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RedditApparently the John McCain campaign has decided the whole "experience" thing isn't all that big a deal.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president has chosen as his running-mate a candidate whose claim to fame until two years ago was her service as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
But Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is a woman.
And that made her particularly attractive to McCain, who seems increasingly determined to run an "outside-the-box" campaign for the presidency.
Palin, the first woman chosen to run on on a GOP slate, moved up McCain's short list of possible running mates as the Arizona senator and his aides reviewed polls suggesting that a significant number of supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton-- who lost a long and sometimes bitter nomination fight to Barack Obama--might just back the right Republican ticket.
The McCain campaign telegraphed its determination to go after Clinton backers with television advertisements, press conferences featuring a dissident Clinton delegate and a steady stream of spin during the just-finished Democratic National Convention.
There was speculation that McCain would chose a senior senator, such as Texan Kay Bailey Hutchison. But Hutchison had some ethics troubles and a tendency toward moderation on some choice issues.
Palin, like McCain, is a determined opponent of abortion rights and a hero to so-called "right-to-life" activists.
But, like McCain, she's been something of a maverick -- not so much on issues as on style.
Palin beat the incumbent mayor of her hometown of Wasilla with an anti-tax campaign and then, from that position, beat the incumbent Republican governor in a 2006 primary.
And if McCain inspires jokes about his age, everything about Palin says "vigorous."
The governor is not just a woman but, at 44, she is young enough to be McCain's daughter.
She's a smart, edgy pol who is exceptionally popular in Alaska and has a story that the national media will enjoy telling almost as much as it does McCain's
Palin's married to a native Alaskan, she's got a kid in the Army, she likes to hunt and fish, eats moose burgers, and has taken on establishment Republicans to elbow her way onto the political stage.
As such, Palin's a smart if risky choice for McCain.
The vice presidential debate with Joe Biden will be tough, especially when it turns to foreign-policy matters.
And, while Palin has played well on the small stage of Alaskan politics, she is a distinct newcomer to the national scene.
Conservative writers have tried to build the governor up as a reformer. The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes once described Palin as a "politician of eye-popping integrity" with "a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle -- especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success." But she's currently the subject of an investigation of whether she used her position to try force the firing of an Alaska state trooper, who was been involved in a divorce and child custody battle with the governor's sister.
And then there is the fact of passion--to borrow a phrase from T. Boone Pickens -- "for drilling our way out" of the energy crunch. Indeed, while it will be suggested that the governor's selection represents a big break from the current vice president, when it comes to what is politely referred to as "resource development"--Palin looks a lot like Dick Cheney.
"If she's the pick, Palin's a smart if risky choice for McCain."
VERY risky for two reasons-
1. It will look like an obvious and BLATENT attempt to "woo Hillary voters", not pick the "best person to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency" (for a Prez candidate turning 72 today!).
2. Palin KILLS the "experience" argument against Obama. How does McCain attack Obama for "not having enough experience to be President"....when Obama will have MORE experience than the woman McCain wants to put "a heartbeat away"?!??!?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 09:00am
Moose Burgers are pretty tasty when dipped in harp seal sauce. Don't knock it till you've tried it, old boy
Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 08/29/2008 @ 09:13am
John Nichols -- 10 September, 2007 -- The Nation
'If Petraeus tells the Congress today that President Bush's "surge" of troops into Iraq is succeeding in reducing violence -- as part of an argument for maintaining a massive U.S. military force on the ground in Iraq -- then the general will indeed be guilty of betraying the truth, and the troops, for political purposes.
If he has been listening at all to testimony from unbiased officials to Congress in recent days, if he has simply read the papers, Biden knows this to be the case. Even if he is inclined, against all evidence to the contrary, to believe whatever political statement the general makes, the senator has a sworn duty to check and balance the administration with pointed and skeptical questioning of those who speak on its behalf.
By issuing a pre-dated "blank check" to Petraeus, Biden makes it clear that he is not up to his current job. He is certainly not prepared to move up to the presidency.'
---
Christopher Hitchens -- 18 January 2008
'...Not to dampen any parade, but if one asks if there is a single thing about Mr. Obama's Senate record, or state legislature record, or current program, that could possibly justify his claim to the presidency one gets . . . what? Not much. Similarly lightweight unqualified "white" candidates have overcome this objection, to be sure, but what kind of standard is that?'
Posted by HonestLiberal at 08/29/2008 @ 09:35am
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 09:12am
She's ran a state with a population ONE-FIFTH that of ALL of Chicago.
Again, Palin would take the "experience" argument off the table. How does McCain attack Obama for "lack of experience"...
when HIS Veep choice has been in office TWO YEARS LESS than Obama?!??!? And with a constituency that would barely fill Peoria, Springfield, and Cairo?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 09:38am
Posted by HonestLiberal at 08/29/2008 @ 09:35am
HL, how do you square the quotes from "old McCain" on tax cuts, immigration, etc.....
with the quotes from "new McCain" running for President?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 09:46am
"..and she is a governor of a bigger state than you know who was.....(both Bush and Billy..)"
Someone should check the census data.
Governors govern people.
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 09:56am
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 09:56am
Sarah governed a lot of ice and tundra....I can't deny that!
LOL
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 09:58am
BTW, I'm not saying McCain won't pick Palin.
He's turned into the "Pander Bear" and obviously Palin would be a pander to the female vote or the "Hillary vote" on the Dem side.
Given the way he's been since he dropped "maverick'ness" to run for President....he just might pick her.
I wonder how SHE'll answer the question in the debate...
"Governor, Senator McCain has made much of experience....yet YOU have two years less experience in office than Senator Obama and will be a heartbeat away from the Presidency...how do you square that?"....
"Well, Jim, I governed a BIG state...not too many people...but it's BIG, we're bigger than Texas...uh...not that I'm saying anything bad about Texas...but my state was BIG....did I mention it was BIG?"
Then she can go on to talk foreign policy with Joe Biden!
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 10:02am
I get the speculation as an attempt to change the subject from McCain's poor foreign policy judgment that came out in the speech last night, but the only person we know for sure who will be in Dayton AND who is on the short list is Romney.
If Palin is the choice, like MASK said, this takes away McCain's experience argument against Obama.
How could you say that Obama is not ready when you pick a 44-year-old governor with NO foreign policy experience and hasn't even finished her first term as governor?
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 10:07am
Palin debating national/foreign policy with Biden?
Good luck with that...
Or did McPOWhowmanyMANSIONS for a moment believe apart from her being another younger attractive woman to use, that 'Alaska' is kinda 'exotic' and perhaps 'big' enough to counter Obama?
