Celebrity?

Now we can see why she was a Miss Alaska.

Travel safely, Al.  Thanks for the great job reporting from Denver.

If any of us need a good laugh for the next few weeks, we can try to imagine the VP Debate.

 

Palin has the ironic advantage of actually making Obama seem more statesman-like and experienced. That's a bonus!

This choice also makes McMaverick's age more of an issue. Is this choice ready to take the 3 a.m. phone call? The Democrats suddenly have more gravitas than they did just yesterday.

Well done, McBush!

When a woman with a dem could not bring home the bacon (no pun intended), how could another with a repug do that ?

Too much hype in the blogs today. Typical of dems to panic at the slightest of the unepected move from the repugs. And the irony is that actually it was McCain who panicked today.

amk

Disagree with your conclusion, Al.

As you say, this takes Obama's experience (non-)issue off the table for the McCain campaign. And that does change the dynamics...in a good way for Obama-Biden.

This is a short-term pick.  But it undercuts his basic message about Obama on experience.

I think anyone with any chops in the GOP knew they didn't want this job.

• Mittster: Religious Right doesn't trust Mormons, and his 8 houses reinforces out of touch meme.
• Pawlenty: Probably couldn't bring his own state along, thin resume, no buzz.
• Huckabee: Would've been a darling of the southern right, but wouldn't have meshed well with McCain.
• Crist: Popular, from a big state -- but he's probably gay.  (Even the usually even-keeled Chuck T opined that his engagement is a "setup."  Yeesh)
• Jindal: Didn't pass his early audition, the additional spotlight focused too much on his "fringiness" (his witnessing a demonic "possession", strict creationism stance)
  
• Ridge: They floated that trial balloon, and the Rush Brigade knocked that sucker down as his pro-Choice bonfides would've cost him tenuous hold on religious right.
• Rob Portman: Ohio native is an up and comer, and would've shored up state  Was being 43's choice the bump that pushed him off the list, or did he not want to get stuck on this ticket?
• Carly Fiorina: Brash, female CEO would've made for great optics, but she did get paid 40 Million to walk away from HP/Compaq. 
  
• Kay Bailey Hutchinson: Out of all of these folks, she's probably the most traditional repub-sensible. She's Palin, except that she's got more legislative experience. No ethical baggage, and she's anti-choice (which would've shored up her conservative bonafides).
• Joe Lieberman: Hahaha. yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

The only two others in the party that I thought would generate any heat -- Mark Sanford and Ah-nuld. However, it seems like both didn't want the job. The former had declared that '06 was his last election ever, and the second is restricted by law to serve in the highest office.

 

So, I affirm Al's notion that McCain had very little to choose from.

 

The Palin pick has a high potential for upside, but I wouldn't put money on this being a gamechanger.  And not because that's a failing of Palin herself -- I just wouldn't have much faith in McCain's team right now.  Outside of the "celebrity" attack, they haven't gotten anything that has stuck on Obama, much less any memes that affirm McCain.

 

Happy Birthday, McCain. Boldness would have been promising to be a 1-term President if elected and picking somebody who could govern a place with more than 8000 people after year four. This is a complete joke. It is utterly hilarious how Obama/Biden has so thoroughly gotten in the heads of McRove and Co. that they freak out to pick an inexperienced, beauty pageant celebrity with next to no executive, legislative, or intellectual experience or heft in the utterly desperate hope that somehow they might get lucky. My God, how absurd! This is going to be Bob Dole does Brittany Viagra ad redux. "Heh, heh, heh." Pathetic. Comical. Delicious. Can she even win AK with her sordid little scandal about to explode and draw attention to all the other AK Repub scandals? Tee Time!

Pass it on!!!  Abuse of Power, extreme right, she's Cheyney with Ovaries.

and unless they are just giving the themes one last hurrah before the official announcement, neither seem is off the table.

(Not as dumb as this VP pick)

But has she ever left the country for any foreign affairs stuff?

I am not kidding. Next in line to CIC and she has zero foreign experience?

Are you kidding me?

 

You know what is funny in all of this that most folks are still missing:

The political genius of Senator Barack Obama. I'll explain.

For many days and weeks, Barack had a chance to ruminate and pick and announce a VP. But he chose to delay till as late as possible. Many will now understand why. With his delay in picking and/or announcing, he wanted to give the McCain camp very little reaction time and force them into a mistake.

Now, normally, all that would be moot if McCain's camp had decided not to react but to go with their best pick irrespective of knowing Obama's pick (as would be the case if they had to pick first). But Obama figured they would try to react and counter and so giving them soooo little time was the key to forcing a desperate choice.

Now the whole game with the press by not revealing his pick until the 11th hour makes a lot more sense.

Later on, if, or shall I say when Obama wins, his masterful playbook will be studied by many, many politicians after him.

Oh.my.Gosh.-I was not a Hillay voter but as a woman  I am absolutely insulted. Wow. The scariest thing about this is where we are right now in the world. We need experience and sound judgement more than ever. This person has no place being a VP choice. What if McCain dies and she's left to run this country? Seriously? If the Republicans consider themselves to be so much more patriotic than us they should have put country above ego and trying to win at all costs. This is just pathetic. I am speechless at the lack of judgement and the complete disrespect this shows to women in this country. Now, it's all about your youthful appearance and your experience doesn't matter? They could have selected a more experienced man or woman than this. Sickening!!!!!

 

Sarah Palin by her own admission doesn't even know what the VP does. This is really scary! The Republicans-and I hear Rush was directly behind this-have chosen to play American Idol instead of looking out for our country, our veterans, our parents and our children's futures...

 

Is that Vogue cover a real one? Or some Phun with Photoshop?

John McCain has lost his freaking mind!!  Couldn't be happier. 

Maybe we should be thankful the MSM hyped up the Clinton/PUMA drama all week, because McCain apparently bought into it and thinks there's enough of it to make Palin a smart choice.

From Google images, looks like it is real, not a parody, Vogue cover.

Okay, back to the drawing board for Obama and Biden.

McCain just went for a desperate 3-point shot with his VP pick and while the ball is yet in the air, we will know soon whether this was genius or just naked desperation and a complete miss.

But on the Obama campaign's part, unlike all the touted male VP contenders, Biden will have to rethink his strategy in going after a woman. Where he can rip a Romney and Pawlenty apart without caring how much blood is split on the debate floor, he has to fall under a PG-Woman rating with Palin.

More subtle but just as critical, McCain is trying to say to the American people that the two tickets are now balanced:

One experienced, politically savvy, foreign experience rich, white male AND one neophyte, inexperienced minority on each tickets.

I don't agree with this of course, but I strongly suspect it is part of their playbook.

a creationist?  Phew.

DKos is posting details on some of her positons: creationist, anti-choice, the list goes on.  I agree with Jason, we may have the PUMA's to thank for this.

It would be too difficult for SNL to even try to parody.  She was a mayor of a town of 7,000 before becoming Gov.  Gonna be fun to see what Al has to say.  Hard not to laugh at the thought of a VP debate.  Gwen Ifill will be moderator.

