McCain-Palin: Analyzing the ticket

As I mentioned in the flash earlier, I did not expect Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be picked by John McCain. There were denials from the Palin camp at first, but the GOP guarded the pick very well.

In an e-mail sent to supporters, McCain stated:

"Sarah Palin is a trailblazer and a reformer. As the first female governor of Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and has been a tireless advocate for reform - passing a landmark bill on ethics reform. She has taken on the old politics in Alaska and reformed the state's energy industry. She rejects wasteful pork barrel spending. She's fearless - exactly the type of leader I want at my side and the type of leadership we will bring to Washington."

Sarah Palin is the first woman to run for VP on the GOP ticket. At 44, she is younger than Barack Obama. She and her husband have five children, including one with Down Syndrome. In her speech today, she lauded Democrats Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro for helping to break the "glass ceiling." She has strong conservative credentials: a strong stance against partial-birth abortion, pro-gun (she is an avid hunter and fisher), and a supporter of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Her selection will undoubtedly raise McCain's chances of winning the White House. She will definitely go after Democratic women who supported Hillary Clinton and will, along with the very strong pro-life, pro-family GOP platform, bring more evangelical conservatives to McCain's side.

Already, one of Obama's campaign spokesmen is criticizing and smearing Palin. The spokesman criticized her for being a former mayor of a town of 9,000 people. This is the same Obama campaign that criticized rural America for "clinging to guns and religion." However, Obama and Biden later said in a joint statement: “We send our congratulations to Governor Sarah Palin and her family on her designation as the Republican nominee for Vice President. It is yet another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics. While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward, Governor Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign.” Obama and Biden must, however, fire the spokesman who smeared Palin.

John McCain and Sarah Palin is the right ticket for America: fighting corruption, preserving America's values and standing up to our enemies. Obama and Biden is the real "more of the same" ticket: the same old pro-abortion, anti-family, pro-Big Government candidates that Democrats produced for years.