McCain's pick: Sarah Palin?
I'm sitting a little baffled this morning by John McCain's vice presidential pick. Governor Palin is leader of a state with less people than Multnomah County (thank you Jeff Cogen). Here is a link to her Wikipedia page.
What do you think?
Update: Palin's speech
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August 29, 2008 |
Karol Collymore | Comments (152 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: susan | Aug 29, 2008 10:44:46 AM
It looks like the McSame campaign is going to try to make Palin seem ready for leadership because she is the commander of the Alaska National Guard. So we need to know her record there. Did she fight to get body armor and other decent equipment for the troops who had to go overseas? Did she find money in her budget (overflowing with oil $) to pay for it? Did she fight to keep the National Guard home in Alaska to protect it in case of natural disaster? Or did she willingly let the young men and women of Alaska go to Iraq to fight a war that we should never have started?? If they want to use that 'experience' to make her look good then we have to uncover her record (I couldn't find anything in a quick net search). And btw - do they really think that they found a substitute for Hillary who will appeal to Hillary supporters? Opposed to choice, no apparent record advocating for the critical health care needs of Americans, no experience on the national stage, much less international. She doesn't begin to measure up.
The pick of a VP candidate is the first presidential act. I think McCain just lost the election.
Posted by: Karol | Aug 29, 2008 10:50:25 AM
Kitty, kitty, meow-meow! Funny, I used to know a Republican named Kitty.
Posted by: Garrett | Aug 29, 2008 11:01:00 AM
Your not baffled. Your afraid.
You are or even You're would be correct.
I'm not sure if you're trying to say we should fear her because she's such a good pick or if we should fear her because if McCain is elected, has a heart attack and dies (the man is 72) then a woman who 3 years ago was mayor of Wasilla City, population 6000, will be the leader of the free world.
Either way writing skills are highly recommended.
Posted by: Admiral Naismith | Aug 29, 2008 11:03:26 AM
Good God, they just nominated the equivalent of Eileen Q-Tip for Vice President of the United States.
I guess that whole "Obama is too inexperienced" chant just went out the window.
Christmas came early this year, for Democrats.
Posted by: Jack Bog | Aug 29, 2008 11:05:21 AM
Come on, Admiral, she was Miss Congeniality in the Miss Alaska contest. What better credentials for dealing with the Middle East?
Posted by: RichW | Aug 29, 2008 11:07:58 AM
A possible uninteded consequence is to that Hillary is now assured to campaign hard for Obama. There are those who think that a Hillary strategy is to let Obama lose so she can run in 2012. I don't believe that, but even so, such a strategy is now DOA.
Palin has very high positives in Alaska and virtually no negatives. If McCain wins, Palin will be the next heir to the GOP nomination in either 2012 or 2016.
McCain upped the ante here, No doubt about it. The only negative is that he can no longer play the experience card. But I think he figured that the experience arguement wasn't enough to get him elected.
With Palin
1) He gets back into the graces of the neocons/Freepers.
2) He adds his own "historic" nature to the campaign.
3) Since he is touting both Palin and her husband as "union members" he will get some of that blue collar vote.
4) If Biden goes into attack dog mode in the VP debate, Palin will get sympathy.
Our job just got tougher in my opinion.
Posted by: Frank Lee | Aug 29, 2008 11:08:55 AM
Women and men supported Hillary because she had decades of experience in bringing about policy change, she understood international and domestic issues, she was a known quantity, and she was pro-choice.
Palin has none of those traits.
Find me someone who gave substantial money or time to the Hillary campaign who is now going to work for, donate to, and vote for McCain because of the choice of Palin. I don't think you will find her (except in the minds of the trolls that cruise blueoregon.)
Posted by: Offensive | Aug 29, 2008 11:09:20 AM
I am completely offended by this choice. This is going to backfire bigtime.
Posted by: Matt | Aug 29, 2008 11:10:08 AM
I think her past will become more of a distraction and sideshow as the campaign goes on. It stole the media cycle today, but she doesn't seems to bring any gravitas to the ticket.
