North to Alaska, going north, the race is ON!

One thing’s certain. After this election, Alaska and Hawaii will no longer be just those states in the inset at the bottom left hand of the U.S. map.

Holy buckets! Of oil.

My Alaska friends will be suitably intrigued by the news today that John McCain is picking Alaska’s first-term Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. There is the obvious observation that she becomes only the second woman on a major party ticket. Then there is the observation that she is holds the thinnest resume for a major party ticket member, which is curious given McCain’s use of “experience” as his most important argument against Barack Obama, a native of the other “inset” state of Hawaii.

To be fair, I’ve said and I still say that experience is only one part of the mix of a good president. But Palin is just a few years separated from being mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population approx. 8,500) and will be playing more catch-up on national security issues than I can even imagine. She’s deeply and personally connected to the oil industry (which is fine in Alaska, an oil state, but of only limited appeal elsewhere). Apparently, McCain is saying that he has all the experience he needs to lead. But while a VP selection can only actually sway a few voters, it can do much to lose them. This pick doesn’t do much for those concerned about McCain’s age (72 today, happy b-day Senator).

On the other hand, I must admit I am very intrigued by the way this election is playing out. I disagree with Palin politically, but she was an improvement over the ultra-corrupt Republicans that had been running the state before. This is a high risk, high reward pick for McCain and will add a great amount of interest to the election. Historic election? No doubt.

Meantime, let’s forget about the old phrase “Lower 48.” It’s “Upper Two” now.

Comments

  1. Thinnest resume? Possibly, but only a few days behind Obama (who’s on top of the other ticket). I don’t think there is any real difference between Palin’s experience as a mayor of a smaller town and Obama’s experience as a state legislator. Plus, Obama has only shown up for work in the US Senate something like 147 days over the past four years so one could argue that Palin actually has more experience than Obama.

    I don’t know very much about Palin, but I like what I have read so far. This will be interesting, one way or the other.

  2. I almost fell out of my chair laughing at McCain’s announcement that Palin will be his running mate. Talk about Bush II! Come on! The biggest problem with the current administration is that it is so closely tied to the oil industry. Picking a green running mate whose husband is an executive with British Petroleum should be all the electorate needs to know to throw the election to the Democrats. The oil industry must think we are extremely naive to not get it that our current situation is a direct result of their meddling in our political affairs. This VP selection should seal the deal for this election. Aaron – I charge you with raising cain about this issue!

  3. @Todd — Hey, like I said. Experience isn’t everything. I am not an expert on Alaska but I do follow it with some interest and know that it is a totally different political universe. If the Iron Range is a strange, isolated political world (and it is), Alaska is that times 100. Being a small town mayor and party activist in Alaska is perfectly adequate experience for her current job, but the GOP is going on a limb here to suggest she has the insticts to handle foreign policy. It’d be different if she had expressed some sort of deep seeded sentiment on foreign policy in the past, but she really hasn’t. She has been picked for three reasons, two of which are bogus: Her genuine appeal to women (real), reform (bogus) and energy policy (bogus).

    And quit with the soundbites about absenteeism in the Senate. Palin is less experienced than Obama, amplified by the fact that Obama has a foriegn policy sensibility that goes back to his earliest days in politics, documented by his writings. I am biased toward writers, but I think writing on a national level counts for something. Obama is deeply rooted in geopolitics and the way the big picture is tied to the little picture of people’s everyday lives. It comes across as aloof to some, but me, I get it.

    I’m not trying to slam Palin here for party’s sake. I don’t buy her energy policy and I don’t line up with her politically on very much. She seems very smart and nice, certainly a rising star in the party. But for this election, her selection seems odd.

    Anonymous: Don’t have much to add. I don’t buy her as a “green” governor, either. I think if she is called “green” she would lose re-election up there. Can’t stress enough, Alaska is very different politically than the rest of the U.S. Conservative, yes, but economically dependent on government and one single, massive, powerful industry.

  4. Experience isn’t everything.

    I think the Clinton-Obama campaign must have sent the message that it really isn’t anything as far as the voters are concerned.

    Palin got 126,000 votes when she was elected Alaska’s governor two years ago. Before that, she served on the local city council of a town about the size of Virginia. She is only marginally qualified to be governor of Alaska. She is not remotely qualified to take over as President.

    This is treating the selection of a vice-President as little more than a public relations stunt. It says a lot about John McCain’s temperment.

  5. It seems like a trophy pick and reminds me of the whole Harriet Miers debacle a few years ago.

  6. “(which is fine in Alaska, an oil state, but of only limited appeal elsewhere).”

    Seriously?

  7. Uh, yeah. What are you implying?

    Listen, there are people out there who think drilling is the solution to our problems. I disagree, maybe you do too, but there are people who will buy into the Alaska (drill, drill, drill) model of solving the energy crisis.

  8. I would like to point out that Palin’s husband Todd is no a BP executive. He has a seasonal labor job on a north slope oil field. Palin in not “in” with the oil companys like Cheney is.
    C.O.

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