For those who don’t follow me on Twitter, I can sum up the pick in one sentence:
I am rapidly becoming convinced that the Palin pick will go down as the worst political blunder since Mondale’s “I just did” speech.
The gist of comments I’ve been leaving elsewhere:
THE BAD: McCain has stripped himself of the only viable argument against Obama — lack of experience. Which hurts whom more: That Obama can’t attack Palin on qualifications or that McCain can’t attack Obama on qualifications?
THE NOT GOOD: The notion that Palin will attract meaningful numbers of disaffected Clinton supporters is beyond absurd. The only thing that progressivist women hate more than pro-life male politicians is pro-life female politicians. McCain is 72 with a history of serious health problems. John Paul Stevens is 88; Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 75. So good luck with that whole “one woman candidate is as good as another” campaign strategy.
(For those too young to remember: “I just did.”)
18 responses so far ↓
Link Dustin // Aug 29, 2008 at 8:37 pm
The crap is hitting the fan and fast with her. Not only is there the whole "fire my sister's ex husband" fiasco that's being reported left and right; but she supports teaching creation in schools. Yeah, way to appeal to the independents; as if she wasn't so far right enough as is.
Link Tony // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I don't see how this works as a strategy to attract Hillary supporters, even ignoring the abortion issue. If I understand them correctly, Hillary supporters are angry that Hillary won't be the first woman president. Somehow McCain misread that to believe they'd vote for him because he has a woman on the ticket when the only conclusion I'd drawn was that Hillary supporters would vote for McCain to punish Obama. Now, why would they do that?
And then the abortion issue… Just a stupid, stupid choice by McCain. All about the politics and no concern for what this meas to governing. This is Harriet Miers and "Mission Accomplished" in one quick pre-presidential moment.
Link dolphin // Aug 29, 2008 at 10:25 pm
You're spot on on point one.
I'm increasingly agreeing with you on your second point, but not over the abortion thing. The feminists who are going to vote on the abortion issue (you know, the REAL feminists), wouldn't have voted McCain no matter who he'd chosen. I think the reason Palin won't gain him many votes of the remainder is because she's such an obvious "token" woman. He skipped over many much more well-known, respected, and experienced Republican women to choose a young inexperienced former beauty queen. He made it TOO obvious that he chose her only because she was a woman not because he actually wanted her on the ticket. Top it off with the fact that he chose a beauty queen to lok nice next to him in photo ops and the whole thing comes off much more as an insult to woman than anything else.
Link Tony // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I'm with Dolphin, too. I imagine the discussion on finalizing the pick involved McCain saying "So, this broad…", or something equally stupid and offensive.
Link Brad // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:34 pm
My guess is that most Hillary supporters will be more offended by McCain's choice. To pick a runner-up in a state pageant (who happened to luckily become governor of a population-poor state) will impress the shallowest of women.
Sandra Day O'Connor? That would have been a masterful stroke…
Link Chris Berez // Aug 30, 2008 at 12:14 am
Link J. Philip // Aug 30, 2008 at 1:48 am
OK, I'll disagree. This is a significant breath of fresh air.
McCain had to pick a conservative to shore up his base, someone younger than he to balance his age, and a Washington outsider. Nobody can accuse either one of them of being a chickenhawk-both have children deployed to Iraq.
She's from blue collar stock, which is something the Republicans deperately needed. This has gone from an election between a tired 72 year old republican and an energetic 40 something democrat to something far more balanced.
This woman relates to regular people better than any of the other three. She's married to a union member and had a down's syndrome child at age 44. She walks her talk. This will play in Peoria far, far better than Joe Biden's hairplugs.
I think it is a brilliant move. I seriously doubt that any commenter here whose mind is made up will have their opinions changed, but it will be looked on favorably by undecided voters.
Link Downtown Lad // Aug 30, 2008 at 2:21 am
Kip is definitely spot on here. The pick is a joke. I couldn't believe they were seriously considering Meg Whitman (Ebay CEO), but at least she would have been competent and smart. Say what you want about Obama's inexperience, but at least he's one of the most gifted politicians of his generation (yes – editor of the Harvard Law Review IS impressive). I'd like to see this woman's SAT scores. Who thinks she broke 1000?
Link Thor // Aug 30, 2008 at 2:27 am
Really I think Mccain and his Campaign are going off the strategy that Americans are stupid. Look this women is a heart beat away from the White House and what are her credentials. She has been Mayor Of Alaska for about 20 months, she has been mayor of a town of 5,500 people, and oh lets not forget she is a "Hockey Mom" prefect for the Minnesota convention. Mccain is aiming for the ignorant vote. The Hillary supporters who cared about Hillarys gender than her polices and the conservatives who find the most important issues are abortions, gay, and guns. With Mccain not having that clean of a health record it is easier for me to be scared at what may happen if this lady became President. Imagine her foreign policy being run by Neo-cons in the administration.
Will this strategy work probably.
Link Alec // Aug 30, 2008 at 6:36 am
All due respect, J Philip, you are surely kidding? She's….awful. I don't know how to send the message beyond that. She's a slap in the face to practically everyone apart from brain dead evangelicals who would vote for a corprse if it supported their agenda. I just don't see the appeal.
