Two Can Play At That Game
John McCain has picked Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
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Do you really want to go there Obama? Really?
“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.
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Two more things:
McCain, the political pansy that he is, decided to not go on Larry King Live tonight because CNN’s Campbell Brown asked McCain’s campaign spokesman, Tucker Bounds, if he could provide one example of Palin’s “executive experience” in regards to armed forces. Unable to provide ONE example, Tucker dodged the question and went on a rambling talking point. Brown asked him over and over again to name ONE example. McCain, after Tucker’s inability to dodge the truth like the late Tony Snow so masterfully did for Bush, called CNN to tell them his feelings were hurt, so now there’s no interview with Larry. Are you kidding me?! I think McCain just knows he can’t clean up all the shit Palin brought to his campaign right now, so he’s using Tucker Bound’s interview as an excuse.
Secondly, Palin hired lobbyist Steven Silver (a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Stevens (R), who is being indicted) while she was the Mayor of Wasilla. Silver was hired to help win federal earmarks for the city. OH wait a second… I thought Palin was against earmarks. I thought she was against Ted’s Bridge to Nowhere. Well, she was for it before she was against it (Kerry-esque?). And so much for being a reformer: Steven Silver worked under the now imprisoned Jack Abramoff.
To the democrats, Palin is the gift that keeps on giving!
Today’s Gallup Poll:
MCain: 42%
Obama: 50%
Palin isnt proving to help McCain’s image quite yet… Then again, her daily scandals may only prove to further tarnish the maverick’s chances.
Yes, her kids are unfortunately named. I mean, when Bill Clinton’s cat, “Socks”, comes off as having a more dignified moniker than Palin’s kids, you know something’s wrong.
Good point, Timothy.
Also, this is VERY unsettling when evaluating McCain’s “judgment”: no Alaskan officials were called or interviewed during the vetting process of Sarah Palin. This is what Gail Phillips (R), the former speaker of the alaskan state house, had to say:
“I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called,
I’m more concerned that she named her kid Bristol than that the kid was inseminated. Also – this is what happens when you spend your whole life trying to repress your children: they screw anyway but they forget that whole “birth control” thing.
Palin is a woman….
Palin reminds me of a wiser SunOwen
LOL. : )
Sexist.
“All of these baseless smears against Palin are clearly coded sexism. The only reason that McCain/Palin lose in November is sexism.”
LOL…you’re right about stirring up the base though.
In any case, I just read that McCain apparently said Palin was his soulmate. Does Cindy know (if that is indeed what he said)?
I also like that Palin’s thoughts on Iraq (even lately) are not in line with McCain’s.
The Bristol pregnancy is a non-issue to me, but it is interesting how little McCain’s camp seems to have vetted Palin.
And already McCain has been accused of checking out her ass.
The state of Alaska get 85% – 90% of its budget from the oil and gas industry. Alaskans pay no income tax – instead, each year they get a kicker check from the state government (in 2000, it was $1654 per individual!!). Being governor of that state is not a comparable experience to POTUS, as the US government is operating with a budget deficit of about $1300 per person for fiscal 2009. It’s like going from running a soup kitchen out of a millionaire’s garage to CEO of FORD, complete with record quarterly losses and an inventory full of F-150s.
Obama, on the other hand, at least knows what the president does (Palin doesn’t):
On the other hand, Republicans are going nuts over Palin. And as the rise of Obama shows, complete inexperience is trumped by the ability to get people excited, because when people get excited, they show up to vote.
If anything, Palin has stirred up the base in a way that McCain has simply seemed unable to do.
Long time listener, first time caller.
I, an Obama supporter, am trilled that McCain chose Palin. It shows his desperation and He just sent up a hail mary to try to salvage a pitiful campaign.
People vote for presidents, not vice presidents. So, the choice of Palin shows more about McCain’s judgment, or lack thereof. While she’s “not running for president,” her main job is to fill the role if a person who will be nearing the US’s average life expectancy by the end of his term, if he dies.
First, she has zero foreign policy experience. (She just got her passport last year http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/29palin.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin).
Second, the idea that she has any real “executive” experience is ridiculous. She was mayor of a town that had 6,000 people in it when she was mayor. She was governor of the second least populous state in the union for 1.5 years. Alaska has a serious issues, but nothing close to the type or volume of issues dealt with on federal level.