What's with McCain and former pagent queens anyway?
Posted by: Greg D. | Aug 29, 2008 11:11:37 AM
An odd choice, but very effective at removing Obama from the media spotlight this morning, and also a very effective sop to the big "C" Christian right. Ralph Reed is in love with her.
Posted by: Gregor | Aug 29, 2008 11:14:18 AM
Palin pales in comparison to Joe Biden. She pales in comparison to Barack. What she brings is experience with the oil companies and lap dog agreement with the fanatical Right. Dragging five kids up on stage brings back all my concerns with overpopulation.
McCain just lost the election with this choice, if it was ever in doubt. For me he could only win if the election was rigged for a 3rd time, which I will not put past the Reich, based on history. But I don't think it will be close enough to steal.
I'm glad I saw her speech this morning because her future rhetoric will be nothing like we heard. Most of the information she shared will be eliminated. First, that's probably the last time we will hear about Hillary Clinton. Just the mention of Hillary causes the Reich to wretch. It's not even a conscious response anymore they've been so well trained by the FOX. Second, her husband's work history will disappear. Union steel worker?!?! That's heresy! Oil worker! Unless the reich believes, which they may, this association is appealing to the people, it will vanish. Commercial fisherman? Unless he was on a factory boat, the corporate interests prefer farming fish to harvesting wild stock. Third, the underscoring of ANY of the women that have gone before her. The Christian Right is still not too keen on that idea. It's not in their interpretation of the Bible regardless of how many women disciples there were. Third, her personal experience with the oil companies and her ethics committee. What kind of paper tigers did she fell, and why? Knowing how big oil operates, they're all criminals and the only ones who go down are the ones they choose, not the prosecutor.
Teh only reason Palin scares me is if she ever was Commander-in-Chief. There is no crash course sufficient to bring her up to speed. It was good to get someone outside Washington, DC, but the last frontier is a bit to far.
Posted by: Jack Roberts | Aug 29, 2008 11:14:22 AM
I love all the Democrats suddenly complaining about lack of experience. All their arguments against Palin echo the complaints against Obama--who, after all, is running for President, not Vice President.
Sarah Palin is a new generation politician in that she is very hard to pigeon-hole. She has fought the good ole boys club in Alaska (not only did she beat incumbent GOP Governor Frank Murkowski in the primary when she was elected, but she's backing her Lt. Governor's primary challenge to long-term Congressman Don Young this year).
She is a social conservative whose first veto was of a bill preventing the state from extending employee benefits to same sex couples.
I think the race just got a whole lot more interesting.
Posted by: An. Ry. Briggs | Aug 29, 2008 11:23:38 AM
Regardless of the choice of of candidates, it's the timing that interests me. This may have been noted in other comments, but today is John McCain's birthday (Aug 29, 1936). I assume the last thing McCain wanted was a headline/photo showing Candidate McCain blowing out 72 candles - so he released the news today knowing it would trump other headlines. And it certainly has~
But this may not be the wisest choice for exactly that reason. Gov. Palin was probably a good mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 5,470) and I assume on her way to developing into a competent governor for Alaska (pop. 680,000) ~ but the US, and theissues that trouble us are significantly larger, and Candidate McCain is 72... do we have time for on-the-job training of the VP? (The 'heartbeat away from the presidency' argument.)
Posted by: Jack Bog | Aug 29, 2008 11:32:09 AM
I think the race just got a whole lot more interesting.
Me, too. Ask her how to spell potato.
Posted by: Jim H | Aug 29, 2008 11:32:33 AM
My random thoughts...
Does Gov. Palin believe that the national government or state governments should be paid royalties for our natural resources, or is that only not communist/socialist if it's done in Alaska?
I had always thought (especially if Obama didn't choose a woman as VP) that McCain's only hope would be to pick a woman. I was thinking Sen. Hutchison though.
McCain/Palin is using this "Country First" slogan, which makes him look like a chump given one of the most memorable moments of Obama's speech last night.