Does anybody have a semi-resonable understanding of this, other than 'turning out the base'????

I still think he was smokin' sumpthin!

 

You telling us not to worry makes me worried, because it suggests that there is some upside to this pick.

The pick does a huge amount of work for Obama.  First and foremost, it makes it clear that McCain is deeply unserious about governing the country.  She's more inexperienced than Obama, but without the upside of having launched a national campaign and selling herself on her abilities.  There's no way McCain looked at the field and decided she was the best to take over if anything should happen to him.  It's transparently political.  In one swoop Obama's 'inexperience' is off the table and McCain's judgment is on the table.

Second, it's the worst kind of tokenism, and has the effect of saying that Clinton's appeal was because of her XX and not because of her undeniable talents as a politician and a leader.

If McCain doesn't end up looking like the fool he is within a week, American political culture is hopeless.

Really poor choice. Watching her now. Not particularly impressive. Not the obvious train wreck that was Quaile from the moment he opened his mouth. But, yes, ignore her, other than to point out how far right and out of step she is. Jump on McCain's lack of judgment.

Ooh, she just mentioned "corruption." Can't wait to see what comes out of her closet.

"Stood up to the big oil companies." Oh please!

By the way, her children's names are Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Is it just me, or does that seem odd?

McCain is 72 years old and THIS is supposed to be the person who would take over?  It's the same argument I always had about the bonus of putting Huckabee on the ticket...it would freak a lot of people out who would say, well I like McCain but he's old and this is our VP??

 

Also, I must disagree with Al's "unblemished" comment.  She may be less blemished but she is currently under ethics investigation by her legislature.

 

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/ak_gov_says_staffer_pr...

 

McCain does seem to have changed the topic of the day but perhaps not the way he intended.  Why not Kay Baily Hutchinson?

IMHO, Biden just hits McCain hard in the debate -- talks about the issues. If and when she has some sort of snappy retort (and I'm sure they can predict what it is), he comes up with a "you're no jack kennedy". Maybe it's "Governess, you are no Hillary Rodham Clinton". Go through a list of HRC's legislative successes and contrast them with the "Wasilla Sports Complex Land Deal"

.

From there, I hit her as another Bush, but without the silver spoon (implying that she got where she is not on talent but something else). We have another anti-science, pro-big-oil, extreme right winger. She may not be of the Bush - Cheney party -- yet -- but it's just because she hadn't been invited to the table yet. But ideologically that's what we have here...

Then he pivots to Georgia / Russia and the big problems of the times. (Too bad that I happen to completely disagree with the Biden / Obama line on that issue, but alas). I think that Joe Biden is just the kind of person to do this attack. He is so engaging when he gets critical... he gives the air of "let's roll up our sleeves and figure this stuff out because it's serious business".

If I'm "concerned" about anything, it's that the right wing is now mobilized. I think that it's too little, too late but all signs are that they see this as a sign of respect.

Either way, it all means that we need to canvass, phone bank, and put this thing away. Continue to win it with the ground game. (IMHO).

Does anyone think McCain's first choice turned him down??

I tell ya one thing McCain was able to pull off that Obama didn't and that was the element of surprise.  And sure, everyone is talking about this instead of yesterday but I don't think they are saying what McCain would have hoped.

Server issues??  Here as well as at TPM.  Hmmm.

I think the above Vogue cover is photoshopped. From my googling it looks like Palin was in the mag, but not on the cover. The sides of her face look way too square in the above cover for it not to have been pasted in.

Here are the pics from the Vogue story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-mccains-vp-pi_n_122...

This is judgement? A veep, who has absolutely no experience in the vast issues that face our country, for a 73 year old man. A mother with a 4 month old child who will be far from home for the next 3 months. Can't wait to see what Hillary says.

I think that last night the sight of Barack, Michelle and the girls, Joe, Jill and their kids and grands, with the little ones chasing confetti, was just too much for McCain... So now he's got a cute family on his side... I'd stick in an "LOL," but I'm thinking it's too close to true...

I just ordered my new yard sign, "We Bark (for) Barack" to go with my two Texas hill country dogs that run the fence line barking at everyone that passes. I'm going to put it on my big red ranch gate, topped with a row of fluttering American flags.

Now, with the VP choice this am, this is so much fun. What a bumper sticker: McCain's palin'. You bet he is!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that there were some buggy pieces of code in one of Al's post (from yesterday but still on the front page) that was causing the server to be slooooooooowwwww.

But I was (finally!) able to find out where it was and now things should be running smoothly again. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Comment on!!

I have thought for a long time that there was something of a Goldwater moment to this Republican campaign. Goldwater lost by a huge margin (bigger even than McCain's loss is going to be), but he set the Republicans on a path that they have traveled for decades. I have always felt that this election has about a 50-50 chance of either being a close election or a landslide victory for Obama.

I think McCain is torn by a desire to try and win and a desire to try and go down as an important historical also-ran. If he loses he wants to be Goldwater instead of McGovern or William Jennings Bryan and not Alf Landon. Barry Goldwater is a personal hero of John McCain. If McCain does not become president, he wants to be Barry Goldwater.

Unfortunately for him he will have a hard time trying for both. When I started playing outfield in little league baseball as a kid I used to forget to decide whether I was throwing the ball to second or third until after I threw it. I ended up throwing it exactly between the two and the ball just rolled and rolled and the runners on base just ran and ran. McCain hasn't decided yet whether he's going to try and win or whether he is going to try to be a remembered loser. He knows this election is all about Obama and it's Obama and the country's reaction to him that will determine if this thing is close or not.

Part of the Palin choice is meant to make sure that McCain gets a sentence in American history books and not just a listing in Table 15-3. Although as Republicans go I like her, I don't see her as the choice of someone planning to win. I could, however, see her as a standardbearer of the future Republican Party that rises from the ashes after this one has burned. Maybe that's part of his plan.

I agree with Al, !00%. I think they will, and should, pay zero attention to this VP.  She hasn't earned any attention on a national level and doesn't offer anything to swing voters that democrats don't offer in spades.  I seriously doubt female swing voters (the target niche) are hungering that much for a female VP to make this an issue even for single issue voters.  Clinton was a fixation for some very good reasons that legitimately had to do with experience and competence.  Who is going to just flip to McCain for this inexperienced person who happens to be female?  Not the numbers that are going to make a difference.  As for her political leanings...if she is an ideologue from the right, WTF?  How does that get McCain anywhere closer to being elected? So...keep the focus on McCain.

So, Palin is keen on killing animals. So far, I've seen photos of her outside with a dead elk and lolling about the grizzly skin (with head) on her couch. There's a giant spider crab on her coffee table.  She supports aerial hunting of wolves and keeping the polar bear off the endangered species list. Any other examples of her vicious contempt for wildlife and the environment?  

I just wrote a diary on Kos analyzing the new graphics on the McCain website.  The banner was obviously just done by an intern - which means they had no website ready to go with this pick (or signs - there were none at the rally right?)

