McCain choice of Palin brings St. Paul to life
Anyone who thought John McCain had lost his edge should wonder no more. His bold selection Friday of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rocked the nation. Within minutes, someone few people knew became a lightning rod.
Many Republicans were wowed by McCain's chancy choice. Palin does help him on a number of fronts. She is a smart, successful, charismatic woman a bit more than half his age. She helps solidify the GOP's conservative wing. She revives and complements his maverick image, having beaten a GOP incumbent in a primary to become governor. And she makes history as the GOP's first woman at the top of a ticket. Now, no matter what, we'll have our first woman or first black helping run the nation next year.
At the spectrum's other end, many Hillary Clinton feminists found the selection patronizing. Apparently, they really weren't in it for Hillary. They were and are in it for the issues of equality and abortion rights, because several of them were scoffing at the notion that anti-abortion, pro-gun Palin might swing their votes. But even before Palin, there were former Hillary backers organized for McCain, and if the McCain forces can grab a few more, it could be the key in what increasingly is shaping up as a tight race.
Whether the choice will hurt or help McCain remains to be seen, but it and the timing of it also was smart for this reason: It completely muted any coverage of the Democratic ticket and any post-convention bounce Illinois' Barack Obama hoped to get.
McCain's move is strategically sound as it now will prompt many more people to tune in to the GOP festivities in St. Paul this week to learn more about Palin and check out her performance. McCain now could have the captive TV audience he needs to persuade the swing-vote deciders to his camp.
It is stunning that this race no longer seems to be as focused on race. That, of course, is a positive thing. Still, it has been perplexing to hear all the talk lately about experience. The spin has been that Obama lacks it but now Palin does too. Is this ageism? Are both camps guilty of it? It's sure starting to smell like it.
After all, Bill Clinton had no foreign policy experience on his resume when he was elected and neither did George W. Bush, and both were youngish when they first ran.
We don't agree with Palin on some social issues, but anyone who can oust a sitting governor has some smarts and skill.
And that raises another red herring. In the blogosphere the past few days, people are debating whether Palin is a good or bad woman because she gave birth to her youngest son who has Down syndrome and went back to work a few days later. Men father children, help women birth them and then return to work every day in this world and no one questions it. No one even stops to think about.
The Palin selection and our reactions to it might say as much about us and how far we still have to go than it does about her and McCain.