Happy Birthday John McCain, you just blew the presidency
Word this morning is that John McCain is going to announce Alaska governor of two years Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Pro’s:
She’s a women, obviously. However, I think McCain is overthinking this if he thinks just simply putting a women on the ticket will bring disaffected Hillary supporters into the fold. That’s a pretty low opinion of women IMHO, that they would just switch sides because the VP pick of the Republicans is a women.
Palin is a conservative and solidly pro life.
Perhaps her strongest area, she is very good on the energy issue, and has been great badgering the Dems in Washington to come up to Alaska and drill.
She is a rising star in the GOP. By rising I mean, just getting off the ground. I wonder if she is truly ready or being pushed on the national stage too soon.
Cons:
She has two years experience as governor. She’s 44 years old. So much for the anti-Obama experience arguement.
McCain turns 72 years old today. When thinking about a VP, I believe voters look at them and think, “can I imagine this person as president”. For all his flaws, Joe Biden passes that test. Will Sarah Palin? I don’t know?
Can she hold her own against a hostile press corps? How about against Joe Biden for that matter? The only honest answer is that nobody knows. I saw her about a month ago on Larry Kudlow’s TV show and I thought she did ok, not great, just ok. If that was my impression watching her in friendly territory, how will she do when really pressed?
Yes, she’s been a reformer and gone to bat against Republican corruption in her state. However, does the GOP nationally, in all of the races beyond the presidency, really want increased attention on Alaska Republicans, who are monuments to the myriad of ways the party has gone off the rails?
Conclusion:
McCain is really rolling the dice here. As I wrote yesterday, I think Pawlenty meets the conservative factor, has the requisite experience and I believe people would see him as “presidential material”.
The most overlooked question in all of this is “does the VP nominee have the media relations skills to be a forceful advocate?” Pawlenty has demonstrated that he does. I don’t think you can underestimate how important this single point is, the media relations skills. Ultimately, I believe they are even more important than the conservative positions or resume. We live in a 24/7 media soaked world. There is no such thing as a single mistake when it comes to working with the media. There are blogs and You Tube that can keep a single mistake alive from now until November.
I’m flummoxed by the choice honestly. Sure, its Mavericky alright. Yes, it shows McCain is an independent thinker. However, I wonder if he’s beeing too cute and losing sight of the basic ingredients that make a good running mate. I hope I am proven wrong.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I don’t know, Kev…I’m all over the place on this one…my first thought is that the Palin pick is a “Hail Mary” when it wasn’t necessessary. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. One thought is that Biden won’t be able to rip her throat out in the VP debate without looking like a tool.
Maybe it’ll turn out to be a genius pick, but right now I’m feeling some serious flop sweat
August 29th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Rob,
I’d rather have a candidate that can stand their ground against Biden. He should be able to rip her and if she can’t take the heat, she doesn’t belong there. There are much more qualified people out there. I’m disappointed.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:00 am
I don’t know, this seems like an unnecessary risk to me. I like her, don’t get me wrong. I’m just not sure she’s ready. Hasn’t McCain taken the experience issue off the table for the rest of the campaign?
Let’s hope she suprises to the upside. We’ll see.
Kevin
August 29th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Kevin I love you bro but you could not be more wrong my friend.She is perfect call you on Sunday God Bless your friend David R.Beaupre from Lynn Dave from Lynn
August 29th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I need to amend my prior comment…after a full day of gobbling up various media reaction to the Palin pick, I’m totally on board…I’m in. Pass the kool-aid. The sexy librarian thing is definitely starting to work for me. And anybody that draws the scorn of those friggin’ jamokes Olbermann and Matthews is ok in my book.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:32 am
She may not have any international experience, but she is going to play a key role in opening up Alaska, and other parts of the nation, for oil exploration. Maria Bartiromo on CNBC had a great interview with her on CNBC last week and she has a great grasp on this subject as well as a commonsense and well thought out stance on renewable energy. I haven’t drank the kool-aid yet, but I’ve got a glass ready.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I have never seen such hypcrits in my life as the Democrats…Sara Palin has more experience in her life than Obama ..when you serve at the small town and city level you get a chance to really learn a lot..be it budgets and taxes, corruption, and how to get things done. Most State and City budgets are really hadled just like the Feds and then you realy learn the ropes! Would that we had even one person left in Mass. like her and we may be far better off. Seems like Democrats don’t like Women period. Her ability to raise a family, serve on the City Council and then Mayor and from a city of 9000 gain so much respect that she was elected Governor. You all, I would guarantee. have never Served in a capacity to oversee the daily goings on in your cities and towns…IT IS EASY TO SAY THEY KNOW NOTHING…but I can guarnatee all the learning is available on those lower levels…in fact, the budgets and the town and city Rules passed on by these small town leaders ..when they are sharp they can do a lot of good, when they really are less loving of the glory of being a selectman or council man and more anxious to SERVE the Tax Payers…they are mocked by their fellow elected officials but they create a far more open government. She moved on to Governor, sold the state airplane on EBay, fired a Chef at the Govs. Mansion…saying she can fly herselt where she needs to go (many people in Alaska Need Planes and those who don’t realize it air planes are like the MBTA or AMTRAK up here) and she said she is quite capable of feeding her own Family! She also said if there were occassions when a meal for a guest is needed, she is quite capable of doing that as well and if not she would surely find volunteers more than willing to HELP.
