Palin in Comparison

Republicans play the wildest of their trump cards

The choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as his running mate shows that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will not be placed in a box by Democrats in this election. In choosing a little-known, young female governor from a state with only three electoral votes, Sen. McCain caught everyone off guard: the Democrats, the media and especially the Republican Party. The shocked and awed faces of pundits on today’s news programs, the stammering hosts and the inability to really calculate the implications of McCain’s veep choice suggested that it was a no-look pass that fooled not only the opposing team, but the intended recipients as well.

But once the shock wears off, and once the hoopla dies down, the risks of representational politics will become apparent. If the Republicans think that they will sway female Clinton supporters with a strongly pro-life woman, they could be in store for a long winter.

Let’s be clear: The Alaska governor pales in comparison with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) record of service and achievement. On the other hand, if Republicans are able to effectively draw attention to Palin’s executive experience in cutting cronyism, reducing government spending and shepherding alternative energy initiatives in Alaska, a major energy-producing state, they may have just the ticket to counter the Obama juggernaut. Furthermore, the choice of Palin may help to neutralize Sen. Obama’s argument that change needs to come to Washington, rather than from it.

Choosing Gov. Palin is without question a risky move that may pay off big or fail miserably. Her executive experience, although slim, stands out among a slate of candidates who have spent all of their political lives in legislative chambers. However, with the executive powers greatly expanded under President Bush, many would argue that the chief executive might benefit from a consensus-building mindset that former legislators would bring to the office; on the other hand, as vice president, Gov. Palin probably won’t have to worry about taking the call at 3 a.m.