So, I thank John McCain because he completely undercut his best argument against Obama, inexperience, by making a rash, miscalculated decision that will affect him and those around him. Sounds like more of the same to me.
All of these baseless smears against Palin are clearly coded sexism. The only reason that McCain/Palin lose in November is sexism.
The trooper-gate scandal will be an interesting development. It is funny that, within hours of picking Palin, her main asset of being an ethicist fell into jeopardy. Perhaps McCain should have talked with her more than one time before offering her the vp spot.
I am, however, saddened that rumors are flying that her youngest child is actually her grandson- the child of her daughter.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-69834
It’s not who has more experience or not anymore…it’s that BOTH are inexperienced, but in very different ways. National-level experience, presumably, has its merits when running for President, but then GW Bush won and he had none. Being the mayor of a small Alaskan town (and probably the hottest piece of ass for 300 miles in any direction) helps, but it’s small-town politics and not the same sort of thing that Palin will face in D.C. should McCain and her win. Her label as an ethical reformist in a tainted political scene in Alaska is also in jeopardy with the latest “trooper-gate” scandal where apparently someone within her administration but without her knowledge: leaned on the head of DPS there to fire her brother-in-law who was in a bitter marriage dispute/divorce with her sister. Even if she is squeaky clean on that, it will be problematic.
The other angle, her being a woman, seems to be something that McCain and his supporters are going for with the selection. However, I’m not so sure that merely having a vagina will mean that women voters across America (who are not already voting for McCain) will suddenly shift their allegiance to Palin and vote for the McCain ticket.
Who cares if she’s a lifetime NRA member? Maybe some morons out there who think that means something, but people who vote for a candidate out of an irrational fear that the 2nd amendment will be taken from them (along with whatever arsenal they have) are just ignorant douchebags with no real brain. These types are already voting for McCain I imagine….point being, Palin doesn’t push them over the edge. They’re already there.
The real question is this: WHO does Palin bring to the table? I mean, beyond all those who are already there? Women? NRA members? Alaskans? Most of those falling into these categories have already been behind McCain.
Perhaps someone could elaborate some more on who they think Palin wins over?
I forgot to mention: when she took office she fired the state funded cook and driver saying she can cook herself and drive her own car. Afterwards, she reduced her own salary and then finally used her veto power to drastically cut state spending.
She’s also a lifetime member of the NRA.
I think this will bring a bunch of the more libertarian minded folks back to the GOP away from old Ron and Bob.
Palin is great.
I’m not sure why the talking heads say she has no foreign experience. She negotiates with the Russians and the Canadians periodically.
Jackson don’t listen to the haters I got your back, and appreciate the compliment. And for the record, the video you made was by far the greatest piece of filmmaking since ET
I think that this was the single best decision McCain has made in this campaign.
Palin’s ethics reform and lobbying stance might remind people of the man John McCain once was. Bring back the Maverick/Independent meme that he needs to have a shot at contesting this thing. Calling in your party leadership for corruption isn’t easy (esp in Alaska)… and it’s exactly the right message to send to disaffected Republicans (is there any other kind anymore?) and independents.
Politically, she’s brand new. Like an unaborted fetus. She’s “pro-life” and evangelical, but doesn’t hate teh gayzors. Some executive experience, but no Washington sleaze. Friendly and approachable to balance McCain’s grumpy and crusty. If McCain had picked wrong here (Romney, Crist, just about any established pol) his campaign would be dead on its feet already. Thanks to this pick he’s still in it.
And Jackson, get your cock out of your hand, and instead of blowing your load all over your computer screen with Sam’s photo on it, post that video again. Or at least email it to me. Still haven’t had the pleasure of watching it yet.
What an amazing pick by McCain!! Gov. Palin brings in a distinguished record of executive experience, running a successful and popular Government in Alaska. An ideal ticket is one where 1 person brings in the Washington experience/foreign policy/national security experience and the other brings in executive/administrative experience. This can be seen from all winning tickets in the past few decades. The republican ticket is the perfect ticket now. She has a record of clean governance, bipartisanship and reducing wasteful spending and is an ideal choice for McCain’s VP.
