Sarah Palin home run

Now that it has been a week since the RNC, I think it is safe to really begin commenting on the Sarah Palin effect. I think McCain hit a home run on this one. Time will tell whether it will be enough, or even that Palin will make a difference either way. Suffice it to say in the short term though, Palin has completely changed the entire landscape.

1. Energizing the base. Palin's selection energized the Republican base that was previously lukewarm to McCain. Her staunchly conservative outlook solidified McCain's outreach to the conservative constituency.
2. Women's vote. Palin's selection will get more women to vote for McCain. Yes it is true that her views do not mesh with the modern feminist, but there will be some women who will vote for the ticket just because she is a woman. Similar to how some black people will vote for Obama simply because he is black even if they don't agree with his policies. McCain is now truly progressive for bringing in a woman as his running mate. I had thought he might do this with Carly Fiorina or Meg Whitman, but they didn't have any political experience.
3. Palin is the new media darling. Great way to use the media to your advantage. I personally hate the way the media has been acting (especially since they seem to realize what they are doing) with this election, with the fawning coverage of Obama as compared to Clinton, Edwards, McCain, and even Bush. But now with the selection of Palin she is the new celebrity and gets McCain onto the news whereas before he could barely get any face time. And a bonus, the ridiculous coverage of Palin's pregnant daughter has now made her a sympathetic figure in light of the media witchhunt.
4. Palin's story mirrors Obama's. Which takes away a lot of his advantages. She is newer, fresh faced, with executive experience. And, she is in the VP slot where the lack of experience is not seen as much of a weakness. No matter what anyone says, being a mayor and then a governor is no small task. It is telling that Obama and the Democrats have abandoned that line of attack.
5. Making history. Palin as a VP will make history, just as Obama as President would make history. So either way, it will be a historic election. People previously uncomfortable with the idea of voting against making history now get a choice in how they want to participate in history. This is a great way to court Independents.
6. Palin's history of fighting her own party. As the recasting of the McCain campaign continues from experience to reformer, Palin is perfect for the role with her history of bringing down prominent Republicans in her own state. Do you want change proven in words, or change proven in action?
7. Palin vs Biden. I really think Obama did himself a disservice by selecting Biden. How can he continue to be the change candidate by adding as his VP someone who has been in Washington even longer than McCain? It only adds to the arguments against Obama that he does things that are politically expedient, not for what he believes. Now it will be very interesting to see how the VP debate stacks up given Biden's reputation for being long winded and condescending. He could very easily be viewed as being sexist and elitist compared to Palin. Sexism is already injected into the campaign with the also idiotic reference (initiated by Democrats) that Palin should not have accepted because how would she take care of the children while being a VP.
8. Palin as subterfuge. Despite making the statement earlier that he would not attack Palin, Obama has come out swinging this week. Which is great because now he is focusing on the VP candidate, instead of McCain. Obama needs to stop attacking her because very quickly he will exhaust any good will from the women supporters, not to mention independents. Wasn't he the one claiming that we needed to focus on the policies and not the people? The lack of focus by Obama can only be a good thing for McCain.
9. Neutralization of Clinton on the campaign trail. Hillary has come out on record saying she would not attack Sarah Palin. Do you think that would have happened if McCain had picked Romney or Ridge or Pawlenty? She can't pick a fight against Palin because she would lose in a popularity battle, and the Democrats would lose too. Clinton wouldn't do it anyways because it would destroy her own place in history as a trailblazing woman. She will speak to women's groups (along with other prominent Democrat women), but I personally think those groups will see through it and wonder why Obama is not there himself. Hillary being limited to only talking about McCain really neuters her effectiveness because its akin to Biden talking about McCain. She is too alike to be able to make compelling points.

It remains to be seen how Palin will hold up once she starts becoming unscripted. Will she be able to come across as sincere and not make mistakes? Will her past transgressions (if any) catch up to her? Should be interesting. So much for an Obama landslide.