Quote:
Originally Posted by Arles
Yep, McCain hit the jackpot with Palin. With one choice, he made his candidacy more attractive to independent/moderate women, shored up the conservative base and added a jolt of electricity to the ticket right before the convention.
Had McCain named Romney, Liebermann, Pawlenty, Huckabee or Ridge, most republicans would be feeling defeatist going into next week's convention after Obama's very good performance Thursday night. Now, Obama's speech is a distant memory and everyone is excited about seeing this new ticket on parade next week.
Now, does this mean McCain wins? I don't know, I still see it as a bit of a longshot given the political climate. Still, the process has suddenly become very interesting for conservatives - something I didn't think would be possible just weeks ago.
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By all acounts, Palin is far more conservative than McCain, so I'm not sure how attractive she is going to be to independent/moderate voters. I think she will substantially help to rally the base, but her views on creationism, abortion, and (I think the charge she is going to be attacked on most, aside from inexperience) cronyism will stand out to voters once the initial "wow" factor subsides.