Politics 2000

Politics 2000 started Aug. 4 so EntreCard droppers didn’t have a full 30 days to boost their totals. At the end of the month, I want to thank the top ten droppers. You’ve been very kind.

24patrol with 24

Bizphere
My Ideas 4 You with 22 each

OC Golf Course
Search Engine Panel
Celebrity Today!
Untreatable’s Blog
JoanJoyce with 21 apiece

Enfotainer-Enfotain Your Mind
Badabings with 20 each

You know there’s a big event coming when the U.S. cable news networks are live after 11 p.m. eastern on Sunday. Best wishes to those in the U.S. Gulf Coast region tonight. Hurricane Gustav is likely to make landfall tomorrow morning, Central Daylight Time, slightly west of New Orleans. Hurricanes don’t always follow projections so I hope everyone who could leave the area has done so. No one wants to see anyone affected by another major hurricane three years after Katrina and Rita pounded the Gulf Coast. Let’s hope Gustav is not as strong as expected.

Speaking of strong, it’s amusing that many liberals and conservatives agree about the selection of Sarah Palin to be John McCain’s running mate. Both groups have said all weekend, “This choice is great. My guy is now more likely to win in November.”

Of course, those words have been uttered for quite different reasons. The Republican National Convention will be truncated. No one yet knows by how much.

Generations of Alaskans are conflicted today. On the one hand, Senator Ted Stevens’ indictment recently for failing to disclose about $250,000 worth of work done to his home has caused deep dismay. On the other hand, residents are expecting Stevens and his supporters to remain unbowed. He won his party’s primary Tuesday. Stevens, one of the men most responsible for Alaska becoming the 49th state in 1959, is called “Uncle Ted.” In some ways, Stevens resembles a relative within many families. You like him a lot; he was once the strongest family member. Now, you’re not sure just how many of his faculties are remaining.

Stevens was already facing a stern re-election campaign this fall. Democrats are hoping to win the seat in their quest to take 60 seats in the body and break any filibusters. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich was already leading in the polls before Ted Stevens’ indictment became national news. Stevens is 84; if re-elected, he’d turn 90 during his next term. He has served nearly 40 years in the Senate. He is the longest-tenured Republican senator in history. In a year fueled by desire for change, Stevens is the embodiment of the status quo. Alaska has backed the Republican candidate for president since Richard Nixon traveled to the state in 1960. Governor Sarah Palin just became Sen. John McCain’s running mate in November.

Therefore, the fact that Begich’s lead over Stevens has increased substantially since the indictment was levied has left the Republicans dismayed. Stevens’ supporters point out, however, that Stevens has brought home the proverbial bacon for his state. Alaska receives much more federal money than it pays to Washington. In large part due to Stevens’ efforts, federal earmarks became an accepted practice, then a four-letter word in the current political climate. Stevens has remained undaunted though. He steadfastly proclaims his innocence and promises that he has paid every bill presented to him toward the lavish remodeling of his Alaska home. Ted Stevens’ indictment isn’t going to sway his loyalists or those who already believed a new voice is needed. The key is the undecided voters.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the first-ever Republican woman (and second-ever woman behind Geraldine Ferraro in 1984) to appear on a national ticket. Senator John McCain has struggled to woo his party’s base voters while also cultivating the maverick image he thinks he’ll need to win in a year when the Republican Party absolutely must gain a majority of independent voters if it hopes to keep the White House.

McCain has satisfied social and fiscal conservatives by picking Palin. She is pro-life and pro-Second Amendment and anti-gay marriage. Palin opposed federal earmarks and eliminated the state’s income tax, choosing to rely on oil revenues instead. Palin served as city councilwoman or mayor of Wasilla, AK (population 5,470 in 2000) and on a state commission before beating incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in a 2006 primary. She then stormed to a general election win against former Gov. Tony Knowles.

Palin doesn’t bring a state to McCain’s column; Alaska is as red as red states get. The three electoral votes match Delaware, home of Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden. Palin has no experience outside Alaska and the thought of her debating Biden in October should concern Republicans. That said, if Palin can stay close rhetorically to the 35-year Senate veteran, she’ll appear to be the winner.

Her staunch conservative stances may not draw moderates. Women who are disappointed that Sen. Hillary Clinton is not on the Democratic ticket may think about voting for a woman. If gender is the only issue, then great news for the GOP.

If ideology means anything, however, it’s hard to believe many women who wanted to vote for Clinton will vote for Palin instead. Especially when doing so means voting for McCain as president instead of Sen. Barack Obama. Sure, breaking the glass ceiling is important to a lot of women who had to wait 24 years for a second female to run for vice-president. Who knows when the third chance will come?

Nonetheless, the issues will matter more to the overwhelming majority of women in November. So Clinton’s legion will stay blue. McCain needs another way to win the electorate’s middle ground.