Vice Presidents II

Last week Obama chose Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate and I am on record as saying that, for the most part, I think it was a good pick. I think in a debate against almost any other potential candidate on foreign affairs he will sound more informed, more passionate. His problems include a case of verbal diarrhea (talks too much until he sticks his foot in his mouth), he has been proven wrong on many of the foreign policy opinions (dividing up Iraq and the surge), as one of the longest running Senator's in Washington he deemphasizes Obama's claim for "change" and he acts as an admission of Obama's lack of experience

This week is McCain's turn to show his decision making ability. McCain's short list was dwindled down to a handful. Joe Lieberman, Independent Senator would have shown McCain's "Maverick" side by choosing a running mate from the other side of the party. This choice would have divided his own party. Governor Mitt Romney would have secured the conservative base but he has does nothing to excite the electorate. Governor Tim Pawlenty would have been another safe pick but maybe too safe and too boring. John McCain stepped back into his "maverick" role and chose a female running mate, Governor Sara Palin, another "maverick", from the great state of Alaska.

Sarah Palin does a lot for John McCain. She is not only a very capable woman, she is from a hard working middle class family, she was a member of a union and her husband is still in a union. These qualifications will resonate with the middle class voters in the key states of the Midwest. After the Democrats convention and the feeling of disrespect many of the Hilary supporters felt was shown her by the DNC and the Obama campaign, she offers an alternative choice of breaking the glass ceiling although her pro-life stance will hurt her with women. She ran on an anti-corruption platform and has done much to clean up the way the government runs in Alaska as well as appointing Democrats and Independents to her administration which will play well people who people fed up with the way Washington is run. She has tackled government waste and even got rid of the Governor's jet. She is conservative, more than John McCain, and is an avid hunter and is a pro-choice candidate, as stated earlier, which will go a long way in securing the base. She was an athlete, a working mom and very attractive which cannot hurt.

The negatives of this pick are few in my estimation and each have a positive spin in comparison. She has little experience in politics being only the Governor for only 2 years as compared to Obama who has been in the Senate for 3 ½ years (half of that has been spent campaigning) and Biden who has been there forever. Although limited, it is Executive experience which none of the other candidates can boast as well as the experience is outside of Washington and when the theme of campaigning this year is change, her experience has value. Her lack of foreign policy experience somewhat moots the McCain emphasis of Obama's inexperience. Another problem might be the recent revelation that her teenage daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. In a party that champions moral values her opponents will be attempt to spin this bad but that may backfire. Her daughter is not running for office and to challenge Palin's parenting because she works and her daughter got into a bit of trouble will play poorly with working women as well as parents of teenagers who almost all know is challenging. Finally, the incident with the Director of Public Safety's firing is a potential problem but we will have to see how it plays out.

Barrack Obama chose a running mate to strengthen his weaknesses while John McCain chose a running mate that secures his base with appeal to voters in demographics he needed help. Both made their ticket stronger. The way I see it, Palin is exactly what this country needs and is what both candidates are claiming they want to do for the country. I think the more we learn about her the more people will endure her qualities but it is up to how the media will spin her values. Clean up government and make it work for the people like it is supposed to not for the politician. Biden emphasizes the status quo of federal government politics, not change. In addition, Biden acts as an admission of Obama's lack of experience on foreign affairs. The Dems ticket is upside down, with experience on the bottom of the ticket.

NOW, let the race begin.