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?Â
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.