Summer CE WEek #6: “Palin Fought for Reform in Alaska”
By FRED BARNES
August 30, 2008
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s pick as his running mate, is the boldest selection of a vice presidential candidate since Walter Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. Actually, it’s even bolder, and thus riskier. Mrs. Ferraro was a member of Congress and reasonably well-known in the national political community. Mrs. Palin is known only by faint reputation outside her home state, where she is enormously popular.
As a 44-year-old woman, Mrs. Palin adds desperately needed diversity to the Republican ticket. But that’s not her main strength. It’s her conservatism that matters more. Like Mr. McCain, she’s an anti-establishment reformer who’s taken on the corrupt Republican hierarchy in Alaska. She’s more conservative than Mr. McCain, balancing his maverick tendencies.
If Mrs. Palin (pronounced pale-in) emerges as a strong running mate, she’ll add what has been the chief missing ingredient of the McCain campaign. Conservatives — the base of the Republican Party — have grudgingly accepted Mr. McCain. But to win, he must mobilize the base as President Bush did in 2004. With Mrs. Palin, he now has a better chance of doing that.
One can imagine how different next week’s Republican convention in St. Paul will be. If Mr. McCain had gone with a more conventional running mate like Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty or a nonconservative such as Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, a dreary or disgruntled convention seemed inevitable. Now the convention is likely to be a lovefest and a great story for television.
The selection of Mrs. Palin is bound to improve the Republican Party’s pockmarked image. And should the McCain-Palin ticket win the election, it will produce a huge change in the party itself. Mrs. Palin would become first in the line of succession to become the next Republican presidential nominee and would usher in a new generation of leaders.
Republicans have a ways to go. Mrs. Palin now must clear a daunting hurdle — first the media, then public opinion. Since the press is unfamiliar with her, she will be treated as a target for aggressive scrutiny. In the past, surprise picks like Mrs. Palin have faltered in the face of a media onslaught and never recovered. Mrs. Ferraro, though more familiar, became an albatross for Mr. Mondale. In 1988, Dan Quayle was quickly turned into a joke for late-night comics.
Mrs. Palin’s task is to show she’s presidential material, or close to it. Since she’s not someone who will instantly strike voters as a plausible president — as Mr. Romney or Mr. Lieberman might have — she will have to demonstrate her judgment, temperament, knowledge and seriousness of purpose through her behavior and remarks over the next few days. The media will deconstruct her every word and reach a verdict, which will then affect how the public regards her. It’s a fast, brutal and often unfair process.
I met Mrs. Palin in Juneau a year ago and suspected that, except for coming from faraway Alaska, she’d be a governor of national stature. Now she is.
A mother of five, she has an enormously appealing life story. She was a high-school basketball star and beauty queen. She’s been mayor of Wasilla (her hometown near Anchorage), Alaska’s top regulator of the oil industry, and governor for less than two years. She has no experience in foreign or national-security policy — unlike Joe Biden, the veteran Democrat she’ll face in the nationally televised vice presidential debate in October. But she’s an expert on one of this year’s biggest issues — energy.
Because Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has relatively little experience in national affairs, the bar has been lowered this year for national candidates. This helps Mrs. Palin. As a governor, she has more executive experience than Mr. Obama.
And she has a record of integrity matched by few elected officials. Mrs. Palin resigned in protest in 2004 as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission over alleged ethical violations by the state Republican chairman, a commission member. Two years later, she upset Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski in the primary and defeated a Democrat in the general election.
For Mr. McCain, choosing Mrs. Palin was a distinct gamble. But she does bring potential assets to the ticket. After Mr. McCain introduced her yesterday in Dayton, Ohio, she said voters still have a chance to break “the glass ceiling” that Hillary Clinton insists kept her from the presidency. How many unhappy female Clinton supporters Mrs. Palin will attract is unknowable at this point.
Mrs. Palin is no feminist. Instead, she appeals to almost every conceivable grouping of conservatives. She’s pro-life on abortion, pro-gun (she hunts), pro-drilling for oil (including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), and is as hawkish about cutting government spending as Mr. McCain himself. She’s also an evangelical Christian.
A rule of thumb in politics is that you win more votes by energizing your base than by persuading undecided voters. Mr. McCain’s strength is wooing undecided independents, moderates and soft Democrats. He’s weaker with conservatives. He often seems inclined to ignore them. Now he has a running mate who can take up the slack.
Mr. Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard and a Fox News Channel commentator.
