Is she a Hail Mary Pass?

Question

Is the McCain choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate the equivalent of a "Hail Mary pass"? They could see they were going to lose unless a "game changing" move was made.

Answer 1

Obama should be a few more than four points ahead in LIBERAL polls such as Yahoo!'s after having given the rallying speech of his life in Denver.  Whatever McCain is doing, it's working, and you'd better get used to it.

Answer 2

Nope.

She's a fullback running straight up the middle.

Answer 3

If this is a ploy to attract women voters, then this is an absolute failure.  She has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade which in my opinion guarantees one of the greatest rights a woman has, control over her own body.  

Governor of one of least populated states in the country for less than two years hardly qualifies someone to be VP let alone President, come on John McCain you could have done better.   After Obama's selection of Biden, I was leaning toward labeling myself a McCain democrat, but it would have taken a more moderate VP selection on McCain's part.  I guess it will be Obama or a write in in November.

Answer 4

Oh, I suppose it it, though not for the reason you give above.

I actually think McCain would have an easier time with Romney, Pawlenty, or Ridge.  At least they're established, and have a pretty substantial record of having supported/opposed several things.

McCain also loses the ability to attack Obama on the basis that he is too inexperienced.  If McCain ever does, Obama can now now just point at Palin and say "Look at your running mate"  Palin's resume makes Obama look like an elder statesman.  Pretty much any other running mate would have allowed McCain to continue this attack.

This honestly was the wrong choice for McCain.  I should also note, in the interest of openness and honesty, that I am a Democrat.

Answer 5

If so, it's a completion.

Take a look at the poll number trend (on a lib site at that!)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/

Answer 6

I believe so, but I think this choice is a bad one and may backfire. She has even less experience than Barack Obama. Being Mayor of a town of 6500 people in rural Alaska does not prepare you for much - maybe running a Walmat, but not this country. She has only been Governor for 20 months and again Alaska is not going to have the same issues as say a state like New York, Illinois, and California, those which have major metropolitan cities...

Mccain is 73 years old, if he dies in office I don't think I want Ms. Congeniality Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces.

Answer 7

I'd say it looks more like a Holy S**t fumble myself.

The pick of a VP running mate has of itself never shifted the outcome of an election.  The VP's primary job is to play "Junk Yard Dog" in attacking the opponent, leaving the Presidential candidate the option of taking the high road.  Joe Biden has many years of experience in doing that and the spine to both keep it up and take whatever comes back at him.  If he can draw McCain out and get him to demonstrate his famous (or infamous, depending upon your viewpoint) temper in public then it will be all over for Senator McCain but the crying.

Ms Palin is an unknown political entity.  Maybe she has the steel nads to do her job as JYD and maybe she doesn't.  We'll just have to wait and see.  "Tough Guy" Jesse Ventura finally gave up the Governor's Mansion in MN due primarily to public criticism, though by most measures he was a pretty effective Chief Executive.  If you can't take the heat, politics clearly isn't your career path regardless of how good you might be at your leadership skills.

Whether it's a Hail Mary or Holy S**t remains to be seen.  But I can say without reservation that it WILL be an interesting campaign!

Answer 8

Deffinately, except McCain threw the ball IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

Answer 9

It took me a minute to figure out what you meant because I'm not catholic.  But I seem to remember in some mafia movie that you'd hail mary after you knocked someone off of did something bad.  

I"m still not voting for Mccain....even if he did do a hail mary...

Answer 10

I wouldn't call representing 52% of the population by choosing a woman for a running mate a 'hail Mary pass'. I call that brilliant.

Answer 11

It definitely shook things up.

As a Democrat, I will admit I was both extremely taken aback and shocked at McCain's choice. It seems to have all the qualities of a winner - a fresh face, youth, a woman, while also energizing the hardcore conservative base.

However, this IS the general election. Sarah Palin has already gotten much scrutiny, and time will tell if she will be able to hold her own in debates and on the campaign trail.

It's a gamble to be sure, and right now it seems to be on its way to the target. But you never know!

Answer 12

apparently you have not seen obamas long slide down in the polls.

Answer 13

yeah, i say its a big risk. personally i would of liked romney on the ticket. but i see it as, he wanted to get upset clinton voters to switch to rep. b/c she is a female. however soooo much risk! no foreign experience, she is being investigated, she said on tv she doesnt know what the vp does, she only met mccain once. shes a newby, so.. there goes all mccain ads attack obama for being new and inexperienced down the tube. its things like this that make me go.. what? so yes this could be an amazing thing for mccain if its played right with a small percent chance. or the bigger chance of blowing up in his face. to me it sounds like a last ditch effort to get ahead in the polls

Answer 14

The game is the same, she's just a new fresh face they are hoping will make a impact with women voters (she even mentions hillary's  18,000,000 voters in her first speech, how obvious and lame)

What she doesn't mention is McCains policies which are against many women rights, such as giving women the same pay as men for equal work. McCains campaign may look prettier on the outside, but it's still got no substance. It's just a lously cake with icing, that still tastes like c**p.    

Answer 15

It really wouldn't matter who McCain picked, Omama is going to cost himself the election.

Answer 16

So your admiting this was a game changing move? you would be the first liberal to openly admit that

She was an excellent Pick from her credientials to her history and beyond.

I wouldnt so much say game changing, but more so, gave the game a violent shove into Mccains favor

Answer 17

You mean like how Obama chose Biden in order to attract the working class?

Of course unlike Biden, Palin is not a Washington partisan insider who caters to the status quo. Obama talks of change, but picked a VP who is the opposite of change.

Palin on the other hand, is maverick who has fought against the status quo and corruption.

Answer 18

Maybe, but the receiver caught the ball and is running for the touch down with no one close behind.

Answer 19

Maybe, but it looks like it could be a winner.

Answer 20

It was a transparent and stupid pick. McCain lacks serious judgment by putting his election, and not the country first.