Bucks
Sarah Palin
Dear Friends,
Good morning. Have you ever thought about a political “Hail Mary Pass”? John F. Kennedy successfully threw a Hail Mary Pass when he chose his bitter rival, Lyndon Johnson, as his running mate. I believe that’s exactly what John McCain did when he plucked Sarah Palin right out of the blue. Several of my rowing friends weighed in on the rise of Sarah Palin as did Mighty Betsy…those opinions in a minute.
The night before McCain chose Palin, 38 million heard or saw Barack Obama’s Democratic acceptance speech (not including the audiences of PBS or C-Span). That was more viewers than the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the Academy Awards or the TV show, “American Idol,” combined.
Most political pundits believed that McCain’s campaign was toast. How could he possibly win when he’s following a Republican president whose approval ratings are in the low 30’s? (If you think those approval ratings are bad, consider that congressional ratings are worse; and the media, worse still.)
When McCain chose an unknown with no national or international experience, he threw a Hail Mary Pass.
My first reaction?
I was stunned. For example, think of a Bucks County Commissioner being chosen to run for the Vice Presidency. The population of Bucks County is almost identical to Alaska. Bucks County has one congressman…so does Alaska. Usually, one becomes a county commissioner by being a borough or township elected official first. The Sarah Palin story is similar.
Look at Sarah Palin this way. She becomes a Quakertown Borough Council woman (same population as Wasilla, Alaska); then four years later, Quakertown’s Mayor; finally, she climbs the ladder to become a Bucks County Commissioner…before John McCain taps her on the shoulder. Commissioner Jim Cawley is about the same age as Sarah Palin. I wonder what Cawley’s thinking today?
Joan
Hamburg (
I listened to Michael Smerconish (1210 WPHT) and his chat with David Cohen, who served as the principle brain trust for [then] Mayor Ed Rendell. In discussing Sarah Palin’s ability, Cohen told Smerconish that the key ingredient for any candidate is the capacity to grow into the job. Cohen is now the Executive Vice President at Comcast. He believes that Palin would quickly fill the bill if McCain died or became incapacitated.
Putting it another way, it may not be about how much experience a candidate has…it concerns her/his judgment skills. Presidents like Clinton, Lincoln, Reagan, and Truman come to mind.
As I searched for opinions about Sarah Palin, I began with Mighty Betsy. Would Condoleezza Rice have been a better choice for McCain’s "veep," I asked? Condoleezza’s bright, beautiful, and black
“Maybe McCain couldn’t get anyone else,” MB quipped facetiously.
“McCain was energizing the Republican base,” Chris___(age 60) told me after rowing last week.
What’s the Republican base?
“It’s about non tolerance,” another rower answered.
“The Republican base opposes abortion, same sex unions, and promotes Christianity in the [public] class room,” Gary ___(age 50) chimed in, “including creativism in science classes instead of evolution.”
Other rowers with opinions were women in their mid twenties.
Kate___is a conservative. She admired Palin’s decision to carry a Down syndrome pregnancy to term. And Kate was quick to remind me that every American family knows about or has experienced a teen-age pregnancy. Palin’s 17 year old daughter is five months pregnant and plans to marry her 17 year old boy friend.
Erin____was not as charitable. “The Republican party stands for everything that I’m against,” she said.
“Ditto,” Jennifer___ added.
When I heard that the Sarah Palin acceptance speech attracted as many TV viewers as the Obama speech did, I thought about the term, “Red Herring.” In literature, red herring is a technique used to deliberately mislead the reader. In politics, many governors and presidents often blame their failings upon incidents unrelated to their bad decisions.
Another way of looking at it is to conclude that McCain is a genius.
He’s satisfied the base of the GOP’s far right. Sarah Palin is against abortion; she urges drilling for oil in the Artic; and she’s pro gun. Further, McCain hopes that Palin will attract Hillary Clinton supporters…not that Hillary agrees with Sarah on anything. Will female voters vote for any woman? McCain thinks so.
Note Palin’s comment when McCain first introduced her at a political rally in Dayton, Ohio…the day after the Obama speech. Referring to the 18 million votes that Hillary Clinton received during the Democratic primaries, Palin said, “It turns out that the women in America aren’t finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.”
Last, I’m guessing that McCain knows that there are enough Democrat rednecks around who can’t stand the prospects of a black president. Are all the stars in the sky aligned for McCain? Will American voters forget that McCain voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time…or that McCain has been in the halls of congress for nearly 30 years? Isn’t he part of the problem?
Will the choice of Sarah Palin take voters’ eyes off the ball? Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith
P. S. I’m planning an interview with Tom Manion next week. As you know, he’s the Republican candidate for congress in the eighth district.