Why Sarah Palin Could Be McCain's Ticket to the White House

We all know that Sarah Palin brought some problems with her when she joined John McCain's ticket. For one thing, she is a mother to five children, one of whom is an infant with Down's syndrome. Another child, her daughter Bristol, is a 17-year-old girl who became pregnant out of wedlock. Sarah Palin also brought scandals, ranging from abusing her power against a state trooper to accepting PAC funds from the same source that caused Ted Stevens to be indicted. In spite of all of this, John McCain chose Sarah Palin, whom he only met once, so his judgment comes into question. Sarah Palin sounds like more trouble than she's worth.

Indeed, the Republican Convention would have gone a lot smoother if Sarah Palin's record had been squeaky clean. However, there are positives to Sarah Palin's selection, and although they may not be enough in the end, they have certainly restored faith in many that the Republicans actually have a shot at winning in November. Only time will tell if Sarah Palin is as wonderful as John McCain initially made her out to be.

The Initial Reaction
It was an explosion. It was a nationwide gasp of shock. It was a "what the?" moment. When John McCain named Sarah Palin as his VP pick, there were probably two people that actually expected him to pick her. For one thing, no one had ever even heard of this obscure governor. A lot of pundits were immediately convinced McCain had lost his mind by choosing Sarah Palin. There was a clear divide between those who favored a Romney or Pawlenty pick and those who were actually impressed by Sarah Palin.

Her Appeal to Moms
By her own admission, Sarah Palin is a "hockey mom." Her story resonates with stay-at-home women who feel like Sarah Palin is in their corner. Best of all, Sarah Palin is a woman who knows what she's doing, but isn't already a member of the power-elite in Washington. John McCain didn't flip through the Yellow Pages and pick a random stay-at-home mom, no matter how much it may look that way. Granted, Sarah Palin is nowhere near as experienced or revered as Hillary Clinton, which makes it all the more satisfying for many women to see someone who is just like them "sticking it to the man," as the saying goes.

The Buzz
If John McCain had gone with one of the obvious Republican choices, it would have reinforced Obama's message about lack of change. Instead, McCain went with Sarah Palin, who rocks the foundation of the Republican Party and the country. Sarah Palin is the first ever woman on the Republican ticket, and more importantly, someone unknown who immediately required people to start asking questions. Who would have predicted that John McCain could actually generate a comparable amount of talk as Barack Obama? With Sarah Palin, McCain has shifted the nation's attention to the Republican Party, and even if some of the attention is negative, it still keeps people the focus on them.

A Breath of Fresh Air
Regardless of any of Sarah Palin's potential faults or scandals, she's different. She's new. With Sarah Palin, McCain took Obama's message about change and thrust it back in his face. McCain chose Sarah Palin at the same time that Barack Obama was attempting to compensate for his own alleged lack of experience by selecting a running mate who has been in the Senate for more than thirty years, who embodies the polar opposite of Barack's entire platform. Sarah Palin is the sort of change that Barack Obama ignored when he could have chosen Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

Experience?
Next to change, experience is the most-discussed buzzword in the whole election. Who's got it? With respect to Sarah Palin, this is an important hurdle for McCain's camp to overcome. No one can argue that John McCain has been around for a long time, but Sarah Palin is younger than Barack Obama and governs one of the least-populated and most-isolated states in the country. The only way to win this fight is to emphasize her executive experience, boast her prior actions and reforms as indicators of her ability, and point out just how little experience the top of the Democratic ticket has in comparison. However, this could be a boon to the Republican campaign: the Democrats bashing Sarah Palin's lack of experience will cast further doubt about Barack Obama's ability to lead the country. If people are so worried about Sarah Palin being a heartbeat away from the presidency when she's actually had executive experience, it's only a matter of time before many start to question the junior Senator Democratic presidential nominee with no executive experience.

Her Sex Appeal
This can't be ignored or belittled. Believe it or not, politics is often as petty as who the best-looking and most-charismatic speaker is. For an example, look at such cults of personality as John F. Kennedy, or need I remind you, Barack Obama. Sarah Palin was a beauty queen and still retains much of her charm--no offense to John McCain, but he alone lacks the energy and sex appeal that can compete with the likes of Barack Obama. Sarah Palin has looks that will appeal to shallow voters the same way Obama's does.

Her Values
The double-edged sword is Sarah Palin's stance on certain issues, such as abortion and sex-education. These issues come up in her own family, with her special needs child and her underage pregnant daughter. While her opinions could be considered extremely abrasive and close-minded, Sarah Palin consistently demonstrates dedication to her convictions in her day-to-day life. This could draw some people, even those who wouldn't necessarily agree with her views, because they feel they actually know Sarah Palin, and that she's not putting on a show to manipulate voters.

The Speech and Debates
Sarah Palin was blatantly hostile towards the Democrats and Barack Obama, particularly in regard to Obama's arrogance and own lack of experience. It is difficult to see Sarah Palin as anything but a polarizing figure, much the same way that Hillary is. Those who like Sarah Palin's views will embrace her attacks on the opposition. Those who are horrified by her extreme right-wing beliefs will be turned-off in short order by how she speaks of the Democrats and Washington in general. What needs to be recognized here, regardless, is just how effective Sarah Palin really is at derailing much of Obama's rhetoric, in a way that no one else has been able to before. Sarah Palin could potentially be the Republicans' orating rival to Barack Obama, and this could serve John McCain's cause very well in the upcoming debates.

The Election
In the wake of the Republican Convention, it is still too early to tell how effective Sarah Palin will be. One measure is how well she handles the debate against Obama's VP pick, Joe Biden. The rest will come down to her fulfilling the promises she made so far. Will Sarah Palin show determination and loyalty to her convictions? If she is as genuine as she has seemed so far, the ever-growing list of promises that Obama has made might be used against him. It's been a long time since Democrats have attacked the character of a candidate as viciously as they have that of Sarah Palin, which incidates how threatened they are feeling. McCain has put an obstacle in the path of his sure-footed opponents. Who knows? Sarah Palin might just be the insurmountable barrier that John McCain needs.