<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>June 04, 2008 McCain Should Pick Sarah Palin for VP By Jack Kelly Who? When? Republicans including, I imagine, Sen. McCain himself are asking these questions about his selection of a vice presidential candidate. Ideally, a presidential candidate wants a running mate who will help him or her win the election, and (maybe) to govern afterwards. But most will settle for a veep who isn't a drag on the ticket, as Dan Quayle was for the first President Bush. Traditionally, a presidential nominee has chosen a running mate to balance the ticket geographically, or to appease a faction of the party. The most successful example of this was when John F. Kennedy picked Lyndon Johnson, though neither liked the other, and LBJ joined the ticket only because he thought Kennedy would lose. Bill Clinton broke with this tradition when he chose another young (purported) moderate from a neighboring southern state. By picking Al Gore, he hoped to reinforce his campaign theme of generational change. Which way will Sen. McCain go? The potential running mates most often discussed have downsides nearly as great as their upsides. Gov. Tim Pawlenty helps only in Minnesota, and not enough, according to current polls, to make a difference there. Sen. McCain's friend Sen. Joe Lieberman would bring in some moderate Democrats, but could further antagonize conservatives already suspicious of Sen. McCain. Gov. Romney would have little appeal to working class whites unhappy with Sen. Obama, and evangelicals fret about that Mormon thing. A Huckabee nomination would irritate economic and foreign policy conservatives as much as it would please evangelicals. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a rising star. But he's only 36, and he's been governor for less than a year. There is one potential running mate who has virtually no down side. Those conservatives who've heard of her were delighted to learn that McCain advance man Arthur Culvahouse was in Alaska recently, because they surmised he could only be there to discuss the vice presidential nomination with Gov. Sarah Palin. At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is both the youngest and the first female governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating that has bounced around 90 percent. This is due partly to her personal qualities. When she was leading her underdog Wasilla high school basketball team to the state championship in 1982, her teammates called her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her fierce competitiveness. Two years later, when she won the "Miss Wasilla" beauty pageant, she was also voted "Miss Congeniality" by the other contestants. Sarah Barracuda. Miss Congeniality. Fire and nice. A happily married mother of five who is still drop dead gorgeous. And smart to boot. But it's mostly because she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party. Ms. Palin touches other conservative bases, some of which Sen. McCain has been accused of rounding. Track, her eldest son, enlisted in the Army last Sept. 11. She's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association who hunts, fishes and runs marathons. A regular churchgoer, she's staunchly pro-life. Kimberley Strassel of the Wall Street Journal said Sen. McCain should run against a corrupt, do-nothing Congress, a la Harry Truman. If he should choose to do so, Gov. Palin would make an excellent partner "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who have crossed Sarah," pollster Dave Dittman told the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes. Sen. Barack Obama's support has plunged recently among white women. Many Hillary Clinton supporters accuse him -- I think unfairly -- of being sexist. Having Sarah Palin on the ticket could help Sen. McCain appeal to these disgruntled Democrats. Running mates usually aren't named until the convention. But if Sen. McCain should name Gov. Palin earlier, it would give America more time to get to know this extraordinary woman. And because she's at least a dozen feature stories waiting to be written, she could help him dominate the news between now and the conventions. Another reason for selecting Sarah Palin early would be to force Barack Obama to make a mistake. He'd have to rule out choosing someone like Virginia Sen. Jim Webb as his running mate, for fear of exacerbating charges of sexism. And if he chose a woman other than Hillary, the impression Democrats are wimpy would be intensified.</div> Link
She's a total social conservative so she can appease that side of the party. She's also young, vibrant, and enormousely popular. I think once America gets to know this woman they'll fall in love with her. There is a downside, she's from Alaska. Doesn't help McCain help PA, OH, or MI.
Jack Cafferty, a liberal CNN commentator, decided Barack Obama had more experience than Sarah Palin. How? Why are people dismissing Alaska? Alaska is one of the most corrupt states in that nation. Take it from somebody who is from the most corrupt state in America, or at least top 3. There's so much poverty, and it's arguably the most environmentally sensitive state in the nation. Anyone who dismisses Palin because she was governor of Alaska is nuts. What the hell did Obama do to be qualified for President? And why are these same nutcases not asking the same questions of Barack Obama in this campaign that they are of Palin? The voters are, which is why they have been basically tied for weeks.
I agree with you. I think they're both inexperienced when compared to others. However, experience was made an issue by McCain, not the Democrats, so he has to bite the bullet on the selection.
Last I checked, Sarah Palin was running for VP, not President. And John McCain was running for President. BTW, if I'm not mistaken if McCain is elected, no. 2 is Palin, no. 3 is Pelosi and no. 4 is Robert Byrd. Compared to those two is Palin really that bad of an option if God forbid something ever happened to McCain?
I've only heard the woman make one speech, and that today. She has been plenty good enough so far. She demonstrated as much a command of the issues as Obama. Shouldn't we at least let her be introduced to the masses before leaping to judgment?
Last time I checked, who was pounding Obama on experience? McCain's not exactly a youngster either, picking Palin matters.
I'm not sure why Al Gore was unqualified? But both those guys were picked for geography reasons mostly. A lot of the questions surrounding the pick of Palin wouldn't exist if she were from a battleground state.
Heh heh. I agree. Already today, we have seen the most partisan people on our site reveal themselves by either throwing her under the bus or throwing their blind faith behind someone they just found out about, with very little rationale. Then again, when you are that partisan, rationale is not one of one's larger defining traits and often accuse their enemies of exactly the same thing that their friends are guilty of. Why not give it a week or two to figure out more? Maybe wait until the RNC is over before deciding that she is now your new favorite friend or enemy? There is at least 2 months to make up your mind, don't rush.
I'm a Libertarian. I don't have to figure out anything about her to point out the issue of "experience", in this election.
I actually think it was a great pick for McCain, I only pointed out where it could hurt the campaign and the fact that McCain only met her once before, yet says things like "when you get to know her, you'll be as impressed as I am" to his supporters.
