Alaska Gov. Sarah Heath Palin, McCain's best choice for V-PBLOGGERS AND OTHER ONLINERS: IF YOU HAVE A BLOG OR WEB SITE, PLEASE REPRINT THIS NOW! The points made by "Ted" are so important I'm putting this up on all my blogs.
Here's an important piece of advice: If it looks like it's going to be McCain/Palin anyway (and that should be a "no brainer" for Team McCain), McCain should announce NOW or VERY SOON, rather than later towards the convention. There's currently a growing chorus for Obama/Hillary (as VP) ticket (in fact the Dems are likely aware of the Palin phenomenon).
If the GOP waits while movement for Hillary as VP grows -- even worse until after it is solidified that Hillary will/could be VP pick -- selecting Palin will be portrayed by Dems/liberal media more as a reaction by GOP selecting its own female (overshawdoing Palin's own remarkable assets), rather than McCain taking the lead on this.
Selecting Palin now or early (contrary to the punditocracy) will mean McCain will be seen as driving the course of this campaign overwhelmingly, and the DEMS will be seen as merely reacting. And, there's absoultely no down-side to this because even if Hillary is a no-go as VP for Obama, the GOP gains by acting early.
McCain the maverick. Palin the maverick. Do it now!There's no reason, and actually substantial negative, in McCain waiting to see what the Dems do first insofar as his picking Palin as VP, because, no matter who Obama picks, Palin is by far (and I mean far) the best pick for McCain and the GOP, especially in this time of GOP woes.
The GOP can be seen as the party of real 'change' (albeit I hate that mantra, change, change, bla bla), while not really having to change from GOP core conservative values, which Palin more than represents.In light of the current oil/energy situation, as well as the disaffected female Hillary voters situation, and growing focus on McCain's age and health, Palin is more than perfect -- now.(Perhaps Team McCain is already on to this.)
My comment: Ted, you said it all. John McCain needs to understand that choosing the usual suspects -- two older white guys with silver hair -- is not a winning combination this year. Few people who know about Sarah and her stellar career doubt she will be President of the U.S. someday, so let's get her front-and-center NOW.
Note: To find out more about the remarkable Sarah Palin, please vote Adam Brickley's site at: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/. Adam is the founder of the "Draft Palin for V-P Movement."
Note 2: McCain's campaign slogan should be: "Positive Change for America."
18 comments:
I agree with your comment that "two older white guys with silver hair -- is not a winning combination this year." But Bobby Jindal isn't old enough to have white hair. If McCain chooses Jindal over Palin, it may be perceived by women that McCain is bending over backward to NOT choose a woman. He's 7 years younger than Palin and has arguably less experience than she does. A Jindal nod could backfire on McCain big time.
I agree completely with your assessment. To a agree, I'm recommending that in small part McCain should be a "prisoner of circustances," but I also believe he should recognize Sarah as the best choice. Jindal is a talented guy with a great future, but he has a disingenuous quality that I'll talk about soon. (He was on CNN and wouldn't indicate whether he favored Obama or McCain. Not good.) Sarah is very much a straight talker. Huckabee is a fine man, but he doesn't bring a whole lot that McCain doesn't already have.
steve
steve
Just heard the most amazing (to me) discussion on FOX News Sunday Roundtable. Amazing because the crux, focus and conclusion of the entire discussion on McCain's best and most interesting VP pick in terms of specific favorable attributes, qualifications, needed excitement and "winnability" pointed to none other than Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as being the perfect selection -- YET THEY NEVER ONCE MENTIONED HER!
Am I missing something here? They mentioned virtually everyone BUT Sarah Palin. They mentioned all the female contenders BUT Sarah Palin; they mentioned all the youthful contenders BUT Sarah Palin (even lesser probabilities in both categories).
Am I missing something here? (or was this somehow more than accidental?)
Just heard the most amazing (to me) discussion on FOX News Sunday Roundtable. Amazing because the crux, focus and conclusion of the entire discussion on McCain's best and most interesting VP pick in terms of specific favorable attributes, qualifications, needed excitement and "winnability" pointed to none other than Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as being the perfect selection -- YET THEY NEVER ONCE MENTIONED HER!
Am I missing something here? They mentioned virtually everyone BUT Sarah Palin. They mentioned all the female contenders BUT Sarah Palin; they mentioned all the youthful contenders BUT Sarah Palin (even lesser probabilities in both categories).
Am I missing something here? (or was this somehow more than accidental?)
Ted, you make your points very well. FOX News has its own failings -- and one of them is a tendency to "round up all the usual suspects," that is, not to do a lot of thoughts about their subjects. Sadly. It should be better.
steve
Steve, thanks.
A reason (to me) that the Palin omission from FOX News Sunday is particularly glaring is that Gov Palin has been making such news lately (just last week) -- suing the Fed Govt. for listing polar bears as threatened under 'global warming' vis a vis Alaska and the oil/energy situation, proposal to return excess state oil revenue to Alaska citizens to purchase their own fuel, blocking oodles in state spending, returning to work 3 days after giving birth to her 5th child (who has downs syndrome), etc.
If anything, Palin is the MOST newsworthy of all the other potentials.
