John McCain’s announcement on Friday morning that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would be his running mate left much of the Minnesota political community in a state of shock. Most, if not all, Minnesota politicos expected that McCain was set to tap our very own Tim Pawlenty to be his running mate. In fact, there was ample evidence that Pawlenty was on the cusp of veepdom. Most striking was the fact that he had canceled his public schedule for Friday and Saturday, returned to Minnesota from Denver earlier than planned and had booked an “exclusive” interview on Meet the Press Sunday morning. Multiple sources I spoke to indicated that Pawlenty was not acting unilaterally - he was instructed to take these steps. Behind the scenes there were more signs. Republicans sources I spoke to indicated that Pawlenty loyalists and family members were on their way to Minnesota and that Pawlenty’s inner circle was gearing up for a major announcement. One person I spoke to reported that Charlie Weaver, a key member of Pawlenty’s inner circle, was seen at MSP on Thursday waiting for a flight to Ohio. I’ve even heard rumors that a Secret Service detail was assigned to Pawlenty before being reassigned late Thursday (though I have found very limited evidence supporting this particular rumor).
So what happened?
Some people believe that Pawlenty was used as a decoy by the McCain campaign in an effort to distract attention away from their favored candidate, Sarah Palin. This theory has led to widespread anger in the uper echelons of Minnesota Republican circles. Many, many Republicans I spoke to were irate with the McCain campaign today. In fact, an item in the Washington Post on Friday indicated that Pawlenty himself “felt manipulated” by the McCain campaign. I can confirm from my own discussions with a Republican source that Pawlenty is very irritated at the McCain campaign right now.
A second possibility is that McCain had planned to pick Pawlenty until changing his mind late in the week. This theory is supported by published reports indicating that McCain only met with Palin on Thurday morning (their only previous meeting was in February). If Palin was a serious contender all along, one would expect that McCain would have met with her some time before the last minute (Obama met with Biden on August 6 - more than two weeks before announcing his selection).
But why would McCain change his mind?
Coming into the convention, McCain probably felt pretty good about his political position. He was tied or ahead in many national polls and he was coming off a good month. To add to his confidence, the opening of the DNC was dominated by questions about the Clintons and party unity. McCain probably thought he didn’t need to take a risk by selecting a political unknown like Palin. Pawlenty was the safe choice and there was no need to rock the boat. Hillary Clinton’s homerun performance on Tuesday night, followed by Bill Clinton’s on Wednesday, however, changed the political landscape. Looking at the prospect of an epic speech from Obama on Thursday night, perhaps McCain thought he needed a gamechanging pick. Perhaps in that very late hour, he pulled back from the edge and went a different way.
If true, it tells us a lot about John McCain and Sarah Palin. If McCain had wanted to pick Pawlenty but decided against it at the last minute, it casts even more questions on Palin’s qualifications (she wasn’t even McCain’s first choice!) Either way, I can tell you that John McCain shouldn’t expect many favors from Pawlenty loyalists in the coming weeks. Whether that affects his ability to win Minnesota is yet to be seen.
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I don’t think TPaw was McCain’s first choice ever. From what I have read, and from what I believe to be the way McCain thinks, Jomentum was always, always McCain’s first choice. They are both super-neocons and picking a “Democrat” would be a game-changing, mavericky thing to do. However, the conservative base nixed Lieberman for his pro-choice and other liberal positions on the issues, and try and McCain did, he could not convince them. So that meant he had to pick a nobody, and in that case, why not pick a nobody who also has ovaries to try to get some women?
I would have loved for Pawlenty to be picked, just so McCain/Pawlenty could go down in flames and end TPaw’s political career. But I said long ago that Pawlenty would never be picked. He brings nothing.
Hmmm. I heard that Michele Bachmann turned McBush down.
Guys, look at it this way.
My husband is convinced that Sarah Palin was the only choice left.
Alex Castellanos ( a Republican Strategist) was heard- after the OBAMA Convention speech- on CNN/FoX giving a little story about a Republican campaign manager who was active in the last elections and decided to lay low this year. Alex commented that the campaign manager was probably overjoyed that he had made that decision.
The simple fact is that All the others PULLED!
YES, NO ONE wanted to stand with MCCAIN.
He was on his own.
Sarah Palin, was a last-minute, desperate pick. That’s it. All the other choices are still young enough to try running again. Who wants to be the VP pick on a losing ticket?
