Dangerous judgment
It's become clear that the Palin selection was purely political, based on demographics and trying to win the election, but take just a minute to appreciate this,
That one meeting was grazing meeting at a governor's conference. He met her face to face once at a conference, talked to her on the phone once, and made her his vice president.
John McCain has just put her "one heartbeat away" from being President in a crisis.... when he barely knows her and she has no foreign policy record at all.
John McCain today announced a running mate whom he met only six months ago and whom he spoke with just once on the phone about the position before offering it in person earlier this week.
That one meeting was grazing meeting at a governor's conference. He met her face to face once at a conference, talked to her on the phone once, and made her his vice president.
John McCain has just put her "one heartbeat away" from being President in a crisis.... when he barely knows her and she has no foreign policy record at all.
posted by mikevotes at
5:51 PM
4 Comments:
McCain didn't pick her, Karl Rove did. McCain's just along for the ride. And I just heard the words "brilliant pick" on CNN uttered by someone who also compared her to Dan Quayle.
From our previous comments thread on your suddenly high-buzz site ;-)
"yep, really. The Fundies are the most profound political force in our lifetime. If you're Steve Schmitt, wouldn't you want to excite them, even if it alienates Hillary voters? If you look at the battleground states, who offers a better organization for getting out the vote and spreading disinfo? To Rove/Schmitt, energizing the base is precisely how they won in the past.
Palin's unabashedly, rabidly pro-life, and for a whole lot of people, that's not a bad thing. Dobson has already professed his love for her. As for the non-fundies, it's really easy to overestimate the rational qualities of the Homeland voter. Rove and Schmitt understand this very well, and the media and democrats still don't."
By
MarcLord, at 6:15 PM
Well, Schmidt, but yeah, functionally the same.
Agreed. But as I responded below, the McCain campaign needs more than the Bush coalition of fundies plus this year. That's not going to get over the hump (especially since I don't think McCain pulls the same turnout as Bush. Palin helps, but Bush was records.)
Plus, This may be Sarah Palin's best day (or best week.)
I'd advise wait and see before saying she's going to change everything.
By
mikevotes, at 6:30 PM
Agreed, I don't think McCain can pull the same turnout, nor control the battleground vote boxes. They are playing a very bad hand, and this was a tactically brilliant reach into the old playbook. Which is why I give it the nod and fear it. It wasn't strategic, though, and I don't think she's going to change everything.
My point about understanding the shallowness of the electorate stands, however. Obama is vulnerable on Homeland, doesn't resonate there, and this is a big problem because that's where the last 3 democratic presidents are from. They're betting they can violate conventional political wisdom of the last 50 years. I have my doubts about whether they can do it or not, and it prefigures a lot of coming structural problems if indeed, as I pray, he wins, and the problems hearken back to the roots of our democracy.
By
MarcLord, at 11:41 PM
We're obviously gonna disagree about this. I don't think it was brilliant, if for no other reason that it's seen as such a gamble it highlights just how much they looked like losing.
Any bobble in the polling and people start saying it's not working, etc.
They've reinforced any feelings that they're losing that might come up.
By
mikevotes, at 6:14 AM
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