She was not the pick until a couple of hours ago, definitely based on this evidence.

Fonts are awful - definitely not done by a professional company.

Rec it up - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/132512/087/860/578848

KD

The hard-core evangelical Christian right that shares Palin's stance on matters of public policy.

They believe that woman should be subservient to man.

They believe that a woman's place is in the home.

They believe that a woman, especially one with children, should not work outside the home because she is neglecting her most important duty to raise her children.

They will not be as happy with the choice of Palin as some of you may fear.

Is this just a big head fake ala Harriet Miers? Will Palin have some personal issue that will force her to withdraw after it is obvious what a bad choice this is for the GOP?

 

What a gift to Obama. Too bad for McCain he loathed Mitt Romney. Romney would have been at least capable of mixing it up with Biden and Obama. What is Palin going to do, tout her one whistleblowing victory that got her elected as governor to Alaska?

"Er, Senator Biden, spare me with your long-winded travelogue of all the heads of state you have met. And please, we are not impressed that you called Slobodan Milosevic a war criminal to his face.

I single handedly brought down a corrupt Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. So take THAT with you on your train ride home tonight!"

Can't wait for the VP debate!

I'm not even sure Palin will accomplish that.  Let's face it, the Republican base are a pretty homogeneous group.  I'm not sure a beauty queen from the far North is going to make them pee their pants with glee,  regardless of how much conservative ideology she espouses.

This is the desperation move of all desperation moves.  Regardless of the polls and pundits, the McCain camp saw that their bogus "celebrity" and "other" arguments about Obama would not hold water.  So they are unashamedly pandering to women who might be angry that Hillary was not selected as veep.  But, in reality, the PUMAs are a fringe group with no political weight.  McCain would have garnered more votes by picking a fringe candidate as his running mate (e.g. Barr).

I agree with Joel.  The fixation on Clinton was about experience and a longing to go back to the way things were when Bill was president.  Sure, it was about gender, too, and the toxic belief that having a woman president somehow mitigates all "victimization of women" many of her supporters cling to.  But it was never about having just a woman, but having a woman who understood and shared their victimhood.  I can't see any way that Palin will be an acceptable substitute to more than the few who had already decided they were going to vote for McCain anyway.  Those people probably were never really Democrats to begin with.

All other issues aside, the "heartbeat" issue will be the most damaging.  It will also bring the age elephant right into the room, which most have been reluctant to discuss.  But in McCane's case age is a real issue, and now here's who would take over the White House.  I just think that will be too much for anybody on the fence.

When I heard Palin was the choice my knee-jerk reaction was: Monty Python???

I'd like to know what Cindy McCain thinks about this pick. Palin is a very attractive, intelligent, strong, young woman. McCain is known for his womanizing and he will be spending a lot of time with Palin (a lot of it alone). I'm not saying Palin is attracted to McCain (who would be) but I wonder how Cindy will accept her man being so close and spending so much time with this attractive woman. Especially when you consider there are several other women that have more experience, but are no where near as attractive.

I's sure Cindy, as does many other woman, resent the fact that pretty women sometimes get the job or the promotion over a plain Jane with more experience.

 Her son is only four months old and has downs syndrome. A woman who has a handicapped infant, who will not be home for the next three months does not sound like family values to me. Babies need their mothers, she is obviously not breast feeding. I can not imagine why this woman would even consider doing this.

I think the intelligence on this board, which is considerable, is getting the better of all of you. :-) You dont need to exercise so much of it.

I think this is pretty simple: they're going after the Hillary vote.

They can't travel the Obama/Biden highway, so they're going after speed bumps. They think they're laying down roadblocks. Was this a Rovian whoop-dee-doo to deal with the last two months? [Hey! Maybe all that coverage of the PUMAs wasn't for naught.]

I mean they didn't even stop to think about her having to wear a scarf in a fundamentalist Muslim country -- which Mrs. Bush and Condi Rice wisely did -- or as Prez negotiating with Arab leaders. Can you see her in Israel?Negotiating an I/P peace? Those boys would run their bulldozers over her.

"As mentioned earlier, Gov. Palin is embroiled in her own trooper-gate scandal up in Alaska. In short, she's accused of using her pull as governor to get her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The brother-in-law is embroiled in an ugly divorce and custody with Palin's sister. And after his boss wouldn't fire the brother-in-law, she fired the boss. Palin originally insisted there was nothing to the story. More recently, she was forced to admit the one of her top deputies had pushed to get the guy fired."

Stand in front of a mirror sideways and turn your head to look at yourself. Check out your neck muscles and left ear. Now where is Palin's left ear? Her face is a full frontal shot.

It appears from this interview that she believes creationism should be taught in the classroom:

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html

 

"Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.

Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.""

 

You know I'm an Independent and a female and I'm not swayed by McCains VP pick.  Women are not a monolithic group and we don't vote based on sex, race, religion etc.  This woman is the true EPITOME of not ready to lead from day one.  As governor yes she's qualified and has served Alaska well thus far (minus recent corruption), has she has high approval ratings...However, this DOES NOT transcend into the President of the U.S.  Choosing her scares me literally bc she is NOT qualified to be CinC NO WAY NO HOW NO PALIN as she is appaling to be thought of as a good pick and ready to lead....that thinking is just appaling.

I wanted to make this point too.  I'm a family person, not religious at all, but believe in family and your word is your bond etc...This woman has a 4 month old child that she just had in April and she is going to be campaigning for VP?  HELLO does anybody see this as not right?

 

To me as a woman and a mother your children come first and you balance it w/your career.  She has a career as governor why jeopardize it for a losing campaign, and be away from all 5 of your children ESPECIALLY the 4 month old with special needs? Sorry, but an infant will come first for me before any job bc that 1st year is so crucial to their development.  I actually find it offensive that she would want this job when she already has a CAREER that is NEW and leave behind just a young infant....That is not a smart decision in my book and wonder what the christian right think of that....Just having a baby and leaving it to be VP?  There is no way, and I know as a mom, you can do both when you have an infant bc the infant, especially one w/special needs, takes up all your time.

And listening to her talk today at her "VP announcement party" she seems weak to me.  Her voice is cringy....But I don't get strength from her like you do when you hear HRC...and I'm NO HRC fan...trust me...but she doesnt come across as strong, and CinC at all.

I'm apalled further by the Republicans who are on MSM touting that she is ready, she can be CinC and will make a great one if the need arose...huh?  They are sooooo hypocritical.  And you wonder why folks hate politics bc people don't speak the truth even though its an obvious elephant in the room....Republicans are disgraceful...can't wait to hear Hannity later...NOT...can't stand the man to watch more than 10 seconds...

Population State of Alaska in 2000: 626,932

Population Illinois 13th District in 2000: 653,647

 

Al, "nice people" don't argue that:

1) A woman has no right to choose what to do with her own body, even if she is raped;

2) Evolution should be taught in public schools;

3) Global warming is bunk;

4) Polar bears should not be listed as endangered species, because the designation might interfere with oil and gas profits;

5) State commissioners should be fired if they don't allow the Governor to use her power to punish her sister's ex-husband.

