Are those nails I hear?

I believe that the election may have been won today.

Obviously I'm of a fairly mainstream Republican vent...but I think that this news bodes very well for John McCain.

Governor Palin is a solid Conservative, which will sit well with the Conservatives that have been less than enthusiastic about McCain. It also signals to the entire party that the future is NOT in moderate, middle of the road politics; its in real, life tested good old fashioned Conservatism that we have been wanting for decades. Such a signal should encourage Conservatives that might otherwise have stayed home to come out and vote; after all, the future of the party belongs to us, if we will do the hard work of getting a Republican elected in a Democrat year. Everyone for weeks has been saying that it was doubtful that the VP's would have any tangible effect on the outcome of the election. I think that, with McCain on the front of the ticket, the Republican VP choice will be a major deciding factor for the election...and this was the right move.

It knocks Obama off his "historic campaign" podium. Now, whoever wins, history will be made.

It opens up the potential for those voters that like John McCain and were sorely disappointed by Clinton's complete snubbing by Obama, to vote for a woman to be in those highest halls of government. In short, this could shift major power back to the Republican party. Time will tell, but if this has any trickle down effect on who runs in the party, I think the change will be dramatic. Look to see more exciting and dynamic Conservative leaders start taking the reins...and then, look to see Congress switch hands again.

It increases the chance of Joe Biden making a major gaffe. How to insult the first major woman VP candidate without appearing to be condescending, smug, or chauvinist? Tricky...especially when you're as prone to appear that way as Biden already is.

It challenges the perception that the Republicans are the insiders in this race. With Biden on the ticket, that was already an issue for the Dems...now, with a governor from Alaska (nearly as far from Washington as possible), Republicans have the only candidate that wasn't previously working in Washington, and the only candidate that has served as a government executive.

She has the upper hand on the issue of drilling, as its an issue literally in her own backyard. She is a living challenge to Obama's radical acceptance of abortion. McCain and Palin will both be able to support seeing the war through to victory with credibility, since they both have sons in the military in Iraq. Expect to see soccer moms by the van-load turn out for the McCain-Plain ticket; she is one of them, and a darn fine one from everything we can tell. The perfect balance to the suggestions that McCain is the "out-of-touch" candidate, because of his many homes. As much as any successful politician can be, she is in touch with regular people.

***Potential Problems***

There are, of course, issues with any VP pick, their strengths not withstanding. Gov. Palin is relatively new to major politics...roughly as new as Sen. Obama. Still, the experience gap should not be a problem for the Republicans, since the experience of our VP is comparable to the experience of their President. We front-loaded the top of the ticket...Biden, we have to assume, was an attempt to solve a major problem from Obama. Unfortunately, that has to be tempered with the reality that Biden is a Washington Insider; if change is the order of the day, Biden is very out of place. Palin, the only executive in the race, has the experience she needs to be a qualified VP, while not being tainted by being the perpetual politician that her counterpart is.

Can she handle the scrutiny of a national campaign? I think so...having seen some of her public appearances previously and watching her now. Time will tell. I do think that, when going up against Biden, she needs to be tough, but will manage to avoid becoming shrill and domineering like Hillary Clinton. We all understand the difficult position Clinton was in, wanting to hit Obama, but being unable to do so AND appear feminine AND avoid making problems for herself with her own party AND leave wiggle room for the general. Palin doesn't have to worry about that. She can play hard, but still be the hockey mom. I think she's in a prime position to play Biden's bluddering tongue against him, while hitting hard on the ample problems he brings to the Change/Hope ticket.

It may be premature, but I believe the casket is closing on Obama's Icarus-esque rise and fall in the 2008 election campaign. Just over two months left...we shall see...

Dear Obama: Thanks for That!

I finally get to blog again...and Obama makes Biden his VP choice. Its like a welcome back gift...

