« McCain And Women | Main | GOP Strategists Mixed Reviews » Your Thoughts On The Palin Pick29 Aug 2008 03:21 pm
Open thread.
Comments (207)
So the leader of of an overly corrupt party Oh, and she called Hillary Clinton a whiner: 
The novelty and shock value are impressive, and she touches a lot of the bases when it comes to the conservative base, but once the thrill wears off, her lack of experience and gravitas may be a problem. Lots of short term gain, questionable long term.
I think it is the pick McCain had to make. It seems like shrewd politics, but in the end will not be enough. Once voters get to know Palin the Hillary holdouts will not defect...they may still stay home, but that's a net win for Obama.
Why do I get the feeling she may turn into the female equivalent of Dan Quayle?
I can see that an old man might need to hire a nurse, but surely the VP slot is taking things a little too far.
Pros: 1. Will attract a small number of Hillary supporters. If the DNC convention didn’t go so well, this would be a bigger deal.
1. The most unqualified person on the ticket ever, which severely damages McCain main argument against Obama
From what I can tell, I would love to hang out with Gov. Palin. She's moderate (for the GOP, at least) on the gay issue, she has tried to change the cronyism in Alaska (assuming *ahem* the undue influence charge is unfounded), and the lady hunts moose. But please. PLEASE!! Can anyone say, with a straight face, that this is not a blatant, transparent pander to women? Can anyone honestly claim that she is qualified to be president? (And yes, we should be asking about her qualifications to be president. McCain ain't young.) Being mayor of Moose Knuckle, Alaska doesn't count as "executive experience" (sorry, Ross), and she has nada by way of foreign policy experience. She's a gimmick. A lovely gimmick, to be sure. But a gimmick.
Gimmicky and dangerous. A year and a half ago she was mayor of a town 8% the size of Obama's crowd last night, and now McCain thinks she's ready to take over during wartime and recession. Terrifying to think about.
The biographical comparison between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin is a stark one. On the Democrats side, you have two guys who went the all-too-common "law school, then three or four years as a lawyer, then elective office" career route. This is also known as the "Bill Clinton" route and it dovetails perfectly with the Democrats' mindset: The only truly virtuous path is to use government power to divide things "fairly." That's what (most) lawyers do. Notice that Clinton and Obama are also married to lawyers, which reinforces the stereotype. Compare that to McCain, a 25-year navy vet and war hero, and Palin, a fisherman/beauty queen/athlete married to an oil engineer/snowmobile racing champ. I mean that is a LIFE. It just contributes to the perception that conservatives like to accomplish things, while liberals don't care whether things get done as long as its "fair." I should note, however, that this is precisely what angered me about McCain's "I led for patriotism, not for profit" line in the primaries, which was a dig at Romney. Romney accomplished more good as a businessman than pretty much any Senator in history(including McCain).
she's a 21st century spiro agnew. and that's probably being kind. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.veep14jul14,0,5328164.story
I think McCain will be taken LESS SERIOUSLY by the very serious pundits and dc insiders which in turn will shape the race. It reeks of crying 'uncle.'
I know Hillary Clinton. I voted for Hillary Clinton. Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton.
McCain says radical islamic extremism is the most important crisis facing our country today. Does Palin know anything about foreign policy at all? Can she explain the difference between the Sunnis and the Shias and tell us who is in what country? What does she think about the ISI in Pakistan and what steps should this country take to ensure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is not compromised? What does she think about the Russia-Georgia conflict? If McCain says foreign policy is the most important thing in this election, he just picked someone that - as far as anyone can tell - is a complete neophyte. She could be President in 6 months if anything were to happen to McCain. These are serious times and we need serious candidates. Not former beauty queens who are 2 years removed from Mayor of a town with a population smaller than some office buildings.
On the one hand, it would be a mistake to dismiss her, on the other, they looked kind of weird together. And it will enrage Clinton surrogates which can only be good for Obama. He needs those people on side. But it may well help McCain pick off some of the more conservative older women. Um, it's either crazy like a fox or just plain crazy. Time will tell.
I think there is only one way that Palin can help McCain and that is if Democrats waste too much time attacking her and generating backlashes. The best move is to be gracious and basically ignore her. We don't need to point out she's unqualified because it is so obvious. To excessively do so risk creating backlashes that are not worth any benefit in attacking her. More on my thoughts here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/13438/5982/911/578797
Wow, now I know why Marc doesn't open up the comments...
Transparent pander to disaffected Hillary supporters. She's never given much thought to foreign policy, and McCain barely knows her. Huge gamble, might work but I'm not convinced. Great way to dominate the news now, but in two months? We'll see. And some of you other commenters really need look up civility in a dictionary. You're the reason we lost comments here in the first place!
For a corruption fighter, she is obviously still closely aligned with Senator "Toobez!!" Stevens. There is plenty of evidence on YouTube.
If McCain had picked almost anyone else (perhaps except for Pawlenty), then Obama would have looked like the young, inexperienced one of the four. Now, if you look at the four candidates for the two highest offices in the land, McCain stands out as the decrepit old guy.
Do all Republican women compete in beauty pagents? Is that some cultural thing that I'm not aware of? Hard to imagine the Wellesley crowd swooning over that particular biographical tidbit. Mostly, it's exactly the kind of choice I would have expected from John McCain...reckless, attention getting, and a little bit catty. Which isn't to say that I'm sure it won't work out for him...but this woman has never been in anything close to a national campaign, has no foreign policy experience, and governed a state with a legislature that meets 90 days out of the year and a population smaller than most major cities. Definitely a risk, and I don't want a president who thrives on risk taking.
When I first heard the news this morning, as a wholly committed Obama supporter, I was scared. After all, she's under the radar - something any good GOP pick would need to be. She's not as easily disliked at Mitt Romney or Joe Lieberman. She's certainly not so vanilla as Pawlenty or Cantor. I was also concerned about the contingency of Hillary voters still undecided on Obama. The more I think about it, though, the more it looks like a poorly thought out choice. For better or worse, a VP pick means a lot for both candidates this year. Obama needed somebody to reassure independents and take the lead on attack - he's got that locked down with Biden (insofar as Biden's presence can lock down anything.) McCain's pick, though, needed to be someone the country could trust on the off chance that his health troubles mount. 2 years ago, Palin was a mayor of a town of 9,000 people. She's on record as not knowing what the VP does. She certainly hasn't had any occasion to even think out loud about foreign policy. I like that McCain picked a woman, but there are plenty of other women in the GOP who would have made a better choice. Collins, Hutchinson, Rice, even Fiorina would all have been better prepared for this position than Palin, whose name I'm not even sure how to pronounce yet. McCain will win the news cycle today, but Palin has a lot of learning to do before she's ready to go up against Joe Biden. (As an aside, I've heard a lot of bloviating about some obligation Biden will have to "go easy" on her in the debate. I don't think he will, and I hope he doesn't. This is a debate for leader of the free world. If a candidate is unprepared to face that, no reason not to work off of that.)
A pot-smoking beauty contest runner-up who names her kids after characters from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Awesome! Give her the nuclear football! More snark here, if that's your cup of tea.
I think McCain just gave the election away. First, she undercuts the number one argument he had against Obama. Second, it reinforces the image of McCain not necessarily as a maverick, but as someone who can be reckless. Third, in terms of the women's vote, it can be seen as pandering. Fourth, as noted by Halperin and others, this opens up the age issue and expect to see alot of "heartbeat" phrases used in press-releases. She seems like a very nice person, who no doubt will continue to be a good governor when they lose in November. But Jinhdal was a better pick, if you want out-side the belt-way and new or fresh. The right pick for McCain was Romney. Indeed, despite the national polling that says this is a democratic year, Repubs would have been better off chosing Romney as their candidate. His experience in the private sector and as governor who have been a tough in these tough economic times. McCain just changed his campaign narrative: from tough guy to ...what was he thinking?
This pick is a novelty. She seems like a nice women with a cool family but come on, seriously? This is the person who could be president? Like many of McCain's proposals -- this is a gimmick. It will be like a Hollywood romance -- hot at first but quick to fizzle.
A more interesting question is how it affects overall Dem campaigning in Alaska. Does Palin bring anything downticket, given that she beat Frank Murkowski in the primary in a perceived anti-old-guard vote? Palin won't want to be seen near Young or Stevens, and neither will McCain. You have to assume that Obama has at least one trip to Alaska pencilled in between now and November to support the downticket candidates, even if the state itself may look less competitive: there's no better chance for the Dems to take two-thirds of the Congressional delegation. To my mind, there's no reason to cancel. Anyway, Palin's clearly a Rove pick, but this time I think he's being too canny for his own good.
Alaska is the largest state of the union, in terms of acreage, but has the third-smallest population of the United States. Tapping *any* Alaskan governor for executive office in America would be questionable because the state's population of about 680,000 is smaller than 16 U.S. cities. Palin has been governor for less than two years. Tapping any public servant with so little experience would be questionable because they have not yet been truly tested by the long-term accountability of governace for multiple years. McCain has done both, nominating a governor with less than two years of experience from the third-smallest state in the country. With McCain's age and cancer history, it makes the pick even more unsettling.
As a Democrat, I think this is just great! Prepare for the realization that McCain just selected the least qualified person ever on a Presidential ticket to be his VP after spending two months railing against Obama's lack of experience to hit conservatives in the next 24 hours. It will not be pretty.
Can you imagine what a pickle we'd be in if McCain would be elected and sworn in on Jan 20 and died Jan 21. This is someone who has absolutely no credentials. How would she deal with Putin or Iran or Iraq. Scary, scary, scary!
RKA is exactly right. People can - and will - make their own judgments about whether this former beauty queen is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. The focus should be on this stunning fact that the choice has revealed: it is now clear that McCain is lying when he says Obama is too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief.
This is a real insult to Americans. John McCain who has talk about experience for months chooses the most inexperienced person he could find for his VP all for a political stunt so that he could try to win. Try... is the key word. Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton or any of the other countless GOP politicians McCain could have chose from. How come no one thought of this: He ended up with Palin because more established and wise GOP women didn't want to be a part of his games.
I think this is set-up. McCain & Co. know that Palin will be forced to step down. And then they will be forced to select a viable VP. It stinks from the start. Sorry Sarah.
McCain picked the younger, hotter, less qualified woman over the likes of Kay Bailey Hutchison who is older, and MORE qualified than Palin... I'm sure those Hillary voters will flock to him now...
