I like you, Senator John McCain. I like you a lot. I'm a conservative (lower case 'C'). And you are too.
You're a maverick and every once in a while, that's gets you into trouble with your own party. I've been there too. But that's what a lot of people -- including a lot of independents -- find attractive about you.
It seems, though, that you've lost some of that maverick spirit recently. Sure, you're promoting your new ad with Britney and Paris. That's controversial. But you let BO get all the spotlight on his European vacation. You ran around playing catch up -- going to a German restaurant instead of Germany. Cute, but unbecoming of a President or even Senior Senator.
Sunday morning conventional wisdom is to let BO pick his VP first and then you come along and grab his spotlight -- maybe during his convention -- by announcing yours. Again, playing catch up with this kid who should be following you.
Conventional wisdom isn't going to win the election this year, Senator. This is a special year. You need to be big and bold. And the maverick that you truly are.
The first thing you should do? Be bold with your VP pick. Don't go with a boring white guy. Mitt's no real conservative -- he'll just anger the base. Your popularity is skyrocketing with women. Plus, there's a huge group of disgruntled, bitter Hillary voters out there looking are any excuse not to support the Dem nominee. You need to pick a woman.
The obvious choice? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating around 90 percent. She's a happily married mother of five who's very attractive (to put it mildly) and very smart. Like you, she's a strong fighter of corruption (in a state with a Republican Party that's having some problems these days).
And she's got amazing conservative credentials. She's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association who hunts and fishes. She's a regular churchgoer and is staunchly pro-life. She's strong fiscally. Her oldest son enlisted in the army last September 11th. The base will love her.
And she's a fighter. She led her underdog Wasilla High School basketball team to the state championship with the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her fierce competitiveness. Her opponents in Alaska call her the same thing.
But don't follow the conventional wisdom. Don't wait until after BO announces or our convention. Do it now! Knock BO back on his heals. Force his hand. He'll be called sexist again if he doesn't pick a woman and a copy-cat if he does. Go on offense.
The press will also love Gov. Palin. She can help you take back the coverage they've been lavishing on BO.
This can be a year of firsts, Senator. But let's make sure it's our year. Sarah Palin for Vice President.
Your friend,
~ Luke
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 1426
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments (21)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by John Bougiamas , August 01, 2008
Pallin would be an excellent choice. Smart, dynamic, and conservative.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +4
written by Jay Golub , August 02, 2008
"Don't go with a boring white guy?"
I think selecting Rudy wouldn't be boring, especially for someone who lives in NYC. Although the chances of that are not likely, i wouldn't rule out "white men" or any other group of potential candidates. McCain should pick the BEST candidate.
Palin seems to be an excellent future GOP star, but with only a few months left before the election, let alone the convention, choosing someone as unknown nationally as her would be problematic. McCain needs someone to help energize the campaign immediately, not someone who needs an introduction, especially with the base.
"Mitt's no real conservative -- he'll just anger the base."
That's debatable, but as a "boring white guy," he's surely on the short list for VP. He also could help make sure McCain has enough funds to compete in November, as he spent $45 million of his own money and raised over $50 million for his losing race.
and we know he wants it...
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0308/Romney_says_hed_take_Veep_calls_McCain_Big_Dog.html
There are many factors for McCain to look at when selecting a VP candidate. "Picking a woman," in an effort to be bold should not be the central one...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +1
written by Robert Hornak , August 03, 2008
It's debateable how well Romney woul dplay with the base, but he's such a flip-flopper, and for purely political purposes, that he would be a bad choice to try to contrast with Obama or who ever he chooses to as his running mate.
Rudy would be an extremely smart choice. He would solidify McCain's rep as the maverick reformer and potentially throw up for grabs big blue states like NY and CA while slam dunking states like FL, NJ, PENN, and so on. Nothing boring about that white guy.
Palin would be an interesting choice but if you're looking across the gender aisle a better pick would be Sen. Kay Baily Hutchinson. She would destroy the woman's vote for Obama (he is already devastatingly behind with women over 40) while also putting a solid lock on the south.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: -1
written by Luke Vander Linden , August 04, 2008
Regular viewers of "Special Report with Brit Hume" (weekdays at 6PM ET on Fox News Channel) are well-acquainted with Bill Kristol's infatuation with the Alaska Governor. In today's NY Times he offers his take on McCain's options. They include Mrs. Palin as well as a number of other directions he could go. An interesting read: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08...istol.html
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by alice Lemos , August 07, 2008
No way! He would antagonize the base and he etotally self destructed in the primaries. Palin is a good choice as is Eric Cantor who is great in the House.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +1
written by Jay Golub , August 08, 2008
Cantor has been talked about recently and may be an interesting pick and he's been pushing the debate on domestic energy production.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/cantor-to-obama.html
Will he help carry VA? I think that's the question that could decide if he's selected.
Romney still is the most likely choice for a number of reasons, but a powerful (Cantor sits on the Ways and Means Committee) Jewish VP selection topically has much value...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by alice Lemos , August 27, 2008
bold, not safe.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 17, 2008
http://elections.foxnews.com/2...d-gas-oil/
you can't make this stuff up...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 17, 2008
America has been blessed with many things, rich sources of energy among them. Science agrees - UCLA professor Jared Diamond, in his groundbreaking 1997 book "Guns, Germs and Steel" maintains that the geographic and physical characteristics of Europe and then North America are the principal determining factors in the continuing dominance of Western culture. Chief among them is the East-West axis of the continents of Europe and North America, which allowed early settlers to bring with them their already unsurpassed natural endowment of crops and domesticable animals. So while it may seem trite to a cynic to say we're blessed by our natural resources, for those of us who believe that the world in which we live was and is guided by a higher power, it is without question that we are, indeed, blessed.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 17, 2008
If God is "blessing" nations, then He REALLY must like the Saudi's and the Iranians, huh?
They got much more "blessings" than us....
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 17, 2008
The Middle East WAS the cradle of civilization after all! All the best crops and domesticated animals started there, but clearly it wasn't sustainable with large populations. Oil may be more of a curse than a blessing if the only other thing you have is sand.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 22, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article...L320081021
As predicted, she's been hurting the ticket - eventhough McCain recieved a small bounce after the convention. Since then, Palin's been a drag.
This weekend on SNL - as has been the case since she got the nod - the media continue to have a field day on her.
Sadly, it's the ultimate in snobbery for the media/Left to portray her in such a negative light, but it seems to be working.
McCain should have never picked her for this and because if he had picked Romney, McCain's performance during this economic crisis would have been better AND he might have more than half of the amount of resources to fight against Obama in the home stretch.
So much for "being bold"....
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 22, 2008
So, I guess you blame the murdered for getting in the way the bullet? Or the rape victim for the actions of the rapist?
No matter who the nominee for VP would have been, they would be getting roundly abused by the media. That's just the way it goes in today's left-leaning, bias-filled world. It's a shame, but that's the way it is.
The biggest problem is not what Palin or even McCain do -- and, make no mistake about it: their actions are liked by the Silent Majority -- it's what they're not doing. The campaign is buttoning up these two great personalities, making them less "mavericky." They've been freed up in the last week or so, and I think it's working.
Tina Fey's unanswered mockery is what was hurting Palin the most. She answered it and answered it well this weekend.
Your boy Mitt would have added nothing to the ticket. A big zero. He's not a real conservative. Palin is and the base supports her. They would not have supported him because all of the clips of his liberal promises in The People's Republic of Taxachusettes would have been trotted out against him.
And any benefit of his supposed economic prowess (and I've said it before -- commercial success doesn't equal governing ability) will be matched by the blowback from Obama's answer to Joe the Plumber. Anybody with Socialistic tendencies (and they tend to grow in number during times of economic strife -- see FDR's 4 elections) isn't going to be swayed by a stiff, helmeted-headed wonk from Utahmichichusettes.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 22, 2008
Well, I'm glad someone agrees with me! (See Dick Morris post - "The Populism Divide")
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 22, 2008
"Your boy Mitt would have added nothing to the ticket. A big zero."
