John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin has changed things. Love her, hate her – you have to admit things are not what they were. The pundits have all been debating what she does for the ticket, including speculation that she was selected to pick up the Hillary vote (Are the pundits insane? ). The first and most obvious benefit for McCain’s campaign is the activation of the Republican base. She seems to be doing for the hard right what Obama does for the hard left. They get the base really excited.
But while I’m sure McCain likes this, I think he picked her for a different reason. I think he was bored by the experience positioning his campaign was running on. The I’ve got more experience than the other guy appeal was boring to him and to the rest of us. He was unhappy and more the his usual grumpy.
American’s like to like the guy they elect president, and they like people who like them. I think this was a powerful part of Reagon’s wins, Clinton’s wins, and even the most recent Bush wins. The people thought that the person they picked actually liked them more than their opponent. This has been a powerful part of Obama’s appeal. An unhappy, grumpy McCain is not someone you want to vote for.
Sarah Palin does not have the experience I would expect in a presidential candidate (or vp candidate), and I don’t think Obama has the experience I would expect for a presidential candidate either. But experience isn’t everything, and may be over-rated. We live in a complex world where no one is an expert in every thing. Good leaders have good advisers and know how to make good decisions. I think American’s are naturally optimistic and understand that the ability to lead matters more than experience within reason.
I think John McCain knows this. So McCain threw the experience argument out the window. And grabbed on to something that gets him excited – reform. You could see the excitement in him at the end of his speach. The “stand up and fight” theme was the sign of a happier, energized and much more electable McCain.
Sarah Palin is his lucky charm. As George Will, put it – John McCain has got his mojo back. I’m glad he did, the argument of what type of change we want in Washington is much more interesting than the experience meme.
My name is Alex Nesbitt. This is my blog. I publish 