Why Palin Works

[Gravis Marketing]

The speech was quite well delivered and was without a teleprompter.

Really good to know. Thanks.

[Secretary Polnut]

You know.

I just don't see how that pronunciation came about, anyway.

But anyway - this is distracting. Let's see if McCain can actually pull this off.

[Sam Spade]

Well, she's quite charming and feisty, and of course wholesome as all get out. She didn't demonstrate she knew anything about national issues however in her speech, probably because she doesn't. I hope she is a quick study.

Agreed.  I thought the speech, however, was quite well delivered.  In that, it appears that I disagree with others.

She needs to stop clapping into the microphone, however.

The speech was quite well delivered and was without a teleprompter. Her voice quality is slightly irritating, but in a way that is part of the charm. She has this odd bit of a Wisconsin like accent for some reason. The issue is whether she will have the right stuff, when the knuckle balls get tossed her way by the rapacious press. Her task will be to demonstrate that she has the ability to ramp up with some alacrity. Chatting about reform and how great McCain is, will only get one so far.

Ah, so we agree completely.    Interesting to see the women at MSNBC go ga-ga over the pick, while the men are quite negative.  Wonder what Olbermann will say.

[YRABNNRM]

Wonder what Olbermann will say.

I stopped caring about what Keith Olbermann says a long time ago.

[Torie]

The speech was quite well delivered and was without a teleprompter.

Really good to know. Thanks.

She has a lot of self confidence. She isn't afraid of anybody. That was quite well projected I thought. And she can do it without seeming to be a castrating bitch. Not every female politician can do that.

[Grumps]

Wonder what Olbermann will say.

If McCain picked the Virgin Mary herself Olbermann would say McCain F'd up picking this inexperienced broad and that he was pandering.

[Former Moderate]

Wonder what Olbermann will say.

As brutally negative as he'd have been about any Republican pick.  He's so terribly predictable that it's not even worth caring about.

[Sam Spade]

Wonder what Olbermann will say.

I stopped caring about what Keith Olbermann says a long time ago.

It's for humor purposes only, you know.

[Beef]

The pick of Palin robs the McCain campaign of much of its foreign and domestic policy gravitas.  I don't think the Hillaristas will be swayed by a running-mate who is a pro-life beauty queen, Palin has zero foreign policy experience, zero domestic policy experience outside of Alaska - a quirky state with peculiar issues - and will be seen by moderates as a stunt.

Palin = Female, hot Huckabee.

All that said, McCain could have made a much worse choice.  Like Huckabee.  Or Romney.

[Beef]

Wonder what Olbermann will say.

As brutally negative as he'd have been about any Republican pick.  He's so terribly predictable that it's not even worth caring about.

He's a better-looking, liberal O'Reilly.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Palin = Female, hot Huckabee.

All that said, McCain could have made a much worse choice.  Like Huckabee.  Or Romney.

[J. J.]

Sarah Palin is a nearly flawless choice for Vice-President, assuming she has been thoroughly vetted and has no skeletons in her closet.  While a VP choice isn't what makes a campaign entirely, it often strongly contributes to a campaign's failure. Witness, McGovern-Eagleton/Shriver or Bush/Quayle.

Here's why Palin works...

 

2.    She came into prominence in Alaska as a reformer.  The Alaska Republican party was and is steeped in corruption.  Palin spoke out against that corruption, but remained a Republican.  She has been untouched by the scandal.  She has her own mini-scandal, but folks...unless the whole story hasn't been told, it has no legs.  (She used her influence to get a state trooper fired.  The cop was the spouse of Palin's sister and was involved in a bitter custody battle.)


5.    Palin will peel off the most disgruntled, disaffected Hillary voters.  Not many...because she's pretty extreme on abortion.  But those who wanted a woman in the White House, or a heartbeat away, and are furious with Obama...might be willing to snub him by voting for Palin because she's a woman.  Let's face it.  Some people are going to vote for Obama just because he's black.  Well, some people will vote for Palin just because she's a woman. 