Posted by: janek | Aug 29, 2008 11:35:43 AM
"She is a social conservative whose first veto was of a bill preventing the state from extending employee benefits to same sex couples." Yeah, she can be proud of that. She's also for the Predator Control Program aka aerial wolf killing. You get $150 for turning in the left front leg of a wolf. She sounds like a winner to me! Maybe now she can take Cheney up in the air now that she's VP pick.
Posted by: RichW | Aug 29, 2008 11:44:38 AM
Predator Control Program:
Does that also apply to PUMAs?
Posted by: Jack Roberts | Aug 29, 2008 11:45:36 AM
I think the race just got a whole lot more interesting.
Me, too. Ask her how to spell potato.
Please, God, let Jack Bogdanski be the spokesperson for the Obama/Biden campaign in Oregon!
Posted by: Kim | Aug 29, 2008 11:45:51 AM
I'm not sure what Kitty C thinks we are afraid of in the McCain/Palin ticket. That doesn't make sense. Confused is a better word. I would have been more afraid of a Romney or Pawlenty choice. Those choices actually would have made sense. Just because she has been the executive leader of the 4th smallest state for 20 months does not mean she is experienced. I mean it's Alaska, not New York or California or even Texas. The Republicans argued that Bill Clinton was not experienced enough to be President and he had been the governor of Arkansas for 12 years. Make up your mind!
The bottom line is that being President is not about executive experience. George Bush had executive experience and he turned out to be abyssmal. Being President is about leadership and judgement. It's about being able to surround yourself with people who are knowledgeable, who can challenge your beliefs and help you fully understand the issues before making decisions. To think that a President is going to be knowledgeable about every issue they will face as President is naive. Obama's jugement in choosing Joe Biden is far more solid than McCain's judgement in choosing Palin.
As a woman who supported Hillary Clinton, this choice does not in any way make me want to vote for McCain. I feel like he is using this woman and he is sorely underestimating the intelligence of the people who supported Hillary. I did not support Hillary because she is a women. She and I share beliefs like freedom of choice. Obviously, Palin and I do not have much in common. The vast majority of people who will be enthusiastic supporters of this choice are people who were already going to vote for McCain.
Posted by: Mike Clark | Aug 29, 2008 11:46:35 AM
The question should be - does this get Republicans an additional 3-5 points from nonaffiliated women voters in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Missouri and Iowa? Sure looks possible to me.
Posted by: Frank | Aug 29, 2008 11:47:36 AM
Didn't she date a doctor from New York City for a while?
I guess she must have taken the Bush part of being a Bush pilot a bit too literally.
Posted by: Bill Bodden | Aug 29, 2008 11:48:08 AM
Your not baffled. Your afraid.
Have a nice day.
Kitty C.
With McCain's finger anywhere near the nuclear trigger the whole world has cause to be afraid. And I'm not an Obama supporter.
Kitty: Since you will probably be returning to school soon, have your teacher explain what apostrophes are and how to use them. I don't have a "not baffled" nor do I have an "afraid" whatever they might be. And thank you for your wish for a good day. I will try to have as many nice days as I can between now and January 2009 in the event the greater evil wins in November. There probably won't be many good days after that unless you're in the business of selling war-fighting equipment.
Posted by: Kevin | Aug 29, 2008 11:48:55 AM
This has all the hallmarks of a campaign gimick for McCain. Especially when we consider that one of the most critically important jobs of a sitting Veep is to get Congressional cooperation on behalf of the Administration. Biden is more than capable of doing that. Ms. Palin?
Posted by: mlw | Aug 29, 2008 11:49:38 AM
She's a very honest person who stands by her principles.
Now that that's out of the way, her nomination is a repudiation of everything that Hillary Clinton stands for. She's opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. She opposes universal health care.
