MEYER'S MUSINGS: McCain-Palin ticket has people talking
By DANIEL MEYER
WIN COLUMNIST
Thanks to the magic of e-mail and the wonderful resources that are available to us on the World Wide Web, a newspaper columnist such as myself working with an early deadline because of the Labor Day holiday is never short of material, especially when it comes to all things political.
It was just a matter of a few minutes after last week’s breaking news that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin had been selected as John McCain’s running mate before I began to receive messages from friends, family members, co-workers, and of course, faithful readers of Meyer’s Musings.
Yes indeed, it seems as though everyone has an opinion about the choice of Palin to serve as the GOP’s candidate for vice-president.
Here are some of the knee-jerk reactions that I received:
• “Wow! Dan, I didn’t see that coming. Holy cow! I really don’t know what else to say. I had to do a quick search of her to make sure I knew a bit about her background. Wow! Shocking!!!”
• “Who is Sarah Palin?”
• “Horrible decision. Do the Republicans just want to give up now and name Obama president? What are they thinking? I don’t get it. She has virtually no name recognition, she certainly doesn’t have enough experience and she’s way too young. Bad call by the GOP.”
• “What a great day for our country. Dan, this is history in the making. What a tremendous decision by McCain and our party’s leaders. Do you realize what kind of message this sends to all women?
The Republican Party gets it and realizes paying attention to women and giving them a choice is the way to acquire their money, their interest and ultimately their vote. Great work by John and Cindy McCain. They just clinched a victory. Can’t wait to see McCain and Palin be sworn in come January.”
• “Dan, what do you think? I’m stunned. I’ve been studying up on the VP candidates for about two months now and I just didn’t see this coming. Totally out of left field. Talk about a shocker. Talk about stealing the show from Obama following his speech in Denver. Governor Palin will help the Republicans be victorious in November.”
• “McCain is an idiot. His campaign was moving along smoothly and then he screws this up. Write in your column that Obama easily, and I emphasize EASILY, wins by double-digits in November. The GOP blew it.”
• “I’ve never heard of the woman. Dan, what qualifications does she have? I read on CNN’s Web site that she was runner-up in the Miss Alaska competition.
Governor of Alaska? Big deal. They say Obama has no experience, but what sort of track record does this chick have?”
• “I see that Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA. That’s good enough for me. Plus, let’s admit it... she’s good looking!”
• “Palin and Biden. That debate won’t mean much but I think it will be quite entertaining!”
* * * * *
Speaking of readers of this column, some of you may recall that yours truly labeled Palin as my “dark horse” for McCain’s running mate about five months ago.
Just to refresh your memories:
“Here are a couple more names to scribble down in the margins of your notebook as possible VP material — Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Who is Palin? She’s my dark horse for the race, although certain media outlets are starting to tout her as the quiet frontrunner to serve as McCain’s running mate.
The first female governor of Alaska, the mother of four is an NRA member and an active outdoorswoman. A marathon runner, she once served as the chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Substantially younger than McCain, she is pro-life, against gay marriage, favors capital punishment and supports the right to bear arms.
Her stance on family values could sway conservative voters, which might be just what McCain is looking for.”
(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York. Comments on this column can be sent care of this newspaper or via e-mail to: meyersmusings@gmail.com. Opinions expressed here are those of the author.)
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