The Candidates
John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was an inspired choice that may turn out to be the deciding factor in this election. Instead of picking a running mate who would have pleased the right while offending the center, or one who would have moved the party leftward and alienated the right, McCain took the party not right or left but forward with the Alaska governor who represents the best of the next generation of conservatives and Republicans. I’ll weigh in with more thoughts on this monumental choice over the holiday weekend. Until then, let me leave you with this anecdote. I work in a large office with dozens of coworkers. A fair number of them are middle aged suburban women. Today, more than a few who had previously been prepared to vote for Obama had moved into the undecided column after hearing about McCain’s choice. If this same dynamic is currently at work throughout the country, we’re looking at a major bounce for McCain that could put him into the lead. I will not mince words: millions of women may change their vote because of Sarah Palin. And that means that John McCain may defy the odds and become the nation’s 44th president.
McCain/Palin ‘08. Now more than ever.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I’m at a hotel and don’t have Fox. Stuck with CNN.
CNN is absolutely ripping Palin to shreds on the experience question.
But what’s AWFUL is that McCain’s surrogates do not know how to answer this question. The latest is DuHaime, who is on right now.
They have to point out her qualifications rival (or are greater than) Obama’s, but that HE is at the TOP of their ticket, while SHE is at the BOTTOM of ours.
Their ticket is upside-down. Ours is right-side up.
WHY CAN’T THEY SAY THAT?!?
Or is the plan to lure in the Dems and media into making a huge to-do about lack of experience, so that it can be turned on Obama next week?
August 29th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
The Republicans have GOT to do their homework in case they get asked about her. It’s inexcusable if they’ve not looked her up by tomorrow.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Undecided is almost meaningless at this point - nobody knows she’s an unethical, unexperienced hard right-winger. Obama’s campaign will spread the news in the coming days and weeks, and these undecideds will go back to supporting Obama-Biden. Very, very few people who were ready to support Obama will be drawn to McCain because of this. Obama’s moving to the center and McCain’s moving right. Kiss this election goodbye.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Big S, are you going to do this for 2 months?
August 29th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Get used to it. It looks like she wasn’t very thoroughly vetted, so don’t be surprised if the campaign doesn’t really know much about her. They panicked after the Hillary and Bill Clinton speeches (reports are that McCain didn’t pick her until last night).
August 29th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Paul Begala and other Democrats are jumping on her inexperience. It is kind of pissing me off that they are talking like this (really intense and mean, they call her dangerously inexperienced) about an opponent with the same if not a little more credentials than their nominee.
Wow, if we ever needed proof that the Democrats are sexist, we have it today.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I can’t believe he just picked her last night (abc blog link in prior thread), giving the campaign so little time to get their gameplans and surrogates in sync.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Big S, are you going to be working for Obama for the next two months?
August 29th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
#4
No. But I will continue to offer critical analysis to counter the prevailing hero-worship among the readers and writers of this site.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Big S:
Here’s what you are forgetting. In politics, culture is everything.
In the GOP primaries, who did voters who thought the nation was in a recession vote for?
Mitt Romney, who could fix things?
Nope. He was a rich guy, and that meant he didn’t care about poor people.
Mike Huckabee, who cared about the little guy?
Nope. He was a religious-right Republican, and that meant that he was too much like Bush.
Those voters went for John McCain, a guy who never even talked about the economy. Why? Because everyone knew McCain didn’t like Bush, and voters blamed the bad economy on Bush.
Does that make rational sense? Nope. But that’s the way voters behave.
Palin comes from a blue collar background, speaks “working class,” and is a woman. That will garner the McCain ticket a few million more votes, and their collective positions on the issues won’t change that one way or the other.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
#8
No.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
But a campaign official said McCain picked her on Sunday.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
#10
I think you are hopelessly optimistic about this. Culture is important, but it’s not everything. Besides, Palin’s culture is of the far right and is ill-suited to appeal to swing voters in swing states. This is not a “base” year, and McCain went with the base.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Big S, I’m also socially liberal, and I think you’re off on this.