I am so excited for the election now. Finally! A shot at hope! McCain is one smart diplomat. By choosing Palin as his running mate he has hit a FLOCK of birds with one stone. Palin is both modest and easy to relate to. She appeals to the middle class working man. She is alluring to the mothers and women of America. Oh, plus the fact that there is that needed “shock factor” for the Americans just interested in the whole “new and different” storyline. That’s why Obama gets so much coverage! He’s just exciting and different. He’s young. Well guess what Obama?! Nobody in the media is covering you anymore! Sure, you delivered an amazing speech last night. I’ll give you that. You’re amazing at those speeches. But McCain! You sly old fox, you! Nice timing! by announcing your running mate immediately after Cheery-O’s you successfully, and might I say completely wiped that speech off the map! Watching the news and checking online, all I’ve seen is the raving media, and they are 100% focused on McCain.
The difference between Obama’s “shock factor” and Palin’s “shock factor”, is that Palin’s shock is actually beneficial. She is so modest and homely as a politician that she makes American’s feel like they can actually relate to her. Her husband is a blue-collar North Slope oil worker for goodness sakes! Long story short: she’s normal! But she’s brilliant too! Not only did she please the anti-gay marriage advocates by opposing it and shutting it down in Alaska, but she also still managed to keep the gays on her side by still giving them employee benefits to them and their partners. She grasps all the mothers’ votes by opposing abortion. She’s just charming and attentive. She just put managed to pass an oil pipe in Alaska that hasn’t been able to be approved for 30 years. She puts that grin on all the gun toters with her pro-gun approach and hunter’s background. But the big hit: She’s going to take in all the Hilary votes. She’s amazing. I am so stoked for the election.
Oh, plus she’s got more credentials than Obama himself…
What a shocker! Sure, John McCain can really pick anyone he wants since he has so much experience, but this woman doesn’t have all too much of that. I really want offshore drilling to happen, and Palin does strongly support that, something that McCain doesn’t have that much support for. On the flip side, she is Pro-Life. I am not. It’s really going to be a tough vote for me this year. I like Barack Obama a lot, he is a smart, clean politician and supports some of my beliefs, but McCain seems like he is going to help me out financially if elected. It’s odd though isn’t it? Obama is the young one running for president, and his running mate is older. It is the exact opposite with McCain. Then there is the fact that in one campaign, there lies a woman, and in the other, an African American is running. Governer Palin does seem like a strong leader, and a clean politician from what I’ve seen and heard about her. I think that John McCain’s gamble is going to pay off, and Palin will likely rake in the Hillary voters. This year is going to be a promised historical election.
I think that the only reason why McCain choose a woman is because he wanted to attract female voters. He is trying to make it look as though Obama didn’t choose a woman for VP because he didn’t think a woman was ready for such a high position. I think that Palin was a good choice for the Republican Party because she can attract female voters, and is also conservative which is the basis for the Republican Party.
But I think that McCain might have cut his throat on this choice. Firstly, she is only a first time governor with little experience in foreign policy. McCain should have chosen someone like Romney or Lieberman. They are highly experienced and could have helped bring in more voters. Secondly, men who may be voting for the Republican Party may not want to support McCain because a woman would be in the second highest ranking office in government. Also, if anything happened to McCain during his presidency, Palin would become president. Are men ready to have a woman in as president? This would be much different than when the Democratic and Republican parties where choosing their presidential nominees. Hillary Clinton was a choice, but everyone knew she wouldn’t be the Democratic choice. But with Palin being McCain’s VP, the chance of her becoming president has greatly increased. I think that him choosing a woman for VP might have ruined his bid for the presidency.
First, what credentials does Palin have over Obama? She has served two terms on city council, two terms as mayor in, and is currently governor of Alaska. Whereas, Obama, has served the Illinois State Senate for 8 years and was elected to the United States Senate in 2004. Right, Palin is totally beating Obama with all 670,000 supporters she has in Alaska versus the 2,836,658 people in Chicago alone. That does not seem like a fair comparison of accomplishments, now does it.
Anyway, wasn’t McCain was the one who was “concerned” that Obama didn’t have enough experience to run a country? That makes sense when he runs off an picks Palin for VP… I wont deny that it was smart because now he has the whole diversity edge, but it was really idiotic because he contradicted himself between his words and actions. Plus, there is the whole issue that, maybe McCain won’t even live long enough to finish a term, and if for whatever reason, McCain does pass, Palin would have to take over. If people are worried about Obama, they should be more worried about Palin taking over. (I’m not suggesting that McCain should die at all.) Either way, I fear about what will happen on some key issues if this duo is elected.