Posted by hsuBfools at 08/29/2008 @ 10:10am
Tomorrow McPOWhowmanyMANSIONS will pick someone else...
Posted by hsuBfools at 08/29/2008 @ 10:11am
Oooops
Posted by hsuBfools at 08/29/2008 @ 10:11am
A Lie berman debate with Biden would be interesting and fitting though.
Posted by hsuBfools at 08/29/2008 @ 10:31am
Politico, Chicago Tribune, AP and FOX report that Palin got the nod.
Gee, do you think having an African American on the ballot had any influence on McCain picking a women?
Nah, I am sure she was the most qualified candidate. Good thing repubs don't like quotas or pandering.
So, what's the poop on the first term governator? Other than she is "easy on the eyes"?
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 10:41am
Word out, it IS Palin.
Which means McCain just admitted that not having that much EXPERIENCE is "okay" to be President or a heartbeat away from being President.
TWO years governing a state with a population less than Jacksonville, Florida...is "enough". So FOUR years serving as US Senator from one of the most populous states in the Union should be too, right???
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 10:43am
Palin confirmed!
A dumb pick for McCain as it kills his ONLY argument against Obama concerning experience.
Even Republican women won't think Palin is ready to step in if 72-year-old McCain is not able to finish.
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 10:45am
CNBC interview:
Kudlow: All right, drill, drill, drill! Nobody does it better than Alaska, if only Congress would let it. So here to tell us all about it, Alaska Republican Governor Sarah Palin.
Governor Palin, thank you ever so much for coming on. We appreciate it. I want to start with this, it's an oddball question. I mean, Senator McCain says it's too pristine to drill. Senator Obama says the drilling won't work. What is your response to this? How do you fight back?
Palin: Well it will work. And Senator McCain is wrong on that issue.
Kudlow: Alright, so now you've got another case where both candidates seem to be off course. Senator Obama wants a windfall profits tax on oil companies. And Senator McCain talks about obscene profits, which I regard as the near cousin to the windfall profits tax. What's your response to these criticisms?
Palin: Well we just went through a process of making sure that the oil and gas resources that Alaskans own are properly taxed. And we just increased a tax on profits of oil companies up here, because an earlier version of Alaska's tax formula had been corrupted by some politicians who are now in prison for the corruption. But we had to revisit the way that we were going to tax profits on oil companies. We just got through that, and it wasn't an obscene amount of tax placed upon them. In fact, it's driven more by a desire to explore and to develop with independent companies coming into Alaska. So you know, on a national level, they're going to have to deal with that, but we just dealt with it on Alaska's level. And we have a healthy valuation of our oil and gas reserves, and we're deriving healthy revenue for our state off that.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 10:47am
Wow, this has to be a huge mistake. It really looks like a 'let's get the Hillary votes' move that, if I was a woman, I'd be insulted over.
what exactly is HER qualifications anyways? Nothing I see in the list says to be VP or even President.
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 10:50am
Palin appears to be VINDICTIVE and prone to ABUSE OF POWER.
After Cheney and Bush, I don't think America wants more of the same!
Investigation to begin into whether Governor Sarah Palin abused her power in firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan By Corey Allen-Young, CBS 11 News Reporter Article Last Updated: 07/28/2008 06:49:51 PM AKDT
Lawmakers will hire someone within a week to investigate whether Governor Sarah Palin abused her power in firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The legislative council approved 100,000 dollars for the investigation that will find out whether Palin was angry at Monegan for not firing an Alaska State Trooper who went through a messy divorce with Palin's sister.
On Monday afternoon, the Joint Legislative Council, filled with Republicans and Democrats, voted 12 to 0 to formally call for an investigation against Governor Palin in a manner--that they are stressing--will be unbiased and done in a timely fashion.
Legislators approved hiring a special investigator to look into the controversial firing of former Public Courtesy, KTOO-TV Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan was fired two weeks ago without explanation and has said he was pressured by the governor and her staff to fire a trooper who was once married to Palin's sister.
Accusations have risen that Monegan was fired for his refusal to fire trooper Michael Wooten. The council's intent is to investigate the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of Monegan and potential abuses of power and improper action by the Governor and her administration.
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 10:53am
She was a pot smoker!!
Druggies in the WH!
OMG!
Husband works for British Petroleum. That should make the Energy policy even easier than Cheneys.
she exposed republican corruption. Thats good stuff.
former beauty queen. Well, that should make a good comparison to Paris Hilton.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 10:54am
This year's Dan Quayle.
Posted by Be Good at 08/29/2008 @ 10:55am
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 10:53am
wow! Hard to believe that Grandpas "people" overlooked that.
---
alaska is 22 years younger than McCain! hehe.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 10:59am
PRESIDENTIAL PRECEDENT
NEWSWIRE--With John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, voters will elect either the first black president or the oldest elected president and the first female vice president.
Is it race, sex or age? That's a mystery. But superlatives can be unpleasant: Although someone's assured to make history, They can still make a mess of the present.
www.newsandverse.com Light verse, ripped from the headlines
Posted by newsandverse at 08/29/2008 @ 11:01am
Blatent, DESPERATE pandering and just admitted experience doesn't matter.
Yep, that's the "judgement and leadership" of John McCain!
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:06am
Experience:
governor for 2 years, of a large state with small population. Much of their revenue comes from oil/gas taxes which is shared with the population in a socialized distribution scheme.
2 terms as a city councilwoman. the city of Wasilla :As of the census of 2000, there were 5,470 people, 1,980 households, and 1,360 families residing in the city. The town has a total area of about 12.4 square miles.
yep, her gender had nothing to do with this choice. nope. Best person for the job as President in Waiting. Yep.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 11:10am
Damn, WIKI is ON IT!!
"Sarah Palin, a former mayor of Wasilla, won the 2006 Republican primary race for governor of Alaska, defeating incumbent Frank Murkowski. She won the governorship, defeating the Democratic candidate Tony Knowles, and independent candidate Andrew Halcro. She became the first female governor and youngest governor in the history of the state. She was nominated to be the Republican candidate for Vice President in 2008."
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 11:13am
Posted by Zero at 08/29/2008 @ 11:10am
no kidding! I could almost feel Brooks frustration through the telly last night as he gave his "analysis" of Obamas very good speech. He was nitpicking and flip flopping all over the place. Usually he complains that O talks a lot and says nothing, he is too eloquent, he just works crowds. Last night he complained that O was too toned down, didn't work the crowd enough, gave too many examples.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 11:17am
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 11:17am |
You have some drool on your chin, here, let me wipe that for you.
I thought you were about "experience"? I being a city council member of a city of 5,000 is good experience for dealing with Putin.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 11:20am
Pandering to frankgrits
And it worked.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 11:22am
Beauty and the Beast??
