So, John McCain has chosed Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 election.
Let’s break this down.
First, this is a fairly transparent attempt to woo staunch Hillary supporters who just really, really want to vote for a female candidate. I’ve got to think this is a pretty small faction.
So, to gain a few thousand voters, what has McCain sacrificed? Well, Palin is a first-term Governor whose only prior political experience was mayor of a town of 9,800 people. She is 44.
John McCain repeatedly attacks Barack Obama’s experience, suggesting the 47-year-old does not have the background required to lead. However, Obama has eleven years of experience as a State and US Senator, while Palin has only ten years experience as a mayor of a tiny town and less than two years experience as governor of the least-populous state in America. I guess experience isn’t that important after all.
Nothing says “winning strategy” like undercutting one of your primary campaign tactics to gain a few disaffected Democrats. I respond thus:
Conservatives don’t seem to like this choice either, with some people comparing it to Bush’s Harriet Miers mistake.