Thoughts on Palin
August 31st 2008 15:08
John McCain has named Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his choice for VP on the Republican ticket. Here are my initial thoughts on McCain's choice.
Pros:
* She energizes the conservative base -- McCain will not win without strong support from conservatives, and many conservatives have been lukewarm on McCain. Palin is a solid across-the-board conservative who can help to rally the base around McCain.
* She brings youth and energy to the ticket -- McCain can be painfully boring. Palin is effusive and helps to bring a youthful (and more upbeat) "vibe" to the ticket.
* She can appeal to some Hillary voters -- She is a woman who came from a working class family and she has grown up in small towns. She is pro-union and can relate to middle America. She won't bring in staunchly pro-choice Hillary voters, but she could definitely appeal to more moderate middle-class women and men who voted for Hillary.
* She has some executive experience -- She is the only one on either ticket who has ever run a government, even if it was only for a fairly short time period.
* She's not from Washington -- She is about as far removed from the Washington inner circle as she can be. That's good at a time when the whole country is fed up with our federal government.
* She'll be underestimated -- The bar will be pretty low for her because of her youth and relative inexperience. No one expects her to debate as well as Biden or be extremely knowledgeable on every topic under the sun. I think she could pretty easily exceed folks' expectations.
Cons:
* She's an unknown -- The whole country is trying to find out who she really is. Has she been properly vetted? Is she really the person they are portraying her to be? Time will tell, but it could reflect badly on McCain's judgment if any skeletons fall out of her closet.
* She's inexperienced -- She is the only person on either ticket who has executive experience, but her experience is in a small town and in a sparsely populated state -- and she has only been a governor for a short time. Also, she has no foreign policy experience that I know of. McCain is 72 years old. If he died in office, would she really be ready to step in?
* She is the subject of an ethics investigation in Alaska -- Alaskan Republicans have a bad reputation when it comes to ethics and now we hear that she is being investigated. I read that there are extenuating circumstances in the case, but how wise is it to choose someone who is being actively investigated?
* She's from Alaska -- Alaska is already a pretty Republican state. McCain could win Alaska without her. If she has appeal in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio (and she just might), then it could work out well. If not, McCain will be second-guessed for not choosing someone from a swing state.
* McCain doesn't know her that well -- From what I've read, he has only met with her once or twice. Again, was she properly vetted? Does he really know what she will (or won't) bring to the ticket?
I think the jury is out on this pick. It's really up to her. If she does well, McCain could look like a genius. If she doesn't step up, though, McCain's judgment will be justifiably brought into question.
Pros:
* She energizes the conservative base -- McCain will not win without strong support from conservatives, and many conservatives have been lukewarm on McCain. Palin is a solid across-the-board conservative who can help to rally the base around McCain.
* She brings youth and energy to the ticket -- McCain can be painfully boring. Palin is effusive and helps to bring a youthful (and more upbeat) "vibe" to the ticket.
* She can appeal to some Hillary voters -- She is a woman who came from a working class family and she has grown up in small towns. She is pro-union and can relate to middle America. She won't bring in staunchly pro-choice Hillary voters, but she could definitely appeal to more moderate middle-class women and men who voted for Hillary.
* She has some executive experience -- She is the only one on either ticket who has ever run a government, even if it was only for a fairly short time period.
* She's not from Washington -- She is about as far removed from the Washington inner circle as she can be. That's good at a time when the whole country is fed up with our federal government.
* She'll be underestimated -- The bar will be pretty low for her because of her youth and relative inexperience. No one expects her to debate as well as Biden or be extremely knowledgeable on every topic under the sun. I think she could pretty easily exceed folks' expectations.
Cons:
* She's an unknown -- The whole country is trying to find out who she really is. Has she been properly vetted? Is she really the person they are portraying her to be? Time will tell, but it could reflect badly on McCain's judgment if any skeletons fall out of her closet.
* She's inexperienced -- She is the only person on either ticket who has executive experience, but her experience is in a small town and in a sparsely populated state -- and she has only been a governor for a short time. Also, she has no foreign policy experience that I know of. McCain is 72 years old. If he died in office, would she really be ready to step in?
* She is the subject of an ethics investigation in Alaska -- Alaskan Republicans have a bad reputation when it comes to ethics and now we hear that she is being investigated. I read that there are extenuating circumstances in the case, but how wise is it to choose someone who is being actively investigated?
* She's from Alaska -- Alaska is already a pretty Republican state. McCain could win Alaska without her. If she has appeal in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio (and she just might), then it could work out well. If not, McCain will be second-guessed for not choosing someone from a swing state.
* McCain doesn't know her that well -- From what I've read, he has only met with her once or twice. Again, was she properly vetted? Does he really know what she will (or won't) bring to the ticket?
I think the jury is out on this pick. It's really up to her. If she does well, McCain could look like a genius. If she doesn't step up, though, McCain's judgment will be justifiably brought into question.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
What tickles me so much, PopCon, is that for all his "change" noise, Obama picked Biden. McCain has really done something towards change!
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
I really think Biden could trip up during the debate. He has foot-in-mouth disease and is very much a smart aleck. If he starts mouthing off and belitting her in a debate, it could cause a big backlash. I think she'll hold her own in the debate, but if he is his normal, smirky self, he'll find himself in political quicksand very quickly.
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief