2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Messaging, Views on News • September 2nd, 2008

Pickin’ on Palin

by Chris Lato

While this will be picked over thoroughly in the weeks to come, on balance, John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin is a maverick move from someone who has positioned himself as a maverick candidate. If you want a real Washington outsider, they don’t get much more ‘outside’ than the governor of Alaska.

 

Now, the question becomes whether Palin will be up to the task on the brutal campaign trail. Time will tell. This will be a trial by fire for someone breathlessly thrust into the spotlight just a few days ago.

Those who attack Palin reveal weaknesses in their own arguments, and their own candidates. Some critics are now busy contorting their positions to argue that a woman on a presidential ticket is a wonderful thing….just not THIS woman (translation: she’s not a Democrat).

Of course, Palin’s staunch conservatism will lead many to rake her over the coals, and the tacky coverage of her family saga illustrates the double-standard from the same folks who chose to ignore John Edwards’ extramarital dalliances. And top female columnists who lean left are being put in the position of having to argue that Sarah Palin’s place is in the home…huh?

Some critics (and candidates) dismiss her because she’s attractive. Regardless of whether you agree with Palin politically, isn’t that just a tad offensive?

Those who say McCain picked Palin to pick up support from disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters are missing the point.  If they vote on image and symbolism only, sure, that could happen.  Plenty of people believe Clinton was mistreated by the menfolk in the Democratic Party - but make no mistake about the stark political differences between Palin and Clinton.

It is an energizing, surprising, and unorthodox pick that makes this race even more interesting. It is also a big gamble – but one that has the potential to pay off big.

Is Palin the most qualified VP candidate out there? No. But the Barack Obama campaign has to answer to similar ‘lightweight’ charges and it will be up to the voters to decide.

The fact is that McCain was struggling with the conservative constituency, and Palin’s conservative bona fides speak to that portion of the party. She is young, politically popular, has executive experience and knows from energy policy.

On foreign policy, Palin will have to get up to speed fast. But there’s a reason why Obama chose Joe Biden as a running mate – to make up for perceived deficiencies in Obama’s own resume.

You can tell a lot about a candidate by how strident and ‘outraged’ her opposition is. And judging by the vicious barbs being thrown her way, Sarah Palin was a great choice indeed.

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