It is unclear to me why this is the smart choice; from the speech Biden made today there are an obvious group of sound bytes that will undoubted feature prominently in Ads that will start rolling out...immediately. I can see it now...images of Joe Biden speaking today saying, "These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader," followed by any one of Biden's statements about Obama's inexperience and dangerous unfamiliarity with delicate matters of state. Using old opponents to cut at Obama is nothing new, but then, Obama put this guy on the ticket...so its to be expected.

It also poses a problem for the "candidate of change" to pick Biden, who has been in the Senate longer than almost everyone ("In all my time in the United States Senate, and I want you to know there's only four senators senior to me, but Barack, there's still 44 older than me"). There are few people that could be considered more of an insider than Joe Biden. This doesn't solve the problem of Obama's lack of experience (since Biden is also inexperienced as an executive)...what it does do is suggest that Obama is not really out of the shadow of the establishment after all. In fact, this pick will likely deflate his message of change and hope, as Biden attracts very few new voters, and brings mostly only old Democrat baggage with him to the ticket.

I think this is unfortunate, and I am sure those that are willing Obama to overcome his last great race must agree. A part of me wishes that Obama's rhetoric wasn't just words to get him elected (he is very like-able, after all) and if what little record he did have didn't point to a radically liberal worldview, I might almost be tempted to believe that he represented a candidate that could resolve some real problems in our government. Reality is harsh in that way. He is radically liberal...and it looks like his rhetoric is sadly empty. Rather than the politics of change, he is embracing one of the poster-boys of the same old song. I really do wonder why he didn't court Jim Webb...Webb struck me as a problem for the Republicans, but apparently he was not in keeping with the Hope and Change that Obama wants to bring to the nation--granted, his time in office is much like Obama's, but then perhaps that's a good thing when you're preaching a new kind of politics. Curiouser and curiouser do I yet grow.

What must McCain do, to bounce back from this crushing, devastating pick? Pick someone with experience; someone that is not an insider, is younger than he is (not a MUST, but preferable) and someone that can hit Biden hard while he's telling us stories about his favorite topic...himself. I am not sure Hewitt is right on the money (a scary thing to suggest, since I think he's pretty darn smart)...Romney would carry some of the same baggage as Biden does for Obama, having argued against McCain in the primaries. Pawlenty remains a strong possibility as well. Romney still has a lot of positives in his corner; it just remains to be seen if the risk of a Mormon that McCain ran against is the prefered choice for McCain. Time will tell. The point is, his options are huge, thanks to a really bad choice on Obama's part.

Oh...and Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania...that's right...THAT Scranton.

At the End of the Summer

Summer is about to end, and I might actually have more time to finally reflect on what has been happening now then I did during the three months of vacation.

This Summer was a good time for our family. We traveled for the first time since our Honeymoon for the purpose of pleasure. For the first time in 5 years, we got a vacation. In Cancun, the beaches were beautiful, the saphire water , and the wind warm and wet. Sheri and I spent the whole time feeling like we were back home in the Philippines. We stood in on the field amidst ruins of Mayan temples that were being used while Rome was fighting off the Huns during a lightening storm. I narrowly avoided ending up in a Mexican prison. I almost broke the trade embargo on Cuba. It was a good vacation.

We bought a house in Valencia. After living for 5 years in the same small and overly cramped apartment, its difficult to express just how exciting it is to be expanding into nearly 2000 sq ft. Aiden will finally have his own room...Sheri and I will have our own room...I will have an office. While I would never describe myself as even remotely sad to leave "Ramhurst Manor" there can be no denying that, as I walked through the barren apartment Tuesday evening, it was a moment worthy of reflection. It was the place my bride and I called home after our wedding. It was where we shared our first Christmas together. Where we brought my son home from the hospital. I have never lived anywhere as long as we lived in that apartment, and though I can barely express my excitement about moving (though that might also be because I am exhausted from moving and painting...) it holds a special place in my heart.

I am starting my new job (yes, again...) at Trinity Classical Academy. I will be teaching really great 7th and 8th grade students Writing, Lit, Bible, History, Logic, and Theatre. Its been a great Summer. Hopefully I'll finally get enough time to blog!