You gotta’ give it to John McCain. He knows how to throw the dice. Just a couple of months ago McCain completely won over the Republican base with a very risky move-choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate.
I remember the day of the announcement. Conservative journalists shouted for joy. His was a choice that they liked.
And the public responded as well. There even came a point where McCain was leading in the polls. I couldn’t believe it. I actually thought that the impossible was going to happen. I actually thought John McCain might win this thing. Even after 8 years with a Republican president with a dismal public opinion rating.
It seemed like Palin was a great choice. While her political experience was minor compared to other candidates, she was the governor of Alaska. She was attractive, smart, and down-to-earth. Of course, the media immediately pounced, ripping every aspect of her life to shreds as is it’s policy for high profile candidate. But she stood up to it.
But then the bubble burst. Suddenly voters were no longer enamored with this seemingly attractive running mate. She stopped looking down to earth and started to look nave and much too inexperienced.
I feel that Palin came across too much like President Bush. Remember that America elected George Bush to be president twice. We liked him. We knew that there were certainly more intelligent and experiences choices out there, but we liked him. We liked Sarah Palin as well, and this has made us scared of her.
We’ve seen first hand the consequences of voting for someone that you like. And we need a president who won’t just go with his gut. McCain showed that he’s capable of making unwise, risky calls.
America should have a president who plays it safe. We’re a nation with too many problems. We need a president who will make not just bold decisions, but smart decisions. McCain’s call showed us that he shouldn’t be our president.