Ted, I'm going to send your comments over to Adam Brickley at draftpalinforvp.blogspot.com and see if he'll write about the phenomenon. The case you've made for Sarah is right on target, but some people don't get it. They say, "Oh, Alaska only three electoral votes." The national media tends to look at America much like the old "New Yorker" map that shows a huge NY and a big California separated by a tiny sliver of fly-over country. Alaska isn't even real to NY and DC media types. It is a state of major imporance to the U.S. because of the huge mineral/petroleum reserves -- and ultimately, perhaps, as a source of water for the Colorado River states. The water would come via a pipeline, perhaps a revved up Alaska (Oil) Pipeline or a new one.
I wrote a piece long ago pointing out that the last V-P candidate to help carry an important state was Lyndon Johnson in 1960. John Edwards sure didn't carry NC for Kerry. Spiro Agnew didn't carry MD for Nixon, although that was the only reason he was on the ticket. Reagan didn't need George HW to carry anything. Did Dick Cheney help Bush carry WY in 2000 or 2004? The question is silly.
Lyndon Johnson didn't need Hubert H. to carry MN in 1964, when I think he won 44 states.
The fascinating thing about Sarah is that she'd help in all 50 states! She has tremendous appeal.
There are "problems" with Romney, Crist, and Jindal. I like all three men so I'm not going to highlight them. With Huckabee, the big question is if he wouldn't be "helping" McCain in states where McCain had better not need much help (the South and states like Kansas, South Dakota, and the Mountain West). I like Huckabee more than many economic conservatives do. He is a great campaigner (and a terrible money raiser). Romney would help with the money side. Jindal is little more than an exotic choice and tends at times to be very disingenuous.
steve
I'm going to use your comments as part of a column about Sarah, maybe tomorrow but maybe Tuesday.
Ted, do you have a blog? If so, I'll give it a salute.
steve
Steve, I have no blog, but I would like to talk to you. My email is tedmol@aol.com
Also of interest is the current back-and-forth commenting (including me, Ted) on the RCP (RealClearPolitics comments on the David Broder Column on picking a VP). Read down through the entire thread. I am certain that both you and especially Adam Brickley will be particularly interested as it relates to exposing what occurred on the CQ VP madness poll vis a vis Palin and Huckabee.
http://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/1/86683/86910.html#msg-86910
As you likely know RCP is one of the most widely read political sites, if not the most read. Certainly the most cited.
I suspect the RCP Broder piece commenter, Ken, is one of the Huckabee operatives.
From RattlerGator
"Sarah Palin Is The One; Our Next Vice President by RattlerGator
"There's quite a bit of discussion this weekend about John McCain's invite of some prominent Republicans to his Arizona ranch this weekend. I believe that's McCain putting together his campaign team, not previewing candidates for the ..."
see:--
http://rattlergator.typepad.com/rattlergator/2008/05/theres-quite-a-bit-of-discussion-this-weekend-about-john-mccains-invite-of-some-prominent-republicans-to-his-arizona-ranch-this-weekend-i-believe-thats-mccain-putting-together-his-campaign-team-not-previewing-candidates-for-the-vice-.html
On Google (but couldn't open the Washington Times):--
"Sarah Palin as McCain's VP
Washington Times, DC - 3 hours ago
... I offer my unsolicited suggestion for his vice president: the first woman — and youngest — governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is an unstereotypical ..."
Here's the Washington Times Editorial (by Nat Hentoff) link:
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080526/EDITORIAL07/302318051/1013/EDITORIAL
There are currently 67 posts on the Broder piece in RCP (read thru to the end)
http://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/1/86683.html
Seems to me anonymous that Palin (2yr Gov, running successful campaigns against entrenched Republicans, and in office successfully accomplishing an ambitious program w/sky-high popularity) has a heck of a lot more experience than the Dem's affirmative action candidate for POTUS. They certainly set the bar low enough that truthfully I have more qualifications and experience to be POTUS than does he.
Ted, I removed Anonymous. I rarely remove anybody, but Anonymous is totally mindless. As you suggest, Sarah has more executive experience than Hillary and Barack put together. Sarah has the highest approval ratings of anyone in high office in the U.S. but there are a handful of Alaskans who preferred the old, corrupt officials of Alaska, many of whom have been taken off in orange jump suits or are otherwise in disgrace (Don Young, Ted Stevens). The ability to govern well depends mainly on intelligence and integrity, both of which Sarah obviously has in abundance.
steve maloney
ambridge, pa
At RealClearPolitics, see my (Ted's) comment (#25) on Novak's piece on Dem VP prospect Gov. Sebelius relating to abortion, my comment contrasting Sebelius (Dem's female) to GOP's Sarah Palin.
http://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/1/86963.html
Palin Assumed office on December 4, 2006. She has been the governor of Alaska for less than 2 years.
During that time, "Sarah Chavez" (as she is frequently referred to in Alaska) she proposed and pushed through the largest socialistic tax increase in the history of the world.
I'm not surprised you removed my comment. People like you don't like to read FACTS. You just like glittering generalities... like Palin-Chavez.
Post a Comment