‘ ‘ ‘ Gov. Sarah Palin is the exact opposite of Sen. John McCain: She’s young, energetic and a… ‘ ‘ ‘ Gov. Sarah Palin is the exact opposite of Sen. John McCain: She’s young, energetic and a complete newcomer to national politics. A majority of Americans wouldn’t have recognized her name if you’d said it before last Friday, which only made it more of a shock when McCain announced her as his vice presidential pick for the 2008 presidential election. ‘ ‘ ‘ In many ways, Palin is exactly what McCain’s campaign needed. Her youth negates many of the criticisms that McCain’s campaign is too old and stodgy, and her far-right conservative values give some balance to what many see as a centrist attitude. ‘ ‘ ‘ What remains to be seen, though, is if the American public will see her as a genuine move to balance his campaign or simply a clever trick designed to lure in Hillary Clinton supporters and far-right conservatives. ‘ ‘ ‘ In one sense, it could be both. McCain appears to be addressing some of the major concerns that critics and voters have levelled at him, citing his advanced age, center-leaning policies and perceived closeness to President George W. Bush as negatives. Picking a running mate who exhibits none of these qualities should help quiet the critics, although it has also inspired the Obama camp to criticise Palin’s lack of experience, the same charge that McCain’s campaign previously directed at Obama. ‘ ‘ ‘ That’s not to say that Obama isn’t covering his bases ‘mdash; Sen. Joe Biden has been a senator in Delaware since 1973, which makes it difficult for anyone to say Obama’s ticket is inexperienced ‘mdash; but McCain’s choice seems designed to represent a much wider swath of the conservative voter base than Obama’s does for Democrats. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCain has a larger image problem than Obama, especially among his hard-right conservative base. Many conservatives see McCain as strongly centrist, to the point where they might have preferred staying home in November over going to the polls. But with the addition of Palin to his ticket, large numbers of these far-right voters suddenly have a reason to turn up on Election Day. ‘ ‘ ‘ And it’s nearly impossible to look at Palin without seeing a minor grab at the center-line voters who were originally attracted to Clinton. Even though Clinton solidly endorsed Obama, many voters might see Palin, a mother of five and committed pro-life family woman, as a surrogate Clinton who represents female values in a way that Obama can’t simply by virtue of his gender. ‘ ‘ ‘ Above all, Palin appeals to middle-class conservative Americans. She hunts, she fishes, she has a big family ‘mdash; including one son in the military and another born with Down syndrome ‘mdash; she’s young, and she’s a fresh face in national politics. To quote McCain himself, ‘She’s exactly who I need.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s impossible to say what sort of effect Palin will have on McCain’s campaign come November, but he is making an effort to broaden his support base and address criticism with one clever play. Now all that remains is to see whether it will work.