Krauthammer Is Wrong On Palin

Via Instapundit via Kaus to a short item by Charles Krauthammer in which he calls McCain picking Palin near suicidal as it undercuts McCain's effective attacks in line with Is Obama ready to lead.

I guess Krauthammer would have McCain be a Johnny One Note all the way through the Fall - and on a sour note at that? One needs to think about how the Palin pick substantively changes this election.

McCain in fact is a reformer, so is Palin. And Palin exemplifies conservative governing strategy, which Americans have always preferred to a more Liberal approach.

As we move into Fall with the upcoming debates - it's time to start talking policy and world view when it comes to government - what should and can government do and what it can't and shouldn't attempt. Both Biden and Obama have a track record of going along to get along and can't honestly claim the mantle of change - even if the public doesn't yet realize that's true for Obama. Witness his inside Chicago deals and approach.

Palin isn't just a game changer as an image. She's that AND a terrific pivot point to begin discussing what matters to Americans the most: how is some would be President going to govern once he takes office?

When you stack up a conservative approach versus a Liberal one, the conservative approach wins hands down every time. There isn't even a Democrat who has won a Presidential election by revealing his Liberal roots.

Look for Palin and McCain to start focusing on what Obama is really about. The "lead" argument kept it close up until the conventions. Now it's time for change.

Krauthammer is often brilliant. Unfortunately right now he's still fighting the opening portion of the campaign. And McCain needs more than don't elect Obama to close it out. You can't win the Presidency by only running down the other guy.

Comments

[Richard Peter Wiener III]

Spot on analysis. While I like the Hammer, there seem to be plenty of rightwing media pundits who are pretty stridently against Palin. What's odd is that quite a few of them also belong to the camp that was hoping McCain wouldn't choose a cookie-cutter like Romney.

Many conservatives have been saying for months now that the GOP needed to get new blood flowing in the party, well the new blood is flowing now. While Mac wasn't my first pick for POTUS, he seems to be pushing more and more of the right buttons, and the Palin choice was a smart one.

[Terry Gain]

Charles is brilliant, but in this case wrong. Every time the Obama campaign attacks her experience it will remind the audience of Obama's lack of experience.

I much prefer the opinion of Captain Ed at Hot Air. Palin was the best choice.

And, unlike Obama, Palin is not going to advocate conceding Iraq to al Qaeda and Iran. Nor suggest we invade our ally Pakistan to capture someone who may not even be alive. And unlike Biden she won't come up with hair brained plans which will make matters worse, such as partitioning Iraq against the will of Iraqis - which would have propelled that country into a civil war.

But in fairness to the record, we do need to examine Obama's only executive experience as Chair of the Annenberg Challenge. For some reason the media does not want to talk about that. In fact there is a media embargo on it. Hmmm.

[ireckun]

I disagree with Dr.Krauthammer on this. First you are now picking the team you want to play the game with.
Obama made his pick in Biden, McCain made his pick Palin. Now we have the teams and it's game on.
I think the Palin choice was was smart on many levels.

[seekeronos]

/agree

Palin was a very good choice among a number of other likely god choices (out of Pawlenty, Romney, and Bobby Jindal who declined from the beginning). There are others (like Crist, Giuliani, or that female CEO who I can't remember) who would have been distant seconds.

I had an 85% expectation that he was going to go with Romney for his insight into the economy and business-building, and he would have been a conventional choice with regard to being the "runner up" as well as being quite able to bring in Michigan and the Rocky Mountain states (high Mormon population percentage).

Pawlenty is a rising star in the GOP, but like Jindal, he is probably best left in the oven for a few more election cycles and may be ready for 2012 or 2016 if McCain lives that long, along with Jindal. These men are will be able leaders for the "X" and "Y" generations, and will be influential to the millennials (kids born in the 1995-2015 age cohort).

Palin, who I gave a 10% expectation for being McCain's VP, will bridge the gap between the Boomers and the Generation X'ers, (1950s-1970s) while McCain bridges the Silent Generation/Boomers (1920s-1950s).

She also will cement many of the PUMAs who are dead set against Obama into the McCain camp, as well as show that the Dems don't have a corner on "diversity".

Granted she isn't "experienced", but neither are Jindal nor Pawlenty, all of whom, if I am not mistaken, are first term governors. But they most certainly will be more experienced, come 2012, when it comes time to see who shall take the oval office once more.

And when it comes to being an executive, any of the gubernatorial picks McCain might have chosen would have had more executive experience than either Obama or Biden.

[seekeronos]

*typo:

"likely _good_ choices"

[wgroy]

Voters and critics who question Gov. Palin's ability to be second in line to the presidency need to stop and think. Why do they want someone like obama,with less experience, to be the actual president? Good choice Sen. McCain you force your opponents to use there own logic against themselves.

[Dennis D]

Obama defeated every Dem Candidate who had superior experience to offer . Hillary, Biden and Richardson especially so McCain correctly decided to drop that issue for the Female Issue.

[wolfwalker]

If Krauthammer is right that crude political considerations drove the Palin pick, he's probably also right that in the end it will hurt McCain.

However...

IF (and this is a big if) McCain is applying the tactical combat doctrine called the OODA Loop (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act), then Krauthammer's analysis fails. The basic idea behind the OODA Loop is that you act faster than your opponent can react, so that you're always ready to counter his actions, and he's always one step behind in reacting to your actions.

