The Windows 95 Political Strategy

I’ve noticed that this election cycle seems more about celebrity and product than any other in my memory. Expounding upon the idea of political-process-as-product, I would like to pose the theory that the McCain-Palin ticket is the political equivalent of Windows 95:

• It adds flashy improvements (GUI interface/Palin) resulting in a big upgrade from its previous crufty and old-seeming incarnation (DOS/McCain by himself)
• It “borrows” several core thematic elements from its more liberal-seeming competitor (Mac OS/Obama)
• It’s more conservative and corporate-friendly, possibly leading to widespread adoption among businesses
• It’s different enough from what we’re used to (Windows 3.1/Bush era) to seem new and exciting, but not different enough to be scary (Apple Hippies/Democrats)
• It seems less expensive upfront, but the true costs show up later, in support and maintenance.
• It proclaims interoperability without providing specific details, but it seems like it should work alright based on the press kit.

(Possible followup: the Clinton administration as Windows XP, and the Bush administration as Windows Vista. :)