Morris GOP cheer McCain's VP pick, Democrats scoff

BY TEHANI SCHNEIDER, DAILY RECORD, August 29, 2008

Morris County Republicans on Friday expressed surprise at Sen. John McCain’s pick of vice President in Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, but said the relatively unknown 44-year-old strengthens the GOP ticket.

“I think it was a wonderful pick,” said Morris County Republican Chairman John Sette.  “First of all, she’s a woman.  She’s a well qualified woman and she has a good background.  I think she’ll bring a lot of votes to the table.”

Sette believes that Palin’s anonymity with the American public is “a plus” for the Arizona senator’s campaign.

McCain’s pick of Palin, who became Alaska’s first female governor in 2006, brings the change that Democrat rival Sen. Barack Obama has pledged to deliver but reneged on by choosing Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, Sette said.

“It’ll make you want to delve into her history,” he said.  “You’ll see she was the mayor of her town, knocked off a sitting governor in the primary for the Republican Party.  She has a great story.  If you look at Biden, Obama wants change and he picks a guy who’s been part of the problem.”

Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Mendham Township, who on Thursday announced his interest in running for governor next year, said McCain’s pick of Palin compares favorably to the Democratic ticket, which is comprised solely of senators.

“(Palin) has the management experience that is missing from all three candidates,” said Merkt.  “It is a wise idea for a ticket to represent thinking inside the Beltway and also from a state appointment.”

But McCain’s pick of Palin drew immediate criticism from the Democrats, who noted her non-existent foreign policy experience and pro-Bush leanings.

Randolph resident Susan Waldman noted Palin’s strong anti-abortion record and conservative social views will not help McCain woo supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Obama passed over as a running mate.

“I think (McCain) is doing it to play on the somewhat overblown business of Hillary Clinton not being on the Democratic ticket,” said Waldman, a former vice president of Morris County National Organization for Women.

“However, a woman that is anti-choice and pro Bush, I don’t see that as a woman who’s helping anybody, certainly not helping women.”

Palin, who has five children and is a self-proclaimed “hockey mom,” has a reputation for fighting her state’s powerful oil industry and corruption within her party.

Her previous political experience consisted of terms as mayor and councilwoman of Wasilla, a town of 6,500 about 30 miles north of Anchorage, and a stint as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Tehani Schneider can be reached at (973) 428-6631 or tschneider@gannett.com.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.