The race to win to the White House in November has officially begun with the Republican Party taking hard shots at senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden at last week's Republican National Convention in St. Paul Minnesota. The party's newest weapon is Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin.
Prior to McCain making an 11th-hour move to make hockey mom Palin his veep choice, the Republican Party was dead on arrival. Delegates were going through the motions scratching their heads asking if they even liked this guy McCain since he was not a traditional good "fit." Palin solved the puzzle for McCain - in one evening the Caribou hunter, pro-life anti-abortion at all costs governor shored up the conservative base of the party to do battle in probably what will go down as one of the toughest and most acidic campaigns in American history.
With the excitement and rejuvenation by Republicans by having the first woman Republican vice presidential candidate, it seems for the moment that an election victory does not rest with presidential candidate McCain, but Sarah Palin. Historians may be wrong this time believing that presidential candidates and not their running mates win elections. These same historians also probably never thought a first black presidential nominee of a major party was possible either.
Republicans have learned the hand that rocks the best personality is the hand that will rule the world. And for the low information American voter, Palin appears to have the personality that might just do it! She is courageous, a risk-taker, speaks well, witty, a modern day mom and a hot chick. She is better than a reality TV show. She is the real deal with family social problems so many Americans face. Her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant and her family is a part of America's social ills - a rise in teen pregnancy. Palin has a baby with Down's syndrome, and is a mom in America who has to see her son off to Iraq.
Republicans are gambling on the outcome of the current investigation into Palin. She allegedly sacked her state's police commissioner for not firing her sister's abusive state trooper ex-husband. That won't mean much to Americans because many have experienced spousal abuse and probably wish they had the power to get rid of someone who caused family member harm. Republicans might be right on this one too. The average voter may not make the connection with Palin abusing her power as governor versus avenging the abuse against her sister.
Democrats are trying to shoot back arguing Republicans have flip-flopped when it comes to the value of experience and the presidency. Once charging Sen. Obama lacked the experience to be president, Republicans feel Palin's heart beat away from the presidency is not the same as Obama's lack of experience for leading America. Republicans know they flip-flop with key messages to cover up the obvious fact that she is way less qualified then former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Sen. Joe Lieberman. Democrats, Republicans don't care. It is about winning.
Enrolled into an aggressive on-the-job training program, Palin along with her intelligence briefings will get daily cram session lessons in geography, history and political economies around the globe. Palin is probably learning how to pronounce the names of world leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dmitry Medvedev, or Kim Yong-Il. There is no doubt she will learn. She is smart. But how will this translate from a talking point and flip comment to really knowing how and what to do when it comes to dealing with America's enemies and the re-emergence of a neo-Cold War with Russia?
Republicans have a great opportunity in putting Palin out front as the average working gal who can connect. In as much as Palin has the persona to make that connection, the party is still not talking about the economy, the huge US deficit, how to fix the high unemployment rate and the housing crisis men and women who work hard for their money are suffering from.
Palin is the Obama for Republicans and McCain's Second Coming to save disaffected Republican souls and independents from liberal hell. Democrats' Obama and Biden have to play it cool and not hit Palin too hard or else they will be called bullies. Who can rescue Obama from the Palin personality offensive? Former opponent-turned supporter Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton can! She is the owner of the 18-million cracks and leader of the woman vote. Clinton has substance and influence. She can help Obama dim Palin's star. With only eight weeks left in the campaign, the question is when is she going to do it?
- Yvonne R. Davis is a freelance writer based in Connecticut, US.
