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Rove: Palin Could Decide Race

May emphasize McCain's virtues and fare well against Biden

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 4, 2008 6:33 AM CDT

(Newser) – Vice-presidential nominees usually have little direct effect on the outcome of an election, writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal, but Sarah Palin could be the exception. Rove consults two experts, who agree that some VPs can have an unusually large “indirect effect,” as they underscore a candidate’s virtues and flaws. McCain chose Palin as "someone who shares his maverick outsider attitude and is willing to challenge party orthodoxy and politics-as-usual."

"Taking on Alaska's good-old-boy politics and beating the incumbent Republican governor might be seen as evidence of the political courage and independence voters are looking for this year," he writes. "And with women more undecided than men, Mrs. Palin could add more than a point to Mr. McCain's total—maybe two or three—which could make the difference in a close contest."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

GOP nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appear during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sarah Palin is joined by John McCain at the end of her speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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If Mrs. Palin is seen as a defective candidate, it will hurt Mr. McCain. On the positive side, however, Mrs. Palin's background could lead voters to see her as someone who understands kitchen-table concerns. -

The danger for Democrats is twofold: in highlighting Mrs. Palin's inexperience, they may focus attention on Mr. Obama's; and the harsh attacks levied against Mrs. Palin could completely undermine the Obama promise of a "new politics."

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Rove: Palin Could Decide Race