Sarah Palin believes all of the above. So I can't consider her "nice."

But then, I don't separate people's personalities from their opinions as much as some people. In my book, the ability to smile and shake hands warmly doesn't make up for causing grievous harm to our earth, our health, our Constitution.

http://kodiakkonfidential.blogspot.com/2008/01/sarahs-vogue.html

 

 

@zha

I don't think you'll need to worry about Democrats attacking her based on her looks. The female campaigners working for Obama would never allow it, and besides, Palin presents plenty of other targets (she's creationist. Seriously).

The Obama campaign has shown itself to be quite skilled in attacking McCain without drawing a backlash. Instead of calling him old, they just say he's out of touch and doesn't get it. Instead of criticizing his war record, they acknowledge it and shake their heads in sorrow at how far he has fallen since then. They'll be able to do the same thing with Palin. There's no need to call her a clueless, inexperienced bimbo when simply calling her inexperienced will do.

She'll only be away from the baby for a couple months, and then she can settle down quietly in Alaska again...

And P.S. aside from all the other issues, choosing to have a Down's baby (I'm assuming she knew...) is a real act of courage.  Have to give some props for that.

Sarah Palin, mayor Wassilla, Alaska, less than two years on the job in Juneau, Alaska as guv. Any of you been to Wassilla? I have....It's a handful of truck stops. I have a good friend who just retired from her security force. Believe me the stories of this person will come out and soon. And the troopergate ethics investigation is going to come out ugly for her. She fired a good public servant because he wouldn't go along with her personal vendetta and using her office to get her ex brother in law. As for the fundies..do they really like the idea of  the mother of a four month old disabled infant abandoning him for the campaign trail and politics??

What does this say about McCain's judgment? First qualification of any VP, readiness to assume the leadership of the free world and be commander in chief. Yeah.. the mayor of Wassilla is good training. Sarah Palin is going to be a disaster for McCain. I think she will have to drop out early on.

Anyone see the Hillary Clinton/Rick Lazio debate when Hillary first ran for the Senate? Lazio appeared condescending towards her as a women. It buried him.

So the McCain campaign is hoping to undercut Biden's mouth and power with this ridick choice. Pussify him. Deball him in the VP debate. And if he doesn't behave and goes after her, hoping that every woman in the country will vote for her/McCain.

She may turn out to be a pretty poor choice but there's no reason to make assumptions about how she raises her children or, as someone posted above, why she gives her children the names she gave them.  Personally, I couldn't care less about her family values.  

I'm still trying to gather info about her other than the obvious positions that she has taken on issues (anti-choice, yada yada yada).  Everything I see so far smells like victory for Obama/Biden.  Can you see this woman field any questions on foreign policy in a debate with Biden?  Can you see it?  See ya.

NICELY SAID Christi.  I second your thoughts whole heartedly-

Her son is only four months old and has downs syndrome. A woman who has a handicapped infant, who will not be home for the next three months does not sound like family values to me. Babies need their mothers, she is obviously not breast feeding. I can not imagine why this woman would even consider doing this.

 

I didn't read your comments before I posted my own on this very topic. You were thinking like me but wrote much concisely than I did :-).

 

FOR PRESIDENT of the USA - On the wars, the economy and America’s future - Obama beats McCain EASILY.

FOR VICE-PRESIDENT of the USA - On the wars, the economy and America’s future - Biden beats Palin EASILY.

For BOTH President and V-President the Democratic ticket is the best way forward for America - NO QUESTION!

That’s our argument - simple and straightforward.

KISS!

The number one criterion for VP is that person is ready to be president.. NOW!. McCain should be called out for being disingenous and reckless.  Should McCain win and god forbid something happens to him can anyone seriously argue that Sarah Palin is ready to take over? Based on my own experience I know that life is inherently uncertain. I am sure many, many people understand this. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. And this has nothing to with age.

McCain, IMO, just blew the most important decision. He has made mockery of the VP pick.  I think Obama campaign will ignore Palin and keep pounding on this decision as further proof of his lack of judgement (Iraq, Afghanistan troop increase, etc.).

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/14152/9296/806/577869

 

I'm anxious to see this get more coverage.  It's been out there for a few days but has been overshadowed by other events.  It's the equivalent of the Phil Gramm comment but this time about healthcare.

 

And on a polling note (I know, I know) ya'll seeing that convention bounce?  A ten point swing in what three or four days?  How much convention bounce do we figure the Repubs are going to get?  I'd wager a couple of points.  The MSNBC folks figured they might play the whole thing low and pretend like that was their intention all along...just not even try to compete with the perfect political theather the Dems just laid out.

Anyone curious about what Rove must think of this choice????

It's so absurd - I keep thinking we must be missing something?  head fake?  When the scandal gets her, then he opts for Lieberman?  McCain thought Bo Derek was too old?  What is this about?????

I would not dismiss this "trooper gate" story too quickly. The guy she canned -- Walt Monegan -- (allegedly for not terminating her ex-brother in law) was the former Chief of Police for Anchorage. He is out there and likely is sitting on some information that could radically alter the Palin narrative, as they say. My experience is that it is not so easy for a new governor to roll a former Chief of Police of the state's largest City. To top if off the guy she hired to replace Monegan -- a Mr. Kopp -- was let go within 2 weeks on account of sexual harassment charges. Not vetted by the governor, which opens of a quesiton of her judgment.  One of the characters who allegedly pressured Moengan is a fellow by the name of Tibbles -- Palin's Chief of Staff -- now running the re-election campaign of none other than -- you guessed it the indicted Ted Stevens.   If we go further into the Wooten story, I have a feeling other surprises await.

Just like when Miers was nominated, the Dems ripped into her along with many Repubs who spoke out against Miers. The obvious disqualifiers for Miers were overwhelming. The rolling out of a obviously terrible choice and the ensuing negative, confused reaction reeks of the same kind of move played with Miers.

Look to see the real VP-choice for McCain to enter the scene – saving the day – sometime soon.

I dunno... even if that was true it would still be a strange tactic.

But what do I know?

http://www.andrewhalcro.com/

 

This guy seems to have some pertinent info. Any chance that Judge Suddock ruling might surface? Where is Michael Wooten?

"On April 23, 2008 in written testimony to the court, Palin denied ever making claims against Wooten, when in fact she had emailed a State Trooper Colonel in April of 2005 accusing Wooten of driving drunk."

From Halcro's blog.

I recall one national party having a particular obsession with our highest executives maintaining a strict adherence to the truth when it comes to testimony in court proceedings.

To top it off it seems as if the police were of the opinion that Sara was making false allegations against poor Mike Wooten, who was only trying to obtain equal custody of the kids.

 

From McSames website....

Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington.

Huh...demonstrated during her less than 2 years as governor that she is ready to be president?  Can you say HYPOCRISY?  Republicans can't not be believed when they issue out such deliberate lies...