I strongly believe that this really eliminates any coherent attack on experience from the McCain camp. I do think it would be better for Dems not to criticize her experience, as that offers McCain camps to respond "Oh? You wanna talk about experience." But I think now any experience attack from either side should be off the table as ineffective and unnecessary. There's reason for feminists to be worried about this pick. She's a former beauty queen, and if she makes errors (as she's fresh to the national stage, this is an unknown) she will be labeled a ditz, an airhead, and discussions about just sticking a pretty face into jobs for which she's not qualified will begin. What made Hillary so great was that she was immune from those kind of sexist remarks. Another thing that makes this pick dangerous is the line of argument "Oh! You think you can just insult our intelligence by sticking any woman up there and expect us to vote for her?" This was my mother's reaction, actually. The "she's going to get destroyed by Joe Biden" is something the Republicans MUST have thought about. Do they know something we don't? Has she actually been closely studying the Middle East for years and just never said anything? Reporters need to start grilling her on foreign policy.
She's a cynical checklist of a candidate brought to you by the party that campaigns and governs on the small things. It's also a slap in the face to every woman who's had to earn her way in life. Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice. Republicans are good at picking token minorities to fill the supporting actor role. It makes them feel better as they legislate away the opportunities of the 99.9% not chosen to work in the big house.
Are you blue collar Fred, or just a stupid, jobless, moronic cunt? Just wondering
This reminds me not of Dan Quayle, but of Harriet Myers. I like how that one turned out!
I think this pick will turn out to be a big mistake. If he were looking for a strong woman VP, why not Hutchison or Fiorina even? (I'm not saying I'm fans of either, but still....) They must think women are stupid if they think former Hillary supporters are just going to flock over to his side on account of the Palin pick. So many Hillary supporters supported her because they KNEW her, they liked how she fought for women (pro-choice, pro-healthcare, pro-education, etc) for years. Palin is relatively-unknown and pro-life, to name a few. This is a pick on par with Harriet Miers. We'll just have to wait and see how this turns out. My gut says bad pick, Mac. Bad pick.
kudos to the old man for going out on a limb. but come on! who is doing the thinking around that campaign. they just neutralized the greatest argument that they had, that obama was inexperienced. independents weren't going to get won over by this policy or that policy. they get won over on character and experience and mccain has just given this away. Or does he think that he can get rid of her like he got rid of his first wife?
A FEW THINGS this says to me: --the race isn't as close as the media are making it out to be. This is like Mondale/Ferraro, not so much a desperation move by MCCAIN as an attempt to keep up in a fight where you know you're on the losing side. Their polling must be telling them something that the gallups and rasmussens aren't capturing--or at least weren;t until the last few days--and they must be dreading the debates. --the upside: mccain looks openminded, mavericky. (tho he's pandering.) the downside:mccain looks old. Really, really old. ANd expect the phrase "a hearteat away from the presidency" to be drilled (no pun intended) into every swingstate viewers heads via a wave of attack ads, oh, i'd say in october or so, earlier if there's an international crisis.
--republicans DO understand pro-life women (and men) and this pick works for them. It will as they say energize the base. They think they can win Michigan and Ohio with the energized prolifers. --but it's not 2000 or 2004. Demographics have shifted, and the world is a more complicated and serious place. The selection is a short term burst of energy, but in the long run will, I think, have low effect on the race.
It seems to me that Palin does not pass the first "do no harm" test - she is clearly NOT ready to step in as president. Some may say Barack Obama is not ready either but the country chose him, he was not forced on us. As a woman voter, I am NOT swayed at all by this but, rather, insulted. McCain did NOT put country first - this is a reckless choice.
Not that I wouldn't have criticized whomever McCain chose but the not-so-subtle identity politics game is pretty pathetic. Palin is no Hillary. There is absolutely no agreement between them on the issues - they disagree on everything from equal pay for equal work, minimum wage, supreme court, healthcare, education, ... the list goes on and on.
McCain talks about putting country first. Well, being 72 and having survived cancer 4 times and selecting a 44 year old candidate with zero foreign policy experience a heart beat away is not putting the country first. Let's be honest: This is an incredibly inexperienced individual and McCain is hoping to attract women voters (e.g., putting winning first). McCain is putting winning first over the safety of the country. Sadly for him, it will not work. Moreover, we are talking about a radical far-right Dobson-worshipping fanatic. I could understand a Kay Baylee Hutchinson (she's pro-choice). But this lady is a far righty. Lastly, it's funny how Romney and Pawlenty were used as pawns and were both dissed.
not sure how the politics will play out. But substantively Sarah Palin is not qualified to be president. And I am deeply frightened about what could happen after John McCain has a heart attack in the oval office next year.
What a joke... I mean McCain was just starting to gain ground with his experience argument and then he gets desperate and chooses Sarah Palin! Come on... who does he think Hillary Clinton... Nancy Pelsoi K.B. Hutchinson or any other female politician is? They are no inexperienced joke... they are fierce leaders. McCain is such a joke. He's not serious about experience at all. And Rush can say whatever he wants... the GOP base are not democrats... they will be skeptical about this...
This stage is too big for her. She may be a breeze of fresh air to the McCain campaign, but there is obviously nothing presidential about her. She's a small town girl and she may be a popular governor, but she doesn't have the stature, she looks like his daughter and I wouldn't trust her to lead the United States. She is a lightweight and I don't think the appeal to Clinton voters will be working. One, because the intention is just too obvious and people don't like to be manipulated in that way. Two, because Hillary's fans won't like a hard core anti-abortionist and creationist. Three, Hillary told them to vote Obama. Of course the republican pundits have to show off some excitement now, I don't know whether they are really as excited as they pretend to be. McCain surprised everybody, fair enough, but his strategy won't work. He has once again shown that he will choose any position or running mate to succeed. And: The Obama campaign can brand McCain and his girl very easily as the candidates of Big Oil.
I think it is a great opportunity for the Obama campaign: "Who's scary now?" A man who already has the respect of the global community in charge of restoring our standing in the world or a 1/2 term Governor of a small state with NO foreign policy experience at all. The Press think that Obama can't touch the experience argument. Again, not understanding who Obama is. I can't believe that those "Working Class Voters" are going to be comfortable with 72 Year Old McCain and TRUE NEWBIE Palin over Obama & Joe Biden. No Brainer. I trust that the Obama campaign will know how to address this to their advantage. It is truly an insult to the country & very ironic with their COUNTRY FIRST theme. He put the campaign first with this pick.
I think it helps energize their base, and maybe helps down ticket in more conservative areas. She might play well in the West, with her Annie Oakley life story. The Corner and Limbaugh crowd are thrilled. It keeps the stupid PUMA narrative alive in the press (Wolfson in TNR, Ben Smith in Politico, Lithwick in Slate, a few of the HuffPo bloggers). She has young kids (I think Michelle and the kids must have focus grouped very well). And she's hot. She'll have her picture taken a lot. I think the pick also puts Cindy on the sideline, where they'd rather keep her. Obama drew 38,000,000 viewers to his acceptance speech. Repubs needed to do something. Romney, Pawlenty would have been a big ZZZZZZZZ. Lieberman would have energized the Left (and James Wolcott wrote that the tow of them together would have looked like a gay Metamucil ad). This will, and has, created buzz. The downside is that she a pick from left field and some of her views will make it easy for Democrats to attack -- pro-life, the enivironment, big oil supporter, complaining about Hillary's whining, her creationism, not knowing what a VP does, her Buchanan supporter past -- it allows the Dems to try to turn her into "Harriet Quayle DeLay (fair or not)" without necessarily seeming sexist. Perhaps it opens the age issue on two fronts (McCain's age, and maybe that once again an older, more experienced woman (Hutchinson, Dole, Snowe) was passed over by someone younger and more attractive, though that line of attack is weak, since H, D & S don't have supporters with such a well-developed sense of outrage as Hillary supporters do.
McCain has found a New FIRST LADY..... watch out Cindy..
Wow, who let the Democratic Underground out for a stroll today?
/superficial comment Maybe it's me, but most women I know in my life HATE the women who participate in beauty pageants.
Initial reaction - shock and awe - and not the good kind. Palin will definitely energize the evangelical base and has more than an intriguing life narrative to share with men and women alike. But it smacks of pure politics on McCain's part - and all about him. He gets to retain his 'maverick' hat while not succumbing to the Christianists who told him which evangelical he must pick; he clearly remains the Top Dog on the ticket of all things military, national security and foreign policy - leaving Palin to focus on drilling, drilling and more drilling; and he selects a vivacious female to continually taunt and tempt the Hillary holdouts. Personally, I think it exemplifies everything I thought was true about John McCain - he has very poor judgement and like the Rove Republicans before him, will do ANYTHING to win elections. Sarah Palin may be a wonderful woman, great mother and dynamic governor, but she's no Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Teddy Roosevelt or LBJ...and she may have to assume the role they all did. I'm more sure of Obama/Biden now than ever before - intellectual curiosity, strong leadership, sound judgement, critical experience, inclusivity - the whole package.
Here's how it will play out: McCain: I'm a Maverick! I picked a woman! And Obama's inexper -- wait, Obama: This election has never been about race or gender. It's about the Hillary: This is insulting to women. He thinks just by putting a woman McCain: He's all talk! It's all hype! I'm a maverick! Drill here, Obama: We all love our country. It's just that I care as much about its McCain: Shut up! I'm a POW! You can't talk to me that way! Then they'll debate. Obama will jump over the incredibly low "celebrity"
Seems to say that McCain and his people didn't think they can win. So they went for a long shot. We'll have to see how it works out. They must think all the positives outweigh the serious conversation that will have to take place about McCain and his age. I'd also like to see how Palin attacks, I'm sure she's pretty good at it.
If there was any chance Hillary would just fade into the background after the convention, this squelched that. No way Hillary is going to let this woman get the inside track on being the first female president. Expect to see her barnstorming the country attacking Palin as only another woman could. This might end up being an unintended benefit for Obama.
First Alaska is solid red now. This is because Palin will rally the base and hunters, and sportsmen and sportswomen. Second PA will become solid blue Third Fourth If senator Clinton comes out and says, Gov Palin is a good woman but she is no me. I know what a vice president does, She does not. She(Palin) does not have the experience I have and most certainly I was not chosen as token. PS She does herself a disservice to even mention it really. You've got to plow through that. You've got to know what you're getting into." She says "any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism...I think, man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, women in general, wanting to progress this country."
Sarah Palin is an excellent choice . . . for Secretary of Energy in a pro-big oil Republican administration. But as Vice-President, she does not have the experience or gravitas to serve in that role. On foreign policy, though, her state does share borders with both Canada and Russia. No other state shares a border with two foreign countries. Maybe she has more foreign policy experience than we know about, although I think both borders are pretty quiet.
