On one hand, McCain’s decision to pick Sarah Palin as his vice president candidate was a genius marketing move. The Obama camp was telling a story about political change, and how John McCain would bring more of the same tried politics. People – especially in the Obama camp – were expecting McCain to pick a Mitt Romney or a Mike Huckabee for VP, and that would have fit the story of “more of the same”.
But McCain took that punchline away with one swift stroke. He changed the story.
For the next few days, people will concentrate less on “more of the same” but more on “bold choice”. If the story you’re telling isn’t working, tell a new story. And this is what makes this choice of VP a great marketing move. Kinda like running a great AD that gets a lot of buzz.
But the question is, where does the story go from here? Meaning what happens when the ad has run its course and people get to actually see the product. This is where this story turns into a potential marketing disaster. As some pundits have already noted, she’s unknown, woefully unqualified and a total mismatch for liberal Hillary voters, the voters she was presumably going to fetch. She also puts a damper on any accusations about Obama’s inexperience, the “other” story the republicans had going.
She’s a bold and very risky choice, but then again, a safe choice would have been playing right to the hands of the Obama camp.
We’ll see how the story goes from here.
You’re right that not brining in “a palin” would’ve played into the hands of the Obama camp. Nevertheless it’s difficult to see picking her as anything else but a marketing move. That is, without the actual product.
The thing is that on “obejctive & rational” basis there’s very little reason not to choose Obama-Biden over McCain-Palin. That is, unless you’re a tight social conservative or a racist prick
But seriously, after the eight disastrous years of Bush’s administration and dividing the country a somebody who is closer to the middle and ready & sensible to listen to different points of views is exactly what the US needs. Not to mention about understanding this millennium or co-operation on the international front.
And McCain, and especially Pain, is definitely not that.
But then again, it’s all about marketing and image. For McCain(’s camp) the question is whether they can build an illusion and keep it up until November.