Sources:
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/governor-of-ala.html
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/09/population_of_us_cities_2007/
This article does a good job of pointing out Sarah Palin’s strengths and the things she brings to the Republican ticket. I agree with the author when he says her main strength is her conservatism. Her conservatism solves a huge problem McCain has had up to this point, and that is that fact that he is focusing more on undecided independents, moderates and soft Democrats. Mrs. Palin’s conservatism gives McCain the full support of the base of the Republican Party, the conservatives.
Mrs. Palin’s life story also appeals to a lot of people. “She was a high-school basketball star and beauty queen. She’s been mayor of Wasilla (her hometown near Anchorage), Alaska’s top regulator of the oil industry, and governor for less than two years.” All of this on top of being a mother of five. This story is very appealing to many people and I think it will be a great help to McCain.
However, it must not be overlooked that this was a daring pick on McCain’s part. She still has to face the media and then public opinion, which is a process I don’t think I could stand up to. She will also help McCain pick up women voters from Hillary Clinton’s base because she is a woman. I think this is the main motive behind the pick and there is still a very real possibility that Mrs. Palin could turn out to not be as beneficial as was originally thought.
I have to say that John McCain’s pick really surprised me. I was hoping for Mitt Romney because of his business experience and financial smarts, but Mrs. Pallin really is something else. At first I was scared that John was picking a nobody, cause I never heard of her before and nobody else I talked to for that day, but it turns out that Mrs. Pallin is really someone special. I love that she hunts!! I sense our 2nd Amendment will be safeguarded well in her hands. Also, ANWAR is right in her backyard, she knows whats up and whether or not drilling up there will hurt the caribou and moose.
I must say that Mrs. Pallin is a gamble of a pick, but also a pretty solid one. She does have quite a conservative resume that helps balance McCain’s few liberal areas. Hopefully she can even win a few Hillary supporters. Personally I hope that they all backstab Obama and vote for McCain just for vengeance. Then they can have some satisfaction in keeping him out of the whitehouse and the satisfaction that now a woman is in the 2nd highest spot. Its better than nothing, and if McCain dies in office (which I really hope he doesn’t) she would be president, and she will be first woman president, not Hillary.
In response to Megan Smith
I believe that Governorship is an executive power, similar to President. I also believe that Senator is merely legislative, unlike President. Sure Pallin has fewer years in power, but at least she has done something with them. She is the “energy expert” and knows whats up with ANWAR. If Obama did more things than Pallin did in his 8 years then I would sure like to hear them. He had way more time so he should of at least done more, if not better, things with is political career. I need six more words, so I shall conclude that Obama did little good for our nation and Pallin did much good. But she is only the VP pick, McCain did even more good when he went to war and spilled his guts for our nation, what was Obama doing during that horrendous time eh?
One thing I would like to point out to Obama supporters is this: Obama has been advocating and directly stating that he wants change in Washington. He wants policies to change and he wants new blood in Washington, someone fresh. So he picks Joe Biden, not really new blood in Washington. McCain chooses someone who is virtually unknown, sounds like very new blood to me. Why are so many people upset that they haven’t heard of her before, isn’t new blood a craved requirement of this election. Look what she has done for Alaska, the people love her there. Granted Alaska doesn’t have that massive of a population but still you have to start somewhere.
People may accuse her of being inexperienced. But in fact the article is correct when it says that she has more EXECUTIVE experience than Obama. As Governor she has control over the entire state as if she were president of that state. This means she does some of the legislative work a senator does but she also has control of taxes in her state as well as the military. The Presidency is an executive branch not a legislative one, therefore, Palin has more experience than Obama. This was an absolutely brilliant pick for John McCain and I hope it works out for him.
McCain’s choice on selecting Governor Palin I agree with the author was very risky. As said in the article, she needs to prove to the media (a politicians enemy) that she can handle the task of being president. Her strong conservatism will either help or hurt McCain. I think the outcome will be unexpected.
Governor Palin is a woman with strong beliefs on anti abortion, pro gun, and offshore drilling. I am not sure if Palin will attract the female Hillary fans because of this strong conservatism. I strongly believe that it is wrong to vote for a candidate because of their sex or the color of their skin. I think one needs to choose the person who is able to lead a country in a time of crisis and a time of peace.
