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Commentary: Maverick John McCain Picks Gov. Sarah Palin as his Running Mate
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In choosing Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate, Maverick McCain has made the bold play. He has also infused this 2008 Presidential campaign with a jolt of raw energy.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
8/29/2008 (1 decade ago)
Published in Politics & Policy
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - She rose to prominence in Alaskan politics through her courageous willingness to expose ethics violations within her own State Party. She is pro-life, pro-marriage and family, and pro-freedom. She is a happily married wife and mother of five children, the most recent of whom is especially beloved, a son with Down syndrome. She is beautiful, well liked in her home State (80% approval rating), articulate and according to those who know her well, she is what she appears to be, a warm loving wife and mother.
But she is also a tough political reformer and hard working campaigner who has now joined Senator John McCain as his Vice Presidential nominee. Her feisty delivery in her acceptance speech on Friday in Dayton, Ohio points to what will now most definitely be a very interesting vice presidential debate and a hard fought and exciting general election campaign.
The suspense over the announcement was unlike anything I have experienced in all my years of political participation and activism. However, when all was said and done, Senator John McCain managed to keep his surprise choice almost completely secret, at least until the last moment when Fox News confirmed the story. His campaign then put out a release which read "A Maverick has picked another maverick; a Reformer has picked another Reformer." After listening to Sarah Palin's acceptance speech, they appear to be correct.
The scene in Dayton, Ohio Friday morning where the crowd gathered to hear the announcement from McCain and listen to his chosen Vice Presidential candidate was a study in contrasts. Just Thursday evening, the last night of the Democratic convention, all eyes were fixed on Mile High Stadium where a beautifully designed set hosted the Presidential Nominee of the Democratic Party who meticulously delivered his message of change and solidarity with the working people and middle class. It was complete with pyrotechnics and had an air of glamour.
This event in Dayton, Ohio, the very next day,was anything but glamorous, it was unpolished and earthy. It looked working class and blue collar. It was held in an indoor stadium complete with cheerleaders. The place was packed with a raucous crowd who could hardly contain themselves. The Maverick McCain has made the bold play. He has also infused this 2008 Presidential campaign with a jolt of raw energy.
Senator John McCain turned 72 years old Friday. With this historic decision to choose Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, he has proven that he still has a lot of life and courage left to share. He stunned, surprised and, in some instances, thrilled the politically engaged community. He also frustrated much of the Washington Press Corps. In this first decision, which is meant to signal the way he will govern, the "old man" has also made history, choosing a 44 yr. young Governor of Alaska as the first female candidate for the Vice Presidency of the Republican Party. In this bold decision, John McCain defied the political establishment, a trait which he has been known to exhibit for many, many years. He has also shaken the effort to paint him as some kind of "establishment candidate".
In fact, he wrestled the banner of change out of the hands of his opponent and hoisted it high in what most observers acknowledge was a politically brilliant move. It certainly stole the spotlight from the Democratic Parties convention and the news cycle over the long Labor Day weekend. It also turned attention away from the acceptance speech of their standard bearer, Senator Barack Obama.
However, this bold selection did much more. Senator John McCain, the energizer bunny, has sent a jolt of electricity into his own campaign and ensured that the Republican Convention will be anything but boring. Like the Democrats, the Republicans will also make political history. He reestablished his reputation as an agent of change and an independent thinker. In addition, he sent a signal to so many of those who have been somewhat nervous concerning his pro-life and pro-marriage positions. After the Saddleback Forum where he rose above every expectation with a clear defense of the Right to Life, the selection of Sarah Palin, after endless speculation that he might pick a running mate who opposed the Right to Life, removed any lingering doubt about his pro-life bona fides. Sarah Palin is pro-life and clearly, in word and deed, committed to the defense of authentic marriage and the family founded upon it.
Weeks back I speculated with some colleagues at Catholic Online as to whether or not Maverick John McCain still had it in him to turn the establishment politicos on their head in his Vice Presidential pick. I suggested that the way to do it would be to pick Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. When the flurry of reports from the pundit class came in the wee hours Friday morning, indicating that Senator John McCain was going to choose Governor Sarah Palin , the first female Governor of Alaska, and a rising star in the new face of the Republican Party, as his Vice presidential running mate, I was shocked.
Now that the introduction is over, I am looking forward to covering this exciting race. In introducing Governor Palin, Senator McCain said of her "She's got the grit, integrity and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today. She stands up for what is right and doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down."
Once Governor Palin began to speak, her delivery confirmed that he has truly chosen a tough lady and a fighter. She introduced her husband, a blue collar Union member and four of her five children. Their oldest son will be deployed to Iraq next month. She spoke with humility and candor about their blue collar, small town background and small town values. She told the crowd that she and her husband celebrated their 20th wedding Anniversary that day and the crowd erupted into applause. Sarah Palin is a wife, a mother (self described "Hockey Mom") and plain spoken yet compelling in her delivery. She is real.
She spoke of her experiences of standing up to special interests and to the "good old boys network". She acknowledged the significance of her choice as nominee during the week when we remember that 88 years ago this week women finally won the right to vote in this Nation. She honored both Geraldine Ferrarro and Hillary Clinton. She noted Hillary Clintons having referred to the votes cast for her as "18 million cracks in the glass ceiling" which has too often kept women out of public office. She then added that the "women of America are not through and we can shatter that ceiling".
She returned repeatedly throughout her speech to the theme of reform, noting her conviction that public officials are elected many times to "challenge the status quo as they serve the common good". She painted an image from her own experience in Alaska, with a husband who is a commercial fisherman, saying "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built". However, she spent most of her time honoring the man who chose her for what she called "this honor", Senator John McCain, a man whom she obviously esteems. She ended noting that "Profiles in Courage are rare these days, we often find them in books, but next week we put one on the ballot, Senator John McCain".
The choice of Governor Sarah Palin and the event in Dayton Ohio showed that this election contest will be a fight between two very different teams of candidates with very different styles, convictions and philosophies. It also showed that "Maverick McCain" is ready for the fight of his life.
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