The time is now to frame this choice, and to define Palin for what she really stands for – before the republicans lie and do it themselves.
It is crucial now in the first few days to set the tone and the narrative with respect to what is really the latest major decision by the McCain campaign questioned by both the left and right. And once everyone gets past the surface, and once anyone looks beyond her inexperience, her personal story, how “desperate” this may or may not look, the fact that she is the first woman VP candidate on the republican side, her “not-being ready for prime time” when it comes to foreign policy matters, the comparisons to Quayle or Agnew (both of whom were on winning tickets, by the way) and whatever else is said about McCain’s choice (inappropriate or not), there is one thing that still shines through:
Palin is really just more of the same.
More of the same belief in the failed republican and conservative policies that got this country to were we are now. More of the flippant remarks about the importance of high level Administration positions. More of Bush. More of Dobson and the fundamentalists. More “out of touch with America”.
Her positions and views will come trickling out over the next few weeks. Some of them will likely be obscured, while others (both good and bad) will be covered more. This could very well turn out to be dismissed and ridiculed as the Harriet Miers debacle was, or it could be played up based on her family and background.
But all of this should be tied to one overarching theme – her choice as running mate may be unprecedented for the republicans, but she is a typical republican on most of the important issues.
This has to be about ISSUES and her extreme republican views.
- More of the same cozying up to Big Oil;
- More of the same reliance on “sound science” to deny climate change;
- More belief in government intruding into people’s private lives when it comes to their own personal private decisions;
- More ethics investigations;
- More potential abuse of power;
- more ties to corrupt indicted republicans;
- More lack of a clue about the middle class plight with strong approval by the Club for Growth.
There is already a desperate attempt by republicans to play up her “life experience” to offset the lack of any foreign policy or major executive experience (less than 2 years of a first term Governorship hardly qualifies). This is what the right will try to do in order to make up for her lack of a resume.
And with all that, the inexperience, the opportunity to define not just Palin but more importantly, McCain’s judgment and hypocrisy and shameless pandering is a short window. Her stances, positions and views will come out in time. And all of them should tie into one overall theme:
There is no difference between Palin and McCain and Bush and the failed republican policies. And what’s worse, Palin would be in way over her head if anything were to happen to the 72 year old man who is not in the best of health for his age at the top of the ticket.
More of the same. But with less experience.