For all those who wish to raise the ‘experience’ question – do you honestly believe that Gov. Palin is too inexperienced to be President (a post for which, btw, she is NOT running for) despite being the Governor of Alaska for nearly 2 years and a mayor for many years before that, while Sen Obama is experienced enough to be President (a post he is running for)? If you honestly believe Palin is inexperienced, there is now way you could support Obama. Palin brings in executive experience, McCain and Biden bring Washington, foreign policy experience – what exactly does Obama bring in? Neither of the 2.
Also, it is incorrect to see the choice of Gov Palin as a gimmick to pander to the women voters. While that is a bonus, the most important point is that she would be an excellent person for the role of VP in McCain’s administration, with the executive experience, to help him run the country effectively. None of us know too much about her, but whatever little Ive heard so far is immensely impressive. I request all voters to give her a fair chance, do some research and find out about her, and you will see that her candidacy is no gimmick.
The only failed policies the ASUO has ever seen are from Lleras and Guerra who voted against the departmentalization of ethnic studies. So don’t you dare slander my production and the hard work of leaders like Hamilton who brought corruption to the forefront and paved the way for our new and innovative President, Sam Dotters-Katz
Is this the same Jackson that produced the sac-religious film featuring former ASUO insiders (Lleras, Mclain, and Gulley)? Put your failed policies back in your U-Haul!
6 years of executive experience as a mayor and partly as an alaskan governor is comparable to 6 years of ASUO executive experience. “Executive experience” is not a universal phrase that equally applies to one office in anchorage and another in washington.
Sakaki, get your cock out of your hand, and instead of blowing your load all over your computer screen with Sarah’s photo on it, make an argument that makes sense.
Obama: 0 years of executive experience. All of it Legislalative
Palin: 5-6 years of executive experience.
The experience canard that Chris and Obama have put forth has now been shot in the head. It has been taken off the table.
From that same website, a commenter says this:
“A mother who refused to abort her fifth child even knowing he had Downs Syndrome will absolutely energize the entire conservative base in the South.”
It’s such a disgusting premise and insinuation….ugh. Tasteless to say the least.
I do like this guy though:
“There’s no denying the entertainment value of American politics. A commenter at LGM remarks: “McCain’s going to look 200 years old standing next to her.” How on earth is he going to keep a straight face pushing the “celebrity” meme with a former Miss Alaska for a running-mate?”
I don’t buy it.
The same people would argue that Obama can’t be angry or assertive because then he looks like the ‘angry black man’ and weak-minded white people everywhere recoil with fear and horror.
Americans like the status quo in many ways and Biden is part and parcel of that. He is to Obama what McCain is to Palin. Although, I would argue that Biden gets caught in less mind-gap-traps than McCain has (even in the last six months alone McCain has had one gaffe after another). Perhaps, though, people will feel bad for an aging McCain who can’t think straight a lot of the time and allegedly gets angry quickly. It would be the typical Bush pick because he’s “one of us”.
I think Biden will overcome the sort of stuff that Armed Liberal mentions and I think that Obama has already overcome the issue of race in relation to how he presents himself.
Chris:
Armed Liberal at Winds of Change has a few reasons why he thinks Palin’s a good choice.
Doing it is one thing…advocating it is another. Co-Shame is a powerful drug.
I don
would back up a guy who is 72 and who has had 4 bouts with cancer.
You’d think cancer would find a way to win one of the rematches, it’s usually a much tougher opponent than that.
Turtle: Ron Paul was a personality cult, and Bob Barr is running for the LP – an organization that in its own special newspeak way defines failure as success. What’s there to say? “Barr lacks money, support”? “LP sets libertarian ideas back again”?
Yeah, I hear ya…..I’m still trying to find out why she’s their pick.
I did think it was weird when she was introduced this morning that the CNBC crew mentioned her being pro-life (true) and that this had an impact on her having her last child who has Down’s Syndrome. The allusion being that pro-Choicers are policing their genetic products and having abortions when certain pregnancies become inconvenient. Kind of a sick thing to insinuate. I imagine that sort of thing happens (on all sides of the issue) but I don’t know many pro-Choicers who would advocate having abortions because you discover that your child has some sort of disease.
