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Palin right candidate of McCain Wednesday, Sep 3, 2008 By David J. Sanders John McCain's willingness to pick Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate proves that taking a risk with a vice presidential pick - a trait not commonly demonstrated in the past by Republican presidential candidates - was the right thing to do. Here's why: No.1, Palin helps McCain solidify the Republican base, while cutting into a key Democratic constituency. Despite his best efforts, on his own he has been unable to unify his party, but by picking Palin, with her impeccable credentials both as an economic and social conservative, McCain, for the first time this year, has given the conservative base a legitimate reason to rally around the ticket. Some have suggested that Palin was McCain's transparent attempt to win over some of the 18 million who voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. Heading into and coming out of the Democratic convention, polls indicated that McCain is pulling around 17 to 20 percent of Clinton's voters. While Palin will not help McCain attract more of those voters, she will help with female swing voters in key states - those who are hesitant about voting for Barack Obama but might have pulled the lever for Hillary Clinton had she led the Democratic ticket. No. 2, Palin gives the GOP the ability to carry the reform mantle. McCain has made a cottage industry out of crusading against corruption, most recently that which plagues his own party. But, he may be outdone by his running mate. Alaska voters elected Palin in 2006 because she pledged to take on the special interests - mainly the oil industry - which wielded enormous influence over the state government led by Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski. McCain has pledged to unplug the Washington's corrupt political machine, which has allowed Republicans and Democrats to trade political favors for congressional earmarks. Palin followed through on her 2006 campaign promise to halt Alaska's corruption at the governor's office door and, therefore, can claim her as a willing partner in his quest to clean up Washington. No. 3. Is this race Palin vs. Obama? When Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate, it was widely seen as a less than subtle attempt to strengthen his weak foreign policy credentials and compensate for his inability to attract large numbers of blue-collar voters. The logical expectation would be that Palin's selection would invite a point-by-point comparison between her and the other No. 2, but instead of Palin vs. Biden, most of the coverage has focused on comparing and contrasting Palin's and Obama's experience, or lack thereof. The problem for Democrats is that Obama is running for the top job. Republicans claim they welcome such a comparison because it allows McCain to hover above it all while they contrast Palin's strengths with Obama's weaknesses. No. 4, Palin presents a challenge to Democrats' attacks. In the hours following the announcement, Democrats struggled to label the ticket. For weeks, Democrats have claimed that a President McCain would be an extension of the Bush years, but that attack line is now weaker with an outsider on the ticket. Democratic-friendly talking heads claimed Palin was out of her league and would be unable to do the job of vice president. But, as pointed out even by some Democratic women - like Geraldine Ferraro, the Democrats' 1984 vice-presidential nominee - those attacks came off sounding sexist. While the left-wing blogosphere panned the self-proclaimed "hockey mom" as being a "redneck," more establishment media types recoiled because McCain picked a running mate who hadn't attended the "right schools" or faced the intense questioning on NBC's "Meet the Press". But, while Obama and company try to strike a chord with red-state voters, such attacks feed the belief that the Democratic Party and its henchmen (and women) are elitist and out of touch with a majority of red-blooded Americans. It's quite possible Palin could wither under the intense media scrutiny that is sure to come. On Monday, when the Palins announced that their 17-year-old unwed daughter was with child, there was a giant gasp in GOP circles. It remains to be seen if the news will be enough to send McCain's veep crashing back down to earth. But, for now, the Maverick's big gamble is paying off. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