There's not much point in the Dems attacking Palin directly, but McCain's pick of her will open up some serious attacking opportunities against McCain. Democrats have already started this morning with the "heartbeat away" language, and will now start say, "was John McCain being serious when he said that years of Washington experience is necessary to lead America? Evidently not. John McCain's attacks against Barack Obama were cynical and disingenuous. John McCain thinks that you voters are a bunch of rubes." A similar narrative applies with her being a woman (and a far less accomplished woman not only than Clinton, but also than Hutchinson, Dole, Snowe, etc., who would at least have been somewhat credible governing picks). "John McCain is just looking for a nice accessory to add to his candidacy. He thinks that you (women, pro-Hillary) are a bunch of rubes." I can really see this pick backfiring among women voters who supported Clinton in the primaries but aren't on board with Obama, especially women of Clinton's generation feel pandered to or that their intelligence has been insulted. On the other hand, she may help with younger (maybe 30-44) women who weren't alive or politically aware during the heyday of the women's rights movement.
Well, I know of at least one voter this pick affected - my mother. A lifelong Republican who was flirting with Obama, she was impressed by his speech last night and completely floored by this choice. She says it's an easy decision now - Obama/Biden is the safe pick. I don't think McCain thought this one through. The initial shock value is good for his campaign, but the glow is going to wear off and people - especially Republican operatives - are going to start freaking the hell out in a week or two. I would not be surprised to see Palin removed the ticket, but that would be suicide for McCain. Tom Ridge would have been the wise choice - McCain went with the risky choice. Immature.
Seriously, What does she add in terms of the map? I got nothin except Alaska....and it's 3 electorial college votes
Though I am an Obama supporter, I can't help but be offended at how political and unserious his pick is. Were Obama not to win in November, President McCain, the oldest ever first term president with a history of cancer, would put next in line to him someone with no credible national experience nor real testing. Is McCain serious about governing? It appears not. Also, this helps shed light on what a cynical sham the 'Obama is too inexperienced' argument is being peddled by conservative commentators and the McCain campaign. There is a legitimate point to that argument, but they just lost all credibility to advance it.
A calculated, cynical, political choice. Motivated more by ambition than by thoughts of what's best for the country. But it might just help him win.
Definitely a Harriet Miers pick. Mitt Romney would have been a MUCH stronger choice. Think about it -- Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan. Even Huckabee would have been better since he was tested on the national stage. Has Palin met any world leaders that we know of? Has she been to Iraq? McCain has shot himself in the foot with this pick.
One of the big (and legitimate) complaints from Alaskans is that the rest of the country does not know its issues. We know Palin is a novice on foreign policy. But let's look deeper - what possible expertise does she have on issues affecting most of America? 1) Urban issues And special bonus - she is suing the BUSH Interior Dept. after they put polar bears on the endangered species act.
With every passing day I am beginning to believe that all these people...presidential candidates, their staff, political consultants, reporters, columnists, bloggers (especially), political gurus, pundits, all of them...are just winging it just like the rest of us. How in the world will mainly Democractic women, who were not prepared to accept a two-term female governor from Kansas if Hillary wasn't the choice for VP, turn around and support a female governor from the other party with 2-years of executive experience? Don't get me wrong. I suspect Gov. Palin is a pretty good governor of the big state of Alaska, but surely there must be many women in the Republican Party with better credentials, if all you want is a woman. This choice doesn't make any sense.
I think James Fallows got it right. This is analogous to picking Clarence Thomas. If McCain wanted a woman on the ticket, why Palin, when there are a number of Republican women out there with more solid resumes?
McCain who claims to put "Country First" obviously chose "Election First." Is she the other most qualified person on the Republican side to be President? Obviously not, even most Republicans would say that. Would she picked if she wasn't female? Will Hillary voters who didn't like being passed over for the more attractive, less experienced candidate jump to the more attractive, less experienced woman who is the anti-Hillary on policy? Doubtful they'll do that in large numbers. It's a pick aimed at pundit chatter rather than running the country. It makes McCain look weak and tone-deaf. Actually, I think McCain just forfeited with a look to the future so Republicans can say 4 years from now: look, we're inclusive.
Welcome Obama/Biden (LOL) No new women will vote for McCain. End of story. Hillary will have new commercial: Palin will cause LOSS of male independent votes and male older Democratic voters who haven't yet come over to Obama. McCain shows his weakness by this selection. He has the Hots for Sarah. Cindy better watch him closely. Obama showed his boldness by choosing Biden. It is a Lose-Lose pick for McCain
Based on the male logic I'm seeing today regarding Palin and women voters -- I'm thinking a lot of the guys don't actually know any women.
From the National Journal article: during her tenure as mayor, the city’s operating budget grew from $3.9 million to $5.8 million. By McCain's standard she has managed the budget of a middle-class individual!
considering you just sent an email to your co-workers at CBS saying, "I just realized that Palin is an anagram on Plain," i think we know where you stand.
This is tokenism, pure and simple (something Republicans are supposed to deplore except, apparently, when it adheres to their benefit). Is there any doubt McCain never would have considered a man with Palin's resume? She was chosen primarily for her gender and secondarily for her appeal to the thumper-wing of the party (vehemently anti-choice, pro teaching creationism in the public schools, pro big oil). Finally, choosing her reinforces McCain's appeal as The Orignal Maverick (TM). I'm thinking that anyone with serious heft probably turned McCain down.
“According to an article in the Alaska Journal (3/16/08), when Palin was running for lieutenant governor in 2002, she sent an e-mail to the Alaska Right to Life board saying she was as “pro-life as any candidate can be.” She is also on the record stating that she is opposed to abortion even in the case of rape or incest." I think this veep pick is a political gimmick, to take attention away from Obama's speech last night and to get some energy (no pun intended - well, maybe) into McCain's campaign. I don't think it's a necessarily bad gimmick. I think it will work with his base, and the media are going to spend a lot of time talking about Palin/Hillary/PUMA. I think women, generally, will take a closer look at Palin. She's an attractive 'outside the box' accomplished woman. But I hope too many women value their right to choose to have an abortion to seriously consider voting for someone - now two someones - who does not believe they should have that right. I don't think her national inexperience is a problem, yet. Fact is she's not the top of the ticket. I think much of it will depend on how she appears on foreign policy issues in her debate with Biden. I think, with this pick, McCain gets an interested media (which he needed), Alaska, some enthusiasm from evangelicals and other conservatives, and the votes of those alleged Hillary-supporters who were allegedly voting for her because of her historic campaign but who were always really McCain supporters, anyway.
I've gone back and forth on it, but have come to a conclusion: it is batshit insane.
Wow, Matthias, your comment at 3:29 PM was absolutely ridiculous. "...McCain, a 25-year navy vet and war hero, and Palin, a fisherman/beauty queen/athlete married to an oil engineer/snowmobile racing champ. I mean that is a LIFE. It just contributes to the perception that conservatives like to accomplish things, while liberals don't care whether things get done as long as its 'fair.'" For real? At first I thought you might be joking but the bit about Romney at the end of your comment leads me to believe that you actually think this. Wow. This is how a brush-clearing retard gets elected President of the United States twice.
Kay Bailey Hutchinson would have been a stupid pick -- she would have just reminded the GOP base about why they were pissed off with McCain last year, since she was one of his allies on the amnesty bill. Tom Ridge would have brought nothing to the table either. Palin is a good pick, especially since Dem primary voters have lowered the bar for experience with their nomination of Obama. She neutralizes the 7 houses nonsense, and her husband's honest work history stands in sharp contrast to Michelle Obama's diversity sinecures in Chicago.
My post reads as if I think all the men are off base in their analysis. My apologies. I mean the ones who think a woman veep will automatically draw more women to vote for McCain. Palin is a terrible choice for veep.
Apparently McCain and his campaign were just posturing when they said Obama wasn't ready to be President. I guess they put Campaign First instead of Country First.
Fred, go back to eating your African American boyfriends shit. At least your breath will stink less than your reasoning.
I love it. Keep underestimating Palin. Lots of people have already, and she's eaten most of them alive. Babbling about experience is hysterical. She's spent as much time as a Governor (IE: *executive* experience) as Obama spent in the Senate before he started running for office, and was in elected office (albeit a small one) for a decade or so before that. The worst the Obama camp can say about this is that the Republican VP nominee is about as inexperienced as their Presidential nominee...and she's actually RUN something! Brilliant pick. The only desperation here is from Marc's typically spiteful commenters in a rush to define her. Good friggin' luck; you'll need it.
Politically, Palin is a poor choice of McCain thought he had a real shot at winning with any of the front-runners. If he believed he was losing, then she's fine because there was nothing to lose. Because she's atypical, she at least introduces the small possibility of Obama or Biden making a significant mistake that arouses and inflames somebody to move away from Obama or toward McCain. Maybe it activates talk about inexperience and national security in a way that's not on Obama's terms and distracts from his message. I suspect that's the biggest plausible risk. There's also the possibility Biden will dismantle her in debate and generate a sympathy backlash. On the other hand, she makes McCain look superficial and phony. Did he really mean it when he called Obama too inexperienced? It's not exactly "straight talk" that he's been expressing. In terms of governance, who knows. Palin could be fine--if she makes good choices ... which of course is true about everyone. I could be a great veep/president if only I happened to make all the right choices. But there's nothing in her record to give us confidence that she would be any better than my little sister or your aunt Tilly. Many of us will always think of McCain's "crap shoot" when he mentions putting America first and serving his country.
Mr F If that stands for Mentally Retarded Female, then let's hope that's not apt. I think MRM would be better.
Scott said: "This is how a brush-clearing retard gets elected President of the United States twice." a comment I read on another site: "Bush with boobs."
I think this just shows that McCain had realized he is not going to win so why not just have some fun and create some excitement. I am very curious to see where polls go after the republican convention. Yes I like her personally but, commander in chief?
I can see the benefits Palin brings to McCain's ticket in terms of the surprise element used to compete with the DNC Convention wrap-up, and perhaps to pick off some of Obama's women voters. However, I think it does too much to undermine McCain's central argument against voting for Obama regarding inexperience, it highlights McCain's age as he turns 72 years old, and does nothing to help McCain with his weakness regarding economic issues. Granted, Palin has the opportunity to be the woman vice president, but let's be clear here, she is no Hillary Clinton.
This was a stroke of genius. McCain has been so freakin' shrewd throughout this general election campaign. Keep it up, John!
