McCain's bold Palin move becomes a crisis of caution

Forums: Politics, Political, American Politics
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Borger: McCain's bold Palin move becomes a crisis of caution - CNN.com

We first met Sarah Palin as the exuberant governor of Alaska, who captivated previously unenthusiastic Republicans with her brash convention speech.

Unafraid to take on anyone -- Barack Obama, Democrats, special interests, the "good ol' boy" network -- she had political appeal, particularly with those conservatives who were lukewarm about John McCain.

Even some Hillary Clinton supporters, angry that Clinton was not Obama's running mate, were willing to give her a shot. She was, after all, a woman, and she seemed to be an interesting, if not unorthodox, choice.

In one bold stroke, John McCain threw away his "experience" argument in favor of reclaiming the "reform" mantle. To call it a gamble is an understatement; it was a crapshoot, with all the chips on one roll of the dice.

Then they decided to get really careful. And now Sarah Palin has become the first sequestered vice presidential candidate in American history.

And when she isn't being hidden as she crams for her vice presidential debate, she has been let into public view for selective interviews and photo-ops that have been alternately silly, painful to watch and sometimes even alarming.

Republicans are watching what once may have seemed like a brilliant idea turn into a riskier proposition each day.

The original McCain campaign reaction to questions about Palin's qualifications was to complain the "media elite" were treating this nominee badly, with different standards, because a) she's a woman and b) she's an outsider. They then raised the point that she's got more managerial experience than Obama. All were plausible arguments (at least in the heat of a campaign).

But their case for Palin has been evaporating with remarkable speed. The more they hide her, each venture out into the open becomes magnified -- and her last attempts at t?te-?-t?te interviews have been disasters.

And that's the word Republicans use.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 0 • Views: 862 • Replies: 2

No top replies

@Sabz5150,

I guess McCain should've met her more than once in person before deciding to make her his running mate. John was desperate for those hillary voters, so he acted brashly without thinking it all the way through hoping it would pay off, and it did.......for a while. But now it's gonna bite him in the ass, she has become a liability now, because her views are so far right that a lot of moderate voters are put off by her and the moderates are who McCain really needs to reach if he wants to win this election.

1 Reply

@Fatal Freedoms,

YouTube - Why do people laugh at creationists? (part 26) Sarah Palin

0 Replies

McCain's bold Palin move becomes a crisis of caution

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know