Sarah once seemed a bright and reasonable Republican. But so did Dick Cheney.
I'm sorry she's agreed to play the Snow White role to the Dwarf, Grumpy. Her oil and gas connections which is the sole reason she was chosen, and actually make her a female version of Dick Cheney.
GREAT!! We're about to have 4 MORE YEARS OF GEORGE BUSH AND DICK CHENEY.
Posted by hazmaq at 08/29/2008 @ 11:22am
This will,probably, get McCain Alaska's three electoral votes,but will end the GOPs ability to push the experience thing.Because of McCain's age his VP choice is a bit more relevant and he needed one with lots of experience in order to keep driving the experience thing home.This won't get him one Hillary supporter,either so I'm not sure why she was picked when there are experienced women he could have picked.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:23am
The GOP could have nominated road kill and FrankGrits would vote for the road kill if that gave Hillary a shot at 2012 making his his posts are pointless and silly.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:26am
Hillary could go onstage and pass some gas and FrankGrits would be telling us how that constituted a wonderful speech.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:32am
FrankGrits-There hasn't been enough time,yet,for women to get excited by this choice which makes your claim that women are excited by it rather lame and silly.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:37am
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 09:16am
"......and she is a governor of a bigger state than you know who was.....(both Bush and Billy..)"
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:15am
"I wasn't refering to geography...jeez"
Then what were you referring to, Johnny?
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 11:38am
FrankGrits-You try too hard to pretend to be a McCain supporter and it's quite obvious that you are trying to be one.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:39am
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:37am
In addition, Governor Palin is stridently anti-abortion.
Her appeal to female voters will not be a done deal.
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 11:42am
I'll say one thing.....
Look who's getting the press after last night's speech.
Posted by bleedingheart at 08/29/2008 @ 11:42am
drhammer-It's interesting that FrankGrits believes that an anti abortion female will attract Hillary supporters.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:43am
I think the idea that a woman would just vote for any woman is insulting. They are going to look at her stance on things..like abortion, eductaion, health care, guns, etc. Sure, might be good for GOP but you really believe that female democrates are just going to vote for her cause she has breasts?
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 11:43am
"She's a staunch pro life advocate and proved it by giving birth to a child with downs syndrome, something she knew and could have chose an abortion."
And this is going to bring in the Hilary supporters how? Being pro-forced childbirth isn't going to appeal to them. This blatant pandering will backfire.
Re McCain's experience; I don't think experience of backing Bush to the hilt the last eight years is going to work for him.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 11:50am
The MSM is already abuzz."
The MSM will buzz for vapid heiresses and two-headed babies.
"What an exciting pick. "
It long ago became obvious that once Frank hitches his wagon to a candidate, nothing less than hyperbole will suffice.
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 11:51am
Okay, is there ANYBODY here who didn't know that FRANK would...
(A) disparage Obama's speech?
(B) Gush over ANYBODY McCain picked as Veep?
Anybody?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:51am
Mask, she's been Governor for two year. You knwo----Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:50am
Yes, but McCain says being a US Senator for "only four years" isn't enough experience when it comes to Obama...
and he just put a woman who "governs" a population less than Jacksonville Florida and has done it for HALF the time Obama has been in office.
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:53am
"It's a brilliant pick and will dominate the MSM coverage from here to election day." Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 11:32am
Most MSM coverage I've seen thus far seems puzzled by McCain's "desperation move". I think it will be a "quick burning" news story, generating a lot of attention at first, but fading fast. Between this and the Republican Convention, McCain will have played the last of his cards. Then we move on to the debates as McCain and Palin try to hold their own against the dream team of Obama-Biden. This is not a good year to be a Republican, Frank!
Posted by Be Good at 08/29/2008 @ 11:54am
FrankGrits-You might want to tone down your fake enthusiasm because real republicans don't seem to be particularly thrilled.In fact,on news shows many are saying that it was an ignorant choice.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:54am
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:53am
Darin, Palin was elected in 2006...
Obama was elected in 2004.
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:54am
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 11:43am Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 11:50am
My point exactly.
The bad news is that McCain's VP pick is nothing more than pander.
The good news is that he can't even do that right.
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 11:56am
"VERY risky
1. It will look like an obvious and BLATENT attempt to "woo Hillary voters"."
Sort of like running on a "Get out of IRAQ NOW" platform in the primaries only to move right in the general?
Anybody out there who doesn't believe politics is POLITICAL is living in the vapors.
A politician who sticks to his beliefs....
RALPH NADER
And you see where he's at in polls!
Posted by bleedingheart at 08/29/2008 @ 11:56am
Darin-Her state has only three electoral votes because most of Alaska's population aren't human and aren't allowed to vote.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 11:57am
A two year governor of a state with a population of 670,053 in 2006.
in 2006, Chicago's population is 2,828,586.
In other words..governor of a small population state vs A State legislator and State Senator for the 5th largest state via population.
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 11:58am
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:57am
Stretch much, Darin?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:58am
Mask, she's been Governor for two year. You knwo
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:50am | ignore this person | warn this person
As Mask pointed out, her executive experience constitutes running a state with a population of 677,000. If that is a qualification, then McCain could just as easily picked the mayor of Forth Worth.
Frank's point about her being the VP pick is immaterial. What this shows is that McCain clearly doesn't consider experience a prerequisite for someone who is supposed to be able to step into Presidential shoes.
By the way Frank, who are you trying to impress by showing us that you can actually copy and past from Wikipedia?
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 11:59am
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 11:58am
That's the same population as the CITY of Charlotte, NC...LESS than the CITY of Jacksonville, Florida...
so...could McCain have picked a MAYOR of Charlotte (for only two years) and it still not kill the experience argument???
FRANK?....Darin????...bleeding?????
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:00pm
It could very well be Palin vs. Clinton in2012. Wouldn't that be a hoot.----Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 11:59am
Who would you vote for FRANK...and why?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:01pm
McSame picks the former mayor of Moose-rump AK as his VP. The former beauty pageant runner-up could be a feeble heartbeat from POTUS.
Did the calender flip back to April 1st last night?
...and she might think like Cheney (gun-totin oil driller and all) but she's got a much nicer derriθres!
NOTE TO THE NATION: IF YOU WANT TO SEE A NICE BLOG ENGINE GO TO NEWSVINE.COM IT SUPPORTS STUFF LIKE BOLD AND ITALIC AND SUCH, WITH LIVE PREVIEW
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:01pm
Even Republican women won't think Palin is ready to step in if 72-year-old McCain is not able to finish.