Apart from Tina Fey parodies, I suppose…
Link dolphin // Aug 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm
J Phillip,
The thing is, while she is a social conservative, she's going to have a few things that begin to tarnish her as she becomes more well known. Her first veto as governor was against a bill that would have prohibited the state from providing benefits to same-sex partners of state employees. Grant she only vetoed it because the AG told her it was unconstitutional on it's face, but the bigots never let things like the (state or federal) constitution stop them so I think there's a chance at least some will hold this against her. Secondly, she's a woman and there's a not so small segment of the social conservative population who don't believe women should be in leadership positions (she's actually helped a bit here by being VP pick instead of presidential candidate, because she'll be looked by them as at a bit more of a "kept-woman" standing behind her man, but still).
Her age doesn't help McCain. McCain has children older than her. Her age only serves to make McCain look even older and combine the extra emphasis on McCain's age with her inexperience and she's just made McCain's age and health a major issue again long after it had initially fallen on the back-burner.
Link J. Philip // Aug 30, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The problem with the picture we are looking at is not Sarah Palin, her experience, or how conservative she is.
It is the notion that Joe Biden, the hair-plugged plagerizer, and Obama, a state legislator 3 short years ago, both from a senate with a microscopic approval rating, are going to solve anything.
I don't think for a minute that DT Lad, Kip, Thor or Tony were voting for McCain anyway, and I am not voting for Obama no matter who McCain picked. But if undecided people vote for her and McCain it won't be because they are stupid, it is because they relate to a regular person more than snooty elites who suddenly decided in the last 10 minutes that we need an energy policy.
[Kip replies: I think we're saying the syllogism flows the other way: yes, voters are not stupid, therefore they will not be swayed by Palin. Not, "anyone who votes MCain-Palin did so from stupidity," which is not quite the same thing. I do think, however, that the "he's insulting our intelligence" vote will be consdierable.]
Link Dustin // Aug 30, 2008 at 9:05 pm
J. Phillip . . . some would say Bush won the presidency (well at least the 2nd time) beacuse he was someone "the people" could relate to. Frankly if "the people" didn't learn their lesson the first time around, well then I don't know what to say really.
I don't much like Obama, but I know what I'll get and what rights I stand to lose under the too far right Supreme Court with McCain. That's a chance I'm not willing to take. I'm not gunna wait around till I'm 70 for this country to decide I am deserving of certain rights while every other country in the world does so, passing us by.
Link tarylcabot // Aug 31, 2008 at 1:07 am
don't recall Palin being on any of your speculation lists ( link below to 1) & i certainly would not have put her on my list. Why not elisabeth dole (no one could deny that she has the savvy & experience to be president on day 1) if you wanted to ad a woman to the ticket?
certainly undercuts the "not experienced enough" argument and my conservative brother (who will vote for McCain anyway) viewed Palin as a "what is she supposed to add to the ticket" puzzlement.
http://www.kipesquire.net/2008/02/some-political-predictions/
[Kip replies: I said I was no good at these things. I just don't have the politician mindset. Fortunately.]
Link J. Philip // Aug 31, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Actually, Palin was on none other than my older brother's list months ago.
http://tomfaranda.typepad.com/folly/2008/03/potential-mccai.html
She was on few short lists but alot of darkhorse lists.
Link dolphin // Sep 1, 2008 at 10:33 am
But if undecided people vote for her and McCain it won't be because they are stupid, it is because they relate to a regular person more than snooty elites
I'm sorry. If somebody votes for McCain, Palin, Obama, or Biden thinking they relate to regular people more than "snooty elites" then they are in fact stupid. McCain's net worth is about 45 times that of Obama, but of course neither Obama or Biden or in the poor house. Palin has yet to release her financial information but since her husband is a higher up in BP Oil, one surmises she isn't exactly begging on the street either.
One who votes for McCain/Palin because they believe the direction the country is heading in is good and necessary is not inherently stupid, they just have a very different way of looking at things. One who votes McCain/Palin because they don't want to vote for "elites" IS inherently stupid.
Link J. Philip // Sep 1, 2008 at 10:44 am
Dolphin,
Fair point, but a vote is a vote and I for one am tired of being told I should vote for someone because they went to Harvard or Yale.
Incidentally, another blogger I read had Palin on his shortlist back in February.
http://redmindbluestate.blogspot.com/2008/02/friday-quickies.html
Link Kevin // Sep 1, 2008 at 10:28 pm
This has nothing to do with Hillary's Democratic supporters. It has more to do with independent women that wanted Hillary to win because they wanted a woman. The pick had more to do with pacifying the conservative base. If you read any of the conservative blogs out there you will see that they most are in love with McCain now. The election is statistical tie. You cannot win if you do not solidify your base, and if you can pull some disenfranchised voters.
I believe you got it wrong on the criticism of Obama. It is not his lack of experience that people have a problem with. Bush had one of the weakest positions of power in Texas yet he became president. Critics of Obama are saying that Obama lacks judgment.