So now that DKos has become the 24 hour Palin channel, is it too late to ask the question: Do we really want McCain to pick a more viable candidate?
Do we want Gov. Palin to bow out due to "family issues" and leave the field clear for McCain to pick a VP candidate who has not:
- Advocated his/her state to secede from the union?
- Demanded shows of loyalty from his/her local police chief and librarian?
- Believed that the founding fathers recited the Pledge of Allegiance?
- Cited a geographical proximity to Russia as foreign policy experience?
Or any of the other crazy things Gov. Palin seems to have done?
My friends, this is a gift that just keeps giving. Maybe the smart thing here is to not open the gift until October when it's too late to print up new ballots. Maybe this is an opportunity for all of us to emulate Obama's rope-a-dope or jujitsu moves or whatever you'd call it when you give somebody enough rope to hang themselves.
Here in Michigan, some of the more middle-of-the-road voters were waiting with bated breath for McCain to pick Romney. That would have been all they'd needed to go for McCain, big-time. In the few days since he snubbed Romney, I've heard from about a dozen people (mostly men, actually) who have said they made up their mind and they're going for Obama. If McCain should suddenly have a shot at another VP pick because Palin drops out due to all of this pressure, he may also have another shot at the whole enchilada with these voters.
The voters who I've talked to about this all seem to share one or more of the following attitudes about the Palin pick:
- She's a great choice and I'll vote for McCain no matter what.
- This makes me question his judgment; I don't understand why he picked her over Romney (or fill-in-the-blank).
- Picking her is an insult to me (and/or Hillary) as a woman.
- I was never going to vote for McCain anyway so I'll just sit here with my popcorn and watch the show.
No need to poll you Kossacks on where you stand here, but the majority of the undecideds I've been keeping up with (co-workers, friend's, their spouses, neighbors, etc.) are either men at #2 or women at #3. Either way, if McCain takes another shot at it, he may also get another shot at these voters.
So wouldn't it be best to just stop talking about why Palin is so bad and stand out of the way while McCain unravels this pile of rope? We've got 9 weeks to go before E-Day, no need to give McCain advice on his VP pick until it's too late to correct the problem. Let's hold our fire, pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show. But only figuratively, folks. We need to get out and canvass for Obama!