Why McCain's VP pick is pretty brilliant.
Aug. 29th, 2008 12:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raybearFirst off, he didn't do it for us pinko confirmed-Obama voters (i.e. most everyone on my friends page and facebook).
And, I'm not really sure he did it to steal Hillary voters. He might get a few, but I think that's just a possible beneficial side effect.
Here's what I see happening with the GOP.
McCain doesn't give a crap about the conservative evangelical population. And they know it. And him picking someone to appease them is kind of a waste. Because I think that voting bloc turns out for votes, but I don't think they're turning out that much money proportionally speaking. (That would be corporations and lobbying.) Don't get me wrong, I know they give, but I think the numbers who will STOP giving even though their Romney/Huckabee isn't on the ticket is pretty low. The ones that DO turn out the money, they are always going to vote for the GOP anyway. AND, it might a brilliant strategic move for the GOP to sort of shun them a bit, because they will throw MORE money at the GOP to try and win them over to vote their way. In essence, after 8 years of having them in the club, now they are trying to make the conservative evangelicals be to the GOP what the gays/progressives are to the Democrats. Are they going to lose the fringe votes? Sure. Are those fringe people the ones who are really, really rich and powerful? No. So fck 'em.
Obama picked Biden, an old school Democrat who can shoot off his mouth like McCain and has working class white dude clout and experience to help him out. He rounded out his weakness. McCain can now follow suit without fear of criticism, picking someone whose fresh eyes and young and articulate and represents "change". I mean, by virtue of being a woman, that is radical enough. Never mind the facts of her positions. People see it as balancing out -- well, she can't be THAT conservative, she's a woman! I mean, she's not Ann Coulter or Phyllis Schafly, those are anomalies. This is more like Condoleeza Rice territory. But anyway, McCain gets the best of both worlds -- a young woman, who pro-life, pro-death penalty. pro-oil, pro-money, anti-corruption as long as the corruption is defined as money taking away from their corporate schemes. Just like McCain tries to be the best of both worlds -- I'm a free-thinking independent maverick and votes with Bush 90% of the time. People like the best of both worlds, its a sense of balance. Hence Obama picking Biden.
The other thing I see happening is that the GOP realizes, oh isht, Obama's message is working. People want change. They want fresh faces and rejuvenation. So we can't pick Ridge or Lieberman. (Well, there are other reasons too for not picking Lieberman, but whatever.) This is one part about McCain's pick that made me happy (they are realizing that people ARE responding to Obama, so it must be true) and upset (oh fck, he just made a brilliant powerplay because the mtherfcker is actually paying attention).
She is a self-proclaimed "hockey mom". She's married and got all these kids. She's kinda hot (in that sexy sitcom mom way that is very popular). She speaks well. She makes McCain seem more appealing when standing next to him. They aren't trying to just dip into Hillary voters, they are trying to take from the Oprah/The View/Today show pool of middle-class, middle-america white ladies. They are looking to keep their confirmed voters where they are, so they aren't in danger of being swayed by the change message of Obama (see, McCain has change too!) and they are looking to take all the wafflers, the white guys and white ladies who maybe don't love Bush, they see that things are messed up, but they aren't quite sure they can vote for a black man, but then they feel guilty about NOT wanting to vote for a black man, but hey, wait, I can still be open-minded, I'm voting for a woman!
Don't get me wrong, I don't think McCain's decision is going to create some sort of landslide shift over to his side. *touches wood furiously* But I think its a mistake to underestimate what he's doing.
And, I'm not really sure he did it to steal Hillary voters. He might get a few, but I think that's just a possible beneficial side effect.
Here's what I see happening with the GOP.
McCain doesn't give a crap about the conservative evangelical population. And they know it. And him picking someone to appease them is kind of a waste. Because I think that voting bloc turns out for votes, but I don't think they're turning out that much money proportionally speaking. (That would be corporations and lobbying.) Don't get me wrong, I know they give, but I think the numbers who will STOP giving even though their Romney/Huckabee isn't on the ticket is pretty low. The ones that DO turn out the money, they are always going to vote for the GOP anyway. AND, it might a brilliant strategic move for the GOP to sort of shun them a bit, because they will throw MORE money at the GOP to try and win them over to vote their way. In essence, after 8 years of having them in the club, now they are trying to make the conservative evangelicals be to the GOP what the gays/progressives are to the Democrats. Are they going to lose the fringe votes? Sure. Are those fringe people the ones who are really, really rich and powerful? No. So fck 'em.
Obama picked Biden, an old school Democrat who can shoot off his mouth like McCain and has working class white dude clout and experience to help him out. He rounded out his weakness. McCain can now follow suit without fear of criticism, picking someone whose fresh eyes and young and articulate and represents "change". I mean, by virtue of being a woman, that is radical enough. Never mind the facts of her positions. People see it as balancing out -- well, she can't be THAT conservative, she's a woman! I mean, she's not Ann Coulter or Phyllis Schafly, those are anomalies. This is more like Condoleeza Rice territory. But anyway, McCain gets the best of both worlds -- a young woman, who pro-life, pro-death penalty. pro-oil, pro-money, anti-corruption as long as the corruption is defined as money taking away from their corporate schemes. Just like McCain tries to be the best of both worlds -- I'm a free-thinking independent maverick and votes with Bush 90% of the time. People like the best of both worlds, its a sense of balance. Hence Obama picking Biden.
The other thing I see happening is that the GOP realizes, oh isht, Obama's message is working. People want change. They want fresh faces and rejuvenation. So we can't pick Ridge or Lieberman. (Well, there are other reasons too for not picking Lieberman, but whatever.) This is one part about McCain's pick that made me happy (they are realizing that people ARE responding to Obama, so it must be true) and upset (oh fck, he just made a brilliant powerplay because the mtherfcker is actually paying attention).
She is a self-proclaimed "hockey mom". She's married and got all these kids. She's kinda hot (in that sexy sitcom mom way that is very popular). She speaks well. She makes McCain seem more appealing when standing next to him. They aren't trying to just dip into Hillary voters, they are trying to take from the Oprah/The View/Today show pool of middle-class, middle-america white ladies. They are looking to keep their confirmed voters where they are, so they aren't in danger of being swayed by the change message of Obama (see, McCain has change too!) and they are looking to take all the wafflers, the white guys and white ladies who maybe don't love Bush, they see that things are messed up, but they aren't quite sure they can vote for a black man, but then they feel guilty about NOT wanting to vote for a black man, but hey, wait, I can still be open-minded, I'm voting for a woman!
Don't get me wrong, I don't think McCain's decision is going to create some sort of landslide shift over to his side. *touches wood furiously* But I think its a mistake to underestimate what he's doing.
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Date: 2008-08-30 12:30 pm (UTC)This is the thing that shocked me about this pick. There's such a laserlike focus on making sure the vp pick is "uncontroversial" and they picked someone who is currently under investigation? (Enormously popular, but still)--the blatant (and hopefully unsuccessful) pandering of it is astonishing.
I also thought it was interesting in that she is WAY pro-life, which is not really the suburban-soccer-mom stereotype position. Maybe they think people will ignore it because they don't understand the Supreme Court.
Also, am I the only one thinking that the only thing that might stop McCain from making a play for Palin's pants is that she's brunette?