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| Palin Could Offset Obama's 'Outsider' Image |
| 2008-09-01 |
| John McCain has flummoxed the leaders of his Republican Party and most of the media by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. It's a choice no other candidate conceivably could have made - a typical McCain gamble, unpredictable in its consequences. This does not make Palin a bad choice. A Bush White House operative said that he can see Palin stumping repeatedly through Midwest battleground states, pitting her own blue-collar background against the similar family story of Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful. "She can talk to those worried workers and their families in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania as well as he can," he said. "She is really one of them." That may be true. But Biden combines his working-class background with decades of experience in foreign policy - a base of knowledge Palin cannot hope to match no matter how hard she crams for their Oct. 2 debate. Her credibility will be on the line that night in St. Louis, as will Biden's self-discipline. He cannot afford to condescend. She will have to know her facts. The two-step reaction is best capsulized in the comments of a smart veteran campaign operative, a New Hampshire delegate and early Mitt Romney supporter, who told me: "When I first heard, I was appalled. I thought we had forfeited the election. But then I got a call from my 22-year-old daughter. She's a pro-choice voter, just like I am. But she was very excited and enthused by this choice. She is captivated by Palin's life story, the way she has taken on the odds. She may be more acute than I am." That's the kind of reaction McCain is counting on, not just among Republicans but, importantly, among independents and women, where most of the undecided votes are. And without realizing it, Obama may have boosted the odds on this gamble paying off. Obama began his campaign for the nomination as the outsider candidate, promising fundamental change in Washington and offering a post-partisan approach to politics. With time, he has come to be seen as a much more conventional Democrat who is now half of a ticket based in Congress, the least admired institution in a widely scorned capital. Millions who saw his acceptance speech heard a standard recital of liberal Democratic programs. By picking Palin, McCain has strengthened his reputation not as an ideologue, not as a partisan, but as a reformer - ready to shake up Washington as his hero, Teddy Roosevelt, once did. My guess is that cleansing Washington of its poisonous partisanship, its wasteful spending and its incompetence will become McCain's major theme. The Democrats' great advantage is that they are not responsible for the pain and frustration that many voters have suffered in the Bush years. But if McCain and Palin can shift the focus to the future, they may be able to appeal to the "change" voters who will in the end decide the election. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #10 Was at a barbecue yesterday with folks I haven't seen in years... One was a handsome Engineer and Harley riding biker with a beautiful woman he finally tied the knot with.. (Dozens and Dozens of motorcycle women had failed....) I asked how she got him (when he wasn't around...) She explained how she loved cycles and excitement and living life to the fullest but all the cycle drivers she had run into were not the loving type... she was discussing this with a girlfriend and she said "my man rides with this hunk who's really nice too..." She went into hunting mode and 6 months later was married to him - his first.... (one of the uncatchable)... So... (PURPOSE OF THIS LONG STORY) I asked her what she thought of Sarah Palin... "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! - A soul I can understand... I AM SO GOING TO VOTE FOR HER!" |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-09-01 19:35 |
| #9 They're dropping bags of concrete on busses headed to the RNC. But they'll maintain message discipline. Yeah. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-01 17:50 |
| #8 Some of the nutroots are already disillusioned with the Omessiah due to his compromises with party leaders. I doubt they'll cooperate, but if they do it's a sign he's owned by them. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-09-01 17:28 |
| #7 Yes indeed. The good news is... if he wins the debate he's a loser. If he loses the debate, he's also a loser. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-01 17:28 |
| #6 B - Agreed - it's just going to be fun to watch. The only possible capper to the whole show will be if Rove gets them to mention Cheney's gay daughter. BO says to his side that all comments are off limits - I think we'll get a fascinating display of message control. Now that he's the party's nominee, he'll find that control issues extend exponentially - he's got to be hoping Oprah can help with this, but I doubt any congressperson, let alone the leadership, will be all too cooperative or disciplined. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Asymmetrical Reply Division 2008-09-01 17:25 |
| #5 #4 The interesting aspect is that it really puts the pressure on Biden, and also gives him an opportunity. IF he can play it cool and keep his mouth muzzled, he may appear statesmanlike vis Palin. Never happen. Unless I miss my guess, he'll be lunging at the end of his chain. Biden never misses an opportunity, to miss an opportunity. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-01 17:11 |
| #4 The interesting aspect is that it really puts the pressure on Biden, and also gives him an opportunity. IF he can play it cool and keep his mouth muzzled, he may appear statesmanlike vis Palin. Of course, that only emphasizes the opposite pickle with BO, and for Biden to play the Cheney role would be hilarious and hardly imaginable. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Asymmetrical Reply Division 2008-09-01 16:58 |
| #3 Biden and roots in the same sentence? LOL Go Plugz! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-01 11:26 |
| #2 Plus, as a recent post at the Burg pointed out, Biden's roots were in fact managerial/sales middle class, not blue collar. He's a poseur at so many levels it's hard to count them all. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-09-01 10:19 |
| #1 But Biden combines his working-class background with decades of experience in foreign policy You mean like his idea that the factions in Iraq were irreconcilable and that Iraq should be broken up into three separate countries? Brilliant /sarcasm off Look, both Donks are products of machines and while McCain is too long in the beltway to technically be an outsider, Palin is the only one to take on her OWN corrupt patronage party hacks and win. The O'man is a product and player of that kind of machine. The only real outsider is Palin. O'man talks the talk. Palin walks the walk. That is real change and hope. The difference between a cheap imitation street hawked knock off and the real genuine thing. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-09-01 10:07 |