As weird as it sounds Michelle Bachmann would have been a better choice than Palin. She has more experience… and more kids to use as props.
This choice says a lot about John McCain… none of it good. He has taken the position that he basically doesn’t need a VP on his ticket. It was a stunt that endangers out country, for no other reason than such an unprepared individual would be controlled by others in a type of “shadow government” should anything happen to Senator McCain. It is as if we are living in some banana republic or third world nation… no accountability at all.
If I was any of 30 different Republican politicians from Pawlenty to Senator Snow… I would be pissed beyond belief at this thumbing of the nose to their hard work and loyalty.
I wouldn’t vote for him but I think Pawlenty should thank his lucky stars for this. Either way the election goes, he comes out ahead. Either he avoids a humiliating defeat, or he gains time to position himself as a serious contender for the presidency in four years. A great keynote speech and some serious interviews will help him overcome the jokes about being unknown, while Palin implodes and Lieberman and the rest of the guys get older and more stale. In four years he’ll look a little less boyish, a little more familiar and Republicans will will be wondering how the ever could have passed over him.
McSame Pain 2008
Has a nice ring to it.
When CNN political correspondent Dana Bash interviewed McCain last April, she mentioned his joke that one of the two main tasks of the vice president is to check on the president’s health every day, a job of particular importance in his case. What did he mean by that? It was just a humorous remark, McCain said. But when she pressed him further, he said: “I think about whether that person who I select would be most prepared to take my place. And that would be the key criteria.”
So, Sarah Palin is THE most prepared Republican to take McCain’s place should he die or be incapacitated? She probably is as prepared as he is, sadly.
Here’s a scenario. In a month Palin flames out with the media and public, either from something she says in the campaign or something she said or did in her brief political career that comes back to haunt her. McCain says he’s behind her 1000%. She bows out anyway because her family (her special-needs baby) needs her more than the country does “right now”. McCain expresses sadness and picks Pawlenty to replace her.
McCain has succeeded in sucking all the oxygen away from Obama for a couple of weeks, right during the time Obama would have benefited from post-convention publicity; he has made amends with the religious right; he has emphasized his maverick label; and by election day he has a real VP candidate on his ticket.
Agreed blueJ. I think that’s exactly what we’ll see happen, especially as the continued vetting of Palin exposes her many negatives. Maybe the idiots in McCain’s camp should have vetted her BEFORE he chose her. I just hope at that point that Pawlenty will reciprocate on the nose-thumbing. Right back at ya, McCain.
tim pawlenty looked pathetic this morning on meet the press. mccain used pawlenty and minnesotans are not happy about it. anyway, MN was going Obama. the joke is just on Tim Pawlenty.
My GOP sources are much better than yours and this post is a DFL fairy tale. T-Paw is disappointed, but no one is “irate” with McCain. Nothing was ever promised and the choice was made at the last moment. Governor Palin is a wonderful choice and I have heard from exactly ZERO Republicans, including those in the Governor’s office, anything to the contrary.
We look forward to you guys “belittling” her in debates. The superiority angle worked so well for Gore and Kerry.
“My GOP sources are much better than yours…”
And my dad can beat up your dad…
Never let facts get in the way of a good post, guys. Some people actually know what is going on.
“Some people actually know what is going on.”
Exactly. So just sit back and listen to them.
I’m amazed at the ability of people in both political parties to just make shit up.
Palin the Pathetic, that is my nickname for her. So, we can’t have a serious VP debate because little miss beauty queen might cry if Joe Biden gets all up in her face and actually confronts her with her own lack of qualifications? And honestly, folks, don’t you think that every qualified VP candidate is just fuming over what McCain did? To lose the VP job to a joke. Yeah, Pawlenty should be pissed.
Pawlenty was never going to deliver Minn. for McBush.This is a totally failed decision and even if that Palin quitting the ticket actually happened,that would signal McBush’s total lack of respect for the other choice’s in his party.I just think this all is very sad.
Scott -
You don’t know who my sources are and I’m not the only one reporting this story.
Scott Duncan misses the point regarding a Biden/Palin debate. Senator Biden doesn’t need to belittle Ms. Palin to swiffer her, he doesn’t even need to acknowledge her at all. All he needs to do is stick to the issues. Those being “the same tired old McCain-Bush policies” which she supports. More importantly, politics is a bloody contact sport. If she can’t play with the big boys and girls then she needs to take her ball and go home. Crying “the men are beating up on me because I have a vagina” didn’t work for Hilary and it won’t work for Sarah.
