Handicapping Palin pick

Thoughts about how John McCain's choice of running mate alters the dynamics of the campaign.

Published August 29, 2008 7:10PM (EDT)

A quick, and obviously incomplete, roundup of what some analysts and pundits are saying about the Palin pick:

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza calls it what it is: a stunner. MSNBC's Tom Curry describes the pick as a bold gamble, in both senses of the term: gutsy, but risky. And the New York Times' Michael Luo peers a bit closer at the ethics investigation situation.

Liberals quickly piped up. Ezra Klein of the American Prospect expounds on an obvious point: She damn sure isn't another Dick Cheney. Atrios scoffs at the logic that somehow Palin has more experience than Joe Biden, which would mean, by the transitive property of political math, she has more experience than McCain. The Nation's John Nichols piles on the inexperience issue, suggesting gender was the key factor here. The Guardian's Mike Tomasky's advice: Attack her on ideological grounds.

As for conservatives, Noemie Emery of the Weekly Standard offers a Wilsonian, 14-point "what she does" post delineating Palin's pluses and minuses. The National Review's Jack Fowler has met the governor and says her best asset is her likability.


By Thomas Schaller

Thomas F. Schaller is professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the author of "Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South." Follow him @schaller67.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

2008 Elections John Mccain R-ariz. Sarah Palin