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 10:45am
That's disgusting!!!!lol
Posted by Wolfgang1 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:02pm
This will appeal to mothers everywhere. It's a winning principle.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:01pm | ignore this person | warn this person
Rubbish. The feminists who are Hilary backers aren't going to be enthusiastic about an anti-choice religious-rightist.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:03pm
FrankGrits-The only person that takes you seriously is lvliberty.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:03pm
McCain very well may have won the election with this pick. A pro-life woman will end the all of the resistence of those Evangelicals who were ambivalent about McCain, no matter how justified they were in being so. Obama has made a very important mistake slithering away the way he did from his earlier positions on FISA, drilling, NAFTA, and campaign finance reform. He looks smaller and smaller by the minute because of that. And with Afghanistan/ Russia hawk, Joe Biden, next to him, he has no contrast to provide to McCain on foreign policy. The calculated move to the center, as duplicitous as it was when it happened, has taken the blush off this rose. I think he's toast and he deserves to be toast. Progressive voters deserved a lot better than Obama/Biden. Nader, for example.
Posted by john lowell at 08/29/2008 @ 12:03pm
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 11:59am
bruno, McCain could have picked Rush Limbaugh as Veep and FG would eat everything he's ever said about El Rushbo and proclaim
"It's a good pick, solidifies his base, Rush DOES have management experience, he worked in the Kansas City Royals home office for many years and is a successful businessman. And 20 million people LOVE him. This will carry McCain across the finish line in November!"
Any doubters?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:04pm
JohnLowell-I think that we're seeing a bit more of the real you.A partisan republican.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:05pm
Son-Of-A-Gun!!
She is beautiful!!
I feel like a Black person who supports Obama because he's Black....
I may vote just that damn shallow this time.
And all that money I sent to Nader....
damnit!
Posted by bleedingheart at 08/29/2008 @ 12:06pm
It's obvious that people on here don't know much about politics in a state as unpopulated as Alaska is.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:06pm
The mayor of a city does not deal with the issues a state governor does.----- Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:03pm
No, Darin, you're right. Sarah was right there on the front lines, guarding the Polar Circle from the Russians...not just baby-sitting a state with no significant domestic issues and a population less than nearly all others.
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:07pm
I wonder where McCain could find an expert on ANWR?
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:06pm
Uh, Darin....I guess you haven't seen the interview with Palin on "Kudlow & Co." from last year, have you?
Where she says "Senator McCain is wrong" about ANWR?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:09pm
Yep, that's the "judgement and leadership" of John McCain!
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 11:06am
And don't forget to throw the word honor in there. So, what McCain is basically saying is that Sarah Palin is the equivalent of Dick Cheney. lol
Posted by Wolfgang1 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:09pm
Speaking of LVLIBERTY...
don't you know he's thanking God right now it's not Mitt Romney!
LOL
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:10pm
#
You wanted a washington outsider, you got it.
You wanted youth, you got it.
You wanted change, you got it.
You wanted integrity, you got it.
You wanted a womem? You got it.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:04pm | ignore this person | warn this person
Actually what we wanted was someone who wasn't going to continue with the Bush string of policy failures. Palin's pick doesn't change the fact that McCain has been in lockstep with Bush.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:10pm
Oh my God! What is the one issue that the GOP has bitch slapped the Dems over recently?
Off-shore drilling. The Dems got fuckin' pasted when Pelosi had to back pedal on drilling.
I wonder where McCain could find an expert on ANWR?
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:06pm
This is true.
It is this issue that poses the threat.
If the GOP frames it to their advantage, uh oh.
Posted by Benchrest at 08/29/2008 @ 12:11pm
The North Pole is Canada's problem, not Sarah's.----Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:09pm
Tell THIS guy...
Plus, that state shares a border with a hostile nuclear power. How's that for foriegn experience?----Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:57am
LOL.....hey, wait a minute. Just been re-reading some of this stuff?
Darin....are you being ...sarcastic??!?!??
or are you really that desperate to salvage this thing as FRANK is?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:12pm
FrankGrits-Biden is quite popular in New England and is from Penn.See the difference?
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:13pm
If you want to converse with me, you'll have to play nice. I've just released you from the ignore pen. Dillweed and Zero are doing time there because they make no sense what-so-ever and have nothing substantial to add to the conversation.
You see the size of Frank's ego. Somehow his not listening to people is the same as locking them up. Zero and Mask are adding to the conversation whether he ignores them or not.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:15pm
....for the VP slot!
Posted by 2HAPPY at 08/29/2008 @ 12:13pm | ignore this person | warn this person
The raison d'etre for the VP is to be able to step in. That's why the constitutional requirements for the office are the same as those for the top slot.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:15pm
I think McCain now realized he was wrong and is ready to support drilling.----Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:11pm
Nope....he flips on ANWR, he loses one side of the "both sides" he's been trying to play. See, he uses the OFF-SHORE DRILLING thing to placate you guys on the Right....while keeping ANWR verboten to try to seem like he's SOMETHING of an environmentalist.
You DO know that McCain is a panderer, right?
If not...take a look at his "Hail Mary" (or "Hail Sarah") pass that he just made to try to get some air-time, excitement, and ineffectively woo "Hillary voters"!
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:16pm
FrankGrits-I don't care if you converse with me nor will I play nice.Get your unearned ego under control and grow up.The reason you pretend to put people on ignore is because you don't want to converse with people who know that you are a fraud.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:17pm
Posted by 2HAPPY at 08/29/2008 @ 12:13pm
And HAPP, what happens to two year governor of Tundra-land...
if 72 year old John McCain dies in office?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:17pm
"Politically speaking, this is a brilliant move because a large part of the country was hypnotized in a cultlike fashion to Obama."
Projection much?
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:18pm
Happy-Considering McCain's age his VP choice is a bit more important and this does ruin the whole experience thing.
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 12:18pm
BTW, everybody...even you Darin...
don't cut & paste what I post.
FRANK will see it (since I'm "on Ignore").
And he'll put YOU on Ignore and...
that'll teach ya!
heheh
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:19pm
When this story broke, I'd bet money that people's first reaction was "Who?". Not exactly a good omen.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:20pm
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:18pm
90% of FRANK's criticism of others...is projection off himself.
NOBODY is a bigger cultist (of Her Nibs) than FRANK.
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:21pm
The decoy candidate -- she has breats, children and she is gutsy too! But hwere does she stand on women's issues? Will she support equal pay for equal work (most Republicans voted against it)? Will she support abortion? Will she support p[ublicly funded childcare? What is her class background? Just cause you can shoot and belly up to the bar doesn't mean you can't be a millionaire who doesn't have to worry about childcare, cleaning your house and cooking when you come home from work, taking a second job to pay for your down's syndrome child's extra needs.
Don't buy the fake!