6.   Joe Biden is smarter on foreign affairs and far more experienced.  But he also can get seriously tough on his opponents.  If he ate Tim Pawlenty or Rob Portman alive, it would be politics.  If he eats sweet Sarah alive, he's a monster.  Biden is going to have to be very, very careful in how he speaks to and about her.  And Biden could easily err by being too aggressive.  Or, by being too timid in an effort not to turn people off.  This pick hobbles Biden significantly.

7.    Obama has the youth vote, no doubt.  But, those undecided male voters -- in the 18 to 35 age range -- will gravitate to the Republican ticket.  They'll like McCain's toughness and heroism.  But they'll also like the fact that Palin is smokin' hot.  Am I saying some people vote for superficial reasons?  Hell, yes.  Voting for Obama just because he's black...voting for Hillary just because she's a woman...voting against someone because they are fat or old or black or whatever...it's all stupid.  But millions of Americans do it.  I don't mean to say Palin lacks substance.  ON THE CONTRARY.  Every interview I have seen with her impresses me.  She is intelligent, articulate and kind.  I don't want to take anything away from her...just as people should not take away from Obama.  But that doesn't change the fact that some people don't care about issues, intellect or character.  They care about looks. 

8.    Any bounce from this convention is completely nullified.  Palin is exciting.  Portman, not so much.  LOL

I disagree with your big trouble assessment.  It's too early to tell. 

On these points, I generally agree. 

The key is this:

28% of Hillary voters will vote for McCain.  This will not decrease that number.

48% will vote for Obama.  This will not decrease that number.

30% say they don't know if they will vote, or, if they will, for whom, we don't know whom they will vote.  While I am skeptical of a great swinging to McCain by the Palin choice, even 1/3 of this group swinging could blast Obama out of the water. 

4.    Alaska is as far from Washington as you can get.  That will help with those who say McCain is too much of an old D.C. hand.

It does something more.  McCain has chosen a governor, from outside of the DC power structure, a reformer, and a young reformer.  Obama has chosen an insider, from the DC power structure (and actually close to DC geographically), who has been holding the same office since I was in the fifth grade (and Palin was in the the 3rd or 4th grade).

Between these two, which choice is more of a change, is more forward looking, and more reformist?

[JSojourner]

Spot-on, J.J.  Good thoughts, my friend!

[Politico]

Go ask Walter Mondale about choosing a little-known, inexperienced, not-fit-to-be-president woman as your running mate in an obvious attempt to pander to women voters.

At least Obama can make the claim that he chose the most qualified person who wanted the job. Does anybody really think that Palin is more qualified than Romney or Ridge, for example?

If it is such a great pick, how come absolutely nobody in here, Republican or Democrat or Independent, was making the case that McCain must pick her, or even consider her as part of his Big Three?

The first thing people are going to hear is that she has possibly abused her power as governor to get her former brother-in-law fired during divorce proceedings. Who is her sister - Paula Jones?  You can't make up this stuff...I can't wait to hear about her husband, who Republicans better hope has absolutely no skeletons in his closet. Otherwise it's going to be payback for John Zaccaro.

[J. J.]

Go ask Walter Mondale about choosing a little-known, inexperienced, not-fit-to-be-president woman as your running mate in an obvious attempt to pander to women voters.

At least Obama can make the claim that he chose the most qualified person who wanted the job. Does anybody really think that Palin is more qualified than Romney or Ridge, for example?

No, but in terms of administrative experience, Palin is arguably more qualified than Obama, Biden and even McCain.

If it is such a great pick, how come absolutely nobody in here, Republican or Democrat or Independent, was making the case that McCain must pick her, or even consider her as part of his Big Three?

I think the jury is out on Palin.  She was not my first choice, but is might be a great one, or a terrible one.

The first thing people are going to hear is that she has possibly abused her power as governor to get her former brother-in-law fired during divorce proceedings. Who is her sister - Paula Jones?  You can't make up this stuff...I can't wait to hear about her husband, who Republicans better hope has absolutely no skeletons in his closet.

