McCain's VP Choice Surprises Many

MILWAUKEE -- On Friday morning, just on the heals of the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention, Sen. John McCain announced his running mate and finalized the Republican presidential ticket by choosing Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin.

Palin, a 44-year-old conservative, is the Republican Party's first female vice presidential candidate. In the weeks leading up to a vice president decision, Palin was not thought to be on McCain's short list of possible running mates.

The two potential names for McCain's running mate were Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and one-time contender for the Republican nomination, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Josh Ladd, Milwaukee Victory Office director for the McCain campaign, said Palin's nomination was "definitely a surprise" and the McCain headquarters "kept a very tight lid on the decision."

One explanation offered from McCain's headquarters in Wisconsin for the nomination of Palin is that a younger, female candidate could help attract female voters -- an area where McCain has struggled.

"Palin may be able to peal off some of the Hillary vote," said John McAdams, associate professor in the political science department.

Ladd added that there is a lot of excitement for Palin and she will "shake up the status quo in Washington."

In a press release from the McCain camp, Palin is described as having "a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington." The release also added that, "Gov. Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of."

McAdams said he expected McCain to go with a relatively safe choice and called the decision to nominate Palin "gutsy" but added that; overall, the nomination of Palin would not hurt McCain.

One criticism of Palin is that her political career has been short. She has served as Alaskan governor for less than two years. In those two years as governor, Palin has fought against political corruption and established strong ties in pro-life issues. Her political experience before becoming governor was mayor of a small town in Alaska.

"One clear disadvantage is she is inexperienced with national politics," McAdams said. He added that the decision to nominate Palin does come with some risk.

Palin, a mother of five, has established a very strong pro-life record by choosing to carry her downs syndrome child full term. Part of her deeply rooted pro-life stand is a voting record that does not support the morning after pill even in cases of rape or incest. Another platform Palin is known for supporting is off shore drilling -- especially in Alaska.

McGee Young, assistant professor in the political science department, said it would be hard imagine a similarly qualified male would be selected as McCain's running mate.

McCain's choice of Palin is a strong contrast to Sen. Barack Obama’s recent choice of Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. who is a longtime politician and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Young speculated that the selection of Palin was a last minute decision made after Obama's speech when McCain realized he needed to "make a bigger splash with his vice president selection."

He said Romney, the expected nomination, would have brought different experience to McCain's ticket but was not an exciting enough choice.

Young expressed concern for national leadership if for some reason McCain is not able to continue as president. He said Palin's lack of national and international experience is not sufficient enough to be president.

Regardless of the outcome of the November election, the nomination of Palin guarantees an American first -- an African-American or a female in the oval office.