Let's Talk About Sarah Palin

Sen. John McCain announced his vice presidential pick today: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Palin is a virtual unknown, three decades younger than McCain, with absoluteley no foreign relations experience, and who has only been in office as Governor two years. The punditry is already calling her "Dan Quayle in a dress." Sounds bad, huh?

Back up. First of all, let's not forget Dan Quayle was on the winning ticket. Or, that his running mate, Big Daddy Bush, was the "3rd Reagan term." Or, that it was a Clinton who finally toppled the Republican stranglehold of the 80's. After all the comparisons to 1960 and 1978 that have been rampant since the Democratic primaries got really hot, it's starting to look more like 1988 again.

The announcement of Palin has dominated the news cycles all day long, much more so than any other pick would have. McCain has been saying for months that he would pick someone "unconventional," and that is exactly what he did. Barack Obama stumbled by not picking a woman as his #2, and McCain grabbed the ball and ran with it. It's a genius strategy move by McCain, and the conservative base seems fairly excited about it.

Palin in an interesting character as well. She didn't hesitate to co-opt Hillary Clinton's message, which arguably is as much any woman's message, "The women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all." She also spent most of her speech presenting her biography in a very compelling and charismatic way, calling herself "just a hockey mom," and highlighting her middle class heritage, her solid family, and her from-the-bottom-up political career. McCain also didn't waste any time co-opting the Democratic byline of 2008, "She's exactly who this country needs to help us fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second."

Overall, I'd say McCain-Palin and the GOP in general hit a home run today. The Obama campaign seemed bowled over by it, with one campaign adviser damning them for putting someone with zero experience a "heartbeat away" from the Presidency, followed directly by Joe Biden heaping praise on Palin and her candidacy (much like he heaped praise on John McCain during his acceptance speech.)

Palin herself does seem to represent reform and a people-first ethic. She has been an advocate of reducing wasteful spending, cleaning up government corruption, and working for sustainable energy solutions. She does fit McCain's "maverick" image as well; for example, while she is opposed to gay marriage, she used her veto power to kill a bill in Alaska that would have denied gay people domestic partner benefits. More on Palin from her entry at Wikipedia.org:

Palin became the first woman to be Alaska's governor, and at 42, the youngest governor in Alaskan history. Palin was also the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood and the first not to be inaugurated in Juneau, instead choosing to hold her inauguration ceremony in Fairbanks. She took office on December 4, 2006.

Highlights of Governor Palin's tenure include a successful push for an ethics bill, and also shelving pork-barrel projects supported by fellow Republicans. After federal funding for the Gravina Island Bridge project that had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending was lost, Palin decided against filling the over $200 million gap with state money. "Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on 'federal dollars,' as the state does today." She has challenged the state's Republican leaders, helping to launch a campaign by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to unseat U.S. Congressman Don Young and publicly challenging Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal investigation into his financial dealings. In 2007, Palin had an approval rating often above 90%

The selection of Palin certainly silences the inexperience arguments used against Obama, but otherwise, there are few negatives to the choice. Mitt Romney was the "expected" pick, but he would have been more of a liability than anything else. His religion does not sit well with most Americans, and his personal wealth would have underscored what is already becoming an issue in the election overall. Romney was supposed to "sure up the conservative base," but I believe McCain has already done that on his own. Sarah Palin is a proven reformer, a solid "every American" and I'd wager a bet, not in the least bit afraid to go up against Joe Biden in a debate.

If nothing else, the game is back on.