"Country First"

by Josh Orton [courtesy of MyDD]

The first time I saw McCain's campaign use the slogan "Country First," I assumed it was yet another cliche Republican attempt to claim the mantle of patriotism and passively indict Democrats as America-haters.

But I'm starting to think there's a larger strategy at play behind the slogan. The Republican brand is in the gutter. Party ID leans Dem by a lopsided margin. GOP candidates won't go near St. Paul this week. Bush's approval is in the tank.

We know McCain can't run just as a Republican on Republican principles; he has to re-claim his "maverick" brand and fuzz the contrast between himself and Obama as much as possible. Picking Palin, a woman who will (falsely) claim reformer credentials, helps that fuzz. And with a rather dynamic personal story, Palin reinforces the media focus on personality-over-policy that McCain desperately wants. A "celebrity" she is not.

There will be more indications of this McCain makeover. If you need any more evidence of McCain's fuzzing his party identity and policy deficit, re-watch Palin's appropriation of Hillary Clinton's groundbreaking campaign legacy from this morning: party and policy differences be damned...Palin's a woman too!

So a heads-up: the "Country First" slogan on McCain's podium this morning may start carrying the unwritten subtext "before party."