She is admittedly hard to pigeonhole. She's going to have a hard time explaining why she wants a Canadian company to build a natural gas pipeline through Alaska. There are some good reasons for that, actually, given the corruption in most Alaska oil business, but it doesn't really fit with the whole jingoistic Republican agenda, now, does it? She is very strong on ethics, but there is a pesky investigation ongoing that she tried to get her brother-in-law fired from the Alaska State Troopers, rather than standing aside to let the system handle it. I give her a lot of credit for being principled in her short time in office, but her positions are completely contrary to those held by most Americans.
When it comes down to it, though, if I were a Hillary Clinton supporter, I wouldn't be happy, I'd be appalled. Palin is a fundamentally decent human being, but she is in no way qualified to serve in high executive office. Isn't that the fundamental principle of feminism? That women should be judged on their merits, not their gender?
Posted by: Bill Bodden | Aug 29, 2008 11:52:02 AM
A Scandal We Can Believe In! Maybe McCain likes her because she has a capacity for going for the jugular.
Posted by: marv | Aug 29, 2008 11:54:52 AM
The Prize for Dick Cheney is drilling the wildlife refuge.
Selecting Gov. Palin helps focus the Republican message.
Too, with a disappearing polar ice cap previously unclaimed areas for oil exploration and diamond mining at
the ocean floor will intensify the Russian issue. They
have eighteen ice breakers. The US has one. Canadians are building several.
Palin is a symbol of small town values; 'pro-life' Palin
is a good choice in today's media where the news has been
cancelled.
Nominee Obama advocates for 150 billion for research over
the next ten years. Meanwhile back at the ranch The Crow
Indians of Montana have signed a seven billion dollar
contract with an Australian entity to develop coal to a gas plant now. Montana is also allowing leases in the
Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers for oil and gas.
But Palin's selection will be a nice diversion for Dems
as McCain is selected. Remember, one third of votes will
be on electronic machines which are totally fraudulent.
And Bob Ney, the Ohio Congressman who wrote HAVA is now
out of prison and appearing regularly on KPOJ's former
'progressive' talk radio news segments. Is that progress
we can believe in?
Posted by: LT | Aug 29, 2008 11:55:49 AM
Danny Boy she ain't, and I wonder if McCain picked her because she beat Murkowski in the primary.
That said, she's about to learn what Geraldine learned in 1984. First the press will take a fine tooth comb to everything in her life, and everything in her family's life (incl. her husband's finances--remember that press conference where Geraldine impressed so many people by sitting alone at a table saying "I'm here as long as you have questions to ask"?). Then they will take a microscope to her policy views. For instance:
* Gov. Palin, do you believe states or the federal government should have authority over siting and pipelines for LNG (apparently, if I heard the radio story correctly, McCain and Merkley are on one side, Gordon is on the other)and other energy facilities?
Also, the aforementioned royalties question.
*Gov. Palin, how would you provide health insurance necessary for the family of an infant born before the age of 28 weeks? Can you understand that the worries of an early birth are only compounded if the family doesn't have really good health care coverage?
*Gov. Palin, with a son in the military, did you support the GI Bill Congress passed and the President signed? As a governor, what are your thoughts on the current balance between the regular military and the National Guard? Should Guard troops who served in Iraq get the same benefits as those Iraq vets in the regular military?
*Gov. Palin, you are experienced with balancing budgets. What are your thoughts about tax cuts at a time we are fighting in 2 wars?
This will show what kind of a decision McCain made. Will she ever disagree with him? Can she answer such questions better than he has so far?
Posted by: Irishspacemonk | Aug 29, 2008 11:57:00 AM
I lived 17 of my most formative years in Wasilla, Alaska. The difference between living in Alaska and Portland has been night and day. I thought I new freeway driving when I drove the Parks Highway from Wasilla to Anchorage. Then I got on I-84 and panic set in. Its totally different.
I wrote an article a few weeks back on this very issue, about Palin, Alaskans, and their socialist system that does really nice for them.
http://www.pixelmarx.com/2008/08/10/what-does-socialism-look-like-in-america-ask-alaskans/
Posted by: Jack Lansky | Aug 29, 2008 11:57:15 AM
"Did she fight to get body armor and other decent equipment for the troops who had to go overseas? "
Does it matter? She's a republican and needs to be destroyed....sic Carville on her immediately.
