Good choice?

[sleigh]

The McCain campaign has evidently acknowledged that McCain's VP choice is Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. Overall, I'd have to say she's a good choice for McCain. She's known as a reformer who has fought to reform the political abuses in her state, even those of her own party. She's young, thus somewhat negating the "McCain's too old" worries. She's female, an obvious attempt to court some of the Hillary supporters who said they'd vote for McCain. She's pro-life and staunchly conservative, so the Republican right-wing base will be happy.

She does, however, blunt much of the recent McCain campaign strategy of hammering Obama for his "inexperience" and that he's "not ready to lead." Palin has less of a pedigree on the national stage than Obama -- so if he's not ready to lead, neither is she. If he's inexperienced, she's even more so.

She's also currently involved in an ethic scandal investigation herself in Alaska (though, in fairness, from what I've read it appears that this may well be 'payback' for her aggressiveness in her own reform efforts.)

It will remain to be seen how this plays out, and whether it helps, hurts, or makes no difference at all. But -- I'd say McCain has made a better choice for himself than the 'frontrunners' all the pundits were touting.

What do you think?

Comments

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

I think it's an excellent choice, and that inexperience has generally been more acceptable in a VP than the top of the ticket. I think McCain has just made it a LOT harder for moderates and undecided to make their choices.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

I think McCain's choice is good, but I'm not sure about making it harder for moderates since everything I've read shows Palin is much more socially conservative than McCain.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

She has a son in the Army and a baby with Down Syndrome, points that are sure to make a lot of voters relate to her. She can blunt the health-care attacks and the "no one pushing for this war has kids fighting in it" arguments. On balance, I'd say a damn good choice.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I like Palin. I am so tired of the fact that we have to agree with every single issue to like a politician. I am impressed by some of Palin's stands on corruption, even within her own party. I am impressed by her environmental efforts. And despite the fact that she is pro-life and anti-gay marriage, I am impressed that she used her veto power to ensure that Alaskan same sex couples can get benefits.

She's not perfect. Nobody is. And the internet can rip her and McCain to pieces all they want. But I think she's an excellent choice, and I don't think McCain picked her just because she's female at all (though that certainly doesn't hurt.) I think she's made a career out of the Straight Talk Express that McCain likes to claim as his trademark.

I am also thrilled beyond words that no matter which way this election goes, there is either going to be an African American or a woman in the White House.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I think it's a cheap tactic to court the disgruntled Hillary supporters, and nothing more. That's my first reaction, anyway. I don't know very much about her, but since I am about as liberal as you can get, I wouldn't vote for him no matter who he chose! ;)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I think Alaska = Oil.

K.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

Gonna be complicated in my community ...

Creationist and pro-lifer, is my feel. Takes "experience" off the table. McCain is old and has had cancer, so ...

Bleh. I hate everybody today.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I think it's a Jack Kemp choice: McCain knows he's going to lose and so does everyone else, and no Republican with a future wants to be associated with the ticket. Alaska is headed to Democratic territory after major scandals throughout the Republican party's senior senator and family. For decades, the GOP has been on the wrong side of the gender gap, and this is a way to shore up their distaff side without actually, y'know, giving a woman some real power.

She's even farther to the right than McCain, shoring up that part of the base, and also speaks to the old McCain base, back when he was a maverick and co-sponsored McCain-Faingold campaign reforms.

She and Joe Biden will have an interesting debate.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

So you could vote for a pro-life Creationist? Serious question, not trying to provoke. For me, those are deal breakers. I can disagree about tax policy, school policy, government oversight, and other small things. Not some basic ones.

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder how this plays into the efforts to open up Alaskan drilling.

I think it was a good choice for him to make. My first response was a surge of disappointment when I saw it, because I think it will make it easier for women upset about the Clinton issue to move into the McCain camp, and I would just *personally* rather that didn't happen. I think it was a politically expedient choice that will work in his favor. My second reaction was a sense of "well, cool... at least this way if he wins, there will be a woman in office, which is an encouraging thing."

But, I don't know. Once upon a time I thought ANY woman would be an exciting bet, simply to break the gender wall, no matter what her politics were. These days I tend to be more cynical, since I'm not sure exactly how many gains we really make when the women who do break through are in an extremely conservative political camp.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I think he's shored up his support within his own party. I'm less sure about the moderates, since (from what I've been able to discern) Palin looks to be more conservative in her beliefs than McCain.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there are those for whom her stance on abortion and her religious viewpoints are deal-breakers (they certainly would be for me).

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Good choice -- for him. A lot better than Liberman or Romney.

B

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I think she's an excellent choice for McCain, but she's an absolute non-starter for me! :-) She has some admirable qualities, but too many of her core beliefs and morals are antithetical to what I believe. I would not want her in the White House; I especially would not want her (or McCain) choosing Supreme Court Justices.

But yes -- however this election ends up, history will be made.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

Well, it's the religious viewpoints as mandated policy that's the real problem, not that she has her religious viewpoints.

Abortion is the third-rail in the down syndrome community - it rips us apart to talk about it. Tough times ahead. Or silence and pretending not to talk about it.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I'm probably about as liberal as you. But are there Hillary voters so 'disgruntled' by the fact she lost the primary election that they'd could vote for a pro-lifer fundamentalist?

That (as I've said in a previous post) equates to insanity to me.

[nomissnewo.livejournal.com]

She's a creationist. Enough said.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I think that's part of the subtext, yes.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right, but I really don't think McCain or his staff thinks he's going to lose. I think (and the polls at the moment seem to bear this out) that he believes he has as good a chance of being elected as Obama.

And you're right -- the Biden/Palin debate should be interesting indeed!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I felt the same surge of "Oh damn! That's not a good choice for Obama..."

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

ENough for me, definitely. But it'll make the Republican base jump up and down for joy.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Gonna be complicated in my community ...

Is that simply because of the abortion issue, or are there parents of kids with DS who would vote for her just because she has a baby with DS (the way some women supported Hillary just because she is a woman)? I have never understood that; I sure wouldn't vote for someone just because he/she had adopted kids, or even kids from Korea. What does the candidate offer my kids for their future, that's my question. Given the Republicans' stand on health care, I would think parents of kids with chronic conditions requiring medical care would be wary.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

It's that any discussion of the abortion issue on the DS community quickly turns destructive. It seems to be an issue in which no people who disagree on the subject can have a sane conversation.

And I get it - the idea that someone would abort a baby because they thought it might turn out like Nicholas ... it's not something I can handle rationally (which is separate from supporting choice and the rights to abortions generally).

But Palin has a baby with DS and has publicly built her profile with the evangelical fanatic right by saying, "see, I had this horrible diagnosis and I didn't get an abortion, see how anti-abortion I am!"

And then it gets complicated, because the reason she didn't get an abortion is because she's anti-abortion, not because having an abortion because of a diagnosis of DS is not, by itself, a good reason to terminate a pregnancy.

But there are some numbers that a large majority of people who get a pre-natal diagnosis of DS do, in fact, have abortions (these numbers are out of date).

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

"I am also thrilled beyond words that no matter which way this election goes, there is either going to be an African American or a woman in the White House."

Except she won't be in the White House unless McCain steps down or dies.