I’m thinking of writing a piece in the GW Hatchet soon about the Vice Presidential candidates from both parties, so I don’t want to put too much of my ideas out here. Instead I’ll just aggregate some of the strengths and weaknesses that Sarah Palin brings to the Republican ticket (and as evidenced by the title, there are plenty the latter):
Sarah Palin’s selection, in my view, completely and utterly decimates John McCain’s only credible arguments for his election. All summer we’ve been told that experience and competence trump hope and change, that the world was too dangerous and volatile for a 47 year old career politician to handle, and that only a steady and tested hand can guide us through global turmoil and economic distress. That was the case for John McCain, and it was compelling enough to keep the election close despite the many factors benefiting Democrats this year. All of that has been thrown out the window by this pick.
By catapulting a 2 year governor of a state with a population 1/4 the size of Brooklyn to running mate status, McCain has drastically undermined his message and erased his sole advantage in this race. Weren’t we supposed to vote for McCain because of his superior experience and understanding of foreign affairs? Apparently his potential Vice President doesn’t need any of those qualifications, even though McCain himself said he wanted a running mate that would reinforce his strengths. And voters aren’t blind to the fact that the 72 year old cancer survivor may not make it through 4 or 8 years, and certainly aren’t hot on the idea of a Miss Alaska runner up filling in for him. A Presidential death rattles morale and shakes a nation’s confidence; think of Kennedy or the Reagan assassination attempt. Fortunately, eminently qualified Vice Presidents stood ready to take the helm and shepherd a shocked nation, and one of them did (who hasn’t seen the image of LBJ’s inauguration aboard Air Force One?). If the unthinkable happened to President McCain, I’m not sure how or even if a moose-eating former beauty queen could handle that responsibility. Contrast that with Obama, who wisely selected a capable and reassuring Washington hand who could assume power at a moment’s notice. A running mate should shore up a candidate’s weaknesses, but not to the point where it makes voters aware of the candidate’s biggest flaws, in this case, McCain’s age and apparent lack of anything resembling judgment.
And where was the vetting team on this one? For someone McCain admits he only met once, you’d have thought they would maybe have at least Googled Sarah Palin’s name. The Republicans are lucky that a hurricane kept most of this out of the press, but pretty soon we’ll see the deluge of skeletons pouring out of Palin’s closet. From Troopergate to her involvement in indicted Sen. Ted Stevens’ 527 group, there’s a lot about Palin that we don’t know. And though we can’t rely on the media to tell us everything, the candidate’s historic position of the first female Republican running mate guarantees there will be a lot of extra scrutiny (just like for Obama in the primaries).
Oh, about the strengths. She gets the base behind McCain, because she hates things like a woman’s right to choose and providing social programs to those in need. That’s great, really. I’m not sure if the McCain campaign realized Republicans aren’t nearly as strong a group as they used to be (down to 32% of the electorate from 38% in 2004), so if he wants to let the independents shift toward Obama, who actually picked a competent running mate, that’s cool with me.
Democrats would do well to keep the pressure on Palin up until the election, relentlessly demanding answers about the Governor’s public life and history. If we “needed to know” all about Obama, who has more than twice as many years experience than Palin, then we certainly deserve to hear about every little detail of Palin’s astoundingly short political career. Biden should draw the contrasts clearly and fairly during the Vice Presidential debate, making sure voters realize she’s inexperienced not because she’s a woman (we don’t want another Rick Lazio moment), but because she has no record on anything except drilling in ANWR.
Thank you John McCain, for showing us all just how wrong we’ve been for assuming an experienced politician would make a reasonable running mate decision. Thank you for strengthening Obama’s argument that you just don’t get it when it comes to issues Americans face every day. Thank you for proving you have no idea what Hillary supporters want in a candidate (here’s a hint, it’s not a woman, it’s women’s rights). And thank you for hatefully presuming that Americans are ignorant, shallow, and easily fooled by illusions of change like Sarah Palin. In two months, you’ll see just how wrong you are, Senator.
