This isn't a blog about who deserves to be the next president and vice president of the United States. It's neither my job nor my intention to tell you how to vote in November.
Rather, this is a blog about how John McCain just lost the election, days before the Republican National Convention even begins.
By taking an already shaky campaign and selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his pick for vice president, McCain has thrown his party under the bus.
I'm struggling to figure out what he was thinking.
First, the obvious: McCain's camp sees the thousands of jaded Hillary Clinton supporters as his ace in the hole. If he can bring them into his fold, it could be enough to thwart a landslide victory from Barack Obama -- and best case scenario, he could eke out a victory with these swing voters.
Second, McCain knows he will be painted as a doddering old man, and selecting a 44-year-old woman will balance the ticket with youth and vitality.
That all sounds good on paper, but the reality of the situation is that McCain might have made the biggest GOP blunder since George H.W. Bush promised "no new taxes."
Here's why: Palin is a political nobody from a state with fewer people than metro Milwaukee. Palin has served a mere two years as governor in state with issues incredibly different than those leaders face in the U.S. mainland. Prior to becoming governor, she was a mayor and on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska, a town with a population of about 5,470.
That's about one-third the size of Whitefish Bay.
Additionally, Palin is a staunch conservative. She's openly anti-abortion and in support of drilling in the Alaska wildlife. While her experience on the national and foreign stage is minimal -- and it's not like Obama is ripe with an international relations pedigree -- she's the opposite candidate that Clinton supporters would back.
Yes, Palin is a woman. But she's no Hillary, either. Women who supported Clinton didn't do so just because she's not a man. They liked her politics -- ideals that are not shared by Palin -- and they liked Clinton's experience in the Senate and as an activist First Lady -- again, nothing Palin can co-opt into her story.
On the other side, Obama is perceived as weak in foreign affairs, and "inexperience to lead" is a mantra being hammered by the Republicans.
So what did Obama do? He addressed these criticisms head on by going with a totally safe choice for vice president, selecting the blow-dried, white haired, white guy, Sen. Joe Biden, who, if nothing else, brings with him 35 years of national political experience. No doubt part of the Democrats' old guard, his credentials are indisputable.
Biden may be a lot of things, from a little smarmy to a plagiarizer to a Beltway insider. But he's also the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and he instantly solves Obama's problem of lack of experience on the world's stage.
McCain could've matched Biden with so many picks, from Condoleezza Rice to Colin Powell (though it's doubtful Powell wanted the job).
Instead, he chose Sarah Palin.
Who?
Get ready for politics to get very ugly. McCain, who pledged early on to stay above the belt, has inexplicably gone after Obama's popularity, associating him with Britney Spears and questioning his patriotism because he didn't serve in the military. Obama fired back last night, showing some of that surliness that has made both supporters and opponents a little edgy.
The kid gloves are coming off now. Expect Biden to tee off on Palin, and get ready for some very interesting debates. Obama will also do his best to paint McCain as a crazy, old coot, and unless the GOP can pull off another Karl Rove orchestrated PR masterpiece, expect this election to be a blowout.
Again, I'm not telling you who to vote for. But Democrats and Republicans alike have to be scratching their heads right now. McCain addressed a few problems with his credibility among conservative Republicans today -- but he completely threw out his chances with swing voters, who won't be too thrilled about electing a ticket that places a political newbie a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
