Palin as VP on Republican Ticket
Okay, I’m just as shocked as you are.
More actually - because my internet’s been down all day, so I texted a friend this morning to see who it was. Her response of ‘He chose that woman. It came out of left field’ left me thinking it was obviously Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
I had predicted last night that it’d be Hutchinson if McCain couldn’t stomach Mittens. Hutchinson makes sense - she’s a strong conservative, rallies the south, etc. So I didn’t rush into uni to get up on the papers. I watched some West Wing; I cleaned the bathroom. I had more or less prepared my blog post on the topic.
So, sorry if this is stream of consciousness but… SARAH PALIN? The scandal-ridden, first-term governor from a state with three electoral votes?
That state is ALASKA, which is currently in the middle of the craziest election season ever seen. Stevens just got indicted, almost assuring a Democratic win of his Senate seat. Don Young is currently in the fight of his life in a primary against Palin’s Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell. (It’s unclear to me who will actually be running the state at this point.)
As for Palin, she’s embroiled in a scandal (currently being investigated by a legislative panel) regarding the her state trooper ex-brother-in-law. Namely, that she wanted him fired, but settled for the public safety commissioner when he refused the task.
My blog post about Hutchinson was going to question whether Clinton supporters would view the selection of a middle-aged, experienced woman as a craven bid for their votes. But, man, I don’t know what they’re going to think now.
Seriously, the thing that sticks out most in my mind about Palin is Wonkette’s continual reference to her as a GILF. (That’s been updated to VPILF by a website that, as Chris points out, created ‘an abbreviation we definitely weren’t missing’.)
Palin’s an anti-choice, social conservative. That’s going to play well with the Republican base, but the people they’re trying to lure over aren’t going to be impressed with that. She’s got a record of being anti-corruption, but is now tainted by her own alleged impropriety.
Selecting a woman (this woman at least) is actually bad for the McCain campaign. With so little to recommend her except for being a woman, it just looks like the pander it is. Worse, it makes the McCain campaign look as though they think ‘any old vagina’ can act as a stand-in for Clinton.
It also allows the Democratic Party to directly contrast the two. The ’she’s no Hillary’ ads should be in production, if they’re not already on the airwaves.
Unless Palin has some political kryptonite I’m not aware of, this is the most bewildering (if not insane) choice I’ve ever seen.
My god, Biden’s going to eat her alive in the veep debate.
Unless McCain is counting on Biden to go easy on her because she’s a girl. If the Democrats are smart, he’ll go after her on all cylinders. She’s not Clinton, which means the press is more likely to view any weakness under attack as a sign that she’s unfit to lead.
I really wish I’d come in sooner or felt like drinking earlier in the day (most of the internet cafes near my house are actually internet bars).
Wow. Sarah Palin. To give McCain his due - I definitely did not see that coming.
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August 30th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
OMG you didn’t know for twelve hours that your vote was being sought with last ditch Arctic tokenism!
Unless McCain has a Dole-like stage-falling senior moment, I predict that Palin will be a non-factor, except for the debate. Biden can and should eat her alive. But he should do that by outshining her. I’m afraid that an attempt to zing her would backfire. And god forbid he roll his eyes or sigh.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:47 am
Oh mccain that maverick. Note that you call someone a maverick when he goes his own way. not when he makes the choices best for his constituency. I don’t get this choice either.
In any eveny this is the best nominee since harriet meyers. I cannot wait for that vp debate.
Although, this choice seems to shore up my Obama conspiracy theory. Every national election so far that Obama has been in has been a perfect storm of the most unqualified person to run against him, Keyes, McCain, now her. Someone wants to get this man up the ladder.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:59 am
McCain may have panicked, but don’t count him out yet.
The election for senator of Illinois is not a national election. The reason that the GOP ran Keyes is because no Illinois Republican wanted to lose to Obama. They were scared.
I’d also point out that Obama failed in a primary challenge to Bobby Rush in 2000, so he’s not invulnerable.