Also kind of coincidental that her son joined the Army last September 11th and now will deploy to the Middle East this September 11th. It might be true, but still very weird…just seemed like it fell in line with the Republican tendency to conflate 9/11 with everything and anything.
I would assume that there would be other people to fill the “advisory” role that Cheney & Biden have in the even that Palin had to take over in the Oval Office.
Anyways, I’m not trying to present a rousing defense of Palin — her positions on gay marriage and abortion are enough to turn me off. I’m just trying to think of some reasons that the McCain camp might feel that she’d be a good choice (which obviously they did).
“The Democrats seem intent on putting that person straight into the Oval Office, no heart attacks necessary.”
Nah, Biden takes away that argument with ease. Bush was the same and he had Cheney.
a couple of people on this blog have mentioned they aren’t voting for McCain, and I’m assuming they’re not voting for Obama. So, is anyone gonna vote for Bob Barr? It doesn’t seem like The Commentator really covered Ron Paul, and now Bob Barr, very much. I mean, aren’t these guys kinda the libertarian canidates, people involved with the commentator would want to vote for?
Also, has anyone read that Nader takes more votes away from McCain in national polling? Kinda, interesting.
Los Angeles Times Article
Do you really want someone with absolutely no foreign policy experience a heartattack away from crafting US foreign policy and being in charge of national security.
The Democrats seem intent on putting that person straight into the Oval Office, no heart attacks necessary.
Dan Quayle in a skirt.
*shudder*
Regardless of that simple math though, this selection by McCain drowns the
I already told you.
Palin: 20 months of service, none of it national-level
Obama: More and national-level
That’s as simple as I can make it.
Regardless of that simple math though, this selection by McCain drowns the ‘experience’ argument in Grover Norquist’s bathtub.
Dan Quayle in a skirt. Nice move, Grampa! Stick a fork in ’em, they’re done.
Obama can go to the no experience line too because he trumps Palin
Tinytim:
True, I stand corrected.
Obama can go to the no experience line too because he trumps Palin’s…easily.
McCain managed to pick someone LESS EXPERIENCED than Obama. It’s hilarious really.
Not sure how your first point helps….she has no national experience and would back up a guy who is 72 and who has had 4 bouts with cancer. He dies and we have the first woman president who has no experience and is a product of a pretty unhealthy political scene in Alaska.
Her being a woman…not sure if it drags away Hillary voters. I imagine most Hillary supporters aren’t in favor of a platform that is rabidly pro-Life. As for the history-making, I’d be surprised if anyone made a tit for tat on that one. If anything, Obama likely has an edge (positive or negative depending) given his race. Basically, I think that Americans in general are probably more comfortable with the idea of a man being in the chair….not that I think this is right. It’s just a hunch given the high degree of patriarchy in this society…and especially among Republican circles.
Not being a Washington insider…not sure that helps here. She’s the least qualified runningmate in the history of the office (20 months of service and no national clue)…and she supports Obama’s energy plan (hehe). I imagine she’ll have a sudden change of heart on that last bit.
All in all, I think McCain’s choice is…as Bush or Palin would say….a ‘nucular’ cloud over McCain’s candidacy. Do you really want someone with absolutely no foreign policy experience a heartattack away from crafting US foreign policy and being in charge of national security.
And I’m shocked that you think she’s the first female VP candidate on a major party ticket given my citing Geraldine Ferraro in my first post. : ) She was the first, not Palin, thanks to Walter Mondale in 1984.
Ferraro was the first female VP candidate on a major party ticket.
While the Fark crowd is split on whether this bodes good or ill for McCain, they are, however, in almost unanimous agreement over this:
They were also very enthusiastic about the Republican’s plans to “drill here, drill now.”
1) She’s young (younger than Obama)
2) She’s a woman (maybe drag away some of those disgruntled Hillary voters, is the first female VP candidate on a major party ticket, ensuring Obama can’t get away with claiming his is the only “history-making” campaign)
3) She’s not a Washington insider (maybe blunting a bit of Obama’s “hope and change” puke)
Not nearly enough to make me vote McCain, but I think it might be for some.
Surprising choice…not sure how she helps. Seems a lot like Geraldine Ferraro at this point.