Back to the Future (Part Deuce)

Now that the flux capacitor has cooled and I’ve refueled the DeLorean (great scott that was expensive) we can resume looking at the Palin Phenomenon and how McCain’s vice presidential choice was nothing more than a political stunt.

As we rev up the engine to 88 miles per hour I’ll set the course back even further than last time to see what would happen if Hillary Clinton was chosen as the presidential nominee for the Democratic party.

Now, as you well know, Hillary’s absence from Obama’s ticket has been cited as one of the primary reason for McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin, which is out maneuvered if Obama chooses Hillary to be his VP. On this trip I shall go back and place Hillary in the presidential candidate position giving McCain more to loose if he chooses Palin as his VP.

Instead of focusing on what Palin brings to McCain’s ticket that Hillary trumps, as we did last time, I’ll instead focus on the stance McCain would need to take to oppose Hillary Clinton’s ticket that Palin would not contribute to.

• McCain would need to try and garner the support of the disgruntled Obama supporters by trying to show them McCain is more about change than Hillary. McCain would not have to worry about Hillary choosing Obama has her VP since it would be viewed as too radical and would dissuade more voters than it would bring in. Regardless, Palin is not the person for the job since she’s not a radical reformer (no matter how hard McCain’s camp tries to make her).
• McCain would have to be very careful about sexist remarks towards Hillary, which we’ve seen take a hit on the Obama/Biden ticket. Adding Palin to the mix might help, but would negate any chances of McCain pushing the “not emotionally ready” if Hillary ever brakes down again.
• Hillary’s healthcare revolution would need to be dealt with. McCain needs to push the failure of a socialist healthcare system. Palin has a better idea about health care than McCain, but her record would speak otherwise.

Simply put, McCain would need a strong VP to help him stand against a strong woman like Hillary Clinton. Palin is just not the person for the job when McCain has choices like Mitt Romney.

Besides, Sarah Palin’s political half life seems to be reaching it’s peak even as we speak.

-Doc Brown

Back to the Future (Part 1)

The Palin Phenomenon. It’s something no one could have foreseen, but it seems to have breathed life back in the McCain campaign.

But how much of McCain’s choice was sensation and show and how much of it was actual political prowess?

I, Doctor Emmett Brown, will use the power of my greatest invention, the flux capacitor, to travel back in time and show you how things would be had events unfolded differently.

The first question at hand: Does John McCain choose Sarah Palin as his VP if Hillary Clinton is announced as Barack Obama’s vice presidental running mate?

A list of strong points that Sarah Palin brings to McCain’s campaign that are rendered useless against a Hillary VP ticket should shed some light on this quandary.

• First Woman sensation. The media would have hyped Hillary, McCain would have been accused of being a copycat.
• Maverick edge. Again, copycat syndrome; If Obama is doing it then it’s not all that radical is it?
• Hillary supporter appeal. No real reason to try.
• No sexist card. Hard to call a guy sexist when he’s got a female running mate.
• Experience. Compare Clinton’s political record to Palin’s political record, no brainer here.

So again, does McCain choose Palin as his VP if Hillary is on the ticket with Obama?

No. Palin would have been about as useful as a depleted power cell in a time machine to McCain’s campaign.

McCain picks someone with more grounding in politics like Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge who compliment McCain’s experience card so the GOP can hammer this point home against Obama. In these turbulent times what could possibly be better than experience?

-Doc Brown