The Palin Announcement
John McCain's has chosen his running mate and he has not chosen wisely.
It may create a stir and dominate the headlines for a day or two, but it is not a serious decision for an important election. It is 100% political and about 85% cynical - woman; social conservative; youthful; maverick(ish); outside (waaaaaaaay outside) the beltway...
But she is drastically less experienced than Obama - 44 years old; less than 2 years as governor of Alaska; no foreign policy experience of any kind...
McCain cannot seriously argue that Governor Palin is prepared to step into the presidency. The choice sends hopelessly mixed messages - on the one hand he's been running the typical republican scare-the-pants-off-the-electorate type of campaign about how these times are too fraught with peril to roll the dice on a neophyte; yet he chooses a total neophyte as his running mate.
What's more, whatever case one makes about Obama, he has earned his place in the sun - he won the nomination after an 18 month battle in which millions of voters cast ballots; Palin has been picked out of obscurity by a small committee of "vetters" and thrust into the national consciousness. Everyone's first reaction - even the most unambivalent republican - will be "huh?"
The McCain campaign has wanted the central issue of the campaign to be experience; the Obama campaign has wanted it to be, rather, judgment. The choice of Palin neutralizes McCain's capacity to attack Obama's inexperience. What's more, as the most significant executive decision that a general election candidate makes, it contrasts glaringly with Obama's choice of Biden.
Which candidate is making serious decisions about serious matters? Say what you will about Biden, does anyone doubt that he is prepared to step into the presidency? Does anyone doubt that he will bring valuable experience and perspective to the White House? That he will be an effective and independent counsellor to the President? Can anyone credibly assert that Palin will bring any of these qualities to the office?
This is just my first read - upon reflection, or upon learning more about Governor Palin, I may come to modify my view. But for the moment, I am actually shocked by the callowness, desperation, and (ironically enough) childishness of this selection. It is all politics and no principle. And, what's more, it seems so obviously calculated that I find it hard to believe that anyone's going to be fooled. It smacks of desperation - a desire to cause a stir, steal Obama's thunder and dominate a few news cycles, placate a few interest groups, and compensate for a few of McCain's weaknesses by lurching clumsily in the other direction (McCain's an old guy, so we'll pick a young woman; McCain's social conservative credentials are suspect so we'll choose a pistol-packin' holy-rollin' pro-drilling frontier gal).
This is simply not a serious, grown up choice. I think it shows not only how addled the McCain campaign is, but also the usual republican contempt for their own voters. And if they honestly believe that this is the way to "reach out" to that dwindling cadre of disaffected democratic women, I'm pretty sure they are in for a rude surprise.
As I say, this selection has actually shocked me - i didn't think anything in american politics could at this point - precisely because of it's sheer stupidity on so many levels. Sarah Palin may be a fine and impressive person and an admirable public servant - I have no idea, and neither does anyone else. Indeed, I am not denying that she may even turn out to be a potentially excellent president. But what I am more certain of now than ever before is that of the four individuals who will appear on the major party tickets on November 4th, one is manifestly UNqualified for the Presidency - John McCain. This decision proves it.
It may create a stir and dominate the headlines for a day or two, but it is not a serious decision for an important election. It is 100% political and about 85% cynical - woman; social conservative; youthful; maverick(ish); outside (waaaaaaaay outside) the beltway...
But she is drastically less experienced than Obama - 44 years old; less than 2 years as governor of Alaska; no foreign policy experience of any kind...
McCain cannot seriously argue that Governor Palin is prepared to step into the presidency. The choice sends hopelessly mixed messages - on the one hand he's been running the typical republican scare-the-pants-off-the-electorate type of campaign about how these times are too fraught with peril to roll the dice on a neophyte; yet he chooses a total neophyte as his running mate.
What's more, whatever case one makes about Obama, he has earned his place in the sun - he won the nomination after an 18 month battle in which millions of voters cast ballots; Palin has been picked out of obscurity by a small committee of "vetters" and thrust into the national consciousness. Everyone's first reaction - even the most unambivalent republican - will be "huh?"
The McCain campaign has wanted the central issue of the campaign to be experience; the Obama campaign has wanted it to be, rather, judgment. The choice of Palin neutralizes McCain's capacity to attack Obama's inexperience. What's more, as the most significant executive decision that a general election candidate makes, it contrasts glaringly with Obama's choice of Biden.
Which candidate is making serious decisions about serious matters? Say what you will about Biden, does anyone doubt that he is prepared to step into the presidency? Does anyone doubt that he will bring valuable experience and perspective to the White House? That he will be an effective and independent counsellor to the President? Can anyone credibly assert that Palin will bring any of these qualities to the office?
This is just my first read - upon reflection, or upon learning more about Governor Palin, I may come to modify my view. But for the moment, I am actually shocked by the callowness, desperation, and (ironically enough) childishness of this selection. It is all politics and no principle. And, what's more, it seems so obviously calculated that I find it hard to believe that anyone's going to be fooled. It smacks of desperation - a desire to cause a stir, steal Obama's thunder and dominate a few news cycles, placate a few interest groups, and compensate for a few of McCain's weaknesses by lurching clumsily in the other direction (McCain's an old guy, so we'll pick a young woman; McCain's social conservative credentials are suspect so we'll choose a pistol-packin' holy-rollin' pro-drilling frontier gal).
This is simply not a serious, grown up choice. I think it shows not only how addled the McCain campaign is, but also the usual republican contempt for their own voters. And if they honestly believe that this is the way to "reach out" to that dwindling cadre of disaffected democratic women, I'm pretty sure they are in for a rude surprise.
As I say, this selection has actually shocked me - i didn't think anything in american politics could at this point - precisely because of it's sheer stupidity on so many levels. Sarah Palin may be a fine and impressive person and an admirable public servant - I have no idea, and neither does anyone else. Indeed, I am not denying that she may even turn out to be a potentially excellent president. But what I am more certain of now than ever before is that of the four individuals who will appear on the major party tickets on November 4th, one is manifestly UNqualified for the Presidency - John McCain. This decision proves it.