Well, I will say this for John McCain: the man and his team can keep a secret. The leaks on his VP selection process have been self-evidently intentional and savvy, and here we are the morning of the announcement knowing no more for certain than ever before. Last night it seemed nearly 100% certain that he was taking Tim Pawlenty, and now Pawlenty says it’s not him and he won’t be in Dayton today. Conflicting reports on whether Mitt Romney will be in Dayton or not; I believe he’s still scheduled to be at the second stop of the day in Missouri, but Fox is reporting it’s not him. And word is suddenly out that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has chartered a flight from Anchorage to Dayton, presumably not for the scenery…but at this point, I don’t even know what to believe.
PS – Quick take, now that it increasingly seems to be Palin: whether this is a success or not will depend very heavily on how well she holds up debating Biden on national security.
8 thoughts on “The Suspense Is Killing Me”
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Palin — There you go: the 7th dwarf.
I wouldn’t worry about the debates. The trick to a debate is to treat it like golf. Play the course not your opponent. Answer the questions you’re asked and let long winded Joe over answer his.
People are tracking private charter flights?? With people tracking candidates this closely, it’s hard to hide anything these days. Maybe the parties should take a page out of Harry Potter and create identical likenesses of their VP pick and have them seen in their own home state on the date of the announcement.
What a disastrous pick. Sarah Miers.
Crank, you know I’m an Obama fan. You also know I consider McCain a formidable opponent with real winning chances. With no hint of glee I can honestly say to you the Palin pick is a disaster for McCain. Gutsy? Absolutely. Good for the long term interests of Republicans to break that glass ceiling? No doubt. Pro-life? Check. But it absolutely annihilates the “experience” argument and is dicey for the same reason Sebellius was dicey. Palin is no Hillary Clinton. Younger, a beauty queen, pro-life…..a formula to antagonize feminist Hillary stalwarts. I give McCain props for boldness, but its a disaster electorally. Biden was an opportunity loss because Clinton was the best pick for Obama, but Biden was the best of the 2nd choices. The country is going to ask itself …”Is Palin ready to step into office? Who is Palin?”
“Ms. Palin could you articulate your thoughts on the economy?”
“Drill.”
“Ms. Palin, could you atriculate your thoughts on the immigration issue?”
“Drill.”
“Ms. Palin, could you articulate your thoughts on the status of the Middle East?”
“Drill.”
This is a one-trick pony and it seems pretty clear what direction this campaign is going to go.
The thing about inexperience is that it doesn’t prove you can’t do the job, it just fails to prove that you can. Palin will have her work cut out for her to prove she’s qualified, just as Obama does. If she can’t make that sale she’s a huge liability, but if she can she could prove to be an inspired choice.
Palin has more executive experience than Obama. She has incredibly high approval ratings in her state, even from Democrats. Unlike Obama, she has actually accomplished things in government.
I have no doubt that Democrats look at Palin and see disaster. Republicans are thrilled.