As mentioned last week, the choice of a vice president is a good way to judge how a campaign thinks things are going. Therefore, we get some clues from John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running-mate.
First, polls are showing that while the race overall for president is very close, Barack Obama leads generally in the high single-digits among women. Yet his lead is substantially higher with women of color than white women, likely because of the Hillary factor. If the choice of Palin blunts Clinton's deliverance of support in Denver and brings him a few more disaffected white women, then McCain has a shot to win some close states.
Second, he probably feels he does not need to bring the risk of a Mitt Romney. As we stated last week, the former Massachusetts governor has an extravagantly successful track record, but he was a horrible campaigner who Democrats would have had a field day with. Romney also would have overshadowed the sometimes thin-skinned McCain.
Third, while Obama went off-track in his "change" message by picking 35-year Senate veteran Joe Biden as his running-mate, McCain wanted for once and for all to kill the "Bush's third term" attack of Democrats. Palin is a reformer who has angered a lot of the Alaska GOP rank-and-file. McCain, a maverick, felt he had to shore up his reformist credentials. That he did so with someone who is unknown is interesting.
Finally, I can't help but think of Dan Quayle. This might not be fair to Palin, but while Quayle was pretty smart, you could never get over the feeling that he was a lightweight brought in so he would not threaten George H.W. Bush. McCain ran such a risk with Romney. Whether Palin is a lightweight or the rising female GOP star I wondered about last week is questionable. I, nor few others, know her well enough.
That the vice presidential candidates of both parties came from non-battleground states with a combined 6 electoral votes is interesting.
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(Add Palin) After giving it some thought, I have mixed feelings about the pick. I love her record as a reformer. Alaska was a Republican machine, as we've seen with some indictments, until Palin came along and started to tear things down. Yeah, it's a little odd that McCain had to improve on his maverick credentials, but reform is desperately needed in DC. The more the merrier, I guess.
However, the experience issue is going to give pause to some voters. That old adage of being one heartbeat from the presidency will apply to her more than any Veep since George the Elder. I'm confident she can handle the role, as can Biden, but the odds of her playing a major role in running the country by the end of McCain's term are relatively high. The way she handles this is not by constantly trumpeting her being mayor and councilwoman of a small Anchorage suburb, but with day-in-day out competency on the campaign trail. An assured appearance, lack of gaffes and a handle on complex issues will serve her well. If not, she could doom her campaign.
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After a strong speech at Denver's Invesco Field, it'll be interesting to see what bounce Obama gets in the polls. He'll get some, but the Biden VP pick is going to hold him back some. Beware of Friday stories showing a big or small bounce. Wait until Monday, when the major polling firms have been able to sample people for a few days. Then we'll know whether the DNC was a success or not.
Then again, we go straight into the RNC now, which means McCain has a chance for a boost in the polls, too. By Monday, Sept. 8, we could very well be right back where we started.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
McCain Comes Out Ahead in VP Choices
Late Friday night, it appeared that Barack Obama had chosen Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden to be his vice-presidential candidate, and there was word that John McCain had settled on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
If those reports are indeed true, and it will take a while before we really know the GOP choice, then McCain comes out ahead. While the VP candidate has little bearing on whether someone wins a presidential race, it could be significant this year. Recent polls show Obama and McCain neck-and-neck in a wide number of battleground states, including Colorado -- which the Democrats need -- and Virginia -- necessary for Republicans.
It could be that the VP choices only sway only one percent of voters. That could be enough this year.
While I don't have time for in-depth analysis on this post, it looks like the Obama camp has gone the safe route in picking Biden. While he adds nothing, he also costs nothing. Biden only gets his support from university academics and newspaper columnists who consider him an intellectual. It's safe to assume they're wrong. Most regular Americans have only heard his name and will not be impressed.
Obama wisely resisted the temptation to pick Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, probably figuring he's made nice enough with the Clinton camp so that he doesn't need a woman on the ticket. Sebelius, whose claim to fame is blaming President Bush for a deadly outbreak of tornadoes, would have been a disaster.
On the other hand, I think one of the other finalists, Indiana's Evan Bayh, might have helped Obama win the election. Biden will be cast as a moderate, and he's really not. Sebelius would have been cast as a moderate, and she's definitely not. Bayh is the real deal and could have helped in troublesome areas of the country like Ohio and Indiana -- which is slated to go McCain's direction.
