid wedge to appeal to not only former Hillary supporters in all fifty states - which will likely move a critical number of states into the R column, but she forever shatters any illusions about Republicans keeping women down. Palin's a working mother - and one of her children has Down's Syndrome, and I think she's the first serving governor to have given birth while in office.

I don't think anybody except McCain's inner circle was expecting this. This is masterful political judo on somebody's part in the McCain campaign. Yeah, I think Romney would have brought more credibility to McCain on the economy (far and away the most important issue), but Vice Presidential candidates are selected for their ability to help the presidential candidate win the election. Call McCain-Palin the PUMA slate. Appropriate in a lot of ways, not just from the Democratic, but the Republican side as well. But her selection gives the ticket a lot more, electorally, than it takes away, it forever removes the Democratic ability to slander Republicans as the party of white males, and it sets up a very strong presidential candidacy for her in four (or eight) years, helping secure the future of the Republican party.

I have made no bones about the fact that I much prefer John McCain to Barack Obama. This is a move that makes it much more likely that McCain will win the election, barring some weird revelation about Governor Palin. Where Obama chose the ultimate insider, McCain took a risk and went the exact opposite direction. I think it's going to pay off for him.

Well done, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

UPDATE: Ed Morrissey covers the advantages of Palin wonderfully. Best quote:

Finally, based on all of the above, McCain can remind voters who has the real record of reform. Obama talks a lot about it but has no actual record of reform, and for a running mate, he chose a 35-year Washington insider with all sorts of connections to lobbyists and pork. McCain has fought pork, taken real political risks to fight undue influence of lobbyists, and he picked an outsider who took on her own party -- and won.

Who talks the talk, and who walks the walk?