We ARE going to win by a landslide.  McCain will carry 2 states if he's lucky and most likely only one, Arizona. Arizonians are growing tired of McSame and the VETERANS of this country have got to be UPSET that he thinks Palin is qualified to lead their bretheran...

Any Veteran  backing McCain is rethinking their support.

while a scandel, what I read is that the trooper [ex-brother-in law] was abusive. Answer - Joe Biden's domestic violence stance.

And family values - a father who was not going to accept his election because of his young sons’ tragic time to recover from an accident where their sister and mother lost their lives VS a mother with a 4 month old Downs Syndrome baby who goes on the campaign trail. I can just see him identifying with her pain without a negative word having to be said.

It's photoshopped. Palin was in vogue but she was not on the cover. Here are the real Vogue pics of Palin: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-mccains-vp-pi_n_122389.html

From Andrew Sullivan's blog:

"Nielsen Media Research said more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the Academy Awards this year."

Did someone say electoral landslide?

Look folks, McCain wins this day, which is all he is interested in.  Whereas normally the discussion would be about Obama's speech, or the big deal, duh, of picking a Romney or Pawlenty, what is everybody talking about.

Sure it is short term but it has the desired effect.  And I wouldn't be surprised if she does back off, and by comparison the next pick looks great.

As the initial "WTF?!" shock wears off, the news isn't good for Old Get-Off-My-Lawn WRT this pick:

Mark Halperin, who normally doesn't find much to dislike about anything McCain does, is plainly aghast.  He tries to soften the blow, but it's obvious that he think McCain's made an own-goal here.  The words "Quayle" and "disastrous" are used.

What's even worse is that Romney and Pawlenty are PISSED as hell about being seduced and abandoned.

Meanwhile, Obama's landmark speech last night was seen by 38 million people -- more than watched the Oscars, the 2008 opening ceremonies in Beijing, or even the last episode of American Idol.

Not only is McCain Bush II redux and worse, but he appears to be trying to assume the mantle of Bush I (remember the golf cart) who made an art out of appointing unqualified tokens to high office, thereby proving his racist and sexist bonafides. 

I love the quadruple head-fake in layout position theory that suggests some knight will come riding in to save McCain's candidacy after the SNL season opens. But, in Presidential politics--with 67 days to the election--you don't get a do-over. This is the hail-mary of hail-marys, the mother of all muddle-headed political decisions. Obama/Biden is in McCain's head as bad as Rove once was in the head of timorous Dems from 2001-2004. How the world has changed! 

But, after a full day today of basking in the brilliance of last night and gloating at the evidence of how moribund the Republican Party is, tomorrow is Registration Day and it is truly Game On. 

Wow -  jaw dropping desperation as Roy from HuffPo would say! Obama's electrifying acceptance speech obviously scared the absolute crap out of McCain! At least Quayle managed to get a law degree.  Palin only has a Bachelors  Degree .... in Journalism.  McCain had the nerve to make an ad questioning "Why wasn't it Hillary for VP?"  Why didn't McCain choose one of the many more solidly qualified older Republican women?  Again, going for the younger, more attractive woman like he did when he dumped his first wife and their kids for the rodeo queen/would-be Miss Buffalo Chips.  I know he graduated bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, but it's hard to believe he would think women who were impressed by HRC's accomplishments would be conned by this obvious pander. This is McCain's judgment and experience at work in choosing the leader who will be within a heartbeat of the presidency - a 72 year old's heartbeat! 

This is such a great choice.  John McCain threw away his ace in a craven play for Hillary supporters who will never abandon the Democratic Party now.  He obviously thinks they are dumb as sticks.  

The Rovians had the gall to think they understand feminist voters, and they are about to be hoist on their own petard.

After that amazing display of power last night in Denver, with a nominee who took it to John McCain and BEAT HIM on every single smear, slime, and criticism leveled against the campaign, the Democratic Party is unified, fired up, and hitting the ground running today.  

And McCain thinks that Clinton supporters are going to be satisfied with a small town mayor with ovaries?  Are you kidding?

Hillary Rodham Clinton is an international political figure of historic magnitude.  She would fight and die on the hill of Roe v. Wade, and her supporters know it--because they would too.  They are not going to turn back that clock for a mayor from Alaska.

They backed Clinton because they saw her as MORE qualified than Barack Obama, not less.  As middle-aged women, they know well the special category of sexism that applies to them.  Palin ain't in that club yet, and the Rove boys don't even know it exists.

Nobody would dream of saying that Joe Biden needs to go easy on Hillary Clinton.  Hillary Clinton could back Vladimir Putin into a corner and keep him there.  

What, apart from her sex, puts Sarah Palin anywhere near the White House?  She's a token, plain and simple.  And Hillary Clinton supporters know tokens when they see them.

They're coming home already, where we will welcome them with open arms.

Perfect.  Just perfect.

I woke thinking i must have missed the joke.. Palin?? I reacted like all of you, going from befuddlement to laughter to WTF???? But it didn't take long for the anger to set in... we're calling it hypocrisy, but I think it's worse than that... A PTA mom, mayor of a town smaller than some urban high schools, and less than two years as mayor of .... Alaska! And McCain says she's ready to be president? If that's the case than we need to call it what it is... she's WHITE! We all knew it wasn't about Obama's alleged lack of experience... we all knew the code words... but this is so blatant it makes me sick.

1st of all...my login "goes out" every week or so...then I have to request my same name and password by email...

This is waterprise2 AKA Pam

1) You guys know how I feel about HRC...but this is an insult to ALL women to think that McShame thinks that all women are interchangeable.  Whatever people thought about HRC, she is heads above this woman...at least Hill "had tea" with heads of state...this woman can only say her state "is close" to Russia...the PUMAS want ONLY Hillary; and other women will be insulted.  Three little words: Supreme Court Justices!   Plus the more qualified Republican women are insulted!

2) Commander-in-Chief?  Inexperienced? Foreign policy experience? Ready to be President at a moment's notice? ALL of McCain's "arguments" just flew out of the window!

3) A CREATIONIST?!?!?  He might as well of chosen the Huck--Huck would have been a better pick!

4) The women who are super-conservative were voting McCain anyway; no way centrist women will chose McC just because of this woman...more women vote issues than gender...

5) Told hubby that those of us who rolled our eyes every time the O-man said over and over and over and over and over what a wonderful person Hilllary is are sorta punk'd now...Hill will be a GREAT surrogate against this woman...she's insulted too.  I won't have continuously said all those "nice" things about Hill, which is why Barack is President, and I'm not!

6) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said: "I know Hilllary Clinton, and she's no Hillary Clinton!"  Ka-ching!

7)  All Joe has to do during the debate is go after McCain, not her, and make her defend McCain...that way, he's not going after her, and it will point out how weak they both are!  After all, that's the Veep's job, to stand up for, and in for #1!  And we know that Joe will be smiling all the way!  Joe can do it...he's been debating for YEARS, and he knows how to handle women (in a positive sense)...unlike McC*nt!

8) Plenty of Dem women know that there were other Repub women out there; that McShame chose pretty and inexperienced over OK-looking but better chops shows he's against women!

