This close.
As usual, the GOP party establishment was all in favor of an utterly stupid move. Surprisingly, it was McCain who made a smart one and listened to the base he’s enjoyed poking in the eye for years.
Now to see if the campaign can fight off the inevitable Quayleization the Dems and media will attempt…
Yeah, you probably already knew it. I read it on NRO this morning before the news broke. It’s both an excellent pick for veep and a risky one.
First, she shores up McCain’s standing with most conservatives – which had to be job 1. She’s very much pro-life. In fact, she’s in a better position to speak to the issue than about any conservative politician in the US; recall that she rejected any idea of abortion when she learned her youngest child would have Downs’ Syndrome. She’s got impeccable credentials as a pork-fighter (she’s the one who killed the “bridge to nowhere” when DC Republicans tried to swing the money in the back door). She has a son about to be deployed to Iraq.
Second, she fits McCain’s maverick persona. Unlike McCain, though, she’s the right kind of maverick. McCain’s a Washingtonized, big-government-regulation “maverick” who likes sticking his finger in the eye of the ideological base of his party. Palin’s a common sense conservative (is there any other kind?) who’s not afraid to take on the corruption that plagues a lot of the GOP (Alaska moreso than most because of the federal hand that owns a lot of the state).
Third, she underscores energy issues. This is where the GOP should win or lose this election. McCain can now do a credible recanting of his previous opposition to drilling in ANWR, saying he’s been persuaded by her expertise on the issue. Drill, drill, drill will win every time. And, since she’s been a foe of a lot of Big Oil-driven corruption, she’s not as vulnerable on the subject as most.
Fourth, she brings executive experience to the ticket. Yes, the Dems will blithely ramble on about her lack of experience (the NY Times has already started), but the easy counter is that she has more executive experience than Obama, Biden, and McCain combined.
It is a risky pick, though. She has a 4 month old with Downs’ Syndrome, and I’m sure the Dems will find some way to criticize her for not staying home with her kid. There were some trumped-up accusations a while back when she fired a well-connected bureaucrat that I’m sure the nitwit news will dredge up. She’s apparently a global warming believer. And I doubt she’ll bring in any votes from the Hillary feminists; if anything, the presence of a non-bitter fem heretic on the GOP ticket will probably send them running back to Obama. The Dems will try probably try their evil-dumb template (highlighting that she’s a former Miss Alaska runner up) in the next week or two; hope she’s up to the job of refuting it.
And then there’s the logistics. Bringing along an infant with Downs all around the country can’t be easy, nanny or no. And how is she going to balance governing Alaska (still a lot of swamp to be clean up there) with campaigning in the continental US?
Palin was my #2 pick (Bobby Jindal, of course, being first). I won’t vote for McCain. I won’t cast a vote for McCain against Obama. So, the question is, how ethical is it to cast a vote for a veep alone, knowing the only way they matter is if something bad happens to the guy at the top of the ticket?
From Rafferty’s:
West Tennessee BBQ Platter
A stack of the best southern staple foods piled higher than the Smoky Mountains. A piece of warm cornbread serves as the foundation, blanketed with Spikes’s spicy mean beans, smothered in smoked pulled pork and topped with our thick BBQ sauce. Served with your choice of one side item.
Anyone want to tell them the Smoky Mountains haven’t relocated to the other end of the state recently?
Democrat ideas to “fix” the $4 gas problem:
1. Sue Saudi Arabia to produce a few drops more of oil.
2. Inflate your tires.
3. Raise taxes on oil companies.
4. Regulate oil companies more heavily.
5. Remove steel from new cars, thereby making them less safe.
6. Release 4 days worth of oil from the strategic reserve.
7. Rely on non-existent technologies as alternatives.
When it’s laid out this way, it really is like we’re back in the age of Carter.
palinophobia 