Am on my way back to Washington, but some quick reaction on the Palin announcement. I talked to two Republican insiders in the last few minutes, and got one enthusiastic reaction and one cautious reaction.
The enthusiastic reaction: She won’t alienate the base. (Among GOP strategists considering McCain, “First, do no harm” is an important principle.) Beyond that, they point out that Palin’s demographic is one the Republican party has had trouble with for decades, and this holds the possibility of improvement in that area.
The cautious reaction: She better be good on the stump. If Palin makes any serious mistakes, this insider points out, they will immediately be attributed to her inexperience. A few of those could turn into conventional wisdom. She has a big upside if she’s really good, but a big downside if she’s not.
Last reaction: How odd that in this election we have a Hawaiian on one ticket and an Alaskan on the other? The last states have their day.
UPDATE: And as it turns out, Arizona was the 48th state. And Delaware the first.