Sarah: McCain's Best V-P Choice

You will read things here that the national media will start covering next month. On my Hillary Supporters site and on my PA site, I talk about a national group of Hillary supporters who are targeting for defeat "SuperDelegates" who gave Sen. Clinton the shaft (voting for Obama against the wishes of their constituents. Such individuals include John Kerry of MA and Jay Rockefeller of WV, among many others.

Can't go to bed tonight (Monday) without asking you to check out my Hillary Supporters for McCain site. It contains information about the most amazing political movement I've sene in my lifetime: Hillary Supporters who "mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore." Fascinating . . . I will be on Sirius Radio from NY at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday.

On my Pennsylvania blog I've received an important request from Tom Manion, Republican congressional candidate in PA's 8th district. It deals with an important online poll. Manion, a 30-year Marine Corps veteran, lost his son Travis in the Iraq War. Please visit the site for information. http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com



Sarah Palin on steps of state capital in Juneau, shortly after she signed Alaska's Omnibus Crime Bill. Legislators are admiring Sarah's baby son, Trig, who's swaddled in blanket. Trig is her fifth child. The family's press release after the birth began, "God has blessed us . . . " God has a tendency to do just that.

"Sarah Palin is Mt. Rushmore material."

I proclaimed to the world yesterday that prominent national security writer Jack Kelly (who writes for major newspapers in Pennsylvania and Ohio) has strongly endorsed Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska for the GOP ticket. Kelly is an unusual combination - a former Marine, a former Special Forces soldier and a former candidate for Congress (he lost, alas).

In his column, Jack Kelly says "most [presidential candidates] will settle for a veep who isn't a drag on the ticket, as Dan Quayle was for the first President Bush." He might have added, "Or, as Dick Cheney apparently was on the second President Bush."

Kelly adds, "The potential [McCain] running mates most often discussed have downsides nearly as great as their upsides."

He adds, "Gov. Tim Pawlenty helps only in Minnesota, and not enough, according to current polls, to make a difference there. Mr. McCain's friend, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, would bring in some moderate Democrats but could further antagonize conservatives already suspicious of Mr. McCain.

"Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts would have little appeal to working-class whites unhappy with Sen. Barack Obama, and evangelicals fret about that Mormon thing. A Mike Huckabee nomination would irritate economic . . . conservatives as much as it would please evangelicals. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a rising star. But he's only 36, and he's been governor for less than a year."

The men - key word - Kelly mentions are all people of talent. One of them (Jindal?) may end up as President someday. But the columnist is right about their downsides.

According to pundit lore, Pawlenty could help McCain win the "battleground" (sorta) state of Minnesota. However, he won re-election there by only 21,000 votes out of 2.3 million cast. He was lucky to carry Minnesota himself. Bulletin to John McCain: you aren't going to carry Minnesota with or without Pawlenty.

Mitt's Romney's problem is that he strikes many people as inauthentic. They don't believe his latter-day conversion to pro-life and anti-illegals views. They see him as ambitious to a fault. Also, in the primaries, he seemed to win only states either dominated by Mormons (Utah) or characterized by the fact Mitt Romney grew up there (Michigan).

Bobby Jindal is a mixture of ability and oddness. A few months ago he was interviewed on CNN, and the questioner couldn't get him to say whether he endorsed John McCain . . . or Barack Obama. With Jindal around, McCain might need a food taster.

As Kelly implies, Joe Lieberman - a fine man and a patriot - would be an awful choice. He came close to losing his seat in Connecticut. Most Democrats despise him, and most Republicans would rather see almost anyone else on the ticket.

Mike Huckabee is a candidate whose campaign was almost as tenacious as Hillary Clinton's He's chronically underestimated by the national media. However, it's hard to see what he could bring to the ticket that Sarah Palin can't. He attracted evangelicals -- and basically no on else.