The way you people are all trashing Gov. Sarah Palin is pretty funny. I think it’s because you know the wounds haven’t healed with Hillary’s supporters and you’re nervous that Obama’s speech didn’t give him much of a bounce. In fact, Obama hasn’t been above 50% in the national polls in months. Four years ago, John Kerry left his party’s convention with a 10 point lead. I’m not saying McCain is going to run away with the contest, but man I would surely be nervous about Obama’s performance if I were a Democrat — especially in this political climate.
Talk about whistling past the graveyard… Republicans are about to give up any bounce from the memories of Katrina through Gustav, missed the boat for a convention bounce and are depending completely on a woman who four years ago was concerned about the library and sewer system of a tiny town in rural Alaska. This VP pick is an extension of Republicans deserting the sinking ship… who needs the stench of defeat on them for 2012. Certainly Romney, Pawlenty and any other potential candidate for 2012 doesn’t want to be McCain’s wingman on the way down.
As long as the subject of Katrina just came up, check out this YouTube of Boy Blunder and Bushy McSame eating cake the day the levees broke.
I find it truly amusing that Chris and others think Palin is a helpful choice because Hillary supporters are disappointed. I was a Hillary supporter, still have the Hillary poster on my wall (next to a new Obama poster). Watching Hillary’s convention speech I felt a bit disappointed still, but if that is my “wound” it certainly isn’t a disabling one. Guess what - those of us who admire Hillary did not support her because she was a woman, we supported her because she is experienced, smart, eloquent, and tough. Obama’s appeal is slightly different yet just as stong; Hillary and Obama have nearly identical platforms. There is no way in hell that Palin is going to win over Hillary supporters with her anti-choice, creationist science, and anti-gay stances. Go ahead and talk about her appeal with evangelical voters and that makes sense. But don’t insult those of us who admire Hillary by thinking that we simply vote for whatever politician happens to have ovaries.
Chris: Obama is enjoying a ten point post-debate bounce.
The first two polls out show women being LESS likely to support McCain after picking Palin.
Lastly, Obama’s floor is McCain’s ceiling. I don’t know that you have much room to blather about being above 50%. Last I knew, the US employed a plurality voting system.
Bachmann turned Bush down?
So he went for another woman who believes the world was created 6000 years ago & Jesus rode dinosaurs?
Let’s not Forget:
MY JESUS CAN BEAT UP YOUR JESUS!!!!
We at FOCus on the Femily pray to him to cause bad things to our opponents.
Why is he punishing the gulf coast THIS TIME?
Oh, but most of us won’t vote for a BLACK MAN.
“We look forward to you guys “belittling” her in debates.”
1. She has to be protected from the mean old Senator? In other words, she can’t hold her own in a legitimate debate, and she’s being put forth as a sacrificial lamb. Now THERE’S a recommendation for a Vice-Presidnet/President of the Senate. Or …
2. You look forward to seeing a woman — especially your own Vice Pressidential candidate — belittled? I guess that’s par for the McCain way.
Pawlenty’s been ‘pimped’ after a ‘courtship’ of many months.
If he didn’t burn his bridges with ‘irateness,’ perhaps he’ll have a second chance to get in the backseat of McCain’s ‘scramble the jets’ strategy with his VP selection.
If McCain could make two more VP selections before election day, think of all the free media he could get!
Picking a ‘qualified’ [translation: boring] candidate like Joe Biden may not get much free media . . .
13 13 Scott Duncan
August 31, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Never let facts get in the way of a good post, guys. Some people actually know what is going on.
____________________________
Gee Scott
Would these be the same people who ignored over 50 warnings on the 9/11 attack, promised us there were WMDs, that we would be greeted in Iraq as liberators with candy and flowers, that global climate change is a myth, that a horse show judge could run FEMA, that Darth Cheney wasn’t behind the Valerie Plame leak, that O.I.L. (Operation Iraq Liberation) wasn’t about OIL and that their GOD told the Shrub to invade Iraq? Those sources?
Yeah, they’re really on top of things aren’t they.
How many times do you have to be lied to before you start questioning your source(s).