What Does Palin Bring to the Republican Ticket?
Some of you were stunned by McCain’s choice for his running mate and asked how Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can bring anything positive to the ticket. Well, it’s going to have to play out some before we know for sure. I have to say, though, I’m impressed that McCain pushed away from the recommendations of his party (to choose a more seasoned old school lawyer-politician) and chose instead a Washington outsider.
But McCain isn’t a cookie-cutter politician. In that respect, he’s exactly what the country needs. He’s gone against the grain to pick a running mate he thinks will help him fight (and a fight it will be!) to fix our broken political system and hopefully restore public trust in government. I for one would love to see that happen. But McCain’s choice brings with it some obvious risks and some perhaps less obvious benefits.
For example, Palin has served less than two years as Governor of Alaska which tends to eat into the experience message on which McCain has so far relied. At 44, she’s three years younger than Obama. She’s served as a mayor and as the Ethics Commissioner on the state board regulating oil and natural gas for a total of eight years political experience before her election as governor. That’s slightly less than Obama with seven years in the Illinois legislature and three in the US Senate.
But let’s take a look at the positives she brings to the ticket:
Palin has spent her entire political career crusading against the political machine — within her own Republican Party — that rules Alaska. She blew the whistle on the state GOP chair who had abused his power on the same commission to conduct party business. Obama, in contrast, talked a great deal about reform in Chicago but never challenged the party machine, preferring instead to take an easy ride as a protegé of Richard Daley.
She has no formal foreign policy experience, which puts her at a disadvantage to Joe Biden, but in nineteen months as governor, she certainly has had more practical experience in diplomacy than either Biden or Obama. She runs the only American state bordered by two foreign countries, one of which — Russia — has of late grown increasingly hostile toward the US.
But Team Obama can hardly attack Palin’s lack of foreign policy experience; Obama has none at all and neither Obama nor Biden have any executive experience. Palin has more than seven years executive experience.
McCain’s picking Palin puts Obama between a rock and a hard place. The Dems were likely prepared to assault McCain’s running mate, but Palin presents a unique challenge: If they slam her like they slammed Hillary, Obama risks again alienating women. And if they don’t, he risks alienating Hillary supporters who’ll see it as a sign of disrespect for Hillary.
And choosing Palin gives McCain an additional boost in several ways:
First, the media will eat it up. That effectively buries Obama’s acceptance speech and steals oxygen he needs for a long-term convention bump.
Second, Palin will re-energize the base. She’s not just a pro-life advocate, she’s lived the issue herself. That will attract elements of the GOP that have held McCain at a distance since the primaries and provide positive motivation for Republicans rather than just reliance on anti-Dem sentiment to get them to the polls.
Third, she addresses the energy issue better and more attuned to the American electorate than perhaps any of the other three principals in this election. Even beyond her efforts to reform the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, she has demonstrated her independence from so-called “Big Oil” while promoting domestic production. She brings instant credibility to the ticket on energy policy, and reminds independents and centrists that the Obama-Biden ticket offers nothing but the same excuses we’ve heard for thirty years.
Finally, 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 kinds 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!
Here’s the bottom line: That’s change you can believe in, not change that amounts to all talk. McCain altered the trajectory of the race today by stealing Obama’s thunder and turning it against him. Obama provided the opening by picking Biden as his running mate and McCain was savvy enough to take advantage of it.
I can hardly wait to see how this all plays out! I know, this is all just my initial take on McCain-Palin and the dems will surely find something about her to slam. In fact, it’s already begun. But now we have a horse race!
Doug
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Reader Comments (19)
My lack of research into Palin notwithstanding, can she deliver a passionate, articulate, on-point speech? The Republicans need that.
I am amazed that I never heard of her! However, she sounds perfect at this point. We will see when we hear her speak. I am sure she would have appreciated more time to get ready for her role at the convention. If she does well, that will speak volumes.
I read that she is the most popular Governor in America. That is a pretty good sign she has something going for her.
I don't know about you, but this looks like a great ticket to me! You pointed out a lot of good points, but you know Obama will be knocking her hard although you make a good point about him having to be careful he doesn't insult Hillary supporters. Maybe some of them will vote for McCain now because they want to see a woman in the White House.
Expect the dems to assert that she doesn't have the guns to step in as president if something happened to McCain and try to assert that Biden somehow does. As you point out, that isn't really true, she has more executive experience than Biden. But they will have to try to float that notion. Plus someone is going to say she is too attractive to be smart.
