Tony Perkins, president of the uber-rightwing-god-squad the Family Research Council, said in a public appearance today that McCain's ploy of pulling Sarah the Barrucada from obscurity to VP nominee may not energize the conservative base enough to overcome other problems with McCain ’s candidacy. According to an article from CQ:
"I, for the first time, see the opportunity for him to be successful in his candidacy for president," Perkins told reporters this morning at a breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor. "[But] to think this is a wave the campaign can ride to election-day is not true."
And why is that? Read on:
For one thing, Perkins recognizes that Palin's selection was "purely a political pick." For another, and probably more importantly, Perkins is not convinced that Palin's record as Alaska Governor has been consistent with her purported stances on social issues dear to the heart of FRC and its ilk.
Perkins also said that while he and other evangelical leaders are enthusiastic about Palin’s stance on social issues, he encouraged reporters to comb through her legislative record to see if those beliefs translated into conservative policies.
"Look at her record as governor, that’s what social conservatives are going to be doing," he said. "I don’t think those questions have been answered yet."
Sounds like good advice, both for conservatives and for Democrats who want to raise questions about her in the minds of conservatives.
[More] Perkins also had this to say about the platform adopted by the GOP that Maverick McCain is running on: "It’s the most conservative platform the party has ever had,"