9) Joe's son is leaving for Iraq, too, so no violins for her!

10) But this is really #1...McMansions just blew his 1st judgment job--picking a good VEEP, while O-man passed with flying colors...

This is classic "take your eye off the ball" tactics. They're seeking to minimize the damage from yesterday's huge success for Obama and the Dems in general. And it looks to be working, as most blogs and news have now placed the Dem Convention as a secondary headline.

I won't fall for it. What was it again that happened last night?

Al, Do you think those republicans running in Nov. for election are happy with this pick?Their phones and blackberrys must be buzzing.Could there be a revolt at the convention?

thanks for the reminder!!

Attacking Palin as a working Mom is definitely a lousy way to go - watch out for hyposcrisy there.  And even going after her for general lack of experience is kind of weak, just because McCain will love having that talk and spinning it.  Right or wrong, it feeds into their talking point.

This should stay about McCain, about "not getting it", about all the same issues it was about before this announcement.  We can win that fight, and not get caught up in trying to drag down this newcomer - it sounds petty.  And besides, people will do the "heartbeat" math themselves, and the obvious patronizing political nature of the choice is so transparent.  This is McCain's first decision, and it's about the election, not the office.  It's weak, period.  Focus on the old guy.

It seems stronger just to ignore her, to say, well, what is there to talk about?

You're right...the O-man has been fighting this "code word" racism all of this time...

Not once has he brought it up or complained or whined about it.  He never even specifically said that his election is historic...even though it is as historic as HRC's...others say it, but he never did...just as he didn't put his race on his Harvard application...

That's even more reason to trust his skills and revel in his brilliance...

 

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

is precisely what they want you to believe.

Firing the State's top cop because he would not fire your sister's ex-, in the midst of a very difficult custody proceeding and making false allegations against the trooper under oath looks to be closer to the truth.

You owe it to yourself to go to Halcro's site. Lots of documents flying around too on what is a very current story. If the national press isnt all over this, I will be gobsmacked -- you can be sure the "netroots" will be. Seems as if Todd Palin is not afraid to throw his weight around either.   

Xantar- 

I don't mean that I think the Obama campaign will make blatantly sexist claims about Palin.  They're much too smart for that.

I do, however, think it's a tempting line of attack for unaffiliated-with-anyone Obama supporters to take, and for the mainstream media to repeat.  

Even some of the commentary in this thread here (ie, in a discussion full of people who always seem reasonable and thoughtful) makes me cringe--I don't even want to know what they're saying over at, say, Kos.  

I am enjoying these Republican quotes saying that this VP choice completely destroys or counters Obama's message of "change." They really think that "change" just means "black" and so now that they have a woman, it's just as much change.

As far as "ready to be president," all that means is that she holds the same "values" and policies as the GOP/McCain, which are obviously the correct policies (duh!), and so she must have good judgement!

I won't fall for it. What was it again that happened last night?

On the other hand (and this is a flimsy silver lining, I'll admit), it also keeps second-guessing of the speech out of the news.

Mayor of 6,500. Want to see the it?

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1111955043001259916aOJPlP

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1111953656001259916qLgZLT

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1111954257001259916iosYYL

My neighborhood is larger than this town.

I agree with you on the whole criticism of Palin running for VP with an infant. Lots of women with disabled infants work outside the home, and her baby can obviously come with her on the campaign trail.

There are lots of reasons I think Palin is a bad choice, this is not one of them.

I am an Idaho native, a current University of Idaho student, and a journalism major. I was born the same year this woman graduated.

While I do think those who are on the fence and leaning Republican in Idaho and surrounding states will go for her simply because she's got the "one of us" feeling, I don't think it will matter. Idaho was going to go for McCain anyway and I still think Montana is in play. It won't change many minds, I don't think.

But it is irritating that I have that much in common with her. Apparently I could go on to be vice president! YES!

as in "let's just get this over with."  No sense in fighting a lost cause.

Tina Fey is jumping with joy over this pick.

That said...

How about that amazing speech last night?

Now that it's official, here are the crucial questions:

• Who's her pastor?
• Does she wear a flag pin?

Let the vetting begin!

 

I have posted intermittently here with this name so I'm obviously happy with this pick (although she's more of a Ferraro than a Quayle imo).

Obama insulated himself from this months ago by listing his criterion for the VP pick.

"Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally?
I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a 'yes person' when it comes to policymaking."

The surrogates will just need to ask what McCains criterion are and how it reflects on his judgement.

 

I mentioned this before and the more I think of it, the more sense it makes.  McCain really did change his mind at the last minute.  Romney and Pawlenty are pissed.  Palin was not adequately vetted.  It was purely reactionary.  I agree with the possibility of a feminist backlash against this pandering.  Has there been any evidence of this?

And yes, we should be relishing in Obama's speech.  But what else is there to talk about?  It was fabulous.  And anyone who thinks that meeting the high expectations that he has set with regard to speeches is easy, doesn't know much.  The whole convention was high stakes poker...lots of chances taken and they ALL paid off.  It was a thing of beauty and the polling bounce indicates as much.  And that's without his speech last night even taken in to account.

 

It's a good day.  And I'm off to Obama training this evening.  Finally going to get over myself and start talking to strangers. : )

McCain simply doesn't want to be viewed by historians as another Stephen A. Douglas. We all know of Douglas as the man who opposed Lincoln (twice). He's essentially a villain a history, someone standing on the wrong side of it. In McCain's mind he has three possible outcomes for how history will view him:

1.) Eisenhower - Eisenhower was the great general who took the reins shortly after the country had defeated one enemy and was learning to fiht another. When McCain thinks of himself as president he sees the great son of admirals who will guide our nation in the infant stages of its next great struggle (War on Terror).

2.) Barry Goldwater - If McCain loses a principled campaign he can set the bar for the next generation of leadership in his party. In McCain's mind, Goldwater was the prophet in the wilderness before the coming of the great Reagan Revolution. If McCain loses in the right way, he thinks he can act similarly. Goldwater benefitted from being on the wrong side of racial progress, but that's not what definied him in McCain's mind.

3.) Stephen A. Douglas - If McCain fails to be a Goldwater, he may be stuck playing the part of history's villain. A man trying to benefit from opposing genuine progress and the march of history.

McCain chose a woman to avoid Fate #3. History will not see Barack Obama defeating two old white men. McCain cannot be painted as a character opposing Obama merely because he isn't the standard pale male of the past. With a woman vice presidential choice, he was able to choose to be seen as one who advances racial/gender history instead of standing against it.

But this is the Republican Party so the minority/female bench is very shallow. Powell and Rice weren't interested and McCain needs to run from Bush anyway. So he wanted to find a female or minority GOP candidate that could at least pretend to represent at least a little bit of change. A shallow bench became very shallow indeed.

If you assume that McCain was going to lose anyway, Sarah Palin was actually a smart choice in defining how his loss will be viewed by historians. I honestly don't see this as a standard three point shot, but a toss from the other side of the court by a team that knows it's very likely to lose.

