There is a certain set of Republican pundits–e.g. George Will–which was highly critical of the Sarah Palin pick. They seemed shocked, shocked to see there was politics going on in the midst of a presidential campaign. And they disagreed strenuously with the notion that the Republicans should engage in identity politics. (They also raised quite legitimate issues about qualifications and national security.) What must they be thinking now as the tidal wave of Palinism has swept through the Xcel Center?

Let’s stipulate that the purpose of political campaigns is to win. And the techniques and demands of modern media and pop culture require the parties find candidates whom voters actually like and with whom they can identify. Sue me. I think having an attractive cultural icon as the standard bearer for the conservative movement and for the previously anemic McCain-Palin ticket is a good thing. Like the basketball annoucer Dick Vitale says, the whole point is to “Win, baby, win.”

And if by winning, the candidate with a full appreciation of the danger of Islamic terrorism, a commitment to cutting government,  a belief in low taxes, and a determination to develop domestic energy supplies reaches the White House–is all that such a bad thing?

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 1:42 PM and is filed under Contentions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.