#1, she is not anti-gay. That sets her far apart from the typical SoCon.
#2, she is extremely pro-life, BUT she is a woman who just carried a Down’s Syndrome baby to term. That more than lets her get away with it among moderates.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Back later.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Conflicting reports then ABC’s Jan Crawford Greenburg reports: … Mentions Sunday was the ‘no Lieberman day’.
I do hope the abc report is inaccurate.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
How can we equate Obama’s experience to Palin’s, in all honesty? Obama has been in the Senate for over three and a half years. Palin has governed Alaska for less than two years. That’s a big deficit. Voters don’t care about mayoral and state legislative experience (and neither do I, really), so I’m not counting that. Plus, her experience as mayor of Wasilla (pop. 9,000) makes her seem a little… well, out of her depths. And the few comments she’s made about foreign policy make her sound totally ignorant on the subject. And I’m a huge fan of hers; I’m just trying to describe reality as I see it.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Big S - “Kiss the election goodbye” Are you kidding me? Are you a disgruntled Rombot or are you just pessimistic by nature? Palin has a HUGE upside if she presents herself well to the electorate next week. Give her a chance to sell herself to America before you get all doom and gloom.
On another note - talked to my socially conservative but union Democrat sister-in-law tonight who was a Edwards supporter in the caucus here in Iowa. She saw Obama at a union forum and didn’t like him and really likes the Palin selection. She said she probably will vote McCain. The first EVER she will vote for a Republican.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Exactly. Sarah’s socially conservative but not at war with modern culture.
She has gay friends and has expressed sympathy for gays who are discriminated against. She considers herself a feminist and clearly has no problem with women in the workplace or in power (heh). She doesn’t see it as her job to return us to the 1950s.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Big S,
If Palin’s culture is “far-right” then why are her husband and son “independents”? Doesn’t family life, you know, play a role in culture? Beyond this, other then a few social issues, Palin is almost a total blank slate. She raised taxes on oil companies; hardly the move of a far right ideologue. She smoked marijuana when it was legal; again, something not terribly indicative of wingnuttery. Finally, she doesn’t LOOK like a far right ideologue and looks are important; her dress is modern and style. Her demeanor is genial and conversational.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
#20 - Seriously. McCain didn’t name Phyllis Schlafly this morning.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I have a second half to post, but it’s been eaten by the spam filter in a dozen different combos. Suffice it to say, on a gut level, she SEEMS far right the way Barack Obama SEEMS far left. I.e, not at all. And lots of folks are willing to vote based on impressions, or Obama wouldn’t be where he is.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
#22 - Bingo. Obama’s got that steady, pensive demeanor that keeps him from seeming “out there,” and Palin’s got that optimism and complete lack of anger. Unfortunately, and don’t think appearing far-right is her biggest problem.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
#10 DaveG-
Further on the culture theme, one of Discovery Channel’s highest-rated shows is Deadliest Catch. One of the History Channel’s highest-rated shows is Ice Road Truckers. NBC is airing a reality series this fall where ordinary people compete in these types of dirty jobs. The Palins have been living that reality for years, way before it was cool for TV.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
17. it is not a deficit …in one month any governor of any state does more work than any legislator, even at the federal level, does for a year…in addition obama has done nothing in the senate…except start running for president as soon as he was elected from IL…and i am talking from DAY 1….plus, what is really precious is that Barry himself argued for this type of candidate just the night before
August 29th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
experience as a legislator parting favors is one thing…
executive experience is another thing alltogether…
Oh, and of Barack’s experience? His time in the Illinois was really just a part-time job… Jan-May - that’s it…
August 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Oh, would you quit with the everybody who is unhappy with a choice here is a Rombot? That is really aggravating. Stop it already. Can we please move on? Palin is a gamechanger, all right. Did anyone catch Biden’s face when Obama was being interviewed about his response to McCain’s choice of Palin? He looked like his best friend died. The Dems are scared to death, and ticked off. It’s hilarious. I love it.