Posted on 09/02/2008 5:07:12 AM PDT by Invisigoth
Sen. John McCain changed the entire dynamic of the presidential campaign with his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. For the first time, there is an excitement about the Republican ticket. And judging by the most telling barometer – how much Democrats hate the choice – he could not have chosen better.
Tactically, Palin is the perfect help for the three constituencies McCain needed to reach out to the most – women, conservatives and rural blue-collar men.
Women. Many supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton are still very unhappy she didn't wind up on the Democratic ticket, and Palin made a direct appeal to these folks in her speech on Saturday, all but inviting them across the aisle. Her experience of handling the jobs of mayor and governor while raising five children will appeal strongly to them.
While I'm sure that many liberal women will ultimately put their liberalism ahead of their gender wishes come Election Day, any money and votes that McCain and Palin get from this group will come right out of Obama's hide. That makes it doubly painful for him.
Conservatives. McCain had a very hard sell to pull off with his own base, given how frequently he crossed them over the last eight years. He mended that bridge as much as he possibly could have and ensured that both money and turnout on the right will be as plentiful as he could have hoped for. Palin has impeccable credentials on the pro-life issue, having given birth to her son Trig, who has Down Syndrome. And she's an NRA member. She's strong on energy and can effectively take on the radical environmentalist lobby.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
It would be hard to find a pol in really any national-level race more different than her. She's not a political insider, hasn't been in DC for 30 years, has real executive as well as real-life experience, and she's not a g*damn lawyer.
The fact that Dems hate her, and the best that they can come up with is to attack her kids, speaks volumes for the woman. I feel sorry for her husband, though. It will take a very strong man to bite his tongue while a bunch of know-nothing "journalists" go after his wife and kids.
The left is in a bad position when one of the best arguments it has is "Your candidate is even more inexperienced than ours!".
I haven't heard that one, except on Friday. The word came down from somewhere to quiet that argument down, I think.
“Pretty hard for Obama to talk about “Change” with Palin on the ticket.”
I view the comparison of experience between B.O. Gov. Palin as comparing the plant manager (Gov. Palin) of a large manufacturing company plant and a traveling widget salesman (B.O.).
My opinion is that...
Obama (lawyer, senator, career politician just like everyone else) = More of the Same.
Palin (mayor, small business owner, political reformer, unlike everyone in DC) = Change.
But that's just my opinion.
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