The Journey

The Base Hearts Sarah Palin

by James P Pinkerton (Fox news political contributor)

The Base will love Sarah Palin—the Republican base that is. Rush Limbaugh has been openly arguing for her on his show, and John McCain was evidently listening. But I think that she has great potential to win over swing voters in the middle, too.

She’s a governor, which is obviously an asset in governing. She’s pro-gun, and she is pro-life. And not just pro-life in practice: Her youngest child is a Down’s Syndrome baby. “Perfect in my eyes,” she said, clear as a bell. That’s what The Base wants to hear—she talks the talk, and then walks the walk.

And speaking of walking, did I mention that she is authentic hunter and outdoorswoman—she and her whole family?

And of course, she has a son who enlisted in the Army and is on his way to Iraq. That’s walking the walk, too.

She’s also something of a reformer: She took on the entrenched Republican hierarchs in Alaska, and beat them to get where she is now, governor of Alaska.

Speaking for myself, I think that Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, would have been the best choice for McCain. I think he would have made The Base happy, too, but he has had much more executive experience and is a proven campaigner—after all, he won the Iowa Caucuses earlier this year. McCain has many great attributes, but as President, he will need the steadiest of energetic executive hands when it comes to the management of the federal government and dealing with the 50 states. Something to think about, in particular, as Hurricane Gustav bears down on Louisiana.

But that’s all moot now. Palin is a strong choice for McCain. The Base loves her, and I expect that America will, too.