A lot of people are asking what the heck John McCain was thinking when he nominated Sarah Palin, the youngest governor ever of a state not even connected to the US mainland, someone who admits to smoking pot, who will certainly alienate rather than attract Hilary supporters, and whose best qualification for being Commander in Chief should McCain keel over is her ability to hunt moose.
JedReport has an answer. HT to Daily Kos.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
How to Pick a VP
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5 comments:
The Alaska National Guard may not be much, but she is a Commander in Chief. :- )
What was McCain thinking?
Juliette was thinking McCain is not conservative enough. Now: I just may vote in November.
I've read Juliette. "Pro-death lefties" are not arguing that she is too pretty to be VP. They're questioning whether McCain paid more attention to factors like how she looks than to what she brings to the campaign, and what she will bring to office. I think this casts doubt on his judgment as a politician.
But you're right that Juliette's opinion represents one piece of data pointing to a political logic for his decision: the need to win the social conservative vote. Will this really outweigh his need to appeal to moderates and "change" voters? I doubt it - he may get more of the base out, but he was already losing the constituents that won him the nomination after he changed his position on things like torture... this move does nothing to change that. He is gambling and I am betting he'll lose.
That's re. his chances of winning... regarding our country's national security should Palin find herself as President (a wholly different question), please do elaborate how commanding a state's National Guard is meaningfully analogous to directing the planet's largest military, and the strategic and diplomatic decisions that go along with it.
Biden is going to mop the floor with her.
Realistically the selection of Governor Palin for the VP position makes Senator Obama’s coronation only marginally less likely.
I think her selection was for several reasons.
She is a scrapper, hence her nick name Sarah Barracuda. Does anyone think McCain does not have an uphill fight?
She is in basic agreement with McCain on number of fiscal positions and has implemented them against serious opposition as Governor
Her personal story is fairy tail material in the social conservative worldview.
Her liabilities mostly resonate with people who would never vote for McCain any way, so why worry about them.
She is every thing many on the left love to hate. Juliette was not just impressed with her she was put off by some of the overreaction against her. McCain amy be hoping that this will hurt Obama with the undecided voters. But the Obama campaign itself is not taking the bait
Ugliness would have disqualified her but I doubt her good looks did more than reinforce a decision that was already set.
But whatever, I think small town girl is likely to be overwhelmed before she learns the big city ropes. But in terms of putting some life in McCain’s she is a campaign a good pick.
And being Commander and Chief of the Alaska National Guard is about two steps above moose hunting as a qualification Commander and Chief of the US Armed Forces..
P.S. If your ever need to do research in that direction, Juliette is several cuts above the typical milblogger and very aggressively defended Senator Obama from the right wing moon bat attacks against him. And effectively, people listen to her.
If tonight's NY Times story doesn't vindicate the suggestion that not a lot of political sense was behind this story, not much will.
Quoting from Elisabeth Bumiller: "Aides to Mr. McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Ms. Palin’s background."
diodotus: "I think this casts doubt on his judgment as a politician."
I agree completely. Someone on Lehrer tonight (I think it was Shields) said McCain's first choice was apparently Lieberman, but when told that that would cause a revolt in several delegations, said in effect: "OK, try this on for size!"
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