Conservative blogger reaction to Palin pick

[rhombus]

A friend emailed this to me:

The Unfortunate Palin Gamble

Don’t kid yourself…John McCain just put all his chips on the table and rolled the dice.

Over the past many months, McCain’s team had skillfully underscored the natural impressions of Americans – that Barak Obama was the lightweight in the race; the candidate of risk. Now, with a single stroke McCain has undercut his most effective argument. He has weakened his case for wisdom and experience, and elevated a one-term governor of a small-population state based on her gender.

McCain had plenty of safe choices. Choices that would have bolstered Americans’ inherent understanding of McCain’s competency and ability; choices that would have underscored the longstanding notion that whatever gimmick the Democrats try, the Republican Party remains the serious one.

With the electorate evenly split, McCain’s first job was to pick a competent running mate that would not undermine his standing, and would reassure voters that should something happen to the oldest man ever to be nominated for president, a competent, experienced leader, ready to serve as commander-in-chief in a time of war, was waiting in the wings.

The former Miss Congeniality, and hockey mom from “the last frontier” is a bizarre choice.

McCain’s pick today has all the hallmarks of a political gimmick and a hail-Mary pass. While it is likely to excite some conservatives, his choice will refocus the entire campaign away from Obama’s status as a political neophyte and will reshuffle the risk calculus in the favor of the increasingly familiar, and always-eloquent Obama. With Biden on the ticket, Obama has lessened the sense that he poses a serious danger to the electorate. McCain’s selection by contrast is likely to shake voters and cast uncertainty on the wisdom and safety of a McCain presidency.

With competent and proven individuals waiting in the wings such as Governor Mitt Romney, the selection of Sarah Palin is a most unfortunate choice.

John McCain may have just lost the 2008 election…cue the hurricane.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070626/posts


The writing is on the wall. Palin is a Harriet Miers pick by McCain.

[stray cat]

1. As a former independent that is my perspective

[BrklynLiberal]

2. So we do not have to waste any more threads about her...Let the repukes

tear her apart...and we can go back to basking in the glory of the DNC at Denver..

[dana_b]

4. yeah, I should stop replying to them..

but I find it so difficult since I find his choice so absurd. Maybe the mods can combine some of the posts??

[yardwork]

3. A Harriet Miers pick. That's a good observation.

I had thought Clarence Thomas but I think that your comparison is more apt.

[KittyWampus]

7. that means she'll be withdrawn and people will then sigh with relief when Mitt gets the nod?

[Mme. Defarge]

5. Just imagine if McCain had picked

Olympia Snowe?!

[bushisanidiot]

6. They know it's over. They will rah rah rah for a few days.. and then it will hit them.

"Oh God, what did we do?"

[mzmolly]

8. My husband, an eternal pessimist said he just handed us a landslide.

I hope he's right. This is a very eloquent articulation of how I think many Republicans will view this choice.

[doublethink]

9. K&R.

:kick: