Palin Poised to Court Conservatives (and Women)

McCain's choice of Governor Palin was a great strategy on two fronts. Disenchanted female Hillary supporters now have a woman on the national ticket who has a record of standing up for herself as a woman, such as responding to criticism in Alaska over her pregnancy while in office. On the other hand, Palin is a member of the NRA and hails from the state where the .357 Magnum is considered a wimp load; her selection now energizes the right wing of the GOP already incensed at solidly anti-gun Joe Biden's placement on the Democratic ticket. In my opinion Palin was the perfect choice to both play to Hillary's voters and to the conservatives who've been waiting for a reason to vote for McCain. Even outspoken liberal media outlets have admitted that Palin is a "totally regular person", so she will likewise draw independent votes as well. The Vice-Presidential candidacy is all about attracting votes and not about experience; thus McCain and his advisers chose prudently. Palin can herself use the candidacy to bolster her own career, putting herself in an excellent position to contend for the nomination and control of the Republican Party in 2012 whether she is living in the U.S. Naval Observatory at that time or not.

Biden Choice May Bite Obama Camp

While the GOP searches for a way to activate its apathetic base, the Obama campaign may have just given them a much needed shot in the arm. All of Obama's progress toward reaching out to disenchanted Republicans may have just taken a U-turn with his selection of Joe Biden as running mate. Joe Biden's "F" rating with the NRA, coupled with his vociferous support for gun control measures of all flavors, make it highly unlikely that any gun owner will now be able to vote for the Democratic ticket, no matter how great the ambivalence toward McCain. With Biden a staunch liberal, the Democrats have elected to go with a double "L" ticket, gambling that anti-Bush sentiment is so high they can comfortably veer to the far left with impunity. Perhaps they are correct, but likewise it virtually guarantees that the first term of an Obama administration would create such an ideological sea change that would fail so demonstrably, the country would be begging the GOP back in 2010. Indeed, I'd look for the biggest turnout in an off-year election in 2010 since 1994.

On a lighter note, I attended the inaugural Battle of the Boro last night. Oakland took advantage of Riverdale's smaller, weaker defense and snapped the Warriors' seemingly perpetual winning streak. Riverdale defenders couldn't even use their small size to their advantage, as several tackles were missed as the Warriors just couldn't catch up to heavier Patriot runners. Warrior offense seemed OK except for some foolish penalties, but of course the Riverdale "O" was only on the field for a few minutes of the entire game. Well, you can't win them all (defending champ Smyrna dropped a loss as well). Antioch is next on the Riverdale "chopping" block. What other surprises await Middle Tennessee this season under the Friday night lights?