The Blog @ Spolitics

The Experience Gap Trap

I wrote earlier that it was stupid for the Obama camp to attack Palin over her perceived lack of experience since it was an issue that could boomerang.

There’s also another risk. Palin is not as inexperienced as the Obama camp (and their enablers in the media) are claiming and if they’re not careful, Obama and his supporters might find themselves in the indelicate position of having to explain why they’re so easily dismissing her and her accomplishments. Whether it’s because she’s a woman or from a small town, it fits neatly into negative perceptions already cultivated during the Democrat primary that Obama looks down on rural America and led a misogynistic campaign.

As for those who are claiming McCain only picked Palin because she was a woman, who do they believe would have been a better pick? Sure there were other names being bandied about who had more experience, but they all brought their own baggage and none of them brought the reputation as a reformer. Palin did. According to WaPo, that’s exactly why McCain chose her:

The more McCain learned about her, the more attracted he was to her as someone who shared his maverick, anti-establishment instincts.

“He looked at her like a kindred spirit,” said one close adviser, who declined to be identified in order to speak more freely. “Someone who wasn’t afraid to take tough positions.”

Time echoes he point:

…but in many ways she reinforces John McCain’s narrative of a maverick conservative crusader. She’s risen to power by battling corruption in her own state’s Republican establishment, exposing misconduct by the state GOP chairman and challenging the incumbent GOP governor.

The article concludes:

Politically, in a year where the Republican brand is so tarnished, Palin will help McCain make the case that he’s a different kind of Republican.

In addition, the Palin pick has energized the base without turning off independents or disaffected Republicans (at least not yet) and she’s extremely knowledgeable about — and has first hand experience with — one of the most important issues in the election: energy.

By describing the choice as an “irresponsible,” “cynical” ploy, the left is saying more about themselves and their prejudices than McCain or his chosen VP. They’ve judged her an unworthy affirmative action pick, “an unthinkable disaster” who is “clearly unqualified to be president.” But it’s all empty, unsupported, and amounts to nothing more than she’s unqualified because “we” don’t know her. Taken as a whole, the case against Palin stinks of typical snobbishness from elite left, the press, and Washington insiders. She’s even being attacked for not having appeared on Meet the Press (Gasp!).

The left is slamming McCain for making a rash decision that “raises again–yet again–the question of whether McCain is temperamentally suited for the presidency.”* But they’re the ones who have judged Sarah Palin before really seeing what she is made of. If she impresses, a lot of people are going to have egg on their face. Furthermore, their hasty pronouncements will end up helping Palin because they’ve lowered expectations. The stage is set for Palin to shine. We’ll see soon enough just how good a judge of character John McCain is.

* p.s. Joe Klein’s argument is particularly hollow. He questions McCain’s decision because McCain has never worked with Palin before. Of course, he argues this because it works to the Democrats’ advantage this year — Obama has worked in the Senate with Biden. But had Clinton ever worked with Gore? Reagan with Bush? Carter with Mondale? Klein even concedes that Mondale never worked with Ferraro but excuses it because Tip O’Neil had. What’s telling, however, was Ferraro was the only example Klein brought up.

Obama’s Laughable Tough Talk on Debating McCain

Why does Obama keep challenging McCain to debate various issues when he’s the one who backed down from McCain’s previous debate offer? Has the man no sense of irony? McCain repeatedly suggested they hold 10 town hall debates. Like many other issues, Obama apparently likes the idea of debating — in principle — but is unable to back up his words with actual deeds. Evidently, debating is a very complicated issue that requires a nuanced approach.

Obama Camp Fumbles Their Response to Palin Pick

The Obama campaign has been caught flat-footed by McCain’s pick for VP. First they attacked her as inexperienced (slamming small town America in the process) and — rather lamely — as just more of the same. Then, after the McCain camp pointed out their lack of grace in acknowledging this historic moment and congratulating Palin, they meekly offered their congrats.

Meanwhile, while Obama and Biden pretended to take the high road, their surrogates continued going after Palin’s apparent lack of experience. It’s an incredibly stupid move. It begs comparisons to Obama’s own lack of experience. Do the Democrats really want to engage in this debate — comparing the top of their ticket to the bottom of the Republican ticket? Inexplicably, they’re doing just that. The problem for the Obama camp is it’s not an argument he necessarily wins.

Palin has run a business, a city and state; she chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee. In addition she is the Commander of Alaska’s National Guard and the Alaska State Defense Force. Sure, Obama has been tested on the national stage and has run a good campaign, but his legislative record is thin and his foreign policy experience boils down to chairing a committee that has yet to hold a meeting.