Palin explained as the compromise between (1) win the moderate independents and (2) excite the base

[Stop Cornyn]

The Repub party only knows two strategies: (1) win the moderate independents and (2) excite the base.

McCain is fundamentally a "win the moderate independents" candidate because his own base can barely stand him. This is the theme at the heart of the "McCain's a maverick and Obama's the most liberal Muslim on the planet" Repub attack plan.

Notwithstanding McCain's hope to win the moderate independents, Obama is (and even before the Palin selection, was) winning among moderates and independents.

The RNC (and Karl Rove) prefer an "excite the base" strategy because it helps the whole ticket. This excite-the-base strategy yields results in races from school boards to state legislatures to Congress to the top the ticket.

Before selecting Palin, McCain was running (and losing) a win-moderate-independents campaign. McCain wanted to pick Lieberman or Ridge as his running-mate to further this win-moderate-independents campaign.

The RNC stepped in and told McCain "you can't lose the independents -- which you are losing -- and also lose the base because that will result in a hardcore political meltdown for the party at every level and in every state." Palin was offered as a way for McCain to keep his "maverick" theme alive while also exciting the base. She is perhaps the ONLY potential Repub VP candidate who offered this balance (just try to name one other Repub VP candidate who would have been exciting to the base and also would have allowed McCain to carry forward with his doomed "maverick" quest to win moderate independent votes -- there isn't one).

From McCain's perspective, Palin was a "Hail Mary" long-shot option to try and keep his campaign alive.

From the RNC's perspective, Palin was a "throw McCain under the bus to save our asses down-ballot" strategy.

I once thought that Palin was a Harriet-Myers-style bait and switch (when faced with pressure to select a female, pick a grossly unqualified female and let the media tear her down and then replace her with a male and blame the media for ruining your efforts to pick a female). If this had been the tactic, then the switch would have been deployed by now. It is now too late to replace Palin (voting has already begun in some places).

In summary: Palin is a product of the RNC's decision that McCain couldn't win anyway so they might as well pick a VP candidate who will help "restore the Repub brand" and excite the base so as to mitigate the down-ballot shipwreck that was developing.

Anyone agree?

[anonymous171]

1. I agree. That's why we need to keep on mentioning how extreme Palin is.

They are currently trying to recast her as a moderate, or at least turn her into a "First Lady" VP (education, health care, disease cure.) We must not let them do that.

[Vincardog]

2. The VP candidate who would have been exciting to the base and also would have allowed

McCain to carry forward with his doomed "maverick" quest her initials are HRC

[Support the ACLU]

5. LOL!

[WeDidIt]

3. I think the "Excite the base" strategy is also losing

Yeah, they excited the theocon wing of their base, but those idiots are on board no matter what.

Now they're losing the fiscal conservative base big time as the fiscal conservatives are now in open revolt mocking Palin.

So in order to excite the theocon base, they've dstroyed at least half of it.

[GreenTea]

4. Just watch as the republicans are always three steps ahead of the Deomocrats

Because they know they can lie....Look at these two pitiful candidates the republicans are stuck with, yet they are making a race out of it....legitimizing both their ridiculous unqualified candidates, just as the did with Bush (twice) keep it close than steal it....do whatever it takes in the background....look at the republicans plan....

The republicans want Palin to hold on to that 25 million hardcore christian voting block to be fired up as they were for Bush they want them to come out to vote, which Palin will help do... one can easily see how the republicans are getting another stupid Bush robot/puppet exactly what they want to so they can control things from behind the scenes, use Palin, a willing idiot, but a personable made up image, a puppet, like Bush, and making Palin into something she's not....The republicans fill their media talking heads with bullshit talking points, sure they are ALL bullshit points but they are effective for the tens of millions who don't pay attention to politics and get their info in 30 second sound bites as the republicans are well aware of, the slogans quick lies hit the mark for the same tens of millions who need & want that excuse that she is indeed qualified....how do you argue with a moron who will repeat they Palin was in charge of the National Guard in a "time of war" you'll go in circles...

But now the republican will have a women in the future, to fight the Hillary's and whomever....the republicans are three steps ahead....the republicans for future use, will make this bubblehead Palin creditable to the very gullible ignorant public as well as the media, who is always willing to jump on board for ratings.

Again the republicans are always three steps ahead of the stupid Dems....this race should never be this close....the republicans know how to control what the day's talking points will be, throwing up smokescreens, putting images in peoples heads, short burst of three or four word slogans....throw out issues like bailout...control debate....all keeping their candidate close while purging democrats off voting rolls in state after state - finally with everything in place steal the election with their electronic voting machines early in the morning....the republicans have huge staffs covering every detail....they can't always control every detail....but they lie & smear, then distort any exposing fact with bullshit....this is an art form if you will....but in order for it to work you have to be three steps ahead of your opponent and be able to anticipate and fill the situation full of smoke while you attack with slime from the rear....the republican are experts these greedy fucks were born to deceive and defraud because they can do it with such joy and hate!

Democrats don't want to believe this, they will ignore it, make fun of it hide their heads in the sand, scream at it and then trash it with pontificating they believe clever however infantile little rebuttals....because the truth means they have no power, they are insignificant pawns and that scares them more than anything....fucks up their faith in the system, in voting and who they are or aren't.

