The pick of governor Palin for McCain's VP slot tells us something about Senator McCain and the Republican Machine that is now running the campaign.
Alaska Governor Palin is a political lightweight that is appealing to the conservative base and pro-life Reagan Democrats. But her youth and inexperience will force more people to think the unthinkable about the McCain ticket:
"Is she ready on Day 2 if McCain doesn't make it past Day 1?"
She'll certainly help McCain in certain demographics, and will most definitely hurt him in others. In terms of help -- she'll grab votes from pro-life woman Democrats and independents. Surely, this must be a substantial voting block or she wouldn't have been picked. So, this should be examined more closely. In terms of hurt -- she delivers a one-two punch on two issues that are core to McCain's campaign:
- Her lack of experience age brings McCain's age back into clear focus
- Because he clearly couldn't know her well, it's obvious that the Republican Machine has picked this veep for him.
It is clear to me that this was not his choice -- it was the choice the Republican Machine. The Rove-powered machine forced McCain to make a pragmatic choice vs. that of personal choice.. Knowing John McCain, that can't be the best thing for his mojo.
Plus, it tells me a lot about who's really in charge -- the Republican Machine, not John McCain. To this end, it shows me how weak he is as a leader, and how he's already becoming a puppet of the same strong Republican Machine that helped wreck George W. Bush's presidency.
The dialog needs to be set that this is no longer about Obama v. McCain. It's Barack Obama and the Democrats against a destructive, out-of-control, radical Republican Machine that has hijacked McCain's campaign and candidacy.
This, in my mind, helps explain why so many people find McCain to be a 'good guy' while everything his campaign does reeks of the awful Rove-powered politics of the 2000 and 2004 elections.
Make no mistake - John McCain is no longer in charge of his candidacy. This means his presidency will look more like Bush's than most of us could imagine.