I think it is hard to say what will become of this decision. All we can really do is watching first how the media handles her. I think McCain took a risk selecting her because of the fact that she is strongly conservative and Hillary was the opposite. If women in America suddenly change their opinion just because they could possibly have a women president, then i am speechless. That is not how we select people to run our country. Then again it’s not like Palin is some clown. She seems very strong and very smart. I just think we can’t tell at this point.
Megan- You CANNOT justify your argument that voting for McCain is electing Palin into the presidential office. McCain isn’t on the verge of death, clinging on only thanks to life support. He’s 72. My grandpa is 72 and he still goes skiing with me. He hits the jumps. And what about Biden? Obama is more likely to be assassinated than McCain dying of old age, and with that being the facts, would you really want Biden as your president?
As for her credentials… They don’t all stand in official government positions. She’s an EXPERT on energy, something Obama has barely even been able to comprehend.
Certain knowledge of energy comes with being the Governor of Alaska, but when it comes down to expertise and mastery of this matter, being a chair to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission Board speaks enough for itself. She has a strong stance on offshore drilling, and has invested $250 million over five years on renewable energy power plants that would run on solar, wind, hydroelectric power, and natural gas. She’s the general go-to-uh… gal on energy issues; something extremely prevalent in today’s at-home-issues. Her expertise on the at home issues such as home life, common taxes, and (of course) energy, combined with McCain’s foreign policy, economical & budgeting proficiency, and his government reform stance, creates an excellent duo.
And as for the whole diversity thing? Are you kidding me? Don’t even get me started. What do you think Obama is doing?! He’s introduced as the first African American to run for president, not the Young, Hardcore Liberal that he is. He’s more often than not categorized as an ETHNICITY, not a STANCE.
Don’t even dare point a finger at McCain and Palin. Palin is POLITICALLY what McCain needed for his ticket, and McCain was very cunning in getting the feminist Hilary followers to support her as a bonus. But don’t even try and say that Obama doesn’t aim to please and ensnare the black vote.
Everyone agrees McCain’s decision for Vice President is risky and mysterious. But, in my opinion, it’s the perfect choice. The perfect match for the ideal President and Vice President are people who are not the same; they must strengthen their running partners’ weaknesses. Governor Palin does exactly that. She is much more conservative than McCain, which is one block of voters that, surprisingly, he has missed out on. Now he has what he needs to convince them. Also, she will appeal to those female voters who must vote for someone simply because of their gender and not because of their beliefs and views. This is a sad but true statement. Those undecided women that were going for Hillary might very well fall for Palin.
One argument that some Democrats are bringing up is the fact that Palin doesn’t have very much experience. This is true, as one of the Republican’s arguments has been on the lack of experience of Obama. But I think we all agree that McCain has the necessary experience, and this counteracts Palin’s relative inexperience. Biden also has some great experience, but what is more important… for the President to have more experience, or the VP? Case closed.
Everyone keeps saying that McCain’s choice of Palin for VP is incredibly risky and could potentially lose him the election. I think the complete opposite. Mrs. Palin could very easily be McCain’s device to pull those Clinton supporters not completely devoted to Obama over to the republican side and allow McCain an advantage over Obama. Palin is also an expert on energy, Obama proposes to explore alternative energy sources but has no explicit plans to do so. If the McCain/Palin ticket were to get elected I think that it there would be great leaps made in energy research which is very important to the future success of our country. The people accusing McCain of being foolish in his choice bring up a good point though. She is inexperienced on the national level of politics, but in my opinion the knowledge of energy she possesses and the love the people of Alaska have for her will play in her favor to get research done in that area.
Okay so yes… this whole Palin thing was a huge surprise and a very wise choice on McCain’s part. But just because it is such a big shock does not mean he automatically has my vote. I have a hard time with politicians because they don’t necessarily do what they think is best for the country but rather what will earn them the most votes and ultimately a victory. They are what is best for the country. So in picking Palin, who is well suited for the job, I don’t know whether to be impressed or bitter about the choice. Politics is a disgusting but intriguing game to be played. Is she really best or is McCain attempting to portray a vision that merely appears to be a better future? We never will know until the vote is cast. Another common misconception is that because Palin is a woman, he will automatically earn the “woman’s” vote that belonged to Hillary. That is just as ridiculous as Hillary voters choosing to vote for McCain’s because they are bitter towards the fact that Obama earned the democratic nomination.