Posted by: JHL | Aug 29, 2008 11:59:48 AM
I feel like he is using this woman and he is sorely underestimating the intelligence of the people who supported Hillary.
Ding!
Also, Palin may have good positives in Alaska... but that's a state where scandals are a way of political life. I don't think her penchant for firing public safety officers is going to play well in other states.
This takes the "inexperienced" attack out of McCain's quiver, and leaves him with not a lot to go after Obama on.
Let's face it: if McCain were elected, there's a pretty likely chance that he... well... umm... let's just say he's very old.
I don't think that voters are going to warm to the prospect of a beauty queen runner-up serving as Commander-in-Chief.
Posted by: Buckman Res | Aug 29, 2008 12:01:40 PM
Pretty shrewd move by JMac that changes the entire dynamic of the race. He gets a smart, successful, good looking, Washington outsider with genuine government experience. Any attacks on her “lack of experience” only serves to highlight BHO’s thin resume, and he’s in the number one spot.
She gives disaffected Hillary supporters one more reason to consider how they cast their vote. And she will be difficult for Dems to attack for fear of alienating women voters.
JMac’s campaign is also showing political savvy with the timing of this announcement, blunting the excitement of BHO’s acceptance speech in addition to issuing an ad respectfully congratulating BHO on his achievement, burnishing his credentials as an “honorable man”.
I’d be careful about underestimating the old dude.
Posted by: Kevin | Aug 29, 2008 12:03:46 PM
Here's another thing...
What does it say about McCain the "reformer" that he felt the need to add a "reformer" to the ticket?
Posted by: Displaced Oregano | Aug 29, 2008 12:07:29 PM
Palin? She's just like Dick Cheney, except she's female, young, pretty, ethical (mostly, except where brothers-in-law are concerned). And where he was is experienced Washington insider who knows every back room, back alley, and unlisted phone number in D.C., she went from small-town mayor to Governor of a underpopulated state with more oil revenue than they know what to do with, a year and a half ago.
Posted by: Bill R. | Aug 29, 2008 12:09:37 PM
Sarah Palin, experienced mayor of Wassilla, Alaska. Ever been to Wassilla, about 9 thousand people and three truck stops. Slightly larger than Lakeview, Oregon.
Sarah Palin has a four month old disabled infant. (She hid her pregnancy for 7 months.) Interesting how she is going to campaign.
She has good connections though. Her husband works for the oil companies. He's gone a good part of the year out on the North Slope. The details of trooper-gate will be coming out soon, as well as other idiosyncratic factoids about this rather strange choice to be a heart beat away from the nuclear button.
But since Sarah Palin is a creationist who doesn't believe in science, maybe the end times and the bomb aren't a problem.
Trooper-gate- Sarah Palin fired a respected public servant who refused to illegally fire Sarah Palin's ex brother-in -law whom she wanted to punish for his bad behavior to her sister. Seems like there's a little ethics problem.
Posted by: Displaced Oregano | Aug 29, 2008 12:10:33 PM
Palin? She's just like Dick Cheney, except she's female, young, pretty, and ethical (mostly, except where brothers-in-law are concerned). And where he is an experienced Washington insider who knows every back room, back alley, and unlisted phone number in D.C., she went from small-town mayor to Governor of a underpopulated state with more oil revenue than they know what to do with, a year and a half ago.
Preview and edit, D.O. ;)
Posted by: Kristin | Aug 29, 2008 12:13:04 PM
Palin is the target of an investigation for allegedly firing the Alaska Commissioner of Public Safety because he wouldn't fire the police officer who was going through an ugly divorce with her sister. So much for the straight talk express.
She then replaced the Commissioner with someone who had been cited for sexual harassment -- Palin knew this *before* she appointed the loser. So much for being a friend to women, as if her stance on abortion wasn't evidence enought.
