Palin selection a smart choice
Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: Opinion
To the editor:
"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all."
This is a quotation from this nation's thirty-fifth president- John F. Kennedy. I would ask all who have read this paper's recent article on the Sarah Palin selection by John McCain to reflect upon this quote.
Colleges and students in my age group (18-22) are primarily Democratic and liberal leaning. As a registered Democrat and even a donor to the Obama campaign I am a guilty bleeding heart liberal myself. I caution you though to believe this selection of Gov. Palin dooms Senator McCain.
Elections in the United States are not won on a national level. They are won at the state level. Unless you live in Ohio, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, Nevada, or to some extent Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia…your vote really doesn't count. That said, go vote, you'll feel better about yourself and either way you vote you will be placing a historic ballot.
The key then is to examine the Palin pick in terms of those key states. Palin helps particularly, in my opinion, in Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia. Palin is as religious as they come. As recent as June she addressed her church and claimed Iraq was a war set in motion by God and that Alaskans need to pray and that Jesus will give them an oil pipeline….youtube it if you think I am lying. This alone congeals the conservative base. Those that questioned McCain as maybe veering from the Republican playbook once in a while have a champion. Their Evita has come to the mountaintop. Virginia, a state that could drastically alter the election map as we have known it our entire adult lives becomes much harder. It motivates those middle class whites in southwest Virginia and challenges the growing Democratic demographics in the northeast portion of the region that elected Senator Jim Webb (D) in 2006. In Ohio, the same people that put President Bush over the top also now have somebody they can point to and feel better about. Those suburban moms that decide many elections in many places now have a hero to tell their daughters about. Mom can tell little Sally that she voted for the first woman vice president. The Obama-Biden ticket offers plenty of history. Unfortunately it offers a historic opportunity to those already likely to vote Democrat. McCain went out and choose [sic] somebody whose history making run plays to an important swing demographic.
So before declaring Obama winning in a landslide or Sarah Palin being too coo coo for coco puffs to bring a victory, look at the demographics and the states that will decide this. Look at where she is strong. It's like when you go see a movie everybody raves about and you leave wondering why anybody would waste $10…then a few weeks later you see it's shattering box office records. Just because you may not get it doesn't make it foolish.
Tim Downes
"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all."
This is a quotation from this nation's thirty-fifth president- John F. Kennedy. I would ask all who have read this paper's recent article on the Sarah Palin selection by John McCain to reflect upon this quote.
Colleges and students in my age group (18-22) are primarily Democratic and liberal leaning. As a registered Democrat and even a donor to the Obama campaign I am a guilty bleeding heart liberal myself. I caution you though to believe this selection of Gov. Palin dooms Senator McCain.
Elections in the United States are not won on a national level. They are won at the state level. Unless you live in Ohio, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, Nevada, or to some extent Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia…your vote really doesn't count. That said, go vote, you'll feel better about yourself and either way you vote you will be placing a historic ballot.
The key then is to examine the Palin pick in terms of those key states. Palin helps particularly, in my opinion, in Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia. Palin is as religious as they come. As recent as June she addressed her church and claimed Iraq was a war set in motion by God and that Alaskans need to pray and that Jesus will give them an oil pipeline….youtube it if you think I am lying. This alone congeals the conservative base. Those that questioned McCain as maybe veering from the Republican playbook once in a while have a champion. Their Evita has come to the mountaintop. Virginia, a state that could drastically alter the election map as we have known it our entire adult lives becomes much harder. It motivates those middle class whites in southwest Virginia and challenges the growing Democratic demographics in the northeast portion of the region that elected Senator Jim Webb (D) in 2006. In Ohio, the same people that put President Bush over the top also now have somebody they can point to and feel better about. Those suburban moms that decide many elections in many places now have a hero to tell their daughters about. Mom can tell little Sally that she voted for the first woman vice president. The Obama-Biden ticket offers plenty of history. Unfortunately it offers a historic opportunity to those already likely to vote Democrat. McCain went out and choose [sic] somebody whose history making run plays to an important swing demographic.
So before declaring Obama winning in a landslide or Sarah Palin being too coo coo for coco puffs to bring a victory, look at the demographics and the states that will decide this. Look at where she is strong. It's like when you go see a movie everybody raves about and you leave wondering why anybody would waste $10…then a few weeks later you see it's shattering box office records. Just because you may not get it doesn't make it foolish.
Tim Downes
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