"WOW!!!" and "Holy Crap!!" are the two things that came to mind when I read the headlines this morning about McCain's VP choice. Has anyone else heard of Sarah Palin?? Does anyone else remember that we even have a state in the Union so far north? In a surprise move (huge surprise because most political analysis mediums did not consider her a top pick much less in the running for VP spot), McCain again shows his independence from mainstraim Republican Conservatism and chooses a strong running mate who, at times, defies the party lines (like McCain).
The good news is that she is a good balance for McCain (who my wife likes to describe as "the grumpy old man"). She is a relative greenie to the front of politics but has gained some important experience as the chief executive of our northernmost state. She opposes corruption as evidenced by her attacks on her Republican counterparts in Alaskan government (both state and national) who have been shown to be corrupt. Oh yeah, and she is young and female, which is something McCain has hard a hard time attracting in his campaign, as voters ;)
She seems to be pretty conservative and Christian, which will help him in the South. McCain doesn't need much help in the national security realm, but she does have executive experience as the commander-in-chief of the state's national guard and reserves. The question with national security and McCain is whether he will listen to anybody else on the subject. They are both from the West, which could be the region that plays a huge role in this election. Personally, I think that McCain will win Utah (regardless of Romney being on the ticket), but Obama will put up a strong fight and may even get a quarter of the vote.
In the end, this could be exactly what McCain needs to maintain his conservative base and reach out to the fence-sitting independents (like myself) for support. We'll see how she does in showing herself "ready to lead," as McCain has ridiculed Obama of not being ready to do.
What do you think? Has McCain shot himself in the foot with his "ready to lead" argument by choosing someone with limited experience (granted it is executive experience which legislators often lack)? Or is McCain just plain arrogant enough to think that he won't have to worry about his VP choice actually becoming President of the United States?
She seems to be pretty conservative and Christian, which will help him in the South. McCain doesn't need much help in the national security realm, but she does have executive experience as the commander-in-chief of the state's national guard and reserves. The question with national security and McCain is whether he will listen to anybody else on the subject. They are both from the West, which could be the region that plays a huge role in this election. Personally, I think that McCain will win Utah (regardless of Romney being on the ticket), but Obama will put up a strong fight and may even get a quarter of the vote.
In the end, this could be exactly what McCain needs to maintain his conservative base and reach out to the fence-sitting independents (like myself) for support. We'll see how she does in showing herself "ready to lead," as McCain has ridiculed Obama of not being ready to do.
What do you think? Has McCain shot himself in the foot with his "ready to lead" argument by choosing someone with limited experience (granted it is executive experience which legislators often lack)? Or is McCain just plain arrogant enough to think that he won't have to worry about his VP choice actually becoming President of the United States?
2 comments:
I was pretty surprised as well and almost thought the "breaking news" was a joke. I'm looking forward to learning a little bit more about Governor Palin. Until then, I'm not sure what my thoughts are.
I totally knew that he was going to pick Palin. Didn't you?
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