I was stunned by the choice of Sarah Palin as VP not because I hadn't heard of her, but because she was the wildest of guesses in random VP chit-chat with my friends. Therefore before commenting on the matter I wanted to cool off, let the excitement and intrigue out of my system and attempt to look at facts soberly.
Firstly, she is a choice befitting McCain's character. It is a surprise move and smacks of mavericking. It also throws the Obama campaign temporarily into disarray. I suppose they had attack ads against every likely VP, ready to get on air as payback for the Biden ad stunt. They likely had nothing ready on Sarah Palin, so the momentum could not be sucked out.
What did suck out the momentum and the attention from aspects of Palin's career and life was hurricane Gustav, thankfully passing without catastrophic consequences. Now, however, we're back at it. And Palin's record and values are being legitimately questioned.
The most prominent flaw in Palin's value system is her own daughter, pregnant at 17. I was torn between a "Sucks to be a so-con" position and a feeling of understanding for Bristol Palin. However we must realize no-one is a saint and no-one has a perfect family. Palin's situation may turn out to be appealing to those voting families who faced or may face the same dilemmas.
Most parents fear their children will make mistakes, many parents experience disharmony between their value system and pragmatic (or cynical) reasonings (e.g. sex ed) and there are many families in the US who were teenagers when parenthood struck them. Independents who may be frightened by a conservative VP choice may feel reassured by Palin's collision with the rocks on which she built her beliefs. Whether it moderates Palin's stances or not, the Bristol factor is a potential reassurance to independents and undecided voters: as VP Sarah Palin will not have the grounding to push for socially conservative legislation even if she wanted to. Chances are John McCain knew all too well Palin's daughter was pregnant, and decided to play this wild card.
Maybe I'm just speculating. Palin, however, is more of an everyday woman than Hillary Clinton could ever hope to be, and is certainly bound to make Obama look more out of touch with the general populace than he already is.
Obama and Biden are careerist senators without experience of running anything. Obama has an evident desire for more power and more prestige, Biden wanted to grow up so he could enter the Senate. McCain and Palin, on the other hand, have both been in the governor's seat and have run communities. This means knowing what "in touch" is actually about.
A further ace up Palin's sleeve is her status as potential President should McCain die in office. People frequently look for former Governors in the Prez's seat, and Palin gives that reassurance. McCain-Palin is a truly executive ticket, while Obama-Biden offers legislative mindsets and greed for power.
We'll see.
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