The convention was beautiful!!!  I will never get over it!!!

A few points.

She adds to the ticket in terms of some vigor and definitely solidifies the base until her record on gay rights come right to the fore.  And it wouldn't surprise me if the Obama team actually praises her record on gay rights as being very progressive for a Republcan.

The Obama campaign won't use the inexperience word, but they will question her knowledge of many things, including foreign relations, the military, etc.

And the underlying theme they will be pushing is which VP would you rather have in the WH, Palin or Biden?  It will be a comparison not just her on an island.  Further down the ladder, there will be more emhasis on McCain's age to bring the point out.

And ultimately, it turns back to judgement ad putting the country first.  It seems that by pandering to the base and attempting to catch some swing female voters, McCain is putting geting elected in front of the country.

They will be very polite to Palin.

Look folks, McCain wins this day, which is all he is interested in.

And that's all his campaign seems to be interested in, which is winning a series of days, thinking the part adds up to the whole.

The logic that says that Palin will win disaffected PUMAs is stupifying. Certainly, there are Hillary voters who will vote Republican, but it's the ones who liked Bill (and figured he'd play a prominent role in the administration) and thus voted for Hill by proxy.

This particular pick rankles the core of, and insults the intelligence of every feminist PUMA that was still undecided. It's an "Oh no you didn't." type of moment for them.

On top of that, her stance on the issues, and her inexperience relative to the economy, does nothing, nothing to help McCain in any of the swing states he needs to win. Electorally, this is a terrible, terrible, terrible pick. My first thought was, kiss any hope of Michigan and Pennsylvania goodbye and, sitting here in Ohio, I'm feeling good enough that any thought an independent left leaning woman has of voting for her will evaporate once they find out she's anti-choice and pro-gun.

Next, consider those over 60 folks who just aren't comfortable with an Obama because of his race. Are they supposed to be alright with a Palin because of her gender? The women, perhaps, but the men can look at an all male ticket that contains one of them and rationalize it out. (I'm supposed to vote for Miss Congeniality, really?)

Finally, there's the oil issue. She can be tied, more or less, to big oil, after all to some extent she's married to it. She has ties to Ted Stevens.

I'm hesitant to label it a bad pick. Because I could underestimate her visceral, surface level appeal among the soccer mom set. On the issues, however, she's a terrible selection. As long as Biden doesn't overdo it in the VP debate, I will go so far as to say she's a net negative.

Hi Al,

I didn't have enough time to both recognize AND respond, but I was running into the Hampton yesterday to pick up a bus pass for a crew from Grand Junction, and I saw you exiting.  Wish I had run up and introduced my fieldhand-self, but I was and am increasingly busy as a new member of the Obama Colorado team.

 

Good to see you.  What a day, huh?

ALERT: I'm still checking this out here in Denver because I've not yet had the chance to listen to Sarah Palin's speech in full. But a CNN.com post brought to my attention this serious breach of military and national security during her introductory address:

<<
Today we found out that the Republican Nominee for Vice President is Governor Sarah Palin. I have watched all the debates after her acceptance speech and no one brought up the fact that she, in front of a worldwide audience, broke Operational Security the Military prides itself on. She announced the MOS of her son serving in the Army, and went on to say the exact date and the country her son’s unit will deploy too. She has not only endangered the life of her son, but all the other soldiers in his unit. Senator John McCain never talked about his own son’s service for that very reason. I think it shows the lack of Judgment on the part of McCain’s Camp to not screen her speech and shows her own inexperience on the National Stage. For a candidate who prides himself on National Security his Vice Presidential choice just blew that argument out of the water. So why are we not talking about this issue?
>>

Please, you need to push this point ASAP out to the MSM and blogs. The talking heads should not miss this potential disaster. She exposed her own son and his unit in trying to take political advantage of his upcoming military deployment. As a military professional myself, I can't imagine what would happen to any Soldier if they ever made such an error of judgment for personal gain. It is the height of irresponsibility to reveal the future or actual deployment location of an entire unit, and we must point this out with immediate effect.

Choosing a two-year governor and former mayor of 8000 people, in a state where there is more reindeer than humans, to be heartbeat away from Commander-in-Chief - with the sole idiotic intent of wooing disaffected Hillary supporters - is an exercise in poor judgment and the wrong temperament to lead this country. It is an insult to Hillary supporters to assume that they would vote for an unqualified individual like Palin just because of gender. Besides, she is a risky proposition for our national security as she proved on her very first day.

PASS IT ON TO YOUR MSM LISTS AND BLOGS IMMEDIATELY.

Actually, people, I would check your bravado at this point.

American execptionalist irrationalism also applies to partisan politics--in spades. Reading Al, with the blood of victory dripping onto his keyboard as he praises Pat B., I can only say, the rightwing plays the irrational nationalism card much better than do the progressive-liberal-Democrat-left.

This choice, Palin, was pretty much McLame's best bet from a pretty bad hand at this historical juncture. He might just win the election with Palin as his VP.

Remember, this is chess, not checkers--and you are dealing with a brain-washed voting public that falls naturally for vapid, irrational, nationalist hockum. ("Only in America....blah, blah, blah)

Palin is nice eye candy, and she can string a few sentences together. I'd say that she is as intelligent as is McCain--and she will definately help the McCain ticket, in a big way. The story about her bravely choosing not to abort a child with severe health problems will go over very well in Kanasas--and the rest of the heartland.

All the screeching, deriding, and pathetic bravado in the world will not change the fact that McCain has just matched Obama's move. He tamped down the feel-good praise of Obama's remarkable speech--and he brings an attractive, intelligent young woman onto the national stage.

Indeed, given the fact that Obama has superior policies, he is more articulate, and has a presidential demeanor (that he has worked hard to cultivate during the last 19 months), McCain had everything to lose in not taking a bold move with the VP pick--and he has the election to gain.

McCain the war hero runs with an exemplary model of US womanhood. The war hero against the America-hating, hauty radical that hangs out with 1960's terrorists in Chicago.

Believe me people--a majority of the US public eats up American exceptionalism, and they will love the Mrs. Palin.

We are dealing on a level (American exceptionalist irrationalism) that goes beyond policy--it is all about tugging the heart-strings and playing the familiar memes that get working class Americans to vote for tax cuts for the rich. It works every time.

I thought Obama had this election nailed after listening to his stellar speech last night--but then I remembered that we are dealing with a brainwashed general public, and we play on a field where the pros know how to kick a left-populist in the face every day---by laying the American exceptionalist memes on hot and heavey.

The Dems and the liberals are amatures at this game--and the dynamics of the game functions to prod people vote against their own economic and class interests on a consistent basis.

No liberals, Pat Buchanan's calculated praise will not win the election for Obama. The white supremacist game functions on a deeper level than does anything akin to mere commonsense and 'justice'.

PUMA is not about gender. If it were then the predominantly white women in question would have to recognize that Barack Obama's victory is a victory for black women and a victory for black women is a victory for ALL women (and men). White women have had 43 presidents to reinforce their whiteness to allow them the privilege of making gender their prerogative. Black women have not had that luxury.

