The buzz around McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin is incredible. There will be much more analysis out over the next few days, of course, but I wanted to share at least a little bit of it right away.
The primary thing to understand is that she's the real deal for conservatives. She's pro-life, a woman of the people (no really, she is one of the people, not just a politician who says she is), she has genuine executive experience, she has wide bipartisan support in her state, she has a track record of attacking corruption and unethical behavior in elected leaders, she's pro-military, and much more.
Thus, the Republican base is, for the first time in over a year, energized.
There are downsides, to be sure, and the Obamessiah is going to do his best to exploit those. But, they are -- at least, at this point -- relatively minor:
1. She lacks foreign policy experience. -- True, but McCain does not, so it's a non-issue.
2. She's young. -- True, but so is Obama, so it's a non-issue.
3. She lacks experience. -- That's debatable; she actually has more experience than Obama's.
4. If something happens to McCain, is she really ready to lead the country? -- This is valid, and will need to be addressed.
5. She's a purely political selection. -- Right. All Vice-Presidential selections are. They're selected precisely on the basis of what they bring to the ticket. Non-issue.
Even insiders are optimistic, saying that she won't alienate the base, but needs to come out well in the first few days.
I'll bring more details out in the coming days, but I want to just illustrate a couple points with some quotes. First, it's very interesting to see the Obamessiah's initial gut reaction to the pick:
McCain campaign's response:
Also, there's this from Michelle Malkin:
Palin also steals some of Obama's big slogans: change. Palin took on the Alaskan establishment, beat the (corrupt, Republican) incumbent Governor in a landslide, and has been cleaning things up ever since. Also, Alaska is about as far away as one can get from Washington, D.C. That's change that resonates with the American people. Given her choice to give birth to a Down's Syndrome baby rather than abort him could also be an indication that the Born Alive/abortion issue could (wisely) be a major target for the McCain/Palin campaign. Her background and credibility on energy is another reason that she brings clout to the ticket.
The bottom line is this: there are questions about Palin that are going to have to be answered. Her first few appearances, and her debate with Biden, will be critical to the success or failure of her selection. While she will not win the election for McCain, she brings some huge upside potential along with minimal downside potential. Perhaps most importantly, she brings genuine excitement to the Republican base, which is what will ultimately carry McCain to victory. The Obamessiah campaign is going to have to be extremely careful with their handling of Palin...they are in very real peril of alienating many, many women voters, and if that happens, Obama is finished. Let the landslide begin.
More information as it comes out.
There's my two cents.
The primary thing to understand is that she's the real deal for conservatives. She's pro-life, a woman of the people (no really, she is one of the people, not just a politician who says she is), she has genuine executive experience, she has wide bipartisan support in her state, she has a track record of attacking corruption and unethical behavior in elected leaders, she's pro-military, and much more.
Thus, the Republican base is, for the first time in over a year, energized.
There are downsides, to be sure, and the Obamessiah is going to do his best to exploit those. But, they are -- at least, at this point -- relatively minor:
1. She lacks foreign policy experience. -- True, but McCain does not, so it's a non-issue.
2. She's young. -- True, but so is Obama, so it's a non-issue.
3. She lacks experience. -- That's debatable; she actually has more experience than Obama's.
4. If something happens to McCain, is she really ready to lead the country? -- This is valid, and will need to be addressed.
5. She's a purely political selection. -- Right. All Vice-Presidential selections are. They're selected precisely on the basis of what they bring to the ticket. Non-issue.
Even insiders are optimistic, saying that she won't alienate the base, but needs to come out well in the first few days.
I'll bring more details out in the coming days, but I want to just illustrate a couple points with some quotes. First, it's very interesting to see the Obamessiah's initial gut reaction to the pick:
Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.
McCain campaign's response:
It is pretty audacious for the Obama campaign to say that Governor Palin is not qualified to be Vice President. She has a record of accomplishment that Senator Obama simply cannot match. Governor Palin has spent her time in office shaking up government in Alaska and actually achieving results -- whether it's taking on corruption, passing ethics reform or stopping wasteful spending and the 'bridge to nowhere.' Senator Obama has spent his time in office running for President.
Also, there's this from Michelle Malkin:
My secretary was just listening to channel 7 news on the thedenverchannel.com online. The news guys had the audio on and did not know it.They commented that they think McCain and Palin must be sleeping together. They commented about Sara(h) Palin's nice ass.
They said a lot of very unseemly things.
The MSM is completely in the tank for Obama, so this will probably not be the last time this sort of thing happens.Palin also steals some of Obama's big slogans: change. Palin took on the Alaskan establishment, beat the (corrupt, Republican) incumbent Governor in a landslide, and has been cleaning things up ever since. Also, Alaska is about as far away as one can get from Washington, D.C. That's change that resonates with the American people. Given her choice to give birth to a Down's Syndrome baby rather than abort him could also be an indication that the Born Alive/abortion issue could (wisely) be a major target for the McCain/Palin campaign. Her background and credibility on energy is another reason that she brings clout to the ticket.
The bottom line is this: there are questions about Palin that are going to have to be answered. Her first few appearances, and her debate with Biden, will be critical to the success or failure of her selection. While she will not win the election for McCain, she brings some huge upside potential along with minimal downside potential. Perhaps most importantly, she brings genuine excitement to the Republican base, which is what will ultimately carry McCain to victory. The Obamessiah campaign is going to have to be extremely careful with their handling of Palin...they are in very real peril of alienating many, many women voters, and if that happens, Obama is finished. Let the landslide begin.
More information as it comes out.
There's my two cents.
No comments:
Post a Comment