Comparing the picks (in a mostly cynical way):
I'd like to fuck Palin - but not Bush with Boobs. ew. The sad thing is that if she'd been able to get more experience, she would be potentially be a great choice for 2012 or 2016. As it is, this could damage her more than the scandal she's currently mired in. But at least there will be less blood rushing to McCain's head for a while. Wonder what Cindy thinks?
great stat...mccain is older than the state she governs.
McCain's objective with the VP pick is to get elected; Obama's objective with his VP choice is two fold, first to get elected and then as important to govern. McCain's choice speaks volumes of his unsteadiness and inability to envision governing. Without doubt, this is a Bush III campaign, get elected then vacation!
I would love to see some media reaction to George HW Bush's choice of Dan Quayle... I'm sure it's eerily similar.
In 2005, before Palin ran for office, the Palin family accused [ex-brother-in-law] Wooten of drinking a beer while in his patrol car, illegal hunting and firing a Taser at his 11-year-old stepson. The Palins also claimed Wooten threatened to kill Sarah Palin's father. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
Hi everyone,
Did Admiral Stockdale just get a sex change?
Those of you suggesting that Palin may not be ready to be Commander-in-Chief are obviously ignorant of the fact that her float won first prize in the political category at the 1999 Alaska State Fair. More snark here.
The Palin pick says something interesting about McCain. He likes surprising people, playing mind games, being in control and feels little loyalty (maybe even contempt) for his colleagues. (I'm thinking of decoys Romney & Pawlenty.) Does anyone in McCain's wider circle feel used by this pick? It wouldn't surprise me. It's an independent, contemptuous, creative, shocking and short-sighted choice.
What an insult to women and what a ridiculous pick. They clearly think this will attract women (look! She has breasts!) but if that was the criteria, why not pick Alan Keyes and see if that attracts African-Americans? NUTS!! And if I hear one more male TV talking head spouting off about what women think, I will hit someone.
Mr. F, HAHAHAH! give me a fckin break. i don't see ms. beauty queen running the best campaign american politics has ever seen. yea and being the mayor of a town with 8k people IS SO MUCH executive experience. WHAT. A. JOKE.
Lists... everybody loves lists... 1. Seems like most women with fully functioning brains will take this as a MASSIVE insult. 2. Both parties are now best served to call a cease-fire on the experience thing. 3. She probably has a nice political carreer ahead of her, but the thought of this woman running the country scares the living hell out of me. 4. If I hear the word "Marverick" one more time, I'm going on a 5 state killing spree.
I am insulted by Governor Palin as a running mate. She is as qualified for the position as Harriet Miers was for the Supreme Court. That woman knows NOTHING about foreign affairs. The notion that a 72 year old man with a history of cancer would put her one heartbeat away from the presidency is terrifying. It is blatantly obvious that McCain wanted a woman only in an attempt to lure Hillary voters. But I have news for him, for Governor Palin, and for the media-- in America we believe in a meritocracy. And that means putting qualified people in office NOT cronyism like Bush and NOT sucking up to identity divisions like McCain. The implication that a woman will ignore qualifications and vote for a woman merely because she was born with 2 X chromosomes is an insult to our intelligence and woman’s suffrage. The job requires more and we deserve better. --One offended woman
Cee FTW. (CFTW?) Based on the male logic I'm seeing today regarding Palin and women voters -- I'm thinking a lot of the guys don't actually know any women. Hmmm... would a certain pasty/portly fellow whose name begins with "M" and ends with "arc" be included in this group??
The Obama campaign ran a sexist campaign in the primaries, and they're running a sexist response today. The idea that Obama is somehow qualified to be president but Palin is not is laughable, unless someone for some reason thinks that a man is always more qualified than a woman. Obama's never done anything, and neither has Palin. He's at the top of his ticket, shooting at her. The unmitigated gall of this blatant sexism should move votes; it's a question, I guess, of which way they'll move. As the father of daughters, I sure hate to see Obama's tactics rewarded.
What a bad pick.
"Mr F If that stands for Mentally Retarded Female, then let's hope that's not apt. I think MRM would be better." I'm sorry, did you have a point of some kind? Cuz I, like, made arguments and explained them.
Uh, I was referring to her time as, you know, Governor. I thought this was too obvious to specify, but apparently not. What a waste of time these comment arguments are. Full of trolls who either a) can't put a sentence together, b) don't have a point, or c) both. Buh bye. Keep hating on the pick. And please, please, PLEASE keep talking about inexerperience. I'm begging you.
What? McCain didn't pick the second runner up in the GOP primaries for his running mate? What's going on here? From his commercials about Obama and Clinton, I thought the rule was to pick the #2!! Right now, I miss Yglesias at the Atlantic.
Trophy Pick. I'm scared. How can she possibly effectively take over in the event he dies? It makes me angry that he would pick someone who does not have the background to handle the presidency in the event he would need to be replaced. Scary
1. Seems like most women with fully functioning brains will take this as a MASSIVE insult. Posted by Tyler Why? What in the world would make you think that?
It just begs the question: Who would be the real power behind the POW or the ex-beauty queen the republicans have chosen to front this campaign? Neither one is likely to really be in charge.
McCain-Palin conjures up images of Fox News: old male anchors supported by beautiful female sidekicks.
If McCain had picked Romney it would've given him a decent chance of winning Michigan and it would've improved McCain turnout among better-educated or white-collar types of conservatives and centrists. The Palin pick will not improve McCain's turnout among blue-collar males, I believe, nor males generally, and may actually have mildly negative consequences for his male turnout. What effect will it have on blue-collar females? The effect is unclear now but in any case the Obama campaign's best reaction should be to send high-profile female politicians out there to shore up blue-collar female support for Obama's candidacy, including Hillary especially. Hillary has the capacity to be a great asset for Obama over the next two months.
keep talking about inexerperience It's clearly the word on everyone's lips.
If the pick was for the purpose of attracting female voters then I think McCain is showing a real contempt for women
@Thomas The idea that Obama is somehow qualified to be president but Palin is not is laughable Well, Obama has met world leaders, is respected around the world, has spent years developing national domestic policy and has spent over 3 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He's no Poppy Bush, but I'd say he a lot more qualified than the ex-beauty queen. Here's what's laughable. The official line from the McCain campaign: Palin is qualified but Obama is not.
This is the "back" part of the saying: two step forwards, one step back.
Obama is qualified to be president because of his peerless intellect, rationality, and unparalleled analytical reasoning. Palin just isn't that distinguished intellectually.
First, I don't understand why there are so many ugly, ugly posts on this page. Second, I'm not sure quite how to respond to the Palin pick. It's a decision designed to yield short-term political gains. She doesn't appear to bring much in terms of governing. Aside from attracting Clinton supporters, the Palin decision seems designed to lure the Obama campaign into a mistake. It will force Biden to be more cautious in the debate, but here's a thought: Biden performed well in the primary debates in part because the format of the debate (as well as his recent faux pas) forced him to make his responses more terse. Biden is a great policymaker and politician who at times has been held back by his excesses. Could debating Palin force Biden to tighten up his game in a way that benefits the Obama campaign? The Obama campaign knows how to navigate American identity politics. I don't think this is a game changer.
It’s not political to say that John McCain turns 72 today. That he’s a cancer survivor. That he spent six years being tortured and abused in a Vietnamese prison camp. Those are the physical realities of his life, and pure and simple, they demanded that he chose a running mate who is ready, really ready. That he put country first. Today, he failed that test. Reckless, petty vindictive, and stupid. Quite a few such incidents are a regular part of the "McCain Record". Dumb, irrational moves John McCain is famous for doing with at least one major decision of his every 3-4 years. Since it was only a year ago he proposed mass Amnesty for illegals, I mistakenly thought he was good to go until after the election. Not so, it weems. Worse, when Sarah Palin falls short—and I hope I’m wrong but I think in important ways, such as her debate with Biden and how she responds to women queasy with her extreme Right to Life positions. Then the blame may fall on her for McCain not putting the country 1st and playing cynical identity politics - after the estrogen fueled euphoria and men talk about how fuckable she looks, wears off. McCain also took the whole issue of Obama's inexperience off the table by giving the nation Palin as the person who meets his claimed most important criteria for being VP - that they are ready to take over as President on Day 1 - and are solid and experienced. This pick appears reckless and remeniscent of the behind closed doors inner circle GroupThink process by which Bushies convinced one another that nominating unqualified Harriet Miers was a "genius move" sure to "be a game-changer". Going to archives, it appears that Walter Mondale got a week of solid adulation over his pick of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 with various Dems and pundits saying he had locked up the woman's vote and the election was basically over. That lasted about a week.
If the pick was for the purpose of attracting female voters then I think McCain is showing a real contempt for women As if calling his (former beauty queen) wife a cunt and abandoning his crippled first wife wasn't enough to make the point perfectly clear.
Oh wow. I can post a comment on the Atlantic! At last! I have waited a long time to get this off my chest - a very long time! But now that McCain's chosen Palin according to plan, I think I can reveal to all that of the four - Obama, Biden, McCain, Palin - one of them is a Reptilian and that person is vbh medmea ugg!! no!!o;;;;;;;;,,,...;;;ehadjhg*****
Thomas, Mr. F, Butler, et al.: Do you think Palin is qualified to be Commander-in-Chief? It seems, from your various comments (i.e., "keep talking about inexerperience [sic]") that you do not. If not, what does that say to you about McCain's judgment?
Palin is the perfect political choice. Here is a list of reasons. Note that these are PERCEPTIONS. Reality may be different, but here are the talking points: 1. She’s an executive. The democrats are both senators with no leadership experience. Two years is more than zero. 2. She took on her own party to fight corruption. Obama is a party of the shady Chicago machine. 3. She’s dealt with energy issues more than Obama/Biden. She’s a big supporter of drilling AND environmental responsibility. No contradiction there. Gas pump prices may decide the election, and she’s pushing for increased oil supplies to fight price hikes. 4. She’s bipartisan. She’s worked with Democrats much like McCain. Obama never did. Biden claims to be bipartisan, yet he’s been ruthless with his “friend” McCain. 5. She’s independent, a “Maverick”. Obama has a 100% liberal voting record (when he bothered to show up at all). 6. She’s female, obviously. This appeases people who would have voted for Obama just to put a non-old/white/male in the white house. Many younger voters were excited to kick out the white males... Are they going to be so eager to defeat a woman? Diversity fans will win either way. McCain might step down in 3 to 7 years… She’d be the first female president. 7. She’s worked in the same types of jobs democrats love… Biden and Obala have zero private sector experience. None. Palin’s worked on a fishing boat, doing manual labor. Bidens parents and Obama’s grandparents may have actually worked for a living, but both Dem candidates lived an elitist’s life. BONUS: Palin’s husband is a union member and a world-class motorsports racer. NASCAR folks will LOVE him. 8. Palin is AWESOME on spending and pork-fighting. McCain is not bad either. This combo has credibility on the issue of government waste (while Obama is demanding more tax dollars to spend). 9. Palin makes the conservatives happy. She’s lived her pro-life values. She’s against gay marriage. She’s a good Christian. Her pastor isn’t anti-American. 10. Palin makes the moderates happy. She’s signed bills giving gay couples more rights. 11. She’s smart, quick, informed, assertive… She’ll do well enough in the debates. Plus Obama & Biden won’t risk attacking a Palin the way they went after Hilary. That would alienate women. 12. She’s authentic. She’s really real. People are comfortable with her. She doesn’t need to put together videos to make her seem like a normal human being. She is one. It shows. 13. Libertarians like her a lot. She’s an NRA member, in favor of lesser penalties for marijuana, for shrinking government. 14. She is just BEGGING Obama and Biden to make her inexperience an issue. The more they complain about her inexperience, the worse Obama looks. All in all, Palin is not a perfect candidate. She is inexperienced, untested, and a bit controversial in some ways. McCain will be accused of picking a token female, plus there's the hypocrisy regarding the importance of experience. But the more I think about it, the more I think Palin is the best possible choice. Kudos to McCain for taking control of the news cycle, dominating Obama’s speech, and potentially taking a permanent lead in the polls from this bold move. This might be what puts him in the white house.
