ST. PAUL, Minn. — By picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, Sen. John McCain has both excited the party's base while giving independent/reform-minded voters a reason to give the ticket a second look, according to one panel of political activists.
That was the consensus of a group of Republican and conservative activists at a panel discussion held yesterday and sponsored by CUNA and the National Journal.
“She's a bold choice and it assures people that there is not a glass ceiling in the Republican Party,” said Chuck Donovan, executive vice president of the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy organization.
The Palin selection helps McCain solve two political problems, said Charles Bass, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, an organization of moderate Republicans.
“He needed to keep conservatives but needed to highlight his reform image,” said Bass, a former congressman from New Hampshire who was defeated in 2006.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President William C. Miller said Palin's expertise on energy will be helpful to McCain since that is an issue that is at or near the top of voters' priority lists.
American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene praised the selection but said she will be under enormous scrutiny. He compared the challenges she will face with those of a star minor league baseball player being called up to the major leagues and making his debut in the World Series.
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