Alaskan Earthquake

On March 27, 1964, the most powerful earthquake in modern North American history hit 75 miles east of Anchorage Alaska.

Today, August 29, 2008, a second Alaskan event hit the 2008 Presidential campaign: Governor Sarah Palin was announced as John McCain's VP pick. Is that street Barack Obama's presidential hopes?

Ok, perhaps a cheap analogy, but the biggest thing this unexpected bombshell announcement did is send the mainstream media scrounging for background information on Governor Palin, as opposed to continuous fawning praise for Obama's rock concert and acceptance speech last night. Obama's speech is now ancient history. Palin in the media's new hot property.

Wow. Just Wow. Who knew the "old man" had it in him to gamble like this.

It's certain that the media and Democrat pundits will try to paint this as a desperate move to reach out to disgruntled Hillary supporters. But this is much more. This is a way to keep the more moderate McCain as the standard bearer for the party while energizing the base that elected George Bush in the last two elections.

Everyone, Republican hierarchy included, was surprised by this move. The media were stunned and the Democrats were so speechless that their initial response was unseemly and bitter. It was quickly replaced as it became clear that this was not consistent with the theme of "hope and change."

What was the initial Obama campaign response? You won't believe it.

“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same,” said Bill Burton, Obama Campaign Spokesman.

AS the Brits say, "bad form, old chap." A second "kinder and gentler" response was posted an hour or so later, and survives on the Obama website, but the damage had been done. Several pro-Hillary websites have been working and hoping that Hillary would get on the Dem ticket. When she was passed over for longtime Senator Joe Biden, they vowed to back McCain or perhaps stay home in November. Now, under the banner of PUMA (Party Unity My A**), they are strongly behind the McCain ticket, having a "filly" in the race. To quote one of the websites with the most "web hits", "Uppity Woman":

You blew it Barky. Iron our shirts.

(Barky is a term many Obama opponents use because of his clipped diction when he is in "attack mode")

What kind of impact will this have on the race? Isn't this a risky choice for McCain?

Yes, it is. I encourage you to read some articles on Governor Palin here, here, here, here, and here. Be patient with that last one...they crashed the Alaska website today! She will bring some controversy to the dance, so to speak. But she also brings some fire into the campaign. McCain seems unconcerned that she will carry some of the attention for a while. He's been there quite a lot. It shows that he cares about uniting his base; it's uncertain from the polling data if Obama's choice of Biden did much for the Democrats. It also shows that he is willing to take risks. He had drawn the race to even in the last few weeks; some polls even showed him with a slight lead.

Obama had withdrawn some advertising from some key states right before the convention, essentially conceding those states. This will also allow McCain to concentrate more on the states he feels he needs to either secure, or turn from blue to red, in order to be elected. But it does something else.

With conservatives, some of whom had grumbled about McCain's nomination, talking about staying home, they are suddenly enervated about the selection of a pro-life, hunting, fishing, and oil drilling Governor Palin. She is also young enough to have a bright future in the Republican party, after McCain's 2nd term...or even after only his first, should he choose to only serve one term. Wouldn't a race between Vice President Palin and Hillary Clinton be delicious?

Finally, it's also the kind of choice that will open some wallets for the ticket. This will have a short term benefit since McCain will not be able to spend any more of his donated money once the Republican convention is over, since he has chosen to accept public financing for his campaign. But what is MOST important for McCain is that all those volunteers who helped elect Bush but were going to "sit this one out" now will get behind this ticket.

And studies have shown that volunteers are much more effective than paid workers.

McCain's military leadership may have shown through here. One of the ways you get to be a top officer is by recognizing leadership skills in others and promoting them. We will see if the former Navy aviator has picked a rising star or gambled it all on a not-ready-for-prime-time governor...

I'm betting the former POW knows what he is doing...

Coach