She's just as "Christian" as Mike, but has less of a tendency to wear it on her sleeve. Also, she has pro-life credentials (having opted to give birth to a Down Syndrome child) that no other politician can match.

What works against Sarah is tradition - specifically, the Republican tradition of making very bad choices for Vice President. Barry Goldwater chose William Miller, an obscure (and deservedly so) Congressman from Lockport, New York. Nixon chose Spiro Agnew specifically to help him carry Maryland - which didn't happen - but lack of popularity turned out to be the least of Agnew's faults.

George H. W. Bush famously chose Quayle, who struck most people as a simpleton. Bob Dole chose Jack Kempt, but the wretched Republican campaign could have been won if Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were on the ticket.

George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney, supposedly a "solid" pick. In fact, Cheney - holed up mainly in his "undisclosed location" (the Bat Cave?), turned out to be the Darth Vader of contemporary politics.

The only "problem" with Sarah Palin is that she's such an obvious choice. As my friend in Boston puts it, she's a no-brainer. Some people invent shortcomings, such as the fact that she's beautiful and was - and is - a great athlete, the kind of person who runs - and finishes - marathons.
In my previous column I listed the groups for whom Sarah has great appeal: young people, military families, working mothers, women professionals, pro-lifers, hunters, working-class voters (her husband being one), fitness and health advocates, and ethics-in-government people. I didn't add Alaskans, where Sarah's approval ratings hover around 90%.

She's also a ferocious campaigner. In her race for Governor, she first unseated the incumbent Republican, Frank Murkowski. Then, she in the general, she beat a popular former Governor (and Democrat) Tony Knowles. That was in 2006, which was generally a very bad year for Republicans.

If John McCain doesn't choose Sarah Palin, he might have to plead temporary insanity. As I've said, "Sarah Palin is no ordinary mortal." I've also said that she's "Mt. Rushmore material." I certainly hope John McCain takes the first step in proving me right.

Link to Jack Kelly's column: http://post-gazette.com/forum

JOHN EDWARDS: IN BEAUTY PARLOR

"Congress is spending money faster than John Edwards in the beauty parlor." (Mike Huckabee)

"His detractors called him 'The Breck Girl.'" (From MSNBC)

Note: An addition to this column, about Sarah Palin, is at the end.

When John Edwards was on "The Letterman Show" recently, the host messed up his hair. Edwards flashed his usual "Crest Toothpaste" smile, but he was obviously not pleased by Letterman's actions.

Because of his $400 coif in California, Edwards, the "poverty candidate," will forevermore be known as The Haircut Man. How many poor people would $400 have fed? How many doctors' visits would it have paid for? Obviously, Edwards is not a man with a strong sense of irony.

Edwards was a very successful trial lawyer. In that role, he apparently took his full cut of the settlement money, approximately 40% (plus expenses). His personal fortune is estimated at a comfortable $20 million.

Last summer, after Edwards found out that his wife Elizabeth had terminal breast cancer, he announced that he would continue the campaign. He made the announcement at his new home in beautiful Chapel Hill, NC. The home is reportedly 28,000 square feet, big enough to contain a standard-sized basketball court.

Nearly a century ago the sociologist Thorsten Veblen talked about the "sheer vulgar fatness of great wealth." Thorsten Veblen, meet John and Elizabeth Edwards. A 28,000 square foot home is big enough to house most of the very poor people in a small city.

Edwards' explanation for the hair cut and the house is that his father was a "mill worker." Actually, for the time and place his dad had a decent job. Presumably, he had no aspirations to build a Vanderbilt-sized mansion. How many poor people would have benefited from the $5 million-plus he spent on the house?

The best way to give immediate assistance to the poor is not to run for President and make the case for a vast redistribution of wealth. Some like Bill Gates has done more to benefit people of low and modest incomes than John Edwards could do if he were elected President-for-life.

Nathaniel Hawthorne once said, "No one can plumb the mysteries of a human heart." That said, my own belief is that Edwards used his wife's illness for political purposes. Apparently, he gained more than his share of sympathy votes. He should be ashamed, and so should his wife.