As a former Clinton supporter and a democrat I think this is gross. I was thinking about McCain, but NO WAY. He's gross. Who the hell is Sarah Palin? No Hillary Clinton or even Barack Obama for that matter.
I think it's wrong to say that Marc Ambinder is a McCain partisan. I am an Obama partisan and remember that he (Marc) was accused of being in Hillary's corner earlier on. I'd say that unlike Andrew Sullivan - who's been upfront in saying e's behind Obama - Marc seems to be a more neutral journalist. I think Obama partisans should just take a deep breath and look at the big picture. As to the Palin choice, I think it undercuts the GOP argument of Obama not being ready. I don't know how independent swing voters process their voting decisions (I like to think of myself as an independent swing voter who doesn't like the GOP's extreme positions)- but I'd be hard pressed to think that this helps with independents. I would hazard a guess that the only thing John McCain had going for him earlier on was the Obama not ready argument - one should also note that even as Obama's poll numbers have fluctuated in the mid to high 40s McCain's have not bumped the high 40s. Essentially, it seemss to me that voters want to vote Obama (or at least Democratic) and when scared, they move back to undecided but not McCain (or GOP). Obama seems to be making the right moves towards assuring these swing voters that he's up to the job. McCain, on the other hand, seems to be flailing aimlessly - there's no coherent message, just that 'Obama cannot do it', even though I intend to lead you in the same direction as GW Bush. If John McCain comes up with some proposals of what he intends to do that is fundamentally different from GW Bush, he may stand a chance. To date, I am yet to see that - all I hear is how Obama is a celebrity, blah blah blah. I don't know whether the American people will fall for that this time - or not; we'll see. Fundamentally, I still think Obama has the upper hand - mind you, I don't agree with everything the Democrats believe nor am I 100% on the GOP's side. What I know though, is that I detest the GOP's tactics for winning elections and I think that Obama is right in trying to expand the electorate as a Plan B. I believe that the Democrats have had majority support for a long time but had problems bringing their supporters to the polls because of GOP disenfranchisement tactics and voter registration hoops/hurdles plus the fact that Democratic voters are more likely to have felony convictiocs in their past and/or not care enough to register/vote. If Obama executes on his registration drive and brings yound people to the polls - the GOP is in trouble. Over the long haul though, the GOP will have to rethink its creed and build a larger tent because whatever majority it had (I doubt it ever did in the absence of the factors outlined above) has long sionce disappeared and it needs a new message/outlook that accommodates the downtrodden to some extent while managing the size of government down - I like lower taxes and smaller government too
This pick is right in line with putting Mike Brown in charge of FEMA.
Talk about pandering...and being manipulative. John McCain really should be ashamed for thinking women are THAT stupid, and can't see through this ridiculous choice. As a 65 year old wman, I can tell you, that this pick is insulting to me. Shame on YOU, John McCain. Barack Obama, I am NOW firmly in YOUR camp.
Palin is the perfect political choice. Even assuming that, Steve, do you think Palin is the best vice president choice? If not, isn't this choice more about McCain winning than about what's good for the country? And don't you think swing voters will see that?
@Thomas...
One can see Hillary and Mitt, the former crying into her blue collar beer boilermaker, the latter into his glass of milk - both solider VP picks - both perhaps secretly hoping that their side loses so they have another shot at the Presidency in 2012. Hillary dissed by Team Axelrod's hatred of her and Bill as threatening Obama's star power. Mitt the top executive with a stellar record learning that the erratic, treacherous and somewhat stupid CEO-owner of the company decided to promote a cute mailroom clerk to the Chief OPerating Officer position over him. We can see McCain deflecting questions on the economy - ask Sarah, she's a Mom who successfully managed her household economy and met with the city council of Wasilia over their budget and 22-person municipal employees right in her kitchen! Foreign policy? Well Sarah has been to Canada in her lifetime, and flies over it regularly. That counts, right?
If you're a Republican like me, you've either held your anger and gone to sleep or you're under an oxygen machine.
Experience Palin: U of Idaho, degree in journalism Palin: 2nd in Miss Alaska Beauty Pageant. Palin: Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska Palin: Governor - State of Alaska, pop. 700K, took office less than 2 years ago. Palin: No foreign relations experience. Palin: Ethics Investigation. July 2008. Alaska legislators on Monday voted to spend up to $100,000 to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin's controversial firing of former state Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. On Monday, the (bipartisan) council voted 12-0 to spend up to $100,000 "to investigate the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan, and potential abuses of power and/or improper actions by members of the executive branch." http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/478090.html
Vladimir Putin must be quaking in his boots!
romney must be f'ing p'oed. and huckabee is stress eating again.
I say the following as an Obama supporter: I keep seeing commments saying that this pick cancels McCain's biggest attack on Obama (inexperience). This IS NOT Obama's biggest weakness. Obama's biggest weakness is that he is not a "real merikan" and he does not "share our values." Palin has her faults to be sure, but a woman who hunts, fishes, is attractive and won a state champtionship in basketball, plus brought a mentally disabled child to term rather than abort the child is going to appeal to many women -- many of the women in the Appalachia region that Obama would love to have. This is not a policy election... if abortion is your number one issue, you have already decided. If, on the other hand, you are a 40 something woman in southeastern Ohio who works 60 hours a week at a $8 an hour job and only tune in sporadically to politics and is looking for the ticket that understands her, Palin may be the one.
I get more disappointed in McCain every day. To be honest, I'd never vote for the guy because he is a neanderthal on women's issues and that's the one position he hasn't shifted on in order to curry favor with some voting block. But I'd always admired him, not for being a reckless attention hound, but for what I perceived was an integrity essential to his nature. Now I see that was just an aspect or affect that he jettisoned when it failed to poll well.
Senator McCain just made a lie out of his tagline "Country First". As a female I'd love to have a woman VP AND President. But in the last words of the character Switch in the movie The Matrix, "Not like this. Not like this." This is not the caliber of VP candidate the US needs with its current economic conditions, its constitution being ravaged and its tattered standing in the world. Some believe it will win over enough female and blue collar voters to give Senator McCain the presidency. You know, making "McCain First".
Ambinder, if you are going to delete comments, at least have the courtesy to inform us in advance, you fat cunt
Upside: John McCain makes brilliant choice and strikes the PUMA motherlode! Downside: Arrogant clueless leader selects unqualified woman for wholly political/symbolic reasons and strikes Harriet Miers! Upside: She comes off as a newly minted GOP superstar they didn't even know they had! Downside: She comes off as a chirpy head cheerleader who thinks property taxes are mean. I'm guessing the downside is more likely.
MILF VP! Woo fucking ho! I don't need the cunt no more, I got a new trollop!
Personally, I am a disaffected moderate Republican who was thinking about voting for Obama and looking for reasons to vote for McCain. So far, McCain has seemed like he was no longer the maverick and had joined the Bush brigades to get elected. This pick makes me want to take another look at McCain and gives me new hope that he would steer a middle course between the liberalism of Obama and Biden and the hard-right conservatism of Bush and Cheney. So it does work for people like me, but I don't know how many of us there are nationally. More generally, it ended talk about Obama's speech last night, so I think it will suppress some of the bounce Obama would otherwise get from the convention. No one is talking about Obama's speech anymore and it is less than 24 hours later. Also, it takes some of the mantra of change away from Obama. Now, there will be a history-making person elected regardless of who wins. So the attraction of voting for Obama because it would be cool to see someone who is not a white guy running things now cuts both ways. McCain probably loses some of the experience argument he could otherwise use against Obama, which hurts McCain, no question. But I don't think he loses all of it, because there is a difference between the #1 guy having little experience and the #2 gal having little experience (especially on national security issues). I don't see how the Obama campaign can highlight her lack of experience without calling attention to Obama's own lack of experience, especially when her experience is mostly executive experience and all of his experience is legislative. I think McCain had to pick someone out of the box to shake things up. The fundamentals favor Obama because of Bush's performance and McCain's age and any "safe" pick would have given the election to Obama. So all in all, I think it's a great pick. It might not be enough to do the job in what has to be the best Democratic year since 1976, but it is probably the best McCain could have done given what he has to work with. Kudos to him for not going with conventional wisdom too. Perhaps, finally, Mack is back.
I believe that when the smoke clears, this won't be seen as a "shocking" choice at all, but rather as an incredibly calculated, cynical choice that is a shameless pander. I don't quite see why this is such an amazing choice: the Democrats nominated a woman fourteen years ago to be VP. I'm glad to see the Republicans are so proud to be only a decade and a half out of touch. To me, this is an insult to Hillary Clinton because she has worked so hard, for so many years, to make her own way. She is a Senator for the third most populous state in the country, and toured around extensively to win over 18 million men and women to vote for her. Palin has had her position handed to her on a platter. To me, the central question about her seriousness as a VP candidate: would the Republican party have nominated her to be President? No way. Their lineup was old white guys all the way, and the only way a woman can get on their ticket is through this kind of pathetic and truly insincere gesture. It's clear that she was on the list BECAUSE she was a woman, whereas Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had to fight through a whole lot of crap to be considered for the top spot. Granted, they got some support based on race and gender, but I would argue that the difference between being at the top of the ticket and being tapped for VP is a big big deal. People who are OK w/ a woman as VP are not necessarily OK w/ a female President. There is a HUGE difference between being a Presidential candidate and a VP candidate. All this shows is that Republicans are OK w/ a woman on the ticket, so long as she's the one in the back.
