Palin Could Pave Way for New Wave of GOP Leadership

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DEBORAH AMOS, host:

As you can see or hear upon arriving in St. Paul, Minnesota, Michel Martin went straight to work putting the Republican National Convention into context. She's caught up with Sara Taylor, a Republican strategist and former White House political director to talk about the week's events and delve further into the choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for vice president. Here's the...

MICHEL MARTIN: Sara Taylor, welcome back to the program and congratulations on completing the ticket.

Ms. SARA TAYLOR (Republican Strategist; Former Political Director, White House): Yes, it's a great ticket where we are looking forward to seeing her speak. We hope we're going to see her speak.

MARTIN: Why Sarah Palin? What were the criteria and how did she meet them? Why did she meet them?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, I think if, you know, as John McCain was looking to complete the ticket he wanted somebody who will complement him. And you know, she's a very reform-minded governor. She's somebody who took on the political establishment, including her own party in Alaska, and was successful. And it's that kind of sort of grip in determination I think that attracted John McCain to her.

MARTIN: She's 44-years-old, of course. Just two years in the governor's office. They're already those arguing that is in fact a cynical choice, that it undercuts the McCain argument that this election is really about the best experience to lead the country at a time like this. What do you say to that?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, OK, she's had more executive experience that Barack Obama has. She's had more executive experience than Joe Biden has. And so while certainly she has been in office, in the governor's office, two months or two years, she was a mayor and you know, she's somebody who has actually run something.

MARTIN: So the executive experience was the major criterion as far as you're concerned?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, you know, I think that was an important part and it's somebody who can make decisions and who can lead. And legislators, while they play very important role on our process, they don't run anything.

MARTIN: In her speech on Friday, Governor Palin paid a homage to Senator Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency, let's just play a short clip.

Governor SARAH PALIN (Republican, Alaska, Vice Presidential Candidate): It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.

MARTIN: But Governor Palin opposes abortion rights, she opposes gay marriage and several unions, she's strongly pro-gun rights. Those are just some of the positions that are diametrically opposed to the positions that Senator Hillary Clinton had. The reason I ask is that - it's not to say that all women hold a certain point of view, because they certainly do not, but if you were a supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton, why would you, given the difference in opinion on policy, why would you support this ticket now?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, certainly, the two women I don't think could me more diametrically opposed on issues. But you know, there are folks and they are woman who've worked in industries all over this country for their whole career, who look at this and say this is a big moment. And people typically vote for presidents not on one particular issue, they vote on a set of characteristics - on an ability to lead, on ability to connect with them, on somebody they would like to have in their home in the evening, so to speak. And so I think as people get to know Sarah Palin, they're going to realize that she really is like the person you'd want to live next to you, and they're going to be more comfortable with her approach and decision making.

MARTIN: She is a very popular governor, there's no doubt about it. In fact, I think by one reckoning, she's probably the most popular governor in the country. Yet, the McCain campaign has been ridiculing Senator Obama for being popular. So how does that work? I mean, how is it that it's OK for her to be popular and that that's part of the qualification, but it's not OK for Senator Obama to be popular?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, I think there's a difference between popularity and celebrity. And so I wouldn't confuse the two. She's is...

MARTIN: What's the difference?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, here she is a - she's a chief executive of her state and when you ask somebody of their approval rating, Barack Obama's approval rating doesn't come anywhere close to Sarah Palin's. But you know, he has the sort of the cool Hollywood factor going on right now when you saw that at the Democratic Convention. Yet, Sarah Palin, you know, in a poll of her peers, she gets nearly 80 percent approval rating, and Senator Obama both in Illinois and nationally isn't anywhere close to that.

MARTIN: One of the few things for which she's been criticized in the state so far, this of issue whether she participated in firing a state police official because he wouldn't do her bidding in regard to a former brother-in-law who she believes should have been fired. Did the campaign know about this and what's your take on this issue?

Ms. TAYLOR: I suspect they did. I don't know, I wasn't part of the vetting process. You know, look, she has spoken on it and said, come examine. You know, hold me accountable. She seems to be completely unconcerned about having anything there, you know - people have issues in their families all the time. I don't know this particular to this one and its just sounds like she's not concerned about it.

MARTIN: You know, there's a concern when President George W. Bush selected his vice president, he was asked what the criteria were, he said someone who is loyal, someone with whom I have a comfort level and someone who's ready to step in, should something happen to me. Can you really say that she met those criteria?

Ms. TAYLOR: Well, you know, John McCain has an incredible gut instinct and he was looking for somebody, you know, again who was unafraid to shake up the political establishments, so to speak and she fit that criteria. And you know he is somebody who, I think, whose instincts on issues have proven over time to be very good. And so, I have great confidence in his pick here.

MARTIN: And finally, I'd like to ask, last week, during the Democratic Convention, I asked many of our guests what an Obama presidency would mean to them. I don't know whether you think in these terms but I would like to ask, does it mean something special to you to have - I mean, as a woman yourself who has worked at the highest levels of government, does it mean something special to you to have a woman on the ticket? What do you think it means? If anything, and I just - and I asked that question, the spirit of it may not.

Ms. TAYLOR: Well you know, it does. It's really exciting you know, for me to see not only a woman on a ticket but to see a conservative woman on the ticket. And you know, in our party, we've got a lot of very strong women leaders, they tend to be much more, you know, mothered on terms of issues. And so, to have both a woman and a conservative is really incredible. And I think that you know, as people get to know her, she's everyday America and I think that she's going to be terrific.

MARTIN: If this ticket prevails and she does become vice president, she then becomes very well positioned to be a presidential nominee. I'd like to ask you, do you think we will see a woman president in our lifetime?

Ms. TAYLOR: I sure hope so. Yeah, I do think we will. This has been an extraordinary political year and I don't agree with Senator Clinton on politics but I thought the campaign she ran and how strong she was and what a great speaker she became on the trail was really - I loved watching her, I thought - I actually think she's terrific. Like I said, I wouldn't vote for her because of issues but she's done great. I think Sarah Palin is going to do great and so for women who work in politics and for women who care about seeing women break those glass ceilings, you know this has been a great year to see that happen and we are in a unique time, we're either going to elect the first African American president or we're going to elect the first female vice president. And so, I think all the Americans can feel good about that.

MARTIN: Sara Taylor is a Republican strategist, former White House political director under President George W. Bush. She was kind enough to join us in St. Paul, Minnesota where she's attending the Republican National Convention. Thank you so much for joining us and good luck for a successful convention.

Ms. TAYLOR: Thank you.

AMOS: And that was Tell Me More host, Michel Martin reporting from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. I'm Deborah Amos.

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