Palin and The Coming History
On the selection of Palin, more than anything else it reshaped the frame of the debate. As others have previously stated, it will be hard for McCain to talk about Obama’s comparative lack of experience now that he has selected someone with pretty much zero experience on the national and world stage to be one 72 year old heart beat away from the presidency. Many pundits are saying that this is an attempt to go after Hillary supporters, but I think the McCain camp is smart enough to know that the vast majority of women who supported Hillary are not going to vote for a ticket that is not pro-choice. Palin adds 2 things; it makes it harder for Obama and his camp to categorize McCain as a run of the mill Republican and it just brings general energy for the Republicans. Despite their recent small lead in the polls, I think McCain’s camp knew that if they selected a generic white guy like Romney or Pawlenty it would have been met with a collective yawn; thus, many swing voters or people who only vote sporadically in elections would be turned off by the idea of the normal status quo of old white guys whose policies only slightly differ from the guys who have had a bunch of major fuck ups the past 8 years.
Regarding Palin herself, on many policies she does not seem to be that different from the typical republican. In addition, she is going to have to prove in the next few months that she has the temperament to handle the scrutiny that comes with the job, the knowledge to make important decisions and the ability to lead on a national scale. This is especially true considering she has no real record of even making statements on many major issues like Iraq. In an interview in 2007 with Alaska Business Monthly she pretty much stated that she has not really given all that much thought to Iraq because she was focused on State Government. During a teleconference interview with reporters July 2007 she stated "I'm not here to judge the idea of withdrawing, or the timeline. "I'm not going to judge even the surge. I'm here to find out what Alaskans need of me as their governor." While I expect McCain to get an initial bounce from this pick because of the fact that Palin is a fresh face with an interesting story, if she can not prove quickly to the American Public that she has a grasp on major national and international issues in the coming weeks the bloom will soon fade from the rose when people consider the prospect of her ascending to the presidency. On a side note, it is also interesting to me that Palin Supported A Windfall Profits Tax for oil companies and gave some of that money back to the people of her state which is something Obama has advocated for and McCain has opposed.
All that being said, I am glad McCain picked her and think that it is pretty damn cool that I am witnessing this historic presidential election. The last 2 elections we had the not so bright son of a former president going up against 2 of the least charismatic men ever to walk the earth in Kerry and Gore. 5 years ago, if someone said that the Republican Nominee for Vice President would be a 44 year old-women named Sarah Palin and that the Democratic Nominee for President would be a 47 year old African American guy named Barack Hussein Obama, you would most likely look at them like they where crazy.
Some will say that these are only symbolic changes. To that I say, symbolism matters. Can we really an example of Democracy and mobility through hard work if the occupants of the oval office keep rotating last names? I also say personal history matters. While Palin’s and Obama’s beliefs may be in line with the general orthodoxy of their respective parties, they will bring life experiences and perspectives because of their gender and race that have been lacking in the highest reaches of government. Finally, a little anecdote. Last year a 5 year old African American boy in my class went with his parents to see Obama speak. The next day he came back into my class and told me he wanted to be President of The United States when he grew up. That Matters. If a single young female is similarly inspired by the pick of Palin, That matters.
Regarding Palin herself, on many policies she does not seem to be that different from the typical republican. In addition, she is going to have to prove in the next few months that she has the temperament to handle the scrutiny that comes with the job, the knowledge to make important decisions and the ability to lead on a national scale. This is especially true considering she has no real record of even making statements on many major issues like Iraq. In an interview in 2007 with Alaska Business Monthly she pretty much stated that she has not really given all that much thought to Iraq because she was focused on State Government. During a teleconference interview with reporters July 2007 she stated "I'm not here to judge the idea of withdrawing, or the timeline. "I'm not going to judge even the surge. I'm here to find out what Alaskans need of me as their governor." While I expect McCain to get an initial bounce from this pick because of the fact that Palin is a fresh face with an interesting story, if she can not prove quickly to the American Public that she has a grasp on major national and international issues in the coming weeks the bloom will soon fade from the rose when people consider the prospect of her ascending to the presidency. On a side note, it is also interesting to me that Palin Supported A Windfall Profits Tax for oil companies and gave some of that money back to the people of her state which is something Obama has advocated for and McCain has opposed.
All that being said, I am glad McCain picked her and think that it is pretty damn cool that I am witnessing this historic presidential election. The last 2 elections we had the not so bright son of a former president going up against 2 of the least charismatic men ever to walk the earth in Kerry and Gore. 5 years ago, if someone said that the Republican Nominee for Vice President would be a 44 year old-women named Sarah Palin and that the Democratic Nominee for President would be a 47 year old African American guy named Barack Hussein Obama, you would most likely look at them like they where crazy.
Some will say that these are only symbolic changes. To that I say, symbolism matters. Can we really an example of Democracy and mobility through hard work if the occupants of the oval office keep rotating last names? I also say personal history matters. While Palin’s and Obama’s beliefs may be in line with the general orthodoxy of their respective parties, they will bring life experiences and perspectives because of their gender and race that have been lacking in the highest reaches of government. Finally, a little anecdote. Last year a 5 year old African American boy in my class went with his parents to see Obama speak. The next day he came back into my class and told me he wanted to be President of The United States when he grew up. That Matters. If a single young female is similarly inspired by the pick of Palin, That matters.
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