Posted by geminijen at 08/29/2008 @ 12:23pm
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:20pm
Darin, somebody's going to have to contradict themselves on ANWR.
Either McCain or Palin. If McCain...well, that's one more flip-flop. If Palin, she can get an early start on it.
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:24pm
She's a smart, edgy pol who is exceptionally popular in Alaska and has a story that the national media will enjoy telling almost as much as it does McCain's
Palin's married to a native Alaskan, she's got a kid in the Army, she likes to hunt and fish, eats moose burgers, and has taken on establishment Republicans to elbow her way onto the political stage.
---------
Mr Nichols just summed up the Republican narrative that soon the media will be feeding to all of us. Already I've seen her described twice as a "self-styled hockey mom." (That phrase must be in the media playbook now.) This woman could very well be the President if McCain is elected (highly likely). Plus, she looks like Britney in 20 years. We loves us a beauty queen!
Dumbocracy, we are doomed.
Posted by Citizen54 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:27pm
I really thought McCain would have gone with Condi Rice for two obvious reasons...and at least Condi does have some experience (With Chevron). Her government work has been horrible to say the least, but when has that ever stopped the rethugs from picking folks like that. Take Cheney for case in point. Here's an ex Haliburton CEO and oil man loyal to everything but the U.S. and it's constitution.
The only thing Palin has going for her is that she looks better than Cheney, or Biden for that matter, but that's about all she has going for her.
Posted by Wolfgang1 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:27pm
and look at the press fall all over themselves playing musical chairs like idiots....
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 09:16am
ooh,
looks like viagara sales just went UP in redstateland.
"honey, bray like a moose, bray like a moose!"
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:32pm
"Expereince" as a factor at the top of the ticket is a far, far bigger deal than for the #2 spot......---Posted by 2HAPPY at 08/29/2008 @ 12:27pm
HAPPY, you got me on Ignore too??!?!??
LOL
Okay, somebody else ask him "What happens if McCain dies in office to that "#2 spot"?" and how much "expereince" does she have?
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:32pm
"Expereince" as a factor at the top of the ticket is a far, far bigger deal than for the #2 spot.......anyone that discounts that, has drunk Kool-aid for too long! This remains in McCain's column as a big Plus!"
Simply incorrect. The VP is supposed to be able to succeed the President, a particularly important factor given McCain's age. If you don't think that matters, you have forgotten the buzz regarding the Ferraro and Quayle nominations, to which this is already being compared.
"Cosmetic "Change" as a factor? From a race & gender standpoint, Magic's side retains the advantage for the `Change' at the top of the ticket while the GOP, catches up with the Demos for first putting Ferraro in the VP Nominee slot!"
Except change is about policies. Palin's presence on the ticket doesn't change the fact that a McCain administration would essentially be a Bush third term.
"let's go after the non-black women votes and whatever the Demos throw at Ms. Palin, frame it as a Sexist attack just as they have"
Yes, except for her anti-choice position. Frame criticism of that as sexist.
We haven't drunk the Kool-Aid. I do think you've had too much HAPPY juice, however.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 12:32pm
Sarah governed a lot of ice and tundra....I can't deny that!
LOL
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 09:58am
a LOT less ice and tundra than before!
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:33pm
According to the CDC's latest published national statistics reports, McCain has about a 15% chance of dying during the next 4 years. I wonder if America would be stupid enough to take a 15% chance that a woman who, until 2 years ago, was mayor of a town of less than 9,000.
Posted by DeezNats at 08/29/2008 @ 12:33pm
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:32pm
Hey, come on, FZ.....an Alaskan is ALMOST a Northwest Territorian!!!!
heheh
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 12:35pm
smart move...McCain needed something drastic since he knows he cannot beat Obama/Biden straight up. He took a risk that will either pay off big or backfire. A lot will have to do with how the press plays it out...the reason I'm worried is that the press will find it hard to bring up her faults because unlike Hillary "the devil" Clinton, she seems quite amiable.
Posted by danconstan at 08/29/2008 @ 12:35pm
john mccain has sex with moose!
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:36pm
john mccain knows nothing about economics
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:36pm
john mccain lives off his replacement wife.
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:36pm
john mccain is the anti-christ.
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:37pm
john mccain is a lunatic hypocrite.
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:37pm
john mccain caught in bathroom stall!
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm
john mccain reads the nation!
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm
The Obama people don't know how to handle it so they immediately chose to go negative, bringing up a silly investigation that is going on involving a state trooper that was fired. They're trying to connect it to her sisters divorce problems as if anybody cares.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:16pm
Frank, Silly little investigation?! Frank, democrats and republicans voted 12-0 to have her investigated? Sounds like a motive of vengence. It's one thing if she soaps this guys car. It's quite another if she uses her high office to get the guy fired. That's abuse of power, not a "little invesigation".
Would you consider W's politicizing of the justice department a "little scenario" too? Keep in mind this person may end up being the vice president and possibly president of this country. Do you want them doing petty crap like that at the level?
Posted by Wolfgang1 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm
john mccain was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived!
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. He was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm
john mccain was a prisoner of war and treatd horriblyand survived!
Posted by SOMEONE at 13/32/1134 @ 10:61am
1. burp!
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:39pm
Can't wait to see her in the debate with Biden.....hope she doesn't cry -- too much.
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:39pm
The North Pole is Canada's problem, not Sarah's.
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:09pm
hahahahhaha!
ignorance on SO many levels.
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:40pm
Give 'em credit, they have stolen Obamas wind.
Very quickly.
I notice her lapel pin is MUCH larger than Obamas. Overcompensation for something?
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:41pm
Could someone remind me of what Obama said last night. The media is covering Palin, and I already forgot what the big O said. I think he said he was going to give me a Prius, but I want to know when I'm going to get it.
Posted by sntauri at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:41pm
A li'l bit of mandingo flagpole envy?
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:41pm
A li'l bit of mandingo flagpole envy?
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
She was a pot smoker!!
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 10:54am
hey dude,
it's like riding a bike.
just ask HAPPY.
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:43pm
Funniest things so far about MCains pick and pony show at "the Nutter Center":
1: He picked a UNION member to live in Cheneys house
2: He picked a pot smoker
3: There will be kids named "Willow" and Piper" running around Cheneys house. How flower child is that!? What will Rush have to say about this FemiNazi ?
4: He/she are harping on corruption and the need to change Washington. Who, oh who could they be talking about?
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:46pm
Egads, I'm listening to the live feed while I blog. She's got that north state "donthca know" sort of accent. Kind of annoying (in a funny way)
she is kinda hot tho....oughta pull in the trailer-park vote I reckon.