Romney would have been very helpful in both dealing with the economic crisis, which neither McCain or Palin have had an intelligent comment about since it started a month ago, and in fundraising, which McCain is now nearly $100 million behind Obama, making a "comeback" in the swing states nearly impossible - especially in high advertising cost states like FL, PA and Ohio.
The latter I predicted above when i said...
"[Romney] also could help make sure McCain has enough funds to compete in November, as he spent $45 million of his own money and raised over $50 million for his losing race."
The former no one knew about specifically, but many, including myself, felt McCain was vulnerable on "the economy" in a way he clearly was not in foreign policy and being a budget hawk.
Romney - although not "my boy" as i think he's as two-faced a pol as Obama is - was the right choice for this cycle. Palin's lack of experience and her "country ways" is not attracting the indepedant voters in the most important states for this cycle.
As i said before, she is a talent to be worked on, but this was clearly a mistake whose value diminshed as soon as the convention was over.
And Mr. Morris can be wrong sometimes too...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 22, 2008
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree as we'll never know about what Romney would have brought to the ticket. I do agree he would have probably donated (loaned?) a bunch of his own money -- which would have opened us up to typical liberal canards about all Republicans being rich. We do know he wouldn't have brought the conservative base. Or any state. And I don't see how he would have brought any independent voters.
On the other hand, according to Fred Barnes, "Republicans, even some McCain advisers, have yet to realize the enormous asset they have in Palin: She's the party's most crowd-pleasing and exciting figure since Ronald Reagan."
But let's go beyond the people who are supposed to like her.
SNL producer Lorne Michaels admits "I watched the way she connected with people, and she's powerful...you can see that she's a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman...she's had a huge impact. People connect to her." He went on: "She was characterized so quickly by the media. She got a really tough welcome. So when she introduced herself that way at the convention, people went, oh, I see. She gave a great performance." And he's hardly someone who could even be called independent.
Today's Diagio|Hotline poll shows McCain/Palin gaining among likely independent voters as the race tightens. But polls are polls and there are as many of them as there are opinions.
The moral of all this is well put by former Newt Gingrich Communications Director Tony Blankley in his column today: "There were always risks in picking Palin as the vice presidential candidate. Some of the risk has been rewarded, some not. But in the future, there will be far more risk in underestimating this woman than there ever was in elevating her."
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 22, 2008
I will agree to agree that Palin has a future in GOP and national politics, if she so chooses and doesn't blow-up in scandal at some point down the line.
Mr. Michaels is, of course, going to say nice things about her - Palin delivered the best ratings for SNL in 14 YEARS!!! I'm surprised he didn't endorse the McCain-Palin ticket after Saturday night.
Again, I bow to your predictive skills, but not to the logic of the pick...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Luke Vander Linden , October 22, 2008
Those ratings didn't all come from people hoping she would screw up. A lot of people actually like her!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by alice Lemos , October 22, 2008
fan of Governor Palin and calls her a new kind of feminist heroine. Paglia also has total disdain for the Gloria Steinems and the other whiners and professional victims who complain about Sarah. Sarah draws big, big crowds - and enthusiastic ones. In retrospect, McCain would have been better off voting against the bailout. Obama, on the other hand, tried to float above the clouds looking "god like" and some foolish people have fallen for this, believing that it is "leadership" - it isn't. Sometimes an unpopular stand requires courage.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , October 22, 2008
it's clear those ratings came from non-regular SNL watchers. It is also reasonable to assume that "regular" watchers aren't normal fans of Palin.
Therefore, you are right. But Michaels still likes to get those ratings and wants to get them again - therefore, it makes sense to release public statements that praise the conservative Governor from Alaska (unfortunately, i think he'd need to have her on EVERY week if he wants repeat non-regulars to tune in...)
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by Jay Golub , November 11, 2008
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11...138056.htm
The worst part about all of this is that the GOP, and McCain's campaign staff, not only added her to the ticket and hurt their chances of winning, but they probably made it impossible for her to have a national political future for herself.
She clearly has a talent that the GOP could have taken advantage of. Now that seems lost....
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Write comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
