About 40 percent of Americans are hard-core Republicans and 40 percent are hard-core Democrats. The way to capture the White House is to appeal to the 20 percent who are often called “independents.”
So the Antiplanner was puzzled after the Democratic convention when Obama’s acceptance speech was so clearly oriented to the left wing, while McCain’s vice-presidential pick was so clearly oriented to the right wing. How, I wondered, will either of them capture the center that way?
The answer today is clear. Obama’s acceptance speech committed him to nothing; he could go out and give more centrist-oriented speeches and sweep up the independents.
In contrast, by choosing Palin, McCain committed himself to the right wing. Sure, Palin “energized the base” of the Republican Party, but that only meant that 40 percent of the public will vote for McCain-Palin. Selecting Palin also meant selecting Palin’s rhetoric, such as claims that Obama “pals around” with terrorists and that he is a socialist.
