McCain's Forced Error - Sarah Palin

McCain's Forced Error by: Josh Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 11:42:23 PM EDT

Sara Palin is less likely to be VP than Harriet Miers is to ascend to the Supreme Court.  The Palin nomination is DOA.  Her nomination will go down as the singular event which destroyed the McCain candidacy.  That's not the full story, but that's how it will be remembered.  Here's why: Virginia Democrats learned three powerful lessons from the Webb campaign in 2006: 1.  No Republican is invulnerable against a Democratic candidate of character ready to fight for a powerful vision of America. Jim Webb ran on character and issues: foreign policy, economic fairness, government accountability.  He ran a forceful campaign against George Allen and defeated him.   2.  Once pressured, Republicans buckle, and make forced errors which cause the overriding narratives of their public personae to unravel. George Allen would never have exposed his dark side unless he had been pushed and pressured by the Webb camp for months before.  "Macacca" exposed Allen's true feelings to the "Real World of Virginia".  It cost him his Senate seat and it cost Republicans the Senate. 3.  It takes passion and powerful volunteer turnout to turn a candidate's advantages into election day victories. In addition to the campaign's efforts and Senator Webb's enduring character, it took a pumped up "rag-tag army" of volunteers to make Webb's nail-biter victory a reality. Democrats are bringing the lessons of 2006 to bear on 2008 .  Obama has forced the error and John McCain has provided his own "Macacca" moment:  the nomination of Sara Palin for VP.  Now it's time to get to work and win this thing.

Josh :: McCain's Forced Error

On Thursday, Barack Obama simultaneously united and invigorated the Democratic party with such force and power that it sent a shock deep into the McCain campaign.  So effective was Obama's speech and so well-orchestrated the conventionthat it drove John McCain to make a critical error that will lose him the White House. Terrified and desperate, the McCain campaign took a wild risk and nominated the un-vetted right-wing extremist, Sara Palin for the number two slot.  In so doing, McCain fundamentally failed in his responsibilities as a major party candidate.  John McCain has proven himself fundamentally incapable of making critical decisions.   This is not by accident.  It is by ideology.  Just as Bush is the fulfillment of conservatism's ideologically driven incompetence, so is McCain another Deadbeat conservative, short-changing America for political expediency.  John McCain did not vet his Vice Presidential pick, Sara Palin, and now the steady drip, drip, of Palin-related scandal has become a roaring river.   Palin was director of indicted Senator Ted Stevens' 527 - There goes that "reformer" brand. Palin lied about being against the "bridge to nowhere", and she Hired a lobbyist to get $27 Million in earmarks for Alaska. There goes that "honest public servant" brand. Woops!  There goes that "America First Slogan", maybe "Alaska First", or "Caribou over Red White and Blue"?  Kinda catchy that... Sara Palin: Dominionist Stalking Horse.  Yeah, these guys want to institute some crazed Christian Sharia, and put the world under a totalitarian regime until the rapture. It's not just crazy it's completely against scripture. If you think the totalitarian thing is just hyperbole, consider that the only thing that stood between Palin and a good old fashioned book burning was a lone, principled librarian Reckless John Disses America She uses her power for vengeance against personal enemies. more. She was almost recalled as mayor. Sarah Sinking So Fast RNC Just Called Her "Sarah Pawlenty" Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial World View McCain Fought Teen Pregnancy Programs Palin claims massive foreign policy credentials, that she doesn't have, because she basically has paid no attention to the most important foreign policy issue of our time, except to note that Iraq is a war for oil, oh and that we were sent there by God. Can Sara Palin Give Blackwater's Mercenaries to Joel's Army?  (This is rather a stretch, but Palin is associated with Joel's Army, read this and try to remain calm. At this point, Sara's failed business, and her husband's DUI seems completely inconsequential, indeed, prosaic. Her friends think she's just wrong for the job. And finally with regard to news reports of Palin's 17 year-old-daughter's pregnancy and impending shotgun wedding to a guy who is "proud to be a "f******ing redneck" (high school hockey is awesome!), two questions arise.  First, how could a woman be so ambitious that she would knowing of her daughter's condition, she would expose her to national and international scrutiny of this level.  Second, could there be a greater irony than the fact that that this anti-Roe candidate has produced a truly magnificent example of a true pro-Choice poster child.  Even though everyone in Alaska knew about it the McCain campaign didn't think to ask. The media is asking whether Palin should leave the ticket and Intrade.com is taking bets. There's more on the horizon... Not only is the McCain Campaign stalling an investigation into whether Palin's used her power to get a public safety commissioner fired, it now turns out that Palin lied about traveling to Ireland. The press is now asking whether Palin was vetted at all.  It clearly seems she wasn't.  All of this calls McCain's judgment into question, as it rightly should. The truth is that this endless stream of Palin scandal is not the critical issue in this story.  The critical issue is that John McCain has proven and reinforced every assertion and attack made by the Obama campaign.  Just as Obama in Denver won the argument for the future of America, John McCain has lost the argument of who has the judgment to lead that future.  When so much depends on leadership, you don't shoot dice with the future of America. Now it's time for us to get to work and bring this thing home. When McCain announced the pick, it was viewed as a high-risk.  This in itself is an example of an epic failure of judgment, it completely disrespects the responsibilities of the presidency.  Even Karl Rove agreed that the Palin pick was a political and not a governing decision.  This was a simple play to achieve 2 political ends: 1.  Rally the extreme constituencies that made up the Bush electorate.  Palin as Bush in a Dress.  2.  Recruit the fringes of disgruntled(rapidly dwindling) Hillary supporters before they all settle in and support Obama.  Hillary + Ralf Reed = Palin. In attempting to put lipstick on the pig of Republican betrayal of American principle of responsibility, McCain has yet again failed to live up to his responsibilities.    This is a cynical, desperate choice, that puts McCain's ideology front and center.   To take a high risk with the critical constitutional responsibility is not leadership it is the same irresponsible failure that America has suffered these long 8 years. With Palin's pick, John McCain's desperate, insulting, and demeaning campaign concedes that Obama has won the argument for the future of America, but they are determined to hold onto power. It will take a magnificent volunteer effort combined with the continued excellence of the Obama campaign itself to wrest power from these deadbeat Republicans and put a responsible leadership back in the White House. Now, more than ever, McCain is more of the same.  By picking Sara Palin, McCain has empowered the anti-Hillary.  Hillary crusaded for critical issues like equal pay, universal health care, and reigning in the power of oil companies.  Sara Palin is no Hillary Clinton.  She is, in fact, pale in comparison to the greatness of HRC.   Obama has done his part. He has won the argument and continues to lead by example. McCain has done his part. He has buckled to Limbaugh and produced a failure of epic proportions, so desperate to win that he has abandoned judgment, reason, and his moral compass. Now it is time for us to do our part. It's time to work tirelessly to win this election and send Barack Obama to the White House.