But I think she will totally tank the debate
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:46pm
That seems positively quaint compared to Obama sellin' rock in the hood. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 12:46pm
1: Thou Shalt not lie
2: Thou Shalt not bring False Witness.
Bad Christian! Bad! Put on your hair suit and do 5 laps.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:48pm
The more you post the more grateful I am you are a Canadian...you are getting close to ignored list...too much nonsense, Frosty...
spare us.
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
Come on JM. It was pretty funny. Everyone posting here on the right side of the equation keeps bringing up the fact that McCain was a POW and does seem to use that as an answer to everything.
I don't think Frosty was just singling you out, though he did use your posts about umpteen times in a row....OK, I guess you have a a right to be semi pissed off.
Posted by Wolfgang1 at 08/29/2008 @ 12:48pm
Bad Christian! Bad! Put on your hair suit and do 5 laps.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:48pm
LOL!!!
Posted by Benchrest at 08/29/2008 @ 12:50pm
If elected will they have to assign an agent to little Trig so he doesn't keep pressing the big red "Easy" button in the Oval Office?
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:50pm
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:39pm
But would you trust her to run the United States of America if, God forbid, McCain's cancer acts up again and he has to step aside?
I think the answer is NO for the vast majority of Americans and this is why this was a dumb move by McCain.
Hillary voters supported Hillary not because she has a vagina, but because she has been working on women's issues for years.
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 12:50pm
I thought that that was one of the most boring acceptance sppeces that I ever heard.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 11:24am
i have just read the most boring post by the most boring poster.
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:52pm
A li'l bit of mandingo flagpole envy? Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
Spewed milk out me nose!
LOL!
Frosty, luv ya man! JO just has a funny bone the size of Wasilla AK. Wish I could be in the booth when he votes for a lazy union member!
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:52pm
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 12:50pm
She could bake us all some cookies!
Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:54pm
Relax, libs!
I just found out about this, and thought it was breaking news, but there are 162 posts in ahead of me.
A lot of comments above, that is good that we live in a free society with free speech where people can say what they want.
However, I did want to post in and let you on the left know that you can relax a little bit and start planning for the next phase, the one that immediately happens when Republicans win elections.
You will have to start preparing for your "The election was stolen mode" - that you will be going into next - because it was determined today:
President-elect of the United States: John McCain.
Vice-President-elect of the United States: Sarah Palin
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will just have to return to the Senate, and you libs can relax for a while.
Posted by sjchermak at 08/29/2008 @ 12:54pm
would someone tell freak to stop spamming.
Posted by Zero at 08/29/2008 @ 11:42am
more like sperming given his enthusiasm.
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 12:56pm
If elected will they have to assign an agent to little Trig so he doesn't keep pressing the big red "Easy" button in the Oval Office? Posted by leftofcenter at 08/29/2008 @ 12:50pm
Fine form today LOC!
The real problem is pushing the correct "red button".
Plus, I think Chimpy broke that Easy button from constant use.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 12:59pm
Plus, that state shares a border with a hostile nuclear power. How's that for foriegn experience?
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:57am
ooooooooh,
the yukon!
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 1:00pm
.breaks even, or with low expectations...wins by surviving..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:55pm | i
Low expectations.
They rallying cry of republicans for the last 12 years.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:01pm
.breaks even, or with low expectations...wins by surviving..
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:55pm | i
Low expectations.
They rallying cry of republicans for the last 12 years.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:02pm
That was the attraction to Obama, remember? now you're changing your tune.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm | ignore this person | warn this person
Not at all. I believe that many more people had heard of Obama by the time he announced that have heard of Palin.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 1:07pm
Darin, she has a downs child a few months ago, and chooses to leave quiet AK for Washington DC to be the VP. Good Family Values in your book?
I found out I have a family member that knows Palins family fairly well. Maybe I can gain some juicy tidbits.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:09pm
That was the attraction to Obama, remember? now you're changing your tune.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:38pm | ignore this person | warn this person
Not at all. I believe that many more people had heard of Obama by the time he announced that have heard of Palin.
Posted by brunowe at 08/29/2008 @ 1:09pm
But he doens't need ANWR any more.
nor do you, guzzler.
The new environmentalist is all concerned about renewable energy investment.
aren't you?
So he can drill until the renewable energy research delivers viable results (probably never)
so what will you do when the oil runs out?
The fusion reactor in France will pay off while the money we piss away waiting for the fusion reactor to yeild results will be enough to placate the environmentalist concerned with ANWR.
fusion?!?!? sure thing.
Posted by Darin_the_Greedy at 08/29/2008 @ 12:20pm
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 1:13pm
There will aslo be a kid with Downs Syndrome. Even though she knew well in advance that her child would have this condition, she chose not to abort because she believes all of God's children are precious.
I think Rush just might focus on this.
Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008
As well he should.
They are wonderful kids.
Posted by Benchrest at 08/29/2008 @ 1:14pm
Low expectations.
"Plus, that state shares a border with a hostile nuclear power. How's that for foriegn experience?" Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008 @ 11:57am
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:16pm
The pick of Palin will motivate the right to accelerate the slouching toward Babylon to a jog. Doesn't matter. They'd have arrived anyway. Petroleum jelly anyone?
Posted by Sorelish at 08/29/2008 @ 1:18pm
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 10:33am
Brilliant. Let's put the button to all our nukes in the hands of someone who has been damaged by years of torture.
Posted by frankgrits at 08/29/2008 @ 12:04pm
Ah, yes. Frank Grits. Impossible to find a female conservative politican he doesn't like.
On a personal note, McCain is trying to play it too many different ways. You can't get the women vote, independent "maverick" vote, and still appeal to the "base" by taking hard stances on abortion, military "victory", and dedication to flawed Bush-lite foreign policies and all that right wing nonsense.
Fitting choice for McCain. I'll leave it to others to draw out all the obvious analogies between McCain/Palin and Mondale/Ferraro. Like:
When the press gets over gushing all over themselves and start asking questions about her, will this little bump last until Novermbet? I doubt it. It's the same as Ferraro.
I'm particularly interested in hearing how an Assemblies of God member - ostensibly a peace church - is going to look on the integrity front given McCain's militarism. Or do they just thinking hiding behind her lifetime NRA membership and connections with the military is going to shield her from these kinds of questions?
Posted by srjenkins at 08/29/2008 @ 1:19pm
There will aslo be a kid with Downs Syndrome. Even though she knew well in advance that her child would have this condition, she chose not to abort because she believes all of God's children are precious. I think Rush just might focus on this. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 08/29/2008
Lev.21:17-23 Whosoever ... hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. ... Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:23pm
This is what I love about this sort of punditry. Palin is barely mentioned in this context for months, but as soon as her name is announced, everyone leaps to write what a 'smart' choice she was, and all the reasons. If it was a 'smart' choice, why wan't it predictable?