As for Romney, the McCain campaign is taking the high-risk, high-reward tack. The primary season wound down last winter with the ex-Salt Lake City Olympics chief as clearly the best choice for president -- albeit in a horrible field -- but without question the worst campaigner (Gee! How can I market myself to people today?).
If McCain gets the Romney who clearly articulates the necessary solutions to our economic problems and reminds Americans of his Midas touch, then he'll be tough to beat. If he gets the smarmy Romney who is too slick by two-thirds, he'll be in trouble.
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I thought when I heard Biden's name come up as the choice that it opened McCain up to choose a a youngish, well-thought-of Republican woman. That person would be ... uh, uh, hmm. The GOP had some great female politicians back in the 1990s, but Elizabeth Dole, as the chief example, turned out to be pretty mediocre once in office.
If those reports are indeed true, and it will take a while before we really know the GOP choice, then McCain comes out ahead. While the VP candidate has little bearing on whether someone wins a presidential race, it could be significant this year. Recent polls show Obama and McCain neck-and-neck in a wide number of battleground states, including Colorado -- which the Democrats need -- and Virginia -- necessary for Republicans.
It could be that the VP choices only sway only one percent of voters. That could be enough this year.
While I don't have time for in-depth analysis on this post, it looks like the Obama camp has gone the safe route in picking Biden. While he adds nothing, he also costs nothing. Biden only gets his support from university academics and newspaper columnists who consider him an intellectual. It's safe to assume they're wrong. Most regular Americans have only heard his name and will not be impressed.
Obama wisely resisted the temptation to pick Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, probably figuring he's made nice enough with the Clinton camp so that he doesn't need a woman on the ticket. Sebelius, whose claim to fame is blaming President Bush for a deadly outbreak of tornadoes, would have been a disaster.
On the other hand, I think one of the other finalists, Indiana's Evan Bayh, might have helped Obama win the election. Biden will be cast as a moderate, and he's really not. Sebelius would have been cast as a moderate, and she's definitely not. Bayh is the real deal and could have helped in troublesome areas of the country like Ohio and Indiana -- which is slated to go McCain's direction.
As for Romney, the McCain campaign is taking the high-risk, high-reward tack. The primary season wound down last winter with the ex-Salt Lake City Olympics chief as clearly the best choice for president -- albeit in a horrible field -- but without question the worst campaigner (Gee! How can I market myself to people today?).
If McCain gets the Romney who clearly articulates the necessary solutions to our economic problems and reminds Americans of his Midas touch, then he'll be tough to beat. If he gets the smarmy Romney who is too slick by two-thirds, he'll be in trouble.
---
I thought when I heard Biden's name come up as the choice that it opened McCain up to choose a a youngish, well-thought-of Republican woman. That person would be ... uh, uh, hmm. The GOP had some great female politicians back in the 1990s, but Elizabeth Dole, as the chief example, turned out to be pretty mediocre once in office.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Russia and Georgia, Olympics, Edwards, Polling
A new cold war between the West and Russia is unlikely despite the battles raging in the Republic of Georgia this week, unless there are some major diplomatic or military gaffes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the last of a dying breed, the old-line Soviet communists who dreamed of world domination. His claim to power is rooted in nationalism, which is powerful in electoral politics and Olympics-style athletics. As popular as Putin is among the "Russkies," his appeal is likely to collapse if he tries to launch a series of military ventures. The Russian people care about their country up to a point but I just don't see them following Putin into war. There are a lot of Russians with powerful fiefdoms that would be disrupted by conflict, and these are the guys with Putin's ear. They'll tell him when it's time to stop.
The biggest question is what the United States and other western nations should do. We know the answer to what they will do. Nothing. Russia has veto power on the U.N. Security Council. The so-called non-aligned nations will vote against any measure condemning Russia in the U.N. General Assembly. The Euro-weenies will not have the will to remove Russia from the G-8 or any similar body of world leadership over fear that Putin will cut off their supply of natural gas.
What should be done? First of all, President Bush should admit that he misjudged Putin when they met early in his first term and he called him someone he could work with. We need to reconfigure our relationship with Russia from naivete to wariness. Bush could go a long way toward paving such a new path for his successor, be it Obama or McCain. We should push the various world bodies on anti-Russia resolutions for, if nothing else, to get countries to consider the problem and declare on which side they stand.
