Several analysts have speculated as to why John McCain plucked Sarah Palin, an obscure governor from the "forgotten" state of Alaska as his selection for Vice President. While there are many reasons that make her an appealing choice for him, the primary reason has only been touched on, but will become more apparent in the coming weeks.
There are the obvious reasons:
- Bridging the gender gap
- Appealing to the far-right conservative base
- Her appearance (a minor point, one that shouldn't be an issue, but in today's visual-candy world, it is)
- The contrast: an old man with a young woman
- Strong family story lines: 1 son in the military, another born with Down Syndrome
- NRA, Pro-life, Fight the Establishment
- Stealing the Obama-acceptance-speech thunder
As will be revealed in the coming weeks, the primary reason that she is such an appealing pick for him is that her presence alone will lower gas prices. It's that simple. The speculative dynamic that controls oil futures more than even "supply and demand" will cause a sharp decrease in oil prices over the next week. It will level out, but as the election approaches, if McCain is still a viable candidate and one who has a good chance of winning, her presence will cause another sharp decline as election day approaches.
He is a financial novice who has had poor luck when it comes to addressing the issue of the economy. With advisers making fools of themselves to the media mixed with his own proclamations of economic ignorance, gas prices are the quickest way to elevate his standing in the eyes of the voters. If their ticket is the one that is viewed as the answer to the gas crunch, they have the one piece to the puzzle that cannot be disputed when it comes to the economy.
This will be apparent once the VP debates start happening. Her policies in Alaska have demonstrated a push for us to "drill our way" out of dependency on foreign oil. While she has stated that she feels alternative energy sources are still 10 years away from become reasonable options, they will spin this as a practical assessment -- in other words, it's not that she doesn't believe in alternative energy sources, but that she will work towards addressing the problem now with drilling and solving the problem in the future with science.
On the surface, this seems like a minor point. When it all shakes out, it will become apparent that her presence is a strategic one, not just because of the obvious, but because to lower gas prices, she is the ideal running mate.
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Read more about
Sarah Palin as VP on this blog.
British news site Times Online gives an extraordinary account of how Sarah Palin has invigorated the campaign in ways that nobody expected. Her raw political talent may just end up being enough to propel her party and her running mate over the top.