Posted by sagibson at 08/29/2008 @ 1:24pm
BOTTOM LINE:
1. Palin is NOT ready to govern this country;
2. Palin has no clue when it comes to foreign policy;
3. Palin has no clue when it comes to the economy; and
4. Palin has a VINDICTIVE streak and an ABUSE OF POWER problem like Cheney/Rove
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 1:24pm
Brilliant.
The whole weekend will be about her and not the rehashed 'hope and change' speech The Dahli Bama gave at the temple on thursday.
Nothing new to talk about with Nobama, and A LOT of new info in the McCain camp.
I bet Karl Rove is behind this.
Posted by Zamfeer at 08/29/2008 @ 1:25pm
Leviticus is such an ugly grouping of words.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:26pm
Let's be fair....
McCain and the Repubs/cons have set the bar at "experience" and "resume'"....so let's use that-
For instance...in 1984--
Barack Obama's Veep, Joe Biden, had been a US Senator for 11 years...
John McCain's Veep, Sarah Palin...
was Alaska's "Miss Congeniality"
(BTW, Obama had already graduated from Columbia, and worked for Business International Corporation and then at the New York Public Interest Research Group!....but he never even PLACED in a beauty pageant so, so what?)
Posted by Maskdelta at 08/29/2008 @ 1:27pm
Each side throws insults at each other.
Each side tries to be sarcasitc and smug.
Each side has people in this forum just posting just to post.
Does any of this actually change your minds?
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 1:28pm
Everyone needs to listen to Sarah Palins interview on current TV. She directly says she is not qualified. She then say that the job of VP is basically BS and then says she will answer everyones questions when they tell her what the VP's job is.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/29/2008 @ 1:31pm
"There was zero risk that anybody was going to take the comment seriously."
!!!
Posted by drhammer at 08/29/2008 @ 1:31pm
[McCain and the Repubs/cons have set the bar at "experience" and "resume'"]
New strateegery, basically announced at the Nutter Center; McCain will be running against the culture of corruption in Washington.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:32pm
Hello ankcdisney,
You just asked " Each side throws insults at each other. Each side tries to be sarcasitc and smug. Each side has people in this forum just posting just to post. Does any of this actually change your minds? "
The answer to your question is No.
But fortunately, today the fact that the minds will not change because the conservatives should not and the liberals will not - is moot, at least with regard to this topic.
Today is a day of celebration, as the 2008 election was decided today, with Sen. John McCain the Repbulican in Name Only (RINO) and Gov. Sarah Palin the Republican the next President and Vice-President of the United States.
Today is a day to be happy.
Posted by sjchermak at 08/29/2008 @ 1:37pm
Of course Frank is foaming at the mouth. Frank doesn't care about anything but bashing Obama.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/29/2008 @ 1:38pm
Think some of you should look at Palin's record. She is one extremely well credentialed lady who has an extensive list of practical achievements, and a very wide experience of life which all have to do with the art of governing. Obama is a good orator but has a very thin "governing" CV when compared with Palin.
Foreign policy committee experience, as in Biden's case, hasn't helped him get it right on Iraq or for that matter on Afghanistan. Someone who knows how to govern well, as Palin obviously does, knows where to get and how to effectively use any needed information for such things as foreign policy.
Experience then, is pretty worthless if one doesn't learn from it and know how to properly call on it.
John Nichols knows a bit about Palin and is obviously too smart to make a fool of himself by rubbishing Palin as some partisan knee jerk reactionary posters here have done. He did omit to say that she, as a proven fighter against government corruption, is the only authentic "Washington Outsider" of the three.
(saw him interviewed on Aussie TV by one of our lefty journos, a day or so ago, and I can tell you JN was a lot more balanced and circumspect in his analysis of the Dem Convention than a reader of this magazine would expect. Perhaps he knows he can't feed Aussies the sort of partisan stuff he sometimes throws in your direction).
Further this former beauty queen is, on the basis of her achievements, to the economically illiterate McCain, what Dick Cheney was reputed to be to Bush on foreign policy.
All that aside I know, if I were an American, whose face out of Joe and Barack and Sarah I would like greeting me over my breakfast cereal. A conjoining of Old plus Beautiful for me anytime. That's a unity ticket to warm any red-blooded male's heart.
Posted by lrjones4 at 08/29/2008 @ 1:40pm
Hello Cccomfo1,
You just said:
" Everyone needs to listen to Sarah Palins interview on current TV. She directly says she is not qualified. She then say that the job of VP is basically BS and then says she will answer everyones questions when they tell her what the VP's job is. "
That's good. She apparently says what she thinks. The last President/Vice-President that did that was Harry Truman, and many people today regard him as a good President.
Posted by sjchermak at 08/29/2008 @ 1:42pm
Frosty, The more you post the more grateful I am you are a Canadian...you are getting close to ignored list...too much nonsense, Frosty... spare us.
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
JM,
everything you post about economics is nonsense.
you're a walking clichι generator.
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 1:44pm
You wanted integrity, you got it.
This is the funniest line from Frank. She is under INVESTIGATION for ethics violations. Jesus. You can;'t even make this up.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/29/2008 @ 1:45pm
>>>Sounds alot like Obama...
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 1:35pm<<<
Wrong!
Obama has showed BETTER JUDGMENT on the core foreign policy issues of the day than even McCain and he has been on the Senate Foreign Relations committee for 3 years.
Unlike Palin's pawltry 18 months experience as governor of a state with a VERY small population like Alaska, Obama spent 8 years in the Illinois state senate prior to coming to Washington, rising to the president of the senate in his last year.
And on the economy, Palin's communications degree at Idaho state college does not prepare her for the economic challenges in government and she has not had any economic policy initiative other than raising taxes on the the residents of a small town in Alaska where she was a part-time Mayor.
She has no academic and education qualifications and no experiences to qualify her to step in as president.
This the MOST UNQUALIFIED VP in the history of the United States!
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 1:46pm
Hello lrjones4,
About your comment:
" Foreign policy committee experience, as in Biden's case, hasn't helped him get it right on Iraq or for that matter on Afghanistan "
I would add that an even more glaring example was that of Mr. Peanut, Jimmy Carter.
He did have no experience in that area going into his presidency, but he had a wealth of ideas and knowledge of and opinions about foreign affairs, and still does.
However, since every last one of his ideas or opinions about the subject were and are WRONG, his knowledge and ideas did the country no good, to say the least.