She is a great speaker, she is great wth people n general and she doesn’t shake hands to look for votes..instead she does this because she is Polite and genuinely likes People from all walks of life. She is the most popular Governor in the US …that rating she has is not handed out freely…it is earned..at least up in Alaska!
Shame on the Dems for dissing her…she is a straight talker and is not afraid to say whats on her mind! We need more people who can really speak their mind..not the wimps who hem and haw between every word and sentence!
As far as International Experience…any American with half a brain knows what they think on that issue…and although not all of us would have the class to meet these folks…SARA PALIN DOES…I AM SO SICK OF PHONY DIPLOMATS LIKE RICHARDSON AND EXPERTS LIKE BIDEN…THEY TWIST WORDS TO SUIT THEM AND ONLY SEE THEIR VIEWS…Sara Palin has the Grace to be Honest..something missing ..Sara Palin won’t be forced to dish the party line..I THINK WE NEED A REAL AMERICAN WORKING FOR US..ONE WHO LIVES IN THE REAL WORLD AND SEES THINGS OUR WAY!
August 30th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
McCain has made the choice to definitively make this election a historical one. I believe that he knows that his chances with or without Palin, were about 50/50. His decision to go with Palin, oil or no oil has already evoked the ire of those considered to be on his short-list for the V.P. nomination. McCain has rolled the dice and in doing so has added fuel to the fire to an already charged up Democratic party, especially in the critical area of judgement. Drilling for oil in Alaska might help, but it is not the answer. America is in desperate need of alternative fuels, ideas and technologies to help secure the next generations and that is why this election will more than likely be decided by the youth of America, because they have a greater stake in this election than ever before.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:16 am
Honestly, Bidens’ biggest flaw (besides the obvious ones) is that he runs his mouth too much and it really gets away from him. That being said, I think he’s gonna have a though enough time trying to keep his mouth in check to even worry about Palin’s responses in the VP debate. Which by the way, I’ve seen how Palin handles herself under high pressure situations, and she’s phenomenal. She looks you right in the eye, doesn’t pull any punches, and she’s able to do this because she knows her beliefs and she doesn’t back off of them.
and Todd, I think that she can more than take Biden’s heat, and dish it out. it’s the media that’s gonna jump on hims if he rips her.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Remember the story about Churchill being chastized for being drunk by an ugly woman? His response was that, in the morning, he’d be sober but she’d still be ugly.
If Biden raises the question about her inexperience, I’d tell her to respond like this:
“Yes, I’m inexperienced right now but, with time, I’ll be experienced & you’ll still be foolish.”
In short, I’m more interested in a person’s critical thinking abilities & their prioritization skills. In that respect, she’s miles ahead of Obama & Biden.
That’s the type of person I want a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. I don’t want a no-talent never will be like Biden. PERIOD.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:19 am
[...] joined me last night and we discussed, among other things, the selection of Sarah Palin. Bruce, like me, was not bowled over at first. Then he watched her introductory press conference and saw the [...]
September 5th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
[...] as well, but I’ve tried to remain honest about her strengths (which are considerable) and her weaknesses (ditto). I’m not saying that I am perfect in this regard. It’s just that the Palin [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
[...] is what I wrote the morning McCain announced Sarah Palin, I saw her about a month ago on Larry Kudlow’s TV show [...]
October 17th, 2008 at 4:05 am
[...] inexperience subject. To be fair, they’ve done so in a thoughtful manner. Two such people are Kevin at Pundit Review and Allahpundit at [...]
November 15th, 2008 at 2:30 am
[...] inexperience subject. To be fair, they’ve done so in a thoughtful manner. Two such people are Kevin at Pundit Review and Allahpundit at [...]