Much controversy has surrounded the surprise nomination of freshman Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Many analysts see the move to pick Palin as an attempt to counter McCain's problems with evangelical Christians; Palin is pro-life, opposing Roe v Wade vehemently. Additionally, she belongs to an anti-homosexual church which believes, among other things, that homosexuals can be "converted" into heterosexuals through religious ministry. Both issues sit well with evangelical conservative Christians; a base John McCain desperately needs to remain viable in this election. Other analysts cite the acrimonious rift between the hard-core Clinton backers and the rest of the Democratic Party who would vote for Palin merely because she is a woman, or in retaliation for Obama's "theft" of the election. Either way, Palin is both a boon and a problem for McCain's campaign, and here are a few reasons why:.
Benefits of choosing Palin.
For McCain there are several benefits to choosing such a neophyte on the political stage. First, she counters Barack Obama's youth appeal - what could be more youthful than a woman who just gave birth five months ago? Also, Palin's relative anonymity in Washington gives her some serious "outsider" credentials - she's from a populous-small state, was mayor of a small town in that state, and - not many have made mention of this yet - she represents a state that has thus far played absolutely no significant role in any US election. Though many see her nomination as a jaded ploy by the McCain campaign, the choice of Sarah Palin still has some resonance with Hillary Clinton supporters who, whether out of racism or spite, would rather vote for anyone than Obama. Her positions on guns, abortion, and family values (her pregnant daughter will marry the father of her child soon, we are told) are staunch - she literally practices the values she preaches - are something which Republican pundits and analysts note is a definite boon to the somewhat spotty, and often reversible, positions of John McCain.
What is it? It is all of the bad press still surrounding the GOP vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, which leads me to ask the question is Sarah Palin getting a raw deal? ... Of course, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin denies all of these rumors. ... So, again I ask, is Sarah Palin getting a raw deal? ... It's what makes us human and, as a result, love Sarah Palin. ...
Sarah Palin, the Vice Presidential nominee that has led a resurgence for the McCain bid for the Presidency, has a long and storied past with animal rights. ... A longstanding member of the NRA and hunter, Palin led the charge to place a bounty on the head of wolves in Alaska. ... Palin stated that the reason for this was because they interfered with drilling for oil as well as gas. As strange as that seems, Palin went so far as to sue the Bush administration to try to get this enacted. ... Could it be that Palin was simply trying to improve the situation for the hunters of Alaska? ...
It's not entirely possible to predict what a person will be like as President from the way he clawed his way to the top, but the battle for the world's most powerful office does offer some insight into the character of the person who eventually makes it to the post. ... In doing so, he got the upper hand on two of the country's two biggest political powerhouses, and he did it by building from scratch a campaign that would make Americans an offer they couldn't refuse. ... Obama encountered rough waters once again in early September, thanks to a moving acceptance spe...
These Christian conservatives have one candidate to vote for at the moment, and that is John McCain. ... They want to vote for McCain, but do not feel that they can for religious reasons. The reason that they feel this way is because of Palin. ... Well, personally I don't see anything wrong with it, and I will probably vote for McCain. ... I suggest that any that have a problem with it look at it this way...the Vice-President is really a supporting role to the President, so in a way Palin will be doing what women (in some peoples opinion) are supposed to be doing. ...
This, however, is not the case with Governor Sarah Palin; her environmental policies stem straight from the conservative playbook. ... Still, Palin continues to doubt the influence of humans on climate change. ... As Governor of Alaska, Palin's environmental concerns regard oil drilling. ... Lastly, Palin's full-fledged support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserves (ANWR) shows her regard for the oil industry over environmental concerns. ...
Senator John McCain saw his points go up during the 2008 presidential campaign after his running mate, Sarah Palin, exclaimed, "Drill, baby, drill" to an audience (Landler). Obama acknowledged the similarities between his policy and Palin's comment but said the motivation behind them were far different. ... "Anybody who tells you we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they're talking about - or just isn't telling you the truth," Obama said (Landler). While his aides believe that citizens will appreciate Obama's honesty in the situation - even a...
The way each candidate addresses the oil question will be vitally important to his campaign and how he handles the rising oil prices will ultimately characterize his presidency, if elected. John McCain has an interesting stance on offshore drilling. ... Now, things have changed and McCain seems to be onboard with those changes. During the current campaign he has been a true proponent of offshore drilling, lending his full and unrelenting support to the idea of opening up waters just off the Atlantic coast. ... His plan, as has been outlined numerous times during the campaign would call f...
Campaign finance reforms is an issue that was clearly displayed in the elections two years ago involving Senator John McCain. ... If each candidate had an equal distribution of money, elections would be fair and legislation would be passed or rejected for what it truly is. ... No one has been striving harder for this than Senator John McCain. ... McCain stated, "I promised millions of Americans when I ran for President of the United States that I would not give up on this crusade of reform, the gateway to which is campaign finance reform." ... And everyone knows that the...