I believe her selection is a result of McCain (or his advisors) thinking he needed to do something risky in order to win. It makes me think either he did not believe the polls that he was moving up and nearly tied with Obama or didn't believe he could continue to stay even. To me, it shows he is more concerned about the remaining campaigning days then he let on. I think he will get more bad press from the extreme right wing then liberals and the Obama campaign. As for the MSM and Blog-nation, I am sure they are all hoping for a rerun of the Democratic primary season.
Side note- I have seen no CNN or MSNBC links to local Alaska political reporters. It's like the state is not part of the country. If an obscure governor of Wyoming or Vermont were chosen as VP, wouldn't they have someone at least regional to go to? Weird. I have a feeling that Alaska's remoteness - and her lack of connection with so many issues affecting the lower 48 has to be a potential problem.
The internal numbers must have begged for a Hail Mary. My guess is that Kennedy hurt a bit, adn then Michelle broke the sin. Hillary, Bill and even that darned governor from Montanta reached an artery and, well, 38 million viewers and a crowd 10 times the size of Palin's well managed city put the old geezer to rest. Since even God seems against them (two hurricanes?), why not throw a Buffy Warrior to the rescue? It's so fun to watch.
Negotiating arms reduction with Putin. Leading as commander-in-chief our military both in Iraq and Afghanistant. Working with NATO. Handling the very tricky relationships with China and North Korea, and of course, Iran. Devising an effective economic plan for our country. Creating an efficient and fair reform of the tax code. You have got to be kidding.
I just don't get it, how will Palin help McCain govern? How will she help him pass legislation, confront foreign emergencies and set the national course? She seems like a good public servant and decent lady, but in terms of governing it doesn't make any sense to me. Surely, though, it's a signal that McCain is doubling down on energy & drilling.
Palin, who ? McCain, are you serious ? You passed over Lieberman, Ridge & Romney for a pretty face ?? McCain, everyone knows you like beauty queens, but now you just look like a lecherous old man. BTW, McCain, were you checking out her arse when she was accepting the VP slot ?
I'm so embarrased by the typos, sorry: The internal numbers must have begged for a Hail Mary. My guess is that Kennedy hurt a bit, and then Michelle broke the skin. Hillary, Bill and even that darned governor from Montana reached an artery and, well, 38 million viewers and a crowd 10 times the size of Palin's well managed city put the old geezer to rest. Since even God seems against them (two hurricanes?), why not throw a Buffy Warrior to the rescue? It's so fun to watch.
Approriate response should be/ should have been: "Congratualtions Governor Palin. Now that Senator McCain has conceded the fact that any perceived inexperience of Senator Obama is a non-issue with the choice of Governor Palin as a running mate, can we please move onto a discussion of substantive issues?"
By passing highly qualified people to take a woman whose second line on her resume is active in PTA, McCain makes a joke of his theme: country before election. McCain puts the US in harms way by making a joke of the selection. He confirms what I always suspected: he is a common political whore.
Looks like McCain has managed to balance his ticket: NoHair/BigHair 08!
A dreadful choice, simply dreadful. Transparent, desperate and short-sighted. Also, she's anti-choice, pro-big oil, anti-environment, pro-creationism (i.e. anti-science), disputes the concept of global warming, and brings zero foreign-policy cred. Palin has no business whatsoever being *anywhere near* the Oval Office. Many of the women I know are furious about this pick, most calling it "condescending." It will take more than breasts and a vagina to sway the votes of strong, intelligent American women. Sarah is NO HILLARY.
1. McCain went "all-in" with an inside straight draw, which is a dumb think to do. 2. There is no need to attack Palin, even though her complete lack of antional political experience (domestic or foreign policy), her anti-abortion extremism, her belief in creationism, her cozy relationship with Big Oil, and the pending abuse of office scandal concerning her sister's custody dispute, and firing her ex-husband (and even worse, a state employee who refused to do so when intimidated by the Governor's office) make it wasy. No, the attacks will be aimed at McCain, who has just made the most transparently political bonehead move in American political history. 3. If shoring up the evangelical Christian base is something the GOP had to do with this selection, they are in even worse shape than I thought. I have to say, a GOP client, and a close friend and colleague, one of whom has never voted for a Democrat, and the other of whom votes Republican about 95% of the time, both called me today to express how disgusted they were. The 100% republican said that he hoped Obama would live up to his promises, because he did not see how McCain could win after this, and the other said he might vote for Obama (or Barr) but not McCain. This is one for the books.
If Palin is a bad choice because she doesn't have experience, but Biden is a good choice because he does have experience, then what is the argument to vote for Obama over McCain -- Obama not having experience, and McCain who does?
Steve: "Biden and Obala have zero private sector experience. None." WRONG. They both have more than McCain. "Bidens parents and Obama’s grandparents may have actually worked for a living, but both Dem candidates lived an elitist’s life." WRONG. Raised by your working class grandparents and going to school on scholarship is an elitist life? From the perspective of an orphanage, sure, otherwise no. "Palin makes the moderates happy. She’s signed bills giving gay couples more rights." WRONG. She vetoed a bill that would take rights away, because the AG said it was unconstitutional. "in favor of lesser penalties for marijuana" Wha?? Marijuana is currently "legal" in Alaska (for personal, at home use), but there was a bill passed to re-criminalize it. I don't see that she's proposed repealing the act while its constitutionality is being litigated. This is just made up.
One more of Steve's inaccuracies: "2. She took on her own party to fight corruption. Obama is a party of the shady Chicago machine. 4. She’s bipartisan. She’s worked with Democrats much like McCain. Obama never did." It's impossible to be part of the "shady Chicago machine" and not work with the republicans. The "shady Chicago machine" is part of a bi-partisan arrangement in Illinois--being part of it requires working with republicans. It's one or the other, folks.
I'm surprised that no one's mentioned the potential backlash from women over the fact that Palin just gave birth to a child less than six months ago (and who has Down's Syndrome to boot). It's my understanding that polling has traditionally shown that voters are uncomfortable with women who have young children.
Steve alone, has convinced me of the ingenuity of a 'No Comments' blog.
Country first? I'd say McCain clearly just opted for political gimmickry over country. He could have a heart attack any day (life expectancy for U.S. men: 75.4 years), and this is who, in his "best" judgment, he picks to succeed him in the Oval Office? I mean, we're facing Putin, a powder keg ready to blow in the middle east, terrorists, genocide in Africa, global warming, a health care crisis and economic recession--and McCain picks Palin?!! Two-year governor of a state whose population is only a bit larger than that of Albuquerque, NM? Suddenly Obama/Biden looks like a REALLY solid, smart, experienced team. My voting preference just rocketed at warp speed into crystal clear focus. Wow. A stunningly reckless choice on McCain's part.
Dems should not attack Palin's (lack of) experience! It suits them to take it off the table completely. Let it be the elephant in the room! Engaging in the "enough experience" debate risks damaging Obama's candidacy more than can possibly be gained by damaging Palin. Let it surface in the debate with Biden... there should be enough there for people to make up their own minds. There are now two candidacy's with about an equal total mix of experience.. that situation suits the Democrats far more than it suits McCain because Obama was the more vulnerable up to this afternoon. The narrative of the campaign must NOT be about experience. Its about the sick and smelly Republican government that McCain and Palin are going to continue if they win this election.
As Michael Barone pointed out re: foreign affairs: Palin's is the only state that borders Russia, and it's the only state that has been occupied by a foreign enemy in living memory. As for how Palin can help govern, she brings more real-world knowledge of the energy and natural resources industry than the other candidates.
I had been suspecting that McCain was insubstantial, but now I'm quite convinced. This shows incredibly bad judgment. Period. Obama made a grown-up choice, picking someone who could be president. McCain hasn't. It shows such BAD judgment I think it should rule out McCain as a plausible president right from the get go. In our partisan culture with its highly debased political culture that might take a while to sink in. But at the end of the day I have enough faith in the country and our democracy to believe that McCain has just guaranteed himself a massive loss in November.
Great move to announce her as VP the day after Obama's speech. Everyone is now in awe of John McCain's maverickiness and desire to make sweeping change. Not a great move to put her on the campaign trail, have her answer tough questions by reporters, and put her on stage to debate Joe Biden. The McCain camp is using her pure and simple. After this big announcement and a 10 minute speech at the convention, they'll put the little lady behind him and carefully monitor her access with the press and the public. I think the Dems should ignore her. Continue to go after McCain - his judgement, temperment, lack of coherency, and Bush-like policies. Plus, any tough question aimed at her, any criticism of her, the Repub whiners will scream sexism and daddy McCain will have to defend her. Plus, no one plays the victim better than a Christian fundie. Ignore her; focus on McCain.
1. This is a McCain pick... no way Rove would have chosen Palin. 2. It's a white flag pick. He knows he's on the Bob Dole Autumn Tour by now. 3. I will say one positive. After all the talk about the 24% approval rating of the President, how bad has it been that 3/4ths of the Prez/Veep nominees come from a Senate that has an even worse 11% approval rating? The mere fact that she isn't a Senator puts her one leg up on the guys...
I'm trying to think how I would have taken this pick as an Obama supporter, if Obama had picked a democratic Sarah Palin: * she's a cool lady who can shoot, very tough * the firing scandal should have disqualified her (of course this not could if you're republican--they get a lot of leeway apparently?) * no way does she pass the basic test of being ready in the unfortunate case POTUS is incapacitated. * her environmental record is terrible -- she doesn't want to protect polar bears!
Fred, given you are a limited education, jobless bum, I'm not sure why you are shilling for Republicans so much. You'd be more likely to get your unemployment benefits raised under Obama. Your racism should be outweighed by your utter failure as a human being.
"As for how Palin can help govern, she brings more real-world knowledge of the energy and natural resources industry than the other candidates" Gee Fred, more than the oil-man, George W. Bush, who was supposed to understand energy policy better than Gore 8 yers ago. What a disaster Bush turned out to be from a notional energy perspective. Sarah Palin knows fossil fuels from a perspective of an Alaskan. That she thinks we can drill our way out of this problem showss me that, on what is alleged to be her strongest subject, she's abysmally one dimensional and in the pocket of GOP special interests who have enriched themselves and Alaska while leaving the rest of us with no long term solutions and $4 per gallon gas prices. And that's her strong suit? And being near Russia does not mwan that, if McCain drops dead in late January, that she is prepared to deal with Putin, Khameini, bin Laden and Kim Jong Il. This is truly the worst (and most politically motivated) VP selection ever, worse than Ferraro, worse than Quayle, and if you ask me, worse than Admiral Stockdale.
does anyone else have a flashback to the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court? I mean, she's a total unknown and younger than Obama with a man at the top of the ticket who looks like he could die any day. i like the maverickness, but we are talking about the Commander in Chief. Net/Net: bad pick.
