Election Issues Today

PALIN POPULARITY STILL TO BE TESTED

Political pollsters from both parties are busy trying to assess the impact Sarah Palin will have on the McCain ticket, and for that matter, the impact on the Obama-Biden ticket as well.  

In post-convention polls, Sarah Palin, overall, is seen as a good choice as running mate, but still earns an unfavorable opinion on whether she is ready to be President.  That seems weird to me, in that the public evidently does not view qualifications and readiness to assume the presidency as the primary measurement of a candidate’s suitability to run for the office of VP.   I will offer up here the possibility that it is a sexist statement that is being made by the potential voters who are being polled.  Somewhat surprisingly, at least to me, is that she polls more favorably amongst male voters than female.

Palin needs to attract new voters to the McCain candidacy, and so far, at least so far as the polls show, she is attracting the same potential voters as McCain already appealed to, and not having much effect on the Independents or “leaners” or disaffected Democrats. 

By “disaffected” Democrats, I mean Hillary Clinton supporters who are not enamored with Barack Obama.  These voters, Democrats and Republicans, and I would imagine, a large number of them women voters, are not swinging over to the GOP ticket in anywhere near the numbers that McCain was hoping for.   Of course, that could change in the remaining two months of the campaign, as Palin makes herself known.  What she needs to prove, in her interviews, in her responses to difficult questions of policy, is that she is knowledgeable and can think on her feet.

Evidently, she is a quick study, but recently acquired knowledge doesn’t necessarily equate to sound judgment.  Her impact on the McCain campaign could go either way.

If this campaign is to be about personalities, John McCain certainly put his stamp on the campaign with his acceptance speech.  The Senator from Arizona gave it his best shot in accepting his party’s nomination with a speech heavy on family and personal history, a presentation that seemed to invite (or direct) our attention toward patriotism and love of country more than issues.  The war, the economy, energy, poverty, and all else, took a back seat to the IMAGE of John McCain the naval officer, the fighter pilot, the prisoner of war, the patriot.

It is unusual for the Party of a sitting President to promise CHANGE; this is not a proud moment for the GOP.  They have to figure out a way to convince an unhappy electorate that the party of George Bush should not be blamed for the Bush bugaboos, and that the GOP can do better.

The man to take this message to the voters, they feel, is John McCain, a man who has to be careful about touting his record of confrontation within the ranks of his own party, a man whose “maverick” image may end up alienating the diehard faithful of the GOP, a man whose party has turned to him because they could not unite behind any other; their last best chance.

John McCain said nothing new.  He must now hope that he can win by appearing to be above the fray, and must depend upon surrogates to get down into the trenches with his opponents; he must hope that Obama and Biden make mistakes and turn the fence-sitters and independents toward himself, the familiar and dependable and predictable candidate.

We will always know where John McCain stands on any issue. His positions really haven’t changed in many, many years.  Whether his positions are right for America will be for the electorate to decide.

I’ve always liked John McCain. I, too, am a retired naval officer.  I am well-acquainted with his story; some of my colleagues in the Navy served with him; some were prisoners of war.  I have heard all the history.  I wish him luck because I like him.  I am undecided on whether or not he is what the country needs in the White House right now.

Sarah Palin has been taking high fast balls this week and last night she hit one…and I think it went deep. 

She needed to Hit one out of the Park, and she may have done it; at least she made no major gaffes and the crowd loved her.  She threw a few pitches of her own:  pitching her Mom image to the other hockey moms and mothers of special needs children; pitching her outsider status as an advantage in fixing the problems in Washington; pitching her small town background, small town values, the rural American girl who made good; pitching to the Unions with her husband’s Steel Worker membership; pitching to the Farmers, Teachers, etc. etc.  She didn’t cry.

Her best line, certain to be quoted everywhere today: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.” She is a very effective speaker.

She attacked the media, as expected, and warmly praised John McCain the American Hero.  That will be her job in the campaign and, from all indications, she will do a very capable job.  In the absence of any new major revelations in her Alaskan political affairs, she will probably be as strong a voice for McCain as he had hoped.

She will be more energetic on the stump than McCain could be.  At age 72, he can sit back and calmly appear to be “presidential” for the next two months, while she takes on the Democrats and the media.

This was a fun night.  Rudy Giulianni is a very funny guy.  He is quick with a smile while he cuts you down.  His best line, I thought, was a dig at the Obama themes, with this:

“Change is not a Destination; just as Hope is not a Strategy.”

Sarah Palin’s big night–on the biggest stage of her life. This will really be her introduction to Prime Time and the American public. I am writing this Wednesday morning, so we shall see if all the hype adds up to “can’t miss TV” or not. I think Palin needs to limit what she tries to accomplish during this speech. She has to come across as knowledgeable yet not too full of recently-crammed facts and figures. She has to come across as possessing leadership quality and abilities, but not too staunchly…not a man, for crying out loud. And no tears. Tearing up now, in the face of a few challenges to her family problems and doubts about her qualifications, would seriously call into question her fitness and readiness for the office of VP, to say nothing of the position she is asking the nation to place her in: President-in-Waiting.

So far, the loyal GOP delegates are standing firm with McCain’s choice.  She has energized the anti-abortion, gun-rights, evangelical and conservative wings of the party.  What else she brings to the ticket she will need to demonstrate tonight:  She needs to deliver a home-run speech.

I don’t get why they have elected to bring the young man who has impregnated the daughter here to St. Paul and, perhaps, to the convention stage! What would that be saying? If they valued their privacy before, they are certainly throwing it up for the entire World to discuss now.

And I really take issue with the McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis, in publicly stating that this campaign is not about issues, but personalities. Why should it be so? If I agree with him privately, that nearly ALL political election campaigns are about personality, I would not say so publicly if I were in his position. Why wouldn’t he be moving in the other direction? Why wouldn’t he be reminding the media and the public electorate that we are deciding the direction our country will take in the next four years, and we have ISSUES like the economy, health care, poverty, hunger, energy and battle against terrorism-and there are MAJOR differences between the candidates and the political parties. Let’s concentrate on that, not on a teenager’s pregnancy.