McCain picks Palin

[altariel]

No, not Michael, although surely that would have been a sure-fire winner. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska.

Thorts, o my flisters? Has this swung it for McCain? I have to say when I read the story, I thought, "You crafty bastards."

(Ladbrokes were offering 100:1 on this last night. Bugger.)

Comments

[brendan-moody.livejournal.com]

As a choice that defies conventional wisdom, this will probably be seen as significant to McCain's victory if he wins or his loss if he loses, even if the actual evidence suggests otherwise. That being said, I think it's the first move by either candidate that at least has the potential to change the dynamic of the campaign.

It's going to be hard for Democrats to criticize Palin for lack of experience given Obama's own record. It's going to be hard for them to criticize Palin at all without running the risk of doing it on terms that will reawaken barely buried resentment among the Clinton supporters at whom her choice is obviously targeted. And she's conservative enough that she probably won't rile the Republican base.

On the other hand, there's a real chance that Palin will prove not to be ready for prime time. Obama may not have years of national experience, but he's clearly a talented politician who isn't more prime to saying stupid things than any other recent leader, while Palin (though photogenic) could easily fail to impress on the national scale. And her record, while conservative enough to annoy liberals, has a few blemishes from an American ultra-right perspective.

...So all this boils down to "I don't know." I was uncertain about the outcome of this election before, and I still am now.