VP game-changing brilliance
by Cameron Contois
Published: August 29, 2008
Touché, John McCain.
John McCain’s pick of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is totally unexpected… and brilliant. Completely brilliant.
Many Democrats are overjoyed that McCain picked an inexperienced woman to run with. I would caution these Democrats against dismissing Palin so easily.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn states, “I think [Palin] would be something similar to Dan Quayle - Dan Quayle proved to be sort of an embarrassment as a campaigner. Being thrust on a national stage like that could be very tough.” Unfortunately, Palin is no Dan Quayle.
She’s actually a gun-toting, anti-abortion, socially-conservative reformer that is exactly what will bring the conservatives home to McCain. A lifetime member of the NRA, all she needs to do is show those pictures of her holding a big gun with the troops and she’ll easily win over those moderate Republicans and blue collar-workers who love their guns. And those 27 percent of Hillary voters from places like Ohio and Pennsylvania who got so offended when Obama said they cling to their guns and religion, the 27 percent that said they’re now voting for McCain… well, with Palin on the ticket, they’re definitely voting for McCain. Obama won’t win them back.
Some Democrats are downright giddy over such an “inexperienced” candidate; I would caution them against premature victory parties. Their logic is that McCain can no longer attack Obama on his inexperience because Palin lacks it as well. This argument ignores just what Palin has done in Alaska. She reformed a corrupt Alaskan Republican Party and sided with McCain against the $453 million earmarked for Alaskan bridges, including that now famous “Bridge to Nowhere.” Her resume may be short, but it has teeth. And she did it all while raising five kids. The inexperience argument is also inherently flawed, as Obama is the one running for president, while Palin is in the number two position. It’s not the same thing.
Furthermore, even if McCain has undermined his argument against Obama, any Democrat questioning Palin’s ability to lead sounds hypocritical.
Sure, Sarah Palin will take many independent women who supported Hillary, and will help sell McCain to socially conservatives. But there is a larger reason that Palin is so good for McCain.
I received an email this morning from the McCain people announcing his pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate. There’s a photograph of Palin and McCain together with a McCain/Palin logo. The experienced maverick standing with the young, attractive politician instantly gives the McCain campaign a makeover. The outdated and somewhat boring McCain campaign suddenly looks like a campaign running for the presidency in the year 2008, not 1908.
Instead of trying to blow Palin off as another Dan Quayle, the Democrats must realize what a real threat she is to the Obama and Biden. Sarah Palin is, indeed, a game changer.
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August 30th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
theREBUTTAL lives up to it’s name today and Cameron’s logic carries the day.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Awesome Job Cameron!! I’m glad at least one liberal is seeing how great Palin is going to be as Vice President :)
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Thanks for the compliments Star and Kim, but I must specify that I think Sarah Palin would make a horrible VP. She’s against a woman’s right to chose, supports McCain’s position to keep spending $10 Billion Dollars a month in Iraq indefinitely, supports the short sited, fake solution of offshore drilling to solve our dependence on foreign oil, and has done nothing to prove she doesn’t support tax cuts for only the wealthiest of Americans while the middle class suffers.
I’m sure she, like McCain, agrees with Bush 90% of the time. She will continue Bush and Cheney’s failed policies for four more disastrous years.
The point of my article is to show that Palin’s a tough candidate. I in no way support her, and think she would make an awful, awful VP. But of course, this November, Biden will be taking up that job, not Palin.