A little bit more about Gov. Palin

I've had a few conversations with some people since it was apparent that Gov. Palin would be McCain's VP nominee.  Some of the main points that have been made...

- This is clearly an attempt to appeal to women who are mad that Hillary did not get the nomination.  No one knows how effective this will be, but there are surely some women out there that really like the idea of a woman being the next in line for president should something happen to the (really old dude) McCain.

- She doesn't have much experience, but she is the only one on either ticket with executive-level political experience.  All of the others have only served in statehouses and\or the Senate.  So it can said (and has been) that she has more experience than any of the folks on the tickets.  Also, her lack of experience and the fact that she is a hunter, mother of five, etc, etc makes her seem like a "normal" American.  She's not rich (I assume - at the very least she's not near as wealthy as the other candidates).  She's not a lifetime politician.  When is the last time we had anyone that we could really relate to as president or vice-president?  This could play in her favor also.

- This pick is very risky for McCain.  Even though the first point above is valid, asking some men to vote for a woman is gonna be a tough sell.  There are a lot of people that don't think women are qualified to handle the stresses of the oval office.

 

As I said earlier, I think it's a pretty good pick for McCain even with the risks.  The strategy here is clear.  With all indications of this being a really close election, she could have a pretty big impact.  Should be interesting...