Palin looks promising to Republican faithful

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Indiana delegates at the Republican National Convention gave their enthusiastic support for John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, three days after the Arizona senator made the surprise pick.

Delegate Mike McDaniel, former chair of the Indiana Republican Party, said he didn’t even know anything about Palin before McCain announced her.

“She’s brought some real energy to this ticket,” McDaniel said. “The fact that she’s a woman is a huge plus. I don’t care who you are, I think that brings a perspective that we’ve never had.”

Jennifer Ping, an Indiana delegate and the co-chair of Women for McCain in Indiana, said she expects Palin to draw in voters who will vote for a female whether they’re Republicans or Democrats.

”Not being associated with Washington, D.C., is a good thing in this election year,” Ping said. “It changes the conversation. ... There were female voters that wanted a female candidate, that vote for the person, not the party.”

Palin, the first female to join a GOP ticket, is seen as a strong conservative who balances out a more moderate McCain. The surprise pick caused a media stir that limited coverage of Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver the night before.

David Roberts, an RNC volunteer from Texas who was relaxing at a local coffee shop Monday, said he found it difficult to support the Republican Party and McCain this year because he believed he was too moderate. But Palin changed that.

“It doesn’t matter she’s a woman.” Roberts said. “He picked a real conservative. I like supporting him now.”

Back in Bloomington, leaders from IU’s College Republicans and Democrats also expressed surprise, including junior Chelsea Kane, chairwoman of IU College Republicans.

“This came totally out of the blue, but it’s a perfect, perfect pick,” she said. “It’s definitely in John McCain’s style to throw a curveball like that.”

Announcing the pick the day after Obama’s speech was a strategic move that Kane said she believes worked.

“In the aftermath of this great moment in history, we don’t hear a word about it,” she said. “All we hear is John McCain and Sarah Palin, and it’s a really great position to be in.”

While conservatives were celebrating, the risky pick made Democrats like College Democrats President senior Anna Strand question McCain’s motives, calling the pick contradictory. McCain has often criticized Obama for his lack of experience while Palin is younger than Obama, Strand said. Palin has been governor of Alaska for less than two years. Before that she served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, for six years and as a city councilmember for four years.

Justin Hill, IU junior and leader of Students for John McCain at IU, said Palin’s experience as a governor was better than Obama’s experience, as it showed she had truly run a government and enforced the laws.

“The Republican Party has already enjoyed as of late picking governors to lead the party,” Hill said. “Having her definitely solidified (McCain’s) base, the conservative base and the evangelical base.”

In contrast, Strand thought McCain’s attempt to draw in female voters, especially Hillary Clinton supporters who aren’t inclined to vote for Obama, might not necessarily work.

“The two are women, but they could not be any further apart,” Strand said. President of Students for Barack Obama, senior Rose Byrne, said she hoped voters wouldn’t allow the fact that Palin is a woman be the sole reason they choose to vote for that ticket.

“I’m going to put hope in the American people that they’re not going to vote on race or gender in this election,” Byrne said. “As a woman and a huge Barack Obama supporter, Sarah Palin terrifies me.”

One undeniable fact is that the outcome of the 2008 election will have historical implications either way. Kane said McCain has “paired himself with someone that’s new and fresh and can kind of mirror the youth that Barack Obama has brought.”

“We’re either going to have our first African-American president or our first woman vice president,” she said.