 

(I invite you to re-watch convention footage last night where a black woman and a white woman stood hugging each other and tears were streaming down their faces. THAT is feminism and not pitting race against gender.)

PUMA is a racist reaction. And with this pick McCain is giving (trying to give) racism a (gender) alibi just as Hillary Rodham Clinton did.

 

John said:

It seems that by pandering to the base and attempting to catch some swing female voters, McCain is putting geting elected in front of the country.

Of course, John, McLame would say that his getting elected IS putting the country first.

McCain made a masterful move, whining that he isn't playing fair isn't going to get Obama elected--but making better moves will.

Obama has been very light on the left-populist critique of coporate super-exploitation.  He will need to craft a deeper critique of what is wrong with the status quo if he is to win this election.  In the past Dems have been too afraid of making their corporate masters nervous to engage this type of politics.

We'll see if Obama has it in him to out play Mclame and the corporate beheamouth that has its foot on our collective neck.   If he doesn't, we're McFucked again.

As Al pointed out, being down in the polls motivates the peeps.  Hopefully it's a message that will stick.  Getting cocky is not helpful, as you point out.  But I do like the hand we've been dealt.

She also was instrumental in defeating a ballot initiative (with state funds) that would finally ban the abhorrent, gratuitous, and disgraceful aerial gunning of wolves where even pregnant wolves are not spared. Wolves are chased to the point of exhaustion by plane and then shot point blank or shot from air. 

http://actionfund.defenders.org/site/PageServer?pagename=c4akwolf_homepa...

http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imper...

McCain made a masterful move, whining that he isn't playing fair isn't going to get Obama elected--but making better moves will.

 

I think your letting your cynicism get to you. Perhaps you should check your cynicism. I see nothing masterful about this move.  It may appear so a first glance but once everyone gets a closer look at her and her record and we have our debates people will realize she has little to nothing to offer for solutions to our problems.

 

Yeah, yeah I'm sure you'll go on and on and on again about how the right wing plays the "nationalism card" better than the left, but I fully disagree with you on that in our current circumstances.  I think if Obama can do half of what his acceptance speach did  with the rest of the campaign the Democrats will do fine in making people feel proud about their country.  Watching that speach last night made me feel more proud of my country than I have in any other time during my life, and I know I wasn't the only one.

We should not underestimate our opponents but I hardly see this as some sort of game changing moment.  Just more of the same crap they have always pulled and the Obama campagin has dealt with all they have been able to throw at him "masterfully"  up until this point.

@zha

The difference is we here are just chatting amongst ourselves, throwing ideas out there and trying them out on each other. The same thing is going on an DKos. Yes, some of it will make you cringe, but it's a far cry from there to an actual talking point by the Democrats. And let's face it, Middle America doesn't pay attention to blogs like this.

On another note, as I was driving home from work I found these words constantly running through my head: "If Palin was a man, she would not be in this position. And if she was a black person (of any color), she would not be in this position. She happens to be very lucky to be who she is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

On the one hand, I know such words are pretty offensive and demeaning to Sarah Palin. On the other hand...aren't they kind of true?

...but this is a weird country." Comment at 538 sums up my thoughts. One thing that isn't getting much play is her western/libertarian credentials, a group that went for Obama but could be reassured by a fellow on the McCain ticket.

Nice point, siddhartha

All the insults you hurl at those who disagree with you will not change the fact that your opinion is very much in the minority on this one.

Your cynicism is antithetical to everything the Obama campaign is trying to accomplish.  Insulting the intelligence of voters and chicken littlism, no matter how muted, will not help elect Obama.

We live in serious times and Palin is not a serious pick.  I don't care how heart-warming her story is or how photogenic she is.  That's only going to get her so far.  At the end of the day, she is still a pro-life, creationist-supporting, oil-loving political neophyte with zero foreign policy experience and questionable ethics.

If McCain picked Palin to steal the spotlight for a couple days, it was a horrible move.  Talk about winning the battle to lose the war.  Not only is McCain playing checkers, he's doing it without thinking a single move ahead.  His campaign has been in desperation mode from the start, and despite firing all his bullets at Barack, Obama will emerge at the end of this month with a lead as large or larger than the one he started it with.

This is a public forum, not your psychiologist's couch.  This is not the place to re-live your past electoral disappointments.  I suggest you wipe the tear stains from your Dean '04 button, put it in the back of a drawer where it belongs and begin the serious work of trying to get Obama elected.  In case you don't know, the way to help get Obama elected is to reach out to your fellow citizens and share with them how Barack Obama's candidacy has restored your faith and rekindled your hope.

 

 

Your neo-Marxist dialectics makes a soothing bedfellow for McBullshit, what is brilliant about his move? It ups your capital?

Palin may be very nice, may be smart as McCain or smarter, but are voters really going to feel confidence and comfort in this choice? Are independents really going to switch?

And for those who want to imagine that women will support McCain because he has picked Palin, just because she is a woman, how does that square up with the appointment of two or three more Alitos or Roberts's? This might occasionally happen but most women I know are a good bit more intelligent.

These two fear reactions I am reading here today just are not convincing.

Tara, that is all well and good.  My point is that to defeat McCain, Obama has to help the broad, brainwashed herd, the public, recognize its class interests in the grand scheme of things.  Democrats have famously been remiss in this key area--and they get clobbered.

If any politico can do it, Obama can--but he can't simply ape rightwing nationalist memes and expect to defeat McCain.

Maybe Obama should start threatenting to attack Venezuela--or Russia? LOL  You see my point: when you try to play toward the conditioned ignorance and irrationalism of the masses, you tend to merely ape the real fascist rightwing.  We saw where this thinking brought the country under Clinton--and I would like to make real progress at this point, not suffer the administration of another corporate bootlicker, vendepatria.

Look, my point is--you will never out-compete the rightwing on their tried and true ground, and getting praises from a rightwinger like Pat B. doesn't substitute for motivating people to vote based on their real class interests (which aren't exclusive of race or gender politics).

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one-ala...

and did nothing. Did she have a legal obligaiton to do so. I beleive there was likely a legal obligation to report any child abuse, esp. if you are the Mayor.

It happened in 03 or 04, date very unclear, in the presence of Bristol, one of Sarah's children. Odds that Bristol did not raise it with her mother -- next to zero. No complaint until August 05, 1-2 years after incident, buried in an extended e-mail while all manner of weak third hand allegations are lodged. You need to find and read this email and the transcript of her interview during the investigation, both of which are online. Sarah's not the most polished.

If 60 minutes gets Monegal or Wooten (who is out of country? and still a tropper in the hometown), Sarah might not make to Monday nite. Key info/documents not online are Judge Suddock's (supposed) ruling, cited by Halcro, or the allegedly false written testimony, that he also cites.

...I agree with Steven Hunt. Agreeing with the man as such doesn't bother me at all; acknowledging that, yes, McCain may