The "game" they played is one highlighted in the book Games People Play. It's called the wooden-leg ploy. In it, people use a disability or illness to elicit more sympathy than they deserve.

Do I believe John Edwards truly cares about poor people? I don't. If he did, he'd spend less money on himself and more on them. Perhaps he might have started a business that would employ hundreds -- or thousands -- of poor people. If he truly wanted to assist the poor, he might have stuffed every Salvation Army kettle in North Carolina.

Yes, I'm angry at John and Elizabeth Edwards, because they reek of insincerity and demagoguery. They are not as stupid as they sound. They must be aware that the greatest poverty reduction force in history is the private enterprise economy in the U.S.

Don't look for John Edwards and wife to spend the rest of their days among poor people -- in a soup kitchen, for example. When you experience a setback, it's always nice to be able to return to a 28,000 square foot house. And don't look for him to start going to the neighborhood barber shop.

Lest there be any doubt, I'm sorry Elizabeth has cancer. I'm also sorry she has to spend the rest of her days with him.

_____________________

Here's an e-mail I just sent to some fellow strategists in the Draft Sarah Palin Movement:

For Sarah Palin to endorse Huckabee for President would be a major mistake. I wrote about matters vice-presidential last night and Huck would be the wrong choice for John McCain. He would also be the wrong choice for Sarah to endorse. However, if there's ever to be a remake of "Mayberry, RFD," I'd recommend Mike for a leading role.

McCain and Palin would both have very strong support from veterans and their families, groups that have never been targeted nearly as effectively as they could be. There are 26 million veterans in the U.S Sarah is not from a military family, but with Track in the infantry she is now a powerful link to military families.

I wish McCain would do some "maverick" things in naming a vice-president. Specifically, I hope he will say that this person shows many signs of not only being a great V-P but also an outstanding President. He must not accept in any sense that she is a "rookie." She is a national power and a remarkable elected official.

We all know the political "games people play," but I sure hope McCain stops playing them. His major strength is authenticity and straight talk -- one of the reasons he appeals to Independents and Democrats.

By the way, if McCain doesn't name Sarah or Mike, he might go with Charlie Crist, who is one helluva campaigner. McCain will not follow Rudy's suggest to "campaign in all 50 states." But I certainly hope he will compete in 40-42. The pure red state fixation is a razor's edge approach. McCain will be the nominee. The choice probably will be between Clinton and McCain.


Here's a piece of the article from the Fairbanks News-Miner on Gov. Palin's current thinking:

"Palin not quite ready to back candidate"
January 30, 2008

Gov. Sarah Palin said Tuesday she wasn’t ready to back any candidate for president but had narrowed it down to two — fellow Republicans Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Palin said she was trying to find time off the state clock to study where the two candidates stood on national security, resource development, and a natural gas pipeline, and had calls in to both campaigns.

“I would ideally love to speak with them personally on their positions on resources and national security,” she said....

Palin laughed at the idea that her endorsement mattered at the national level.

___________

A friend of mine and I were discussing various vice-presidential options for Senator John McCain. We mentioned two possibilities: Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida. Here's what I said in regard to Sarah Heath Palin of Alaska:

I'm going to write more about this subject on my blog. McCain must position the Party for the future, and another Midwestern white guy is not the ticket at this point in history. As Rudy Giuliani said in his endorsement of McCain, we must reach out to all groups -- including women professionals -- to win national elections. Sarah Palin is the perfect VP candidate: wife, mother, and parent of a U.S. soldier, dynamic communicator, conservative, pro-life, and a permanent member of the NRA.

One reason McCain won FL was the endorsement of Mel Martinez and three Cuban-American congressional reps (all of them up there with him last night). McCain needs to get 40% (a stretch maybe) of the Hispanic vote in the general. Sarah Palin will play very well in the Hispanic communities, especially with women.