Some thoughts on the Sarah Palin pick. Perhaps slim pickings for a diary, but more than I want to share in a comment.
There's little doubt that Palin is a horrifically bad choice to be Vice President. Yet I fear she may be a good choice to be a Vice Presidential candidate.
For my thoughts on the good and bad, follow me below the fold. And please, share your thoughts!
The Experience Trope. For months now John McCain, his campaign, his surrogates, and his supporters, have told us that Barack Obama isn't "ready to be President." Obama served for seven years in the Illinois legislature, and has served for four years in the Senate, on that body's Foreign Relations Committee.
Now McCain has chosen as his running mate, the person who will be one medicated heartbeat away from the Presidency, a neophyte whose highest elected office experience consists of serving less than two years as the governor of a huge but sparsely populated state.
People are claiming that by selecting Palin McCain can no longer use the inexperience argument against McCain. But these are Republicans, remember? They have their own logic and create their own reality. They have no sense of embarrassment, let alone shame. I've already heard Rethugs state that their ticket is superior because their inexperienced candidate is in the number 2 spot. My prediction? McCain will still use it.
If the press weren't in McCain's pocket they would focus on the sheer hypocrisy of McCain's pick. They would focus on the sheer desperation that is evident. But they are in McCain's pocket, and they won't focus on those points.
Biden De-Fanged In the Vice Presidential debate Joe Biden would have been able to go after Pawlenty, or the Mittster, or Charlie "I'm not gay, no really, I'm not gay" Christ like a pit bull with a chew toy. He can't do that against Palin.
In his appearances outside the debate he can hammer away at the differences in their foreign policy experience, and if he's careful and manages to keep his foot out of his mouth (always a dicey proposition with Biden,) he can still whomp her in the debate. But he has to tread carefully or he'll be seen as ganging up on her, as being a sexist thug, just as "they were with Hillary."
Will Palin Be Held To The Same Standards As Edwards? Do you remember when Elizabeth Edwards announced that her cancer had returned? Do you remember the reaction of the wingnuts when Edwards announced that he would continue in the Presidential race, rather than drop out? Do you remember the outrage? "John Edwards is putting his political ambitions ahead of his own family!" they harrumphed.
Well, Sarah Palin has a newborn baby, less than six months old. The child has Down's Syndrome. Will we hear the same outrage from the wingnuts over her plans to turn her attention away from her special needs newborn to campaigning for office? Are you kidding me? IOKIYAR.
The Age Thing I saw footage of Palin with McCain at the "big" announcement. Am I the only one who picks up a creepy old man/younger woman thing here? One thing is certain: When Palin stands next to McCain she only serves to make McCain look even older.
The Maverick/Reformer Palin is a hugely popular figure in Alaska. She has gone after corruption within her own party. She has hammered a few more bucks in revenue out of the oil companies that pillage her state. Sure, she's got her own ethics trouble, her own "troopergate." Sure, she's linked to one of the most corrupt party organizations of any state in the union.
But the press won't focus on any of that. They'll portray her as a crusading "hockey mom," the former beauty queen who stood up to the old boy network.
The PUMAs It is plainly obvious to anyone with a brain (thus ruling out most Republicans and all but a few "journalists,") that McCain's choice reeks of desperation. It is obvious that his campaign has decided that his best chance of victory is picking up those disaffected Hillary supporters.
But how many PUMAs are out there, really? Less than there were before this past week and the Dem's healing convention, but still more than I'd like. Will they vote for a ticket because a woman is on it, even though that woman seeks to hand their reproductive choices over to the government? Well, some have expressed a willingness to vote for a man, McCain, who is committed to doing the same thing. I think they'll find their treason even easier to accomplish now.
Reclaiming The News Cycle Let's face it, McCain's people recognized that without a huge, jaw-dropping, pundit-defying announcement today that Obama would have the entire long holiday weekend news cycle given over to his remarkable speech last night. McCain's people rightly surmised beforehand that Obama would almost certainly hit it out of the park.
Announce on Friday that you've chosen Romeny, or Huckabee, or Pawlenty? It gets some attention, and then fades. Announce you've chosen Sarah Palin and you ride that holiday news cycle all weekend long. But then what happens? Short term gain to be sure, but how much long term gain?
No Embarrassing Video One of the reasons I was looking forward to Mitt Romney as McCain's running mate is that Romney and McCain were all over each other in the primaries. There are stockpiles of clips of the two of them lambasting one another. Just as Hillary Clinton cut commercials for McCain with her "commander in chief threshold" remarks, the Dems could have used these to great advantage. McCain's pick takes that tool off the table.
Yes, I know, there's tape of Palin saying she's used to being busy on a day-to-day basis, of being productive, and she's not sure she'd find the Vice Presidency fulfilling enough. It's nothing. It won't go anywhere.
McCain had a choice to make: Choose what's best for the country, or choose what's best for his campaign. He chose the latter. Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Joe Lie-berman, Charlie Crist......they would have all been a gift to the Dems.
Palin gives the McCain campaign a chance to create their own identity for Palin. She's a blank slate to the American people. She's horribly unqualified to be Vice President. But I predict she will be an asset to McCain's election chances.