John McCain's choice for VP

The reactions, both pro and con, to Senator McCain's choice of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate have been very interesting and even amusing to me. There are some people who seem to think that he has automatically won the Presidency just by choosing her, and others who think he has made a terrible mistake by choosing her.

To those who are ga-ga over his selection of Gov. Palin, my caution is - slow down. Take a deep breath. Don't get too excited. She may not be the "winning ticket" choice that you want to believe she is. On Friday morning at my place of work, she was the topic of conversation among my co-workers after the announcement of her selection was made. The reaction was NOT positive. Two of my co-workers, one male, and one female (so much for her appeal to women voters, at least where this one lady was concerned), were absolutely LIVID over her being the choice. The male co-worker, jabbing his finger in the air to emphasize his points, and sounding positively vitriolic, said, "I do NOT want that woman a heartbeat away from the White House! What experience does she have? Not even two years as a governor, and before that mayor of a small town? What kind of experience is that to potentially become President? And John McCain is OLD. If he dies, I don't want that woman running the country!"

Yes, I know she has more experience than Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama for that matter, but temper your enthusiasm with the cold water of reality - a lot of people aren't comparing her to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, they're simply looking at her and her alone, and thinking that someone who has spent less than two years governing a state whose entire population is less than the city of Phoenix doesn't exactly have the credentials to take over running the country at a moment's notice. This may not be the way YOU feel about her, but it's seeming, based on comments I'm reading and conversations I'm having, to be the way a lot of potential voters DO feel about her, like it or not. Few and far between are those who say, "I wasn't going to vote for McCain no matter what, but now that he's picked Gov. Palin to be on his ticket, I'm ready to run out and put a sign in my yard for them! She rocks!" (Puh-leeze! What an incredible 180-degree turn some people can exhibit!)

For me personally, I was planning to vote for McCain no matter who he chose as a running mate, because I am a Republican and cannot envision voting for Obama under any circumstances. I will withhold judgment on Gov. Palin until I have an opportunity to see and hear more about her, and see how she fares in the upcoming vice presidential debate with Sen. Biden. (I still lament that Fred Thompson dropped out of the race...sigh...) I hope deeply that she proves to be an asset to the Republican ticket, but I will not jump to the conclusion that she will indeed be an asset just because I personally happen to like her or agree with her stand on the issues. I fear other people are doing just that. Wait and see how this plays out first.



Geri Ann