Posted by sjchermak at 08/29/2008 @ 1:48pm
That's good. She apparently says what she thinks. The last President/Vice-President that did that was Harry Truman, and many people today regard him as a good President. Posted by sjchermak at 08/29/2008 @ 1:42pm
But that's the problem she is acknowledging it as a trophy position and nothing more. In so doing she is acknowledging that his pick was a pander and nothing more.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/29/2008 @ 1:48pm
JO, just want to get this straight
You will be voting for a person with little experience, a person that holds a liberal arts degree in journalism, CONTINUES to be a union member, advocates for the teaching of creationism in schools (think critical thinking skills here), supported guvt bailout for a guvt owned dairy using tax payer money, puts her career ahead of her family, received a whopping 147,000 votes to be governor, and (according to IM) belongs to a peace church?
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:51pm
Frosty, The more you post the more grateful I am you are a Canadian...you are getting close to ignored list...too much nonsense, Frosty... spare us.
Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/29/2008 @ 12:42pm
plus,
i think i made a valid point.
any criticism of mccain is countered with "he was a POW".
THAT is nonsense.
BTW have you answered my question about the #1 creator of budget deficits?
Posted by frosty zoom at 08/29/2008 @ 1:52pm
I always thought this "experience" nonsense concerning Obama was simply an excuse for racist voters to vote against him.
"We aren't voting against him because he is black, it's because he doesn't have experience". Sounds like a racist employer trying to justify why he hired a busty blond rather than a highly qualified black man.
With McCain's choice of Palin, this suspicion has been confirmed!
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 1:52pm
sjchermak,
You just made my point to me about what is going on. All you did was a smug comment saying conservitives are right and liberals are stubborn.
Let us be really honest here. This is a close race. Very close. I know what I believe but I listen to both sides. I think this is a bad mistake because it looks much like a ploy towards women. Palin's remark using Hilary's 18 million cracks shows that plain as day. That is one point. A second point is looking at the overall experience. People say that VP experience isn't important. That is incorrect. McCain (and any president that is) could die and the VP is suppose to be ready to take over if needed. I do not see anything in her history that makes me think that she can do it. She is a great choice to most Republican in her positions. We like our guys. You like your guys.
Lucky, it all comes out in the ballot box. I'm not a hateful or spiteful man. I listen and I look at all sides. If you show me something that is fact, not polish, I'll listen to you.
Posted by ankcdisney at 08/29/2008 @ 1:54pm
Given that Senator McCain's two main talking points, reasons why we should choose him over Senator Obama, have been experience and judgment, this would seem to take those arguments off the table.
I guess the new one will be "I have a woman on my ticket!". Gov. Palin may have just given us a hint of another one; in her speech this morning, she referred to Senator McCain as "John F. McCain".
It would appear that the Republicans now have a "dream ticket"; however, it is probably the Democrat's dream.
Posted by ron cypert at 08/29/2008 @ 1:56pm
Whoops, sorry.
Gov Palin received 114,697 votes, not 147,ooo.
Not even the population of my home town.
good thing Vladimir has a "good soul" and Adidhiminthejohn is stable of mind.
Posted by crabwalk at 08/29/2008 @ 1:58pm
frankGrits-No one chanted USA when the Clintons spoke,either.Get over your tantrum and mature a bit so that you can get honest with yourself..
Posted by i'm nobody at 08/29/2008 @ 2:07pm
Barack Obama Campaign Spokesman Bill Burton responds to John McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate:
"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."
Sen. Chuck Schumer says:
"After the great success of the Democratic convention, the choice of Sarah Palin is surely a Hail Mary pass. It is a real roll of the dice and shows how John McCain, Karl Rove et al realize what a strong position the Obama-Biden team and Democrats in general are in in this election. Certainly the choice of Palin puts to rest any argument about inexperience on the Democratic team and while Palin is a fine person, her lack of experience makes the thought of her assuming the presidency troubling. I particularly look forward to the Biden-Palin debate in Missouri."
Rep. Rahm Emanuel:
"Is this really who the Republican Party wants to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency? Given Sarah Palin's lack of experience on every front and on nearly every issue, this Vice Presidential pick doesn't show judgment: it shows political panic."
Rep. Jim Clyburn on South Carolina ETV Radio:
"I do believe that McCain has to do something to reshuffle the cards, shake up the establishment, do something unexpected and Governor Palin has all the kinds of things that McCain might see as a way to shake things up. I think [her selection] would be something similar to Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle proved to be sort of an embarrassment as a campaigner.
Posted by Metteyya at 08/29/2008 @ 2:11pm
I love the Repubs like Happy and Darin trying to make more of this than it is. Every woman in this country sees this for what it is, pandering. He chose a young, attractive woman with no care for her experience or credibility. Happy and Frank as much as you try to say she doesn't need experience because she is the VP, that is not how most people view it. McCain is 72 and not in the greatest of health. His VP pick HAS to be able to step up into the slot. According to her she doesn't even know what the slot she is in now does. She is also under investigation for ethics violations.
Also. These women who he is pandering to are intelligent women. They see how contrived his pick is. I don't know if you've noticed but I would personally be insulted because he picked a woman only because she is a woman. There are much better people he could have picked out there. Hell there are much better women he could have picked. This is essentially what they accuse Obama of. She is an affirmative action candidate. She is being chosen not because she is superior to the other VP choices. She is being chosen because she is a woman and MAY be able to net him a gain in the women votes.
I thought you were against affirmative action Happy.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/29/2008 @ 2:13pm
Hello Ccomfor1 and also ankcdisney,
You said (Ccomfor1) "But that's the problem she is acknowledging it as a trophy position and nothing more. In so doing she is acknowledging that his pick was a pander and nothing more."
Then you, (ankcdisney) said ""Lucky, it all comes out in the ballot box. I'm not a hateful or spiteful man. I listen and I look at all sides. If you show me something that is fact, not polish, I'll listen to you.""
Here is why Sarah Palin was a good pick for VP:
1. The pick was not a "pander" but strategic, as many VP picks are - such as when John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson in 1960.
2. She is young, to offset McCain's age.
3. She is sufficiently Conservative to offset McCain's "maverick" behavior and the pick will not anger the Conservative base, as some other potential McCain picks may have done.
4. She is pro-life. I think this is extremely important. For many years now abortion has been cast as a "women's issue" by the left. We hear from many liberal women that it is their body and nobody dare tell them what to do with it. But there are many women who do not feel they have a "right to choose" and maybe now that will get some more public attention.
5. As a state governor she has administrative experience - more valuable to have a Senator and a Governor on a ticket than 2 Senators like the Dems have.
6. Regardless of whether one thinks the VP is of any significance or not, the job does have more involvement in important things now than in days past, such as when Harry Truman did not even know the U.S. was developing the atom bomb until he became President.
7. Her being a woman should not matter but right now there are