The skeletons in her brother-in-law's closet, include:

Drinking on duty while driving.

Using a Tazer on his stepson.

Threatening to shoot his father-in-law, the governor's father.

Possible spousal abuse.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/476430.html

Now, I hope you are not condoning such actions.

I would question a supervisor for not taking action against such an employee.

[JSojourner]

Go ask Walter Mondale about choosing a little-known, inexperienced, not-fit-to-be-president woman as your running mate in an obvious attempt to pander to women voters.

At least Obama can make the claim that he chose the most qualified person who wanted the job. Does anybody really think that Palin is more qualified than Romney or Ridge, for example?

No, but in terms of administrative experience, Palin is arguably more qualified than Obama, Biden and even McCain.

If it is such a great pick, how come absolutely nobody in here, Republican or Democrat or Independent, was making the case that McCain must pick her, or even consider her as part of his Big Three?

I think the jury is out on Palin.  She was not my first choice, but is might be a great one, or a terrible one.

The first thing people are going to hear is that she has possibly abused her power as governor to get her former brother-in-law fired during divorce proceedings. Who is her sister - Paula Jones?  You can't make up this stuff...I can't wait to hear about her husband, who Republicans better hope has absolutely no skeletons in his closet.

The skeletons in her brother-in-law's closet, include:

Drinking on duty while driving.

Using a Tazer on his stepson.

Threatening to shoot his father-in-law, the governor's father.

Possible spousal abuse.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/476430.html

Now, I hope you are not condoning such actions.

I would question a supervisor for not taking action against such an employee.

I hope Palin comes out and says, "I fired Moneghan because he refused to fire a trooped who tazed his own stepson."  That would satisfy me.  As yet, Moneghan says he's not been given a reason for his dismissal.  I can't figure this out.

[NDN]

I've been honest about McCain's gains and Obama's floundering the last few. But I'm really not seeing the appeal of Palin. At least people knew Biden, and he provides some experience/foreign policy cred. Palin is an unknown and the whole female conservative thing sort of comes off as tokenism IMO. Could be wrong but she seems like the Republicans' Ferraro.

[Reluctant Republican]

The pick worries me, as I’ve said before she was picked. I liked her speech today, but the pander meter for me was really going off as she essentially told people to vote for McCain so the glass ceiling could finally be shattered. I do wonder how women are going to perceive this pick. But there not a single entity,it is true.

However, on the whole I do think she was the right pick. Obama might be  a little hesitant to attack her for inexperience, given his own weaknesses in this area. And while it can be said that Obama is more experienced then Palin, the general public likely won’t really be able to tell the difference.

[NDN]

With all that said, I think this is still a better pick than Ridge, Pawlenty or Romney would have been.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Although I don't mind Governor Palin, I believe that if McCain shouldn't have selected her as his running mate. Whilst it seems that McCain is opting for the Washington Outsider path, which Barack Obama undertook during his primary campaign, McCain could have at least opted for a candidate with more than a year as Governor of Alaska, but then again couldn't the Democratic Party as their candidate for President? If McCain wanted to select a woman as his running mate he should have selected Kay Bailey.

[True Democrat]

After thinking about it for a few hours, I'm a bit less enthusiastic. Her lack of experience will hurt McCain much more than I originall thought.

[HardRCafé]

If McCain wanted to select a woman as his running mate he should have selected Kay Bailey.

What distinguishes Kay Bailey besides her chest and her pelvis?  Since you are suddenly such a fan and all.

[So the Heroes Fall]

LOL. Wow.

[Nixon in '80]

I remember waking up on my friend's floor, shuffling over to the computer, turning it on, and seeing news of the Palin pick on Google. Prior to this, I would have bet my left toe it was going to be Pawlenty.

My attitude: She's hot, I like her.

It was all down hill from there...

[memphis]

In defense of those who thought she was a good pick, it was not readily apparant in August that she was a total incompetant.