As friendly as the Georgian government has been to us, we cannot and I'm sure will not respond militarily. The U.S. embassy is passing out cash to those who've suffered losses. That's fine. We could embark on a wide program of humanitarian aid.
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Too bad this isn't college football. Georgia would be favored by at least three touchdowns.
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The politics of the 2008 Olympic Games left me cold, with the International Olympic Committee acquiescing to China's unkept promises in the months leading up to the games. More out of disinterest than thoughts of a boycott, I didn't think I'd watch much of the action.
However, a friend set me straight in that the competition and the athletes have nothing to do with all that side stuff. The diver preparing for his twisting and turning drop into a pool of water, the sprinter setting his feet in the blocks and the archer slowing down his breathing and heartbeat before firing his arrow have nothing to do with politics.
I'm glad I heard that. I'm still not watching a whole lot, but more than I thought I would.
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If Websters ever decides to place a dictionary illustration beside the word "gall," it should be an image of John Edwards. That the guy cheated on his wife is bad enough, but to do it while she was recovering from cancer makes him a scumbag.
But that's not the worst of it. That John Edwards chose to run for president, knowing his affair was bound to become public knowledge is stupefying.
---
The narrative of last week was why isn't Obama pulling away from McCain in the presidential campaign polls? The question was legitimate. The narrative this week should be why isn't McCain taking advantage of his opportunity and edging even closer? He appears to be stalling at 2-3 points behind in the popular vote, and is not making any significant gains in the electoral college.
Despite the many problems to date with the Democratic candidate and his campaign, he is still well on track to becoming the next president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the last of a dying breed, the old-line Soviet communists who dreamed of world domination. His claim to power is rooted in nationalism, which is powerful in electoral politics and Olympics-style athletics. As popular as Putin is among the "Russkies," his appeal is likely to collapse if he tries to launch a series of military ventures. The Russian people care about their country up to a point but I just don't see them following Putin into war. There are a lot of Russians with powerful fiefdoms that would be disrupted by conflict, and these are the guys with Putin's ear. They'll tell him when it's time to stop.
The biggest question is what the United States and other western nations should do. We know the answer to what they will do. Nothing. Russia has veto power on the U.N. Security Council. The so-called non-aligned nations will vote against any measure condemning Russia in the U.N. General Assembly. The Euro-weenies will not have the will to remove Russia from the G-8 or any similar body of world leadership over fear that Putin will cut off their supply of natural gas.
What should be done? First of all, President Bush should admit that he misjudged Putin when they met early in his first term and he called him someone he could work with. We need to reconfigure our relationship with Russia from naivete to wariness. Bush could go a long way toward paving such a new path for his successor, be it Obama or McCain. We should push the various world bodies on anti-Russia resolutions for, if nothing else, to get countries to consider the problem and declare on which side they stand.
As friendly as the Georgian government has been to us, we cannot and I'm sure will not respond militarily. The U.S. embassy is passing out cash to those who've suffered losses. That's fine. We could embark on a wide program of humanitarian aid.
---
Too bad this isn't college football. Georgia would be favored by at least three touchdowns.
---
The politics of the 2008 Olympic Games left me cold, with the International Olympic Committee acquiescing to China's unkept promises in the months leading up to the games. More out of disinterest than thoughts of a boycott, I didn't think I'd watch much of the action.
However, a friend set me straight in that the competition and the athletes have nothing to do with all that side stuff. The diver preparing for his twisting and turning drop into a pool of water, the sprinter setting his feet in the blocks and the archer slowing down his breathing and heartbeat before firing his arrow have nothing to do with politics.
I'm glad I heard that. I'm still not watching a whole lot, but more than I thought I would.
---
If Websters ever decides to place a dictionary illustration beside the word "gall," it should be an image of John Edwards. That the guy cheated on his wife is bad enough, but to do it while she was recovering from cancer makes him a scumbag.
But that's not the worst of it. That John Edwards chose to run for president, knowing his affair was bound to become public knowledge is stupefying.
---
The narrative of last week was why isn't Obama pulling away from McCain in the presidential campaign polls? The question was legitimate. The narrative this week should be why isn't McCain taking advantage of his opportunity and edging even closer? He appears to be stalling at 2-3 points behind in the popular vote, and is not making any significant gains in the electoral college.
Despite the many problems to date with the Democratic candidate and his campaign, he is still well on track to becoming the next president.
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