We can't beat the greedy selfish republicans when money is up for grabs, money is the republicans lust, their god their greed is insatiable, nothing better stand in their way or they will destroy it with lies smears, distorting cheating even killing to get what they want....And sadly, money and the evil greedy ALWAYS wins out!

Just look at the mess we are in and heading into.

[AllentownJake]

6. This would work if Palin

could actually survive an interview with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. I think Bush is actually intelligent but intellectually lazy. Bush was trainable because he despite how much we hate him has something upstairs despite how intellectually lazy he is. This GOPer is stupid and you can't cure stupid. She can't be trained. There is a reason she went to 5 colleges in 6 years.

[GreenTea]

8. Palin is not stupid, she's a bubblehead, not really concerned with the hard work of politics

and international affairs....for the first six years we said the same about Bush and it was true, Bush was/is an idiot...as is Palin now....She is not dumb, she needs to be republican groomed. Palin just never gave a shit about the ins and outs of politics she was in her own world of money, gossip, power. being on top, a beauty queen - As was Bush, fucking up companies, wanted to be baseball commissioner, a partying animal frat boy, with lots of daddy's money and connections....

Palin is making a fool of her self right now and the republicans are doing just like they did with Bush shielding her, keeping her away from the media as much as possible....How many books are out on all of Bush's stupid sayings and fuck ups when he was left unprotected from the media....Volumes!!

The republicans have big plans for Palin in the future, and now they can add vice presidential candidate to her bullshit resume when they need her to go against Hillary or anyone else, the republicans like her because she is just like them they could have a cup of coffee and gossip with....just like they could have a beer with Bush....Your speaking from a partisan intelligent democratic point of view and are NOT seeing the reality of how the republicans manufacture these candidate robots that keep them close enough to steal elections and then control the content to the media and public once they are in office.

I mean look at the clowns/robots the republican prefer to feed the public ...all image and controlled by the neocons in the background, phony cowboy Bush & Reagan, handsome young idiots VP's Quayle & beauty queen Palin...The idiot morons who can't find their own teeth, McCain & Reagan, again...The republicans know they can sell their ideology and agenda with packaging and image if they control it all from behind the scenes.

Putting all the blame on the democrats, because the public will want to believe in the little republican robot they've been fed and stupidly believed....The republicans always three steps ahead of the Dems....They have to be or they wouldn't be around, their whole philosophy, agenda a& ideology is all just corporate greedy and stealing money for the rich....and they put enough of those robots up there to keep it going for decades....Lies & image works with the star struck guiliable ignorant American people.

[AllentownJake]

9. Totally disagree

Palin is stupid. What can work in Alaska with a media market and talent pool that reaches less than 670,000 people (smaller than the two counties in PA I live in which don't even have their own network TV station and 20 US cities) does not work nationally. She has been isolated from mainland politics her entire life. She's not trainable. She got to be a Republican Govenor in a Republican state by luck and some ameuteur political moving. Her moves in Alaska were so rudamentry your avg Chicago alderman could out think her.

Bush got media experience at the feet of his father and as Govenor of TX. He learned how to run for office and how to play the media. He isn't a dumb man just an apathetic intellectually lazy man. Not to talk him up but he is smarter than Palin.

The GOP should be looking for the next something not the next Bush. You can't keep going with the same formula with small variations and expect to win. Eventually your opponent figures you out.

Bill Clinton came from governing a smaller state but he was also a Rhode Scholar and a Yale Law Grad. He also was active in national DNC politics and considered a potential Presidential Candidate 4 years before he ran. His experience on McGovern's campaign in TX also helped him in his learning on how to and not do things.

Obama cut his teeth in the 3rd largest media market in the country. He knows how to work the media.

Palin is a 13 year old little leaguer playing ball at Yankee's Stadium.

[GreenTea]

10. Well then you're whole philosophy is out the window if the republicans steal it again....

and they will....And these two hucksters will be selling for the neocon corporations & rich....and if and when old MCCain bites the dust, we'll have another Bush type puppet (Palin) running against Hillary or whomever.

Remember, the whole reason for these puppets like McCain & Palin is to preserve the republican status quo....keep intact items like the republican written HAVA of 2002 crafted so the republicans can indefinitely steal elections as needed...destroying the new deal, social security which the neocons despise, keep America at war for profit & power and destroying unions and social programs so to keep the workers as peasants, slave wages.

Any republican brilliant mind can to that....but what the republicans know you need a spokesman, a puppet, a huckster, someone too full of themselves to rock the boat...who can get by on ah sucks, I fucked up again....sorry!

Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and the rest will help keep the 40% who always vote republican in the dark, it's the Dem's fault lies for the republicans to steal it again.

You make the mistake thinking the republicans want or need a brilliant leader....the republican found that with a senile old Reagan and controlling the cowboy's image, they can get a lot further along with no back talk from an image....Proof being look where we are today and the image they choose to throw at us instead of going for substance....What you won't concede is they know they can steal it and then control it with the real neocon & corporate power that runs the world.

[AllentownJake]

11. I swear some democrats can't deal with good news and be happy for a day

If you feel that way what are you doing to stop it? Are you at the Obama office registering voters.

[LaPera]

7. But Obama will somehow win and that will change everything.