McCain's choice will really fire up the base as she is the type of POL they love. A true Christianist and Theocon, with a Buchannan lineage in authoritarian nationalism. This is a Rovian pick based on this campaign being a replay of 2000 and 2004, a 50% plus one vote election. Blue Moon is right, Palin is suppose to 1) bolster to McCain with independents by reminding them that he is "The Maverick" and 2) remind them that Obama is not a real "American" (see Mona Charen's post on National Review's "the Corner") and 3) get the base, particularly so far lukewarm theocons, fired up for the ticket. What might blow-up? Palin is apparently involved in major scandal herself up in Alaska and she intervened on behalf of mining companies to defeat a clean water initiative that would have made developing an open pit gold mine on the Bering Sea difficult. She will be the most anti-environmental candidate for VP yet put forward by the Republicans. McCain and she are not only for drilling everywhere and anywhere, but they both want to block the development of alternative if privately developed.
This is McCain's first executive decision. First real glimpse of his judgment as President. And it shows a clear lack of emphasis on governing and only an emphasis on campaigning. This is a pick designed to take press coverage away from Obama's speech. Not a pick designed to "put America first" or "choose the person most ready to be President." I mean seriously, I'm sure she's a wonderful governor. Everything I've read says that she's extremely popular, has taken on corruption in her state, etc., and maybe in 8 or 12 or 16 years she'd make a wonderful President. But now, in 2008, no. And a 72 year-old man with a history of cancer needs to realize that his number one priority to his country, if he really wants to make sure that he "puts America first" is to pick a candidate ready on DAY ONE. Sorry, but she is not. PLUS, he met her ONCE six months ago prior to considering her as a VP. How seriously did he personally vet her? Poor, poor judgment. And as an aside, and I think that this is a poor argument against ANY woman, however, do you think that if the Democrats put forth a pick like this, a woman who has an infant son with special needs. Don't you think that Limbaugh, Coulter, et al would be attacking her for her ambition at the expense of caring for her children? You so know they would.
"What a disaster Bush turned out to be from a notional energy perspective." How so? By advocating increased domestic energy exploration and production 7 years ago, and getting that blocked by Congress?
I haven't read every single comment but will add (in re: Hillary's supporters who are still undecided) that in a March discussion, Palin called Hillary a whiner. How will they react as they learn the details of Palin's social positions? -- not just on the question of choice but the teaching of creationism in the schools and similar issues. Palin has also been to the far right edge of her party: she supported Pat Buchanan when she ran against them from the right (and gave that hateful speech that everyone remembers). She favored Romney against McCain. She loved the flat-tax proposals. Alaskans have written today that she also supported the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it. So her claim today that she opposed it will be challenged. Some have also pointed out that she presides over a welfare state in that everybody in Alaska is supported by the state. This is going to be interesting.
you're posting a lot today Fred, have they started to wire you your employment checks?
A monumentally disastrous pick, but...the only choice that would shake up the dynamic. I think McCain realized the experience argument was not working and that he had to make a bald play for disaffected Hillary supporters. A Romney or a Pawlenty would have simply amplified the silly McCain insults, Palin lets McCain fall back to the refomer/Maverick image that he's more comfortable with (I think one of the reasons for the "prickly" interview with Time is that he's frustrated with the Rove tactics) and shores up the evangelicals. Still...I get it, I just don't understand.
My so much stupidity from the left. I love the male condescension...this is an insult to women! Do you know any women? Ask them what they think about Sarah palin & if they are insulted. Let's see...we had the elitist snobbery: the wellesley crowd doesn't enter beauty contests..there's a reason for that. Sarah and her husband, who is part eskimo, are working class people who have run a family business (fishing) and have a large family. How terrible! Yes, they cling to guns and God as well. Let's see..Quayle? No. Quayle came from a wealthy prominent family and ducked out on Vietnam service. Neither Sarah nor her husband have any ties to politics or the power elite in Alaska. Her son, Track is in the army (he's 18) and heading for Iraq. She prides herself on being the Commander of the Alaska National Guard. She has spent more time in Iraq than Obama has. Agnew? Agnew was a crook. Palin is a reformer who bucked the Republican establishment in Alaska. She is conservative, a lifetime member of the NRA, a hunter and fisher, an athlete, pro-drilling, pro-life (she insisted on giving birth to her son after she was told he had Downs syndrome. ) My, how terrible, eh? she's also a tax-cutter and anti-pork -- she killed the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska. Did I say she is beautiful, smart and a fantastic politician? McCain is aiming at the working class women of America by nominating one of their own. This is not the bluestocking wife-of like Hillary, etc. this is a real American woman.
"And being near Russia does not mwan that, if McCain drops dead in late January, that she is prepared to deal with Putin, Khameini, bin Laden and Kim Jong Il." Right, and Obama's experience of being an Alinskyite street agitator, Illinois state senator, and then absentee U.S. Senator while running for president nonstop hasn't prepared him to deal with those characters in January either. At least the GOP has someone with experience at the top of the ticket. I'm glad that the experience issue is going to be off the table. Better to focus on how radical and outside-the-mainstream Obama's real views are, as demonstrated by the folks he has picked as mentors over the last 20 years, his absentee, polygamous Marxist father, Wright, Ayers, etc.
This thing is going end up one of two ways. Everyone is over thinking this decision. It is going to play out as either: 1. Sarah Palin turns out to be an exceptionally fine communicator, a steady second-in-command who knows more about policy, foreign-affairs, and government technicality that expected, and gives a much-needed boost to McCain. McCain is seen as a seer, wisely able to make the perfect choice at the perfect time. 2. Sarah Palin is really just the most normal person to ever come this close to being the leader of the free world. She is absolutely devoured by the cyclonic press/blog/media cycle of 2008, and this pick will be seen as a monumental error. Either way, Sarah Palin will be remembered in an extremely good light, or as an absolute joke on the electorate. Unless she's some kind of secret political ninja, it's going to be #2. All second-guessing and analysis beside, people really can't see the forest for the trees on this. Sarah Palin is manifestly unqualified to be Vice President.
'"...you are going to have a lot of women voters wondering why Senator Obama didn't tap Senator Clinton..."' Odd phrasing from Howard the Duck.
1. People have had various versions of this story all day. Here's mine: I just spoke with the 65 year secretary at my CATHOLIC Church. She's white and LOVED Hillary. Signs on her house, on her car. LARGE signs. When I asked her what she thought of Palin, she erupted: "If McCain thinks I'd vote for someone just because she has the same 'parts' as Hillary, then either McCain is an idiot, or I should be insulted." She then went on to talk about how a woman who less than 2 years ago was the suburban Alaska mayor of a city of 9000 cannot be the next in line to be president and commander in chief.
Biden wasn't asked to be VP to take on an unknown GOP VP, he was asked to take on John McCain! To be the attack dog! To shore up some foreign policy experience. Palin wasn't asked to be VP to take on Biden, she was asked for other reasons. I'll let a GOP reader put in the reasons. Biden has to "survive" only 1 debate. And otherwise attack, attack, attack McCain for 2 months. And not even mention Palin. Let Hillary, Claire M, Debbie W-S, Janet N, Kathleen S, Amy K, etc do that. (Not Michelle)
Nothing will redeem the legacy of Dick Cheney like the probable legacy of Sarah Palin. What, was Albert Gonzales' phone unplugged?
I believe it to be a brilliant chess move. It is not check mate but I think a lot of folks will be spell-bound by this choice. It is so much more creative and bold than Biden. I fear she will run rings around Biden. Men do not know how to handle a strong woman.
I love this quote: "She is...pro-life (she insisted on giving birth to her son after she was told he had Downs syndrome. )" I assume Fred points this out as if it is something that the Republican party has exclusive ownership over. Give me a break. Everyone one I know would do the same thing and my friends and I are Proud! liberals. If Fred is indicative of the majority of "conservatives”, then it is no wonder republicans are also war hawks. They have to channel that anger somewhere. Assume the worst of people, especially the most different.
Palin brings to the McCain ticket a reason (social wedge issues) for the religious right base to rally around. As for drawing former Hillary supporters, this does not compute as Palin is a Pro Lifer, anti environmentalist. It is most apparent McCain's objective is to win an election; Obama has a dual objective, win the election and governing. Joe Biden contributes this balance. Republicans do not get the "governing" thing, i.e., Bush gets elected, goes on vacation; McCain = Bush III, get elected, then vacation time. Is Cindy on board with this younger women coming into her husband's life on a daily basis? McCain does have a reputation for finding younger women to be close with.
She just had a child. What if she becomes pregnant with a sixth child and then McCain dies. We would have a pregnant President. As they say in New York, oy vey. Also I can't wait for her to explain why she supported Pat Buchanan's presidency.
Palin will be the least qualified nominee for national executive office in living memory, maybe in history. I haven't boned up on the resumes of the nonentity VPs of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Anybody know of a comparable novice on a winning ticket?
As an undecided voter - this has pretty much made my choice. I cannot vote for a man who criticizes (somewhat fairly) his opponents experience and picks someone this inexperienced. I have two months to make my opinion of Palin, and there is a decent chance that I will wind up liking her if she can prove her mettle on the national stage. I have no faith in McCain's decision making abilities that he would take such a risk with his VP pick.
Palin will be the least qualified nominee for national executive office in living memory, maybe in history. I haven't boned up on the resumes of the nonentity VPs of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Anybody know of a comparable novice on a winning ticket? Nobody has yet mentioned JOHN EDWARDS.
"Nobody has yet mentioned JOHN EDWARDS." Because he had served as a senator since January of 1999, fucknuts.
I've got to agree with the posters who mentioned that it's less a play for women voters and more of a play for blue collar voters. I'd argue that Hillary pretty much delivered her holdouts already, so anyone ticked off by the apparent pandering probably wasn't voting for McCain anyways. On the other hand, don't underestimate the desire of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, hunters, fishermen, burger eaters, and snowmobilers to be pandered to. There is a deeply, deeply cynical anti-intellectual, anti-elite, anti-east coast horde of literally tens of millions of undecided voters and non-voters who have knee-jerk reactions against anyone who exhibits the slightest whiff of something that could be interpreted (rightly or wrongly) as 'thinking they are better than us'. As a populist choice trying to tap into that cynicism in the electorate, from a candidate in McCain who needed to roll the dice, it was probably a good gamble. Downsides? Absolutely! But the upside is potentially there in terms of votes. The Obama team had better get Biden out there out-lunchpailing her in a hurry, lest the sleeping masses think Ms. Palin's story is a reality TV show worth climbing aboard.