Posted by: LT | Aug 29, 2008 12:14:00 PM
I read Romney and Pawlenty are feeling snubbed and like they had been strung along. Will they campaign for McCain?
Posted by: Bill R. | Aug 29, 2008 12:14:16 PM
You know..... John McCain just doesn't like celebrities and doesn't think they should be in high office. They shouldn't be taken seriously at all. That's why he picked Sarah Palin.
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/celebrity#comments
Posted by: Eric Parker | Aug 29, 2008 12:15:43 PM
So...from where I sit...it looks like the Republicans are going to try to get some of the Hillary vote. They are thinking "maybe we can get some disgruntled Hillary voters on our side by tacking on a woman to our ticket"...
HRC supporters may be a little uptight, but they are not stupid enough to fall for such an egregious (sp) tactic.
Posted by: LT | Aug 29, 2008 12:17:36 PM
I heard an analysis yesterday from someone in Michigan that Obama would carry Wayne County but might lose Oakland and Macomb counties to McCain/Romney if that was the ticket. Oakland County is pretty much a Republican county, but Macomb County is ground zero for the famous Reagan Democrats (a county Bill Clinton carried, as I recall). Just how will this play there? Esp. if the GOP platform is not friendly to unions?
Posted by: Kristin | Aug 29, 2008 12:23:57 PM
I find it profoundly patronizing that McCain seems to think that we women will go for anyone in a dress (or pantsuit). Hillary Clinton is a profoundly intelligent, experienced and committed advocate for women and Sarah Palin can in no way compare -- she's been in office less than two years and is a fierce opponent of a woman's right to an abortion.
A pantsuit does not a leader make.
Posted by: ORDem | Aug 29, 2008 12:33:10 PM
This is anybody's race now. Gawd, as a lifelong Democrat, how I wish it was a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket. The DNC and Obama made a very bad choice while McCain made a smart choice. Ironically, the fresh air is coming from the PUBS as far as bringing in a Washington outsider. As far as experience goes, neither Obama nor Sarah have the necessary experiences for the positions they are running for. A good old-fashioned horse race, hope it does the country good. After all, it is about the country and not any one political party.
Posted by: Bill Bodden | Aug 29, 2008 12:48:16 PM
A good old-fashioned horse race, hope it does the country good. After all, it is about the country and not any one political party.
Lotsa luck on the first sentence. It's about the country? You have to be kidding. It's about organizing the deck chairs (for the corporations that have bought both McCain and Obama) on the Titanic (America?).
Posted by: Putin | Aug 29, 2008 12:54:54 PM
Please send Miss Congeniality to come negotiate with us over some vodka.
Posted by: Jim H | Aug 29, 2008 1:02:43 PM
One more thing about the McCain/Palin campaign slogan: "Country First". By this pick, McCain demonstrated NOT putting the country first in choosing his runningmate. He chose someone in a purely political attempt to get women voters. Doing/saying anything to win without a thought or care about what would happen if - god-forbid - he gets a recurrence of cancer that can't be treated or otherwise drops dead. He's willing to leave the country in the hands of a 44 year old with no experience dealing with national issues.
Posted by: carla axtman | Aug 29, 2008 1:13:59 PM
This is anybody's race now. Gawd, as a lifelong Democrat, how I wish it was a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket. The DNC and Obama made a very bad choice while McCain made a smart choice.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
No, really.
Palin may be a great woman, I have no idea. But she is absolutely unqualified to be Vice-President of the United States. Period.
And given McCain's advanced age and shaky health, this is a horrible choice.
Posted by: Steve Hawley | Aug 29, 2008 1:21:31 PM
Carla, et al - you people are just pissed because a woman isn't on your ticket! Instead of a woman, you have old geezer, Biden.
I bet you're pissed...
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Posted by: Kitty C | Aug 29, 2008 10:43:38 AM
Your not baffled. Your afraid.
Have a nice day.
Kitty C.