This looks to me to be my gunslingers! Washington is over run by lawyer thieves who have us all believing only lawyers can run the country and they control which ones we get to choose between. They are self serving and they are stealing us blind!
McCain and Palin look like the gunslingers we need. Of course, it will take more than just two against the infestation in Washington. We all need to take up arms to support them and to find more gunslingers ready to fight to regain our country. And we need to be willing to battle for a long time. McCain and Palin look like a good start.
I would have expected McCain to pick someone more Americans had heard of. I am not saying she isn't a good choice, just that I don't know anyone who knows much about her.
I admit to have had leanings toward Obama, but the more I read, the more I think he is just a one dimensional creation of the media, kind of like the guy in the commercial. Looks good but he is just an animation. I was worried that McCain was just a continuation of Bush which is what Obama is selling now, but from what I can see, he is nothing like Bush. That is a plus. Picking a Washington outsider who isn't afraid to fight even her own party makes me start to realize that there is more to McCain than I first thought. If Palin is all you say, then I am definitely leaning that way now. As you say, I will watch how it unfolds.
I read that she has 5 kids, 1 with Downs Syndrome. She is a real woman who understands first hand women's issues and yet can run a state AND be the most popular governor in the country. Plus she fought her own party members when she saw corruption. Put her in tights and give her a cape! I like her!
McCain just conceded election!!
President Obama. Get used to it!!
I don't know. It looks like a promising hand to me. It's a bold gamble, but I look forward to seeing if it pays off for him.
We aren't going to find out that back in her younger days she was a Playboy bunny or something are we? She looks almost too attractive to be a Governor or veep.
What a sexist thing to say! No one asks if any of the male candidates or contenders were once Chippendale dancers!
I think all the dems can say about her is that she isn't one of them. Of course, you have to accept their belief that not being a Washington insider is bad for that to make any sense.
I love it when republicans get excited...they're so CUTE when they're animated! I can see my brudda bouncing up and down on his chair as he wrote this, crayon in hand, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth.....
Adorable!
An excellent marketing move by McCain. Brilliant in fact.
It will be fun to see how this plays out.
Now, excuse me, I need to put Doug down for his nap....
Hey Brudda!
It was the logical strategic move to pick a woman since he couldn't get Colin Powell.
Knowing little about Palin early in the year (I knew she did some ass-kicking of corrupt members of her own party and, as her first act in office, sold the previous governor's private jet on eBay) but liking what I'd read, I thought she would be good with McCain.
I did more research yesterday and learned a little more (there isn't a lot out there) so, giving her, and McCain, the benefit of any doubt, I shared my most optimistic assessment of the pros and cons. The crayons helped.
Of course, it's been over a hundred years since we put an average citizen in the White House. Maybe it's time. I know I'm pretty tired of lawyers running everything -- I mean everything -- in our lives. I frankly would like to see us start electing regular folks. Oh, the lawyers would do everything imaginable to trip them up, but maybe we need to look through the prism of simple right or wrong when directing government. A refreshing notion, yes? We'll just have to wait and see how McCain-Palin stands up. I'm hopeful.
By the way, the tongue out the side of my mouth helps me key faster, and (sadly) my chair doesn't bounce. You know I'm not a Republican, and it's not time for my nap.
Doug
We admit to being among those who have not heard of Sarah Palin, so your article was welcome and informative. She does sound like she brings more pluses than minuses to the Republican ticket. They will probably make reform a plank in their platform. But the Obama train has gained speed, so we will be waiting to see if the convention can galvanize conservative voters and maybe bring in some Hillary supporters as well!
By the way, we both want to yell you that we enjoy reading your "blog" site. You always have interesting things to read and topical cartoons. We also read the comments and they are often quite entertaining. Your readers are certainly an intelligent bunch, unlike some who comment on other sites we occasionally read. We attribute that to your articles which attract more intellectual readers than most.
We just wanted to pass that on to you. Have a nice Labor Day weekend!
I read that McCain has curtailed the convention due to Hurricane Gustav. He says it is the right thing to do meaning that if people are suffering because of Gustav it isn't right to be celebrating at a convention. Says politics will need to take a back seat. Classy move but we all are waiting to see and hear from Palin. I hope he isn't seriously hurting his chances in the election. I hope Gustav dies off before wreaking havoc on La.
What did you think of her speech at the RNC convention? I thought it was awesome!