Dems say Palin is 'risky,' could be a disaster

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

(CNN) – A leading House Democrat said Friday John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a "risky" move that could ultimately prove disastrous to the Republican prospects in November.

Meanwhile, a top Senate Democrat said the pick is a "Hail Mary pass" and a "roll of the dice," in what is the initial reactions from McCain's rival party.

Speaking on a South Carolina radio station, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn likened the choice of Palin to Walter Mondale's choice of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and George H.W. Bush's pick of Dan Quayle in 1988. Both picks — relatively unknown political figures at the time — generated initial excitement but were ultimately deemed poor choices by many political observers.

"I think (her selection) would be something similar to Dan Quayle — Dan Quayle proved to be sort of an embarrassment as a campaigner, being thrust on a national stage like that could be very tough," Clyburn said. "Now Mondale tried to shake things up by going with Geraldine Ferraro, she proved to be a disaster as a running mate. And as a campaigner, she was absolutely awful."

"And so I just think that it is very risky for McCain to do this, but it may be all he has left," Clyburn also said.

likely to fail.

They have a candidate that is not well liked by the evangelicals in the much needed bible belt region and this VP candidate is not helping matters. For the repubs to have a shot in November, they needed to pick a Huckabee to fill out that end of the voting block. Instead they pick a woman from Alaska. There are too many so called "traditionalists" that think the man is the head of the household in the south an this is an additional slap in the face to them. I don't see the evangelicals voting for Obama but they will probably stay at home in large numbers compared to the turnout that Bush had in 2000 and 04. This is a great day to be a democrat.