Poor judgment in action: McCain’s VP selection.
The mainstream media was quick to dub John McCain’s selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate as a ‘high-risk/high-reward’ move, but a simple analysis reveals the pick as one that is pure risk and no payoff.
he talking heads quickly presented us with a ‘breakdown' of what Palin brought to the GOP ticket. They claim that Palin provides great potential for McCain because of two factors. <br/>First, Palin is a female, making her an obvious asset in that her presence could persuade supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton to jump ship and vote republican.First, Palin is a female, making her an obvious asset in that her presence could persuade supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton to jump ship and vote republican.
First, Palin is a female, making her an obvious asset in that her presence could persuade supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton to jump ship and vote republican.
Second, her views on social issues make Pat Robertson look wimpy as she opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest. McCain’s camp is hoping that Palin will energize the base of Christian voters that proved to be critical for Bush’s win in 2004 but have yet to warm to McCain on many accounts.
Unfortunately for McCain, this selection is glaringly superficial and completely counterproductive to his message regarding the supposed negatives of his opponent, Barack Obama.
It is obvious that either the decision was made for McCain, or he failed to consider the implications this selection might have to his campaign.
There are numerous flaws with this selection that illustrate Obama’s primary charge that his opponent has repeatedly shown poor judgment. Case in point, enter Sarah Palin.
To begin, McCain continually harps on Obama’s inexperience on Capitol Hill. Obama took this point seriously and added Senator Joe Biden’s more than three decades of congressional leadership to the Democratic ticket.
One would expect McCain to thus select a running mate that would maintain the stark contrast of experience between Obama and himself, but he didn’t. Instead, he selected someone who has been governor of Alaska for less than two years… That’s it.
Cindy McCain and some moron from Faux News have even claimed that Palin’s experience is actually a strength, citing Alaska’s proximity to Russia as adequate familiarity with international relations… Are these people for real?
Second, it is very insulting to Clinton supporters that the McCain camp now expects their vote come Nov. 4. It insinuates that Palin in some way embodies the spirit of Clinton and should suffice as a replacement in the eyes of her supporters.
In no way does Palin symbolize Clinton’s cause, and in no way is Palin the most qualified person that McCain could have selected. Why didn’t McCain go for the likes of Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Olympia Snowe?
Lastly, there are controversies involving Palin, some of which leave political junkies baffled as to whether McCain even conducted a vetting procedure on Palin.
Over the past few months, widespread corruption involving Alaska's republican politicians has come to light, not least of which is the indictment of long-time Senator Ted Stevens. <br/>Palin herself faces possible charges involving the supposed misuse of her office as governor for the improper firings of various state employees&#8230; Remember Alberto Gonzalez?&#160;Palin herself faces possible charges involving the supposed misuse of her office as governor for the improper firings of various state employees… Remember Alberto Gonzalez?
Palin herself faces possible charges involving the supposed misuse of her office as governor for the improper firings of various state employees… Remember Alberto Gonzalez?
Over Labor Day Weekend it was revealed that Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant and unwed. In this particular situation, valuing one’s family would entail declining the offer to be a vice presidential nominee and providing one’s daughter with adequate care and attention. Palin, however, has opted to put herself first instead of following through on the family values she claims to be such a grand champion for.
Slowly, but surely McCain is wrapping up this election and giving it to Obama as an early Christmas gift. This misguided selection for a VP running mate should cost McCain the election, but whether it ultimately will remains to be seen. <br/>&#160;