Palin Re-Energizes McCain Campaign

Sen. John McCain surprised even seasoned political observers today with his selection of first term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin was not mentioned on any short lists for the Vice-Presidential nomination, although her name has been floated in conservative circles for some time. The pick has brought a new energy to the McCain campaign and to its supporters, and has completely squelched the buzz in the media following Sen. Barack Obama's glitzy acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last night.

The first rule of picking a running mate is do no harm. Last week, party stalwarts were lamenting the possibility that McCain might pick a pro-abortion rights running mate like former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, or Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman. A pro-choice running mate would have been a disaster for the McCain campaign and could have led to a floor challenge at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Palin is strongly pro-life. She is the mother of five children, giving birth to her youngest child just this past April. That child was diagnosed in utero with Down's syndrome, which results in an elective abortion in most cases. Governor Palin and her husband Todd decided to keep the baby, remaining true to their principles. It is a powerful story of love and acceptance that reinforces Sen. McCain's pro-life voting record and will resonate with women, a key demographic in this November's election.

Plain underscores McCain's image and message on many fronts. She is a reformer who has demonstrated a willingness to take on entrenched interest in her own party. She is a budget hawk, cutting hundreds of lawmaker local pet projects from Alaska's state budget. As the governor of the state with the greatest oil resources in the nation, she is a proponent of drilling and may serve to convince McCain to modify is support for offshore drilling by embracing drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. And contrary to protests from Democrats about her relative lack of experience, Palin actually reinforces McCain's message on that front. With two years as Alaska's governor, and a stint as mayor of her hometown, Palin actually has more executive experience than anyone running on either ticket.

From a political standpoint, Plain will help McCain make a play for disaffected Hillary Clinton voters. The spectacle of the Democrats' convention has served to bring many if not most Hillary supporters back into Sen. Obama's camp. But McCain does not need to win over all of Hillary's voters. He only needs to peel away a significant enough percentage to lower Sen. Obama's ceiling of national support. Palin could accomplish that. At the same time, the pick has galvanized Republicans and conservatives behind Sen. McCain like never before in this campaign. McCain already had a higher percentage of Republicans backing him than Obama had of Democrats. With Palin on the ticket, that gap could widen.

Selecting Palin is not without risk, however. She does not have a high profile on national issues and is an untested campaigner and debater. She has no national security experience to speak of, and she doesn't help McCain in any of this year's swing states. Alaska's three electoral votes were probably safe for McCain no matter who he chose. Her relative short time in high office may cause some to question the wisdom of her selection as the running mate to a potential 72 year-old president. But in order to find out the answers to those questions, McCain has to win the election first. Given the alternatives: Romney, Pawlenty, Lieberman; Governor Palin was the best selection for McCain both to rally the conservative base and bolster his image as a maverick politician. The country will get to learn a lot about Governor Palin in the coming days. The McCain campaign is betting that voters will like what they hear.