Palin: A Total Package for McCain

I am so happy that McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. This will add much energy and strength to the campaign. Although, there are questions about the length of her experience. I don't think that's a great argument against her. She has served two years as Governor of Alaska. That's 730 days of EXECUTIVE experience (the executive branch of the federal government includes the Presidency). Compare that to the 143 days of Obama's LEGISLATIVE experience in the Senate.

I am really happy that McCain opted to avoid picking more of the same with Pawlenty and Romney; they would have added very little to the ticket and would have reinforced the view that no change will come out of McCain's administration. A Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge would have made strong strides toward the image of a moderate administration and would have attracted some independent voters; those picks would have upset many social conservatives, something McCain definitely doesn't need to do.

I think Palin, though, attracts many different people. She attracts women (she has a family of 5; she even gave birth to a child just last April), hunters (she is a hunter and fisher herself and NRA member), union members (she is a former union member and her husband belongs to a union), and military families (her son will be deployed to Iraq soon). She's also seen as being a maverick and even going against her own party when the times called for it. She defeated an incumbent Republican governor during the primaries and went on to fight corruption in Alaskan government, which meant fighting members of the Republican party.

She might be able to attract social conservatives and independents at the same time. This is what the New York Times had to say: "Just as crucial, Ms. Palin, 44, was beloved by the party’s religious base, but did not come off as shrill. 'She’s conservative, but she’s not an ideologue,' Mr. Black said." I hope this holds true in November.

Anyways, I think McCain made a great choice for VP. Even if they don't win this election, I think we will see much more of Palin. She is the future of the GOP (along with Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana). She's one of those figures that have much energy and don't go away easy.

(Superwoman picture via Are We Lumberjacks?)

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