This choice shows a CLEAR LACK of judgement on McCain's part. He has clearly shown his preference to put his election and campaign FIRST - not the country. People are touting her executive experience without knowing truly what she has done! Are you kidding me??? She left a 20 Million debt after leaving office as Mayor. She's been Governor for 18 months, haven't made any BIG decisions. She says "no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere, but what you don't realize is that she used the money for other projects. So she took the money! She is not well thought of by her OWN republican State Legislature because of her ability to govern, and manage the budget! http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/story/295464.html She made CRUEL comments and laughed at callous jokes made by a Radio DJ in an interview about a fellow Republican, State Senator Green. This woman was a CANCER survivor, but Palin laughed when the DJ called her a "cancer" and a "b**tch" She was even called on it by the Anchorage Daily News. Not to mention the Toopgate problems! THIS IS A WOMAN we can be proud of as a VP Pick??? WAKE UP AMERICA - behind this cute facade is a woman of NO CHARACTER or QUALIFICATION. Her nickname of BARRACUDA was spot on!
She is better looking and makes more sense than Obama. Than Biden, too, for that matter. Than McCain, too, for that matter. I have no problem with Palin, if she's what she says she is I may vote. Put Palin in front of the Greek temple setting and blow off fireworks - no, she seems too decent for a stunt like that.
I was appalled. But I felt much better once I decided that I have to root for her to succeed - not to win, but to be respectable as a candidate. As an Obama supporter, I have confidence that my candidate can handle this. As a woman, I want to see Palin solidify Clinton's gains, not undermine them. Just think - if Palin is accepted by the Republicans as viable, on top of Clinton's primary successes, the glass ceiling is *broken*. No other woman who sets her eyes on the presidency need fear that her gender alone will keep her from getting there.
I wonder if the McCain campaign asked her if she could spell potato?
Who picks as VP someone who is under investigation? Who picks someone who supported Pat Buchanan for president in 2000 (i.e, what are her thoughts/views on Buchanan's views of Israel, Jewish people, Hispanics, etc.)? All this may turn out to be harmless/nonissues, but that is a lot of stuff that people have to vet/sort out in about 2 months (the ethics investigation, according to TPM, will be resolved just before election day). Reverend Wright took how long to sort out? Romney or Huckabee have been vetted, to some extent, and if you want the PUMA voter, Kay Bailey Hutchinson has been, to some extent (at least on foreign policy grounds as well with her Senate service) been vetted. The pick makes some sense from a base standpoint, but it will scare off swing voters, because if nothing else, it brings up serious questions about McCain's judgement.
Stan gets it -- this is about undecided white voters under 30k. Sorry fellow Obama supporters, but Palin is going to be appealing to them. Will it be enough to translate into votes? Who knows? But she'll pick up a shotgun without looking like a pansy and clean a fish without saying "Icky! Can I have some Purell?" Don't underestimate the appeal of these things. Finally, do not underestimate the appeal of a mom and dad on the campaign trail -- Hillary was a mother, not a mom. Everyone likes mom and dad, people get tired of mothers and fathers.
My thoughts on the pick. It shows: McCain is reckless. Other than than, great pick
Obama was a state senator in IL for 6 years and had thousands more constituents than she has ever had. I do not know why no one thinks this time as a state senator is unimportant. Conservatives certainly think it is important when they need to critice the way he voted in IL. IL is a big state, I live here. He also did local govt work before that as well as teach constitutional law for 12 years which is important to me. To say she has as much experience is delusional. I do not agree with her on issues such as abortion, teaching creationism in school, global warming, and even polar bears. She seems nice but I would not vote for her. She is not Hillary Clinton. The economy needs work and the Reps. are not good at stimulating it.
"She has spent more time in Iraq than Obama has." ????????????????? She secretly went to Iraq? That must explain why she thinks we need a timetable for withdrawal (i.e., she's a defeatist, per McCain).
To the angry leftist:
Palin seems to have a history of firing public officials for personal reasons rather than in the interest of good government. Palin fired the 22-year veteran Police Chief of Wasilla, AK, as Mayor, because he wasn't "supportive" of her. The firing led to a wrongful termination lawsuit, several citizens considering a mayoral recall, and echoes the firing of the Public Safety Commissioner of Alaska that has caused the "Troopergate" scandal during her governorship. Full Story, from the Anchorage Daily News (S.J. Komarnitsky. WASILLA KEEPS LIBRARIAN, BUT POLICE CHIEF, February 1, 1997): City librarian Mary Ellen Emmons will stay, but Police Chief Irl Stambaugh is on his own, Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin announced Friday. The decision came one day after letters signed by Palin were dropped on Stambaugh's and Emmon's desks, telling them their jobs were over as of Feb. 13. The mayor told them she appreciated their service but felt it was time for a change. ''I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ...'' the letter said. Palin said Friday she now feels Emmons supports her but does not feel the same about Stambaugh. As to what prompted the change, Palin said she now has Emmons' assurance that she is behind her. She refused to give details about how Stambaugh has not supported her, saying only that ''You know in your heart when someone is supportive of you.'' The three met briefly at Wasilla City Hall Friday afternoon, and Palin called them twice at Stambaugh's home before making the decision. Palin said she asked Emmons if she would support efforts to merge the library and museum operations. Emmons said she would, according to Palin. Her conversation with Stambaugh was short, both said. He asked: ''What's the basis for this?'' and she gave no details. The actions have caused a stir in Wasilla, a town of about 4,600. City Councilman Nick Carney, who has been an outspoken critic of Palin, said he received several calls at his home Thursday night and Friday from outraged citizens. The sudden personnel shift is part of bigger problem of mismanagement in the city, he said, and may prompt a recall petition. ''Before, I told (people) to hold off, but now all bets are off,'' he said. ''I fail to see what good this is doing for Wasilla.'' But Councilwoman Judy Patrick said people voted change when they elected Palin and part of that is changing who is in charge. Reached at home, Stambaugh said he still doesn't understand why he's been fired. ''There never was an appropriate response,'' he said. ''How did we not support the administration?'' Now he's talking to an attorney. While both Stambaugh and Emmons serve at the mayor's pleasure, Stambaugh said he has a contract that prohibits the city from firing him without cause. Both Stambaugh and Emmons publicly supported Palin's opponent, long-time mayor John Stein during the campaign last fall. When she was elected, Palin questioned their loyalty and initially asked for their resignations. But Stambaugh said he thought any questions had been resolved. Stambaugh has headed the Wasilla Police Department since it was created in 1993. Before that, he worked 22 years with Anchorage Police Department, rising to the rank of captain before retiring. Emmons, who has been the city's library director for seven years, would not comment about the affair.
McCain's first major decision for his prospective administration was to choose Sarah Palin as a running mate. Palin's qualifications for the role of the Vice-President and potential leader of the free world are startling inadequate.[1]
And it's no small matter, either. The life expectancy of the average American male is 75.15 years. McCain just turned 73. You do the math.
As Senator Obama said about McCain in his acceptance speech, regarding the economy, "He just doesn't get it." In general, it could be said about most things important, “He just doesn’t get it. ___________________________________
Sarah Palin is already an "accomplished woman", a self-made phenomenon which should touch other self-made phenoms who happen to be women. I don't see how one can say "the Real self-made women" will somehow get turned off by her or feel insulted. She made her bones as an individual, not as some anointed spouse of a politically-successful man. I noticed she also works for All Alaskans equally, women, men, and children. Palin doesn't fit the long-held Democrat stereotype of conservative women being stay-at-home moms who let the men do the talkin, or leading, or hard work of 'the real world'. An energetic optimistic hard-work-lovin female is simply not unusual in conservative circles. What's unusual is McCain's nod to this up and coming public servant who rejects PC boilerplate. Obama wanted a new kind of politics. Now that he's lost his bearings on that, it's up to McCain/Palin to fulfill Batrack's fondest wish, although not in the way he envisioned. Republicans Need new blood. That's what Palin brings to the ticket. She brings the voters' discontent with her as well, discontent with corruption, politicians buying votes with an ever-expanding array of failed programs burning up hard-earned tax dollars, politicians who play games over our need for oil. Taxpayers are tapped. Moving the burden up the line to "those selfish rich guys" doesn't play well to average Americans, who generally have that American sense of fairness, that all should pull their weight-as able. As Bill Clinton said, 'it could be argued that No One is really ever "ready" to be president'.
Dear Senator McCain, you were not just a hero in Vietnam, but in 2008 too. No one will ever be able to prove this, but by purposely throwing the election, you have done America a great service. Thank you; you are enabling the much-needed reformation of the Republican party to begin sooner rather than later.
are we going to sit back and see a mentally ill old man take us to the brink of destriction, the country needs to say "foul". Time out...can't do
I get a kick out of the *she's got EXECUTIVE experience* argument. Alaska has a total population of 650,000, about the size of Charlotte, NC. The state government employs 15,000 people. Their budget revenues are 85-90% from oil revenue taxation, a guaranteed income stream no other place in the nation enjoys. Palin herself talks about how Alaska is always asking the feds to pay their bills as they get the highest return on every dollar contributed to the feds. She's been in office for about a year and won by getting 115,000 votes. 2 years ago a company was started from scratch. In that time the CEO has built a nonentity into national company with offices in all 50 states formally employing in their Chicago offices alone 2,500 highly trained people. They have built their multi million dollar revenue stream through innovation and solid sales methods and are not subsidizes in any fashion by other businesses or the feds. The company has succeeded in their very short tenure to swamp all rivals outperforming them in revenue and have successfully achieved at least 18 million individual sales. Anyone that doesn't give credence to the difficulty of building an efficient operation as Obama's campaign should ask the vaunted Clinton machine what they think of it's performance. If anyone doesn't think that votes equate to sales or donations equate revenues, they know nothing of business. So which one again has REAL executive experience? Don't denegrate Palin by trying to pump up her resume. Let her run for who and what she is and see where the chips fall.
Just saw a woman on the street interview in the LA times where a Palin supporter referred to Palin's balancing the Alaska budget as a sign of her economic bona fides.
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First off Ambinder you are a sorry excuse for a McCain asshat if Ive ever seen one.
The pick is an insult to accomplished women and evidence McCain is only interested in politics, not governance.
Posted by Mike | August 29, 2008 3:27 PM