Sarah Palin for McCain’s Veep?
John McCain has sent his campaign people to Alaska, and they’ve found gold in Sarah Palin, the new governor of the state. Sure, she’s suing the Federal government over its recently naming the polar bear a “threatened” species. But isn’t that a plus for McCain? She’s all for drilling for oil, too.
She can bring in those electoral votes from Alaska, a state McCain would likely win anyway, so that’s not the reason to name Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as a running mate for John McCain. Perhaps Sarah Palin is being considered by the McCain campaign as a potential VP candidate because of the persistence of this web site, a Palin for VP blog that’s been in existence since shortly after Ms. Palin was elected governor of Alaska. (Do they want her to leave the state so badly that they started this campaign a mere month after she took office?) Well, Sarah Palin is certainly more photogenic than McCain — heck, she’s more photogenic than Mrs. McCain, too. Still, is that enough reason to make her a Veep candidate? She’ll just make McCain look that much older, after all, if they’re ever seen in public together.
Hmm. This makes little sense to me. You don’t hide a woman as accomplished as Sarah Palin in an unknown location. She’d be too valuable and too charming to keep hidden away. But the McCain campaign would have to do that, wouldn’t they? I mean, on the off chance they won the Presidency, of course. She’d be hidden away, right? Isn’t that the job of the Vice President nowadays, to hide? And I just don’t see Palin rubbing her hands together with glee, smirking and leering — she’s no Dick Cheney, that’s for sure.
I’m thinking this isn’t going to happen. She’s got kids named Bristol, Willow and Piper Indy. Once they find that out, most of the Republican crowd is going to think Sarah Palin is a tree-hugging hippie or something. But, to be serious for a moment, Palin is pro-life, and she’s playing both sides of the fence on the other Republican hot button issue, gay marriage, by opposing it, but also signing a civil union statute into law in Alaska. As such, Palin might be acceptable to the extremists in the GOP (are there any other kind?). Palin is supposedly a fiscal conservative, but it isn’t hard to be one in Alaska, what with the pipeline revenue stream and all. And she seems untouched by the corruption that hovers around other current and former Alaska politicians, at least so far.
So, what’s the argument against? Palin has held office only since 2006, about 18 months. Yeah, she’s a neophyte. Sure, she was on city council, and the Mayor of Wasilla, but experience leading a small town, and then one of the least populous states in the country is just a little bit thin. I don’t doubt, however, that Sarah Palin makes a whole lot of other possibilities on the Republican side look very weak. John McCain could do far worse than naming an attractive and accomplished woman as his VP candidate.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
The fundie and neocon wings of the GOP have enough heartburn just with McCain himself. But a woman (at least one who’s not Elizabeth Dole or Katherine Harris)??
Not. Gonna. Happen.
It’ll be Cheney. Watch.
I’m inclined to agree, Richard, but the McCain people going up there, and the fanclub blog. . . interesting enough to post. She’s going to get creamed on the fact she’s a former beauty queen. Wasn’t Cindy, as well?
Here’s an important piece of advice: If it looks like it’s going to be McCain/Palin anyway (and that should be a “no brainer” for Team McCain), McCain should announce NOW or VERY SOON, rather than later towards the convention. There’s currently a growing chorus for Obama/Hillary (as VP) ticket (in fact the Dems are likely aware of the Palin phenomenon). If the GOP waits while movement for Hillary as VP grows — even worse until after it is solidified that Hillary will/could be VP pick — selecting Palin will be portrayed by Dems/liberal media more as a reaction by GOP selecting its own female (overshawdoing Palin’s own remarkable assets), rather than McCain taking the lead on this. Selecting Palin now or early (contrary to the punditocracy) will mean McCain will be seen as driving the course of this campaign overwhelmingly, and the DEMS will be seen as merely reacting. And, there’s absoultely no down-side to this because even if Hillary is a no-go as VP for Obama, the GOP gains by acting early. McCain the maverick. Palin the maverick. Do it now!
There’s no reason, and actually substantial negative, in McCain waiting to see what the Dems do first insofar as his picking Palin as VP, because, no matter who Obama picks, Palin is by far (and I mean far) the best pick for McCain and the GOP, especially in this time of GOP woes. The GOP can be seen as the party of real ‘change’ (albeit I hate that mantra, change, change, bla bla), while not really having to change from GOP core conservative values, which Palin more than represents.
In light of the current oil/energy situation, as well as the disaffected female Hillary voters situation, and growing focus on McCain’s age and health, Palin is more than perfect — now.
(Perhaps Team McCain is already on to this.)
There are tons of reasons for McCain not to go with Palin, the chief of which is that nobody can imagine she has the stature to be President. Seems that should be the first qualification for the position, to me.
I’m thinkin’ there’s some serious kink going on behind those librarian glasses…