So far, whether by accident or design, McCain has run an effective OODA campaign, reacting swiftly to every Obama gaffe with new anti-Obama or pro-McCain ads, then taking Obama's attempted counterattacks and turning them into even more anti-Obama ads, just as fast. The Palin pick stomped on Obama's spotlight and once again left Obama scrambling for a countermove. If this was intended (which, to be honest, I rather doubt -- I don't think either side's political advisers are that smart), then we needn't fear what Krauthammer is afraid of. By the time the Dems manage an effective attack against Palin, McCain and Palin will be off on an entirely new & different segment of their campaign, and the Dems will be left fighting their dust.

[Molon Labe]

Obama is all geared up to fight the experience battle, where every thrust mires him deeper in quicksand. McCain and Palin are about to move on to: Energy, Ayers, Iraq, Putin.

With enough of a pause between each to give Obama time to gear up a response.

[el gordo]

The experience issue still works in favor of McCain-Palin, but I´m also happy to switch subjects. Obama´s shady deals, radical friends and suicidal economic ideas have not gotten enough play recently. Most importantly: the fact that Obama voted against reform when he had the chance.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"Obama defeated every Dem Candidate who had superior experience to offer . Hillary, Biden and Richardson especially..."

TOOOSHAY!! excellant point that. Also he intends to press on with very little help from DaCleentons.

[Terry Gain]

WW

Your post only proves that Democrat primary voters didn't value experience over glitter.

Don't get your hopes up. The general population is not quite this foolish.

[seekeronos]

"--- Don't get your hopes up. The general population is not quite this foolish. ---"

Don't count on it. I am deeply skeptical of the ability of humans en masse, especially those of the Boomer generation and younger generations in our free Republic, to make a well-reasoned opinion.

After 8 years of Bush for better or worse, we've been cultivated by every stupid meme that Hollywierd has had to offer, and with drek like "American Idol" and most "reality TV" along with a perverse attention to every detailed whip-stitch of our "celebrity aristocracy", and over a year of ceaseless campaigning (in an age where candidates hardly have to criss-cross the frontier on coal-powered trains doing sub-30mph speed) ...

... the People's mind is pretty ready for the most basic pablum the Dems have to offer.

Which is why the Dems will offer up His Democratic Majesty, King Obama, as our would-be "god", and the GOP will scare up some sort of security crisis "just in time" to get everyone on the McCain's "my friend" list.

[Worst President Ever]

Krauthammer has it exactly right. McSame's choice of Palin sacrificed his strongest argument against Obama. Seems more the act of a desperate candidate than some carefully thought out strategy.

McCain's age and heath problems magnified the importance of his VP pick. So how do you keep telling people you put your "Country First" when you just selected a virtual unknown and the least qualified VP in memory? I have a hard time seeing Palin going head-to-head with Putin, Ahmenajad, China. Or tracking down Bin Laden?

I think there's a better than 50/50 chance of a major case of buyer's remorse.

[templar knight]

"least qualified VP in memory."

So Worst, my question is how YOU keep telling people you put your "Country First" when you one-up John McCain and select the least qualified President in memory?

IMHO, the top of the ticket is more important than the bottom. Your lack of logic is unbelievable, then I remember that you're a liberal.

[befair]

Possible scenario to deep-six the incredible Paulin choice: McCain has a "crush" on Paulin & Cindy goes nuts and demands she withdraw from the ticket. Don't agree? Well, wait and see.

[Worst President Ever]

It's McSame that keeps braying about putting "Country First", but then goes out and picks the least qualified VP candidate any one can remember. If he REALLY believed it, he would have picked the most qualified candidate available - and that ain't Ms. Palin.

[Jamie]

Krauthammer's criticism is right on, as far as I am concerned.

As a woman and a Republican, I am frankly OUTRAGED by Palin's selection. If McCain really believed he needed a female VP (and I disagree with that kind of affirmative action nonsense), then there have to be at least 100 women with the gravitas to do the job. Believe it or not, women don't just vote for female candidates because we have the same body parts. We do actually THINK about qualifications. Somebody needs to alert the McCain campaign.

I'm sure Sarah Palin is a fine person. But Vice President? No way. She has ZERO qualifications. And no one can look me in the eye and tell me that she can take over as president if something (God forbid) happens to McCain. I really do question McCain's judgment.

Among the Republicans I know (both male and female) there has been nothing but "What is he THINKING??" as the reaction to this news.

[seekeronos]

"--- Among the Republicans I know (both male and female) there has been nothing but "What is he THINKING??" as the reaction to this news. ---"

And some R's I know were thinking that Mac was going to go with the conventional choice of another (slightly younger) old white guy, such as Mitt Romney.

But once again, y'all have misunderestimated (heh!) Johnny McMaverick's Maverickiness.

And even I'll agree that the old chap gamed this out quite well (along with his best campaign staff).

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"WW: Your post only proves that Democrat primary voters didn't value experience over glitter. Don't get your hopes up. The general population is not quite this foolish."

Terry you seem to infer that I was trying to make a different point. Frankly my own hopes have been beached from the beginning and I see no hope that my prayer for a viable 3rd candidate will be answered. Either way it goes we are getting a democrat. The question is whether we get the moderate RINO or the socialist. I'm sorry you dont realize just how "foolish" voters really are, but then you are likely one of those people who study candidates, what they've done, what they claim they'll do, etc. Unfortunately the majority get their advice from the movies and tv and vote their emotions. How can you fight such advanced intelligence as "McCain crashed too many aircraft" or "Palin was irresponsible to allow that child to live"?