Ed Morrissey of HotAir notes that while the excitement and energy from the Sarah Palin pick is a huge benefit for Republicans, it won't be worth a thing if we don't get serious about the issues. He correctly points out that we can't allow this thing to become a cult of personality, like the Obama campaign always has been.
We want the large crowds, but we need to have them pay attention to the message. That message can’t just consist of “hockey mom” and “pit bull”, but a coherent public-policy philosophy along with a demonstration of how Palin’s record and experience supports it. Otherwise, we run the risk of making Palin into a reverse cartoon from the bubble-headed, trailer-trash yokel that the media has begun to paint.
That means being realistic about Palin’s experience. As governor for only 20 months, she has more executive experience than Barack Obama, but that’s a quip, not an argument. McCain chose her because she has a record of real reform, and of risk-taking in cleaning up politics, that includes more than just her term as Governor. We need to press that message and show how Palin commits McCain to change by outlining her achievements over the last several years, and focus on that rather than the Palin family. We have to acknowledge that Palin’s choice carried risk but that we needed a running mate like Palin to return the GOP and Washington to a path of reform, and the same old players in Washington wouldn’t do. Otherwise, we won’t convince anyone of the wisdom of Palin’s presence on the ticket.
Of course, he is right. It was inevitable that the GOPs first female on the vice president slot would generate some extra interest than any other pick ever has. And it was also inevitable that much of that coverage would be personality based. But there is much more to like with Governor Palin than just her personality and her story and her good looks. She is a reformer, she connects with middle America, and she is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. Morrissey need not worry, I have a feeling that she will make her case herself over the coming weeks.
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