Sarah Barracuda

Palin’s speech was good. It was very good.

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The ability to attack ruthlessly while coming off as being likeable – that is a rare talent. (Biden, actually, is known for this as well.)

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You have to wonder why Palin keeps repeating that she said no to the Bridge to Nowhere. One has to wonder why she explicitly mentions that she is against earmarks. Both of these can be contradicted factually.

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Obama and Biden need to act quickly before the narrative sets in that Palin is a pork-hating reformer. Once the impression sets in, it is much harder to modify. (See Maverick.)

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Palin brings together the disparate coalitions that make up the GOP base and excites them in ways McCain couldn’t.

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Religion and abortion were largely left out of the speech but then again, Palin didn’t need to mention these. The religious conservatives already know she’s one of them.

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Throwing red meat to a partisan crowd is great. The Republicans should also count on an equal (?) and opposite reaction amongst the Democratic base.

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There are more self-identified Democrats than Republicans currently. There is no arguing that the Republicans need their base energized and united, but they also need a larger share of the independents and Democrats if they are to win.

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Obama and Biden should waste no time in highlighting some of the extreme position Palin holds. No abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.

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There are other extreme positions that Palin has espoused, including teaching creationism in schools. But banning abortions sans exceptions for rape and incest -- this is much more effective on moderates, even those that might be ambivalent about abortions.

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Obama needs to send out women and men from smaller states and rural areas as surrogates. Charges of sexism and elitism do not need to distract from the Democrats’ actual arguments.

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Going back to the second point – facts. It’s a sad reflection of the state of our political discourse where facts are dispensable and the politics of personality so much more prevalent.

The Biden Factor

My initial reaction to the news that Biden had been chosen as Obama’s running mate was that he is a solid pick but not an exciting one.

The excitement that follows in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, one that gives the campaign a bump in polls and otherwise -- this excitement is generally a result of the person being well known. The reinvigorated Al Gore*, for example, would be an exciting choice. Colin Powell, as another example, could bring a lot of excitement as McCain’s running mate.

With polls showing that a vast majority of Americans do not know Biden, it is difficult to generate that sort of excitement with the announcement. Biden, who? Why get excited about some old, white guy, who has been a senator for a long time and is an expert at foreign policy? Sound like a certain someone? What about Obama’s message of change?

McCain’s chief tactics are straight out of the Rove playbook – go after your opponent’s strengths and turn them into liabilities. So, Obama’s message of change is turned into inexperience and his ability to move people and to inspire them is turned into some shallow celebrity-like quality. By picking Biden, an older, experienced politician Obama seems to be addressing McCain’s charges and in effect legitimizing them.

Moreover, Obama has long argued that his opposition to the Iraq war is one the factors that distinguishes him from the other candidates, and that it should be seen as an example of his superior judgment. Biden voted for the Iraq resolution. Doesn’t choosing Biden undermine Obama’s original argument?

The concerns I outline above, may be construed as my disapproval of Biden, but rather I offer these as criticism of Obama’s muddling of his message and more importantly, his handling of McCain. With the national landscape tilted so much in favor of the Democrats, there is no reason for this race to be as tight as it is.

Obama needs to own his strengths and to capitalize on them. If a celebrity can inspire 10,000 people to show up at a rally, to participate in public life, to take part in a discourse about how they can change their country, then he is doing more than most politicians in this country. If a celebrity can inspire 200,000 Germans to show up in a gesture of goodwill and solidarity, then we need a celebrity to mend our ties to allies and foes alike. If years of experience in Washington can lead to where the country is currently, then the lack of experience in DC should be a good thing. Senator Obama, please take off the kiddy gloves and embrace your inner warrior.

And this is where, Joe Biden comes in. Biden, despite all the concerns I have raised, brings numerous strengths to the ticket. These strengths and the counter-arguments to my concerns, I will highlight in the next few posts.

* Gore has said explicitly that he is not interested. I am simply using him as an example.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah Biden

The Fix’s Chris Cillizza runs a fascinating series on potential vice presidential nominees, where he lays out the case for and against each candidate. This week, the subject is Joe Biden.

The arguments for and against Biden are all interesting but this nugget where Cillizza quotes Washington Post’s Dana Milbank is priceless.

"Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., in his first 12 minutes of questioning the nominee, managed to get off only one question. Instead, during his 30-minute round of questioning, Biden spoke about his own Irish American roots, his "Grandfather Finnegan," his son's application to Princeton (he attended the University of Pennsylvania instead, Biden said), a speech the senator gave on the Princeton campus, the fact that Biden is "not a Princeton fan," and his views on the eyeglasses of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)."

Previously on The Fix's VP series:

Rob Portman
Evan Bayh
Charlie Crist
Tim Kaine
Mitt Romney
Hillary Clinton
Tim Pawlenty
Kathleen Sebelius