Noone could accuse McCain of not having courage in his choice of VP. Riding on his heroism in Vietnam, he’s an unconventional conservative who acts like he’s not a politician at all. Everything he says seems unstudied, inviting trust. Too bad that although his style is liberal and he can’t stand Bush, he would essentially give us more Bush policies in the years to come.
Sarah Palin is receiving very mixed reviews. A basketball player, hunter and beauty queen, she has true grit, raising five kids with very real lives and managing an impressive career. She has gone from being a small-town mayor, leapfrogging from the local business world to become the governor of Alaska. She is enormously popular in her home state, and the delegates at the Republican National Convention are celebrating her nomination as a coup. She’ll be going through a steep learning curve as the press try to discover the skeletons in her closet. Her politics are far too conservative for me, but I admit that I love to see real and unconventional women in national politics. For McCain she’s a token woman and a kindred spirit in his attack on Washington. With her personality, she might actually turn her moment into something big.
Many commentators are saying that it was irresponsible of McCain to nominate a relatively inexperienced politician to be vice president, as he might die in office. But Palin has the kind of appeal that could give McCain the edge he needs with female, western, and blue-collar conservatives to win the office in the first place. The voters are giving candidates with less experience a chance because they distrust Washington insiders. So who’s to say how the election will go. It’s very close, at this point. One thing is sure: Sarah Palin is McCain’s gift to the media!
Blogs
NYT Bloggingheads Joshua Cohen of Stanford and Glenn Loury of Brown debate how Sarah Palin’s relative inexperience will play out politically:
Sarah Palin’s speach at the Republican National Convention:
“I was just your average hockey mom. – What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pitt bull? Lipstick.”
My take on the speech? Sarah Palin is great where she is talking from experience, especially when she says how being a small-town mayor is a little like being a community organizer, but with real responsibility. Ouch! But you can really tell the parts that were skripted for a generic VP before she was chosen. National politics are a big step from where she is now. If they actually win, she’ll have a lot to learn on the job.
Comedy
Sorry, I just have to add this funny piece from The Daily Show as a postscript. Samantha Bee satirizes women voting for a woman, regardless of her politics:
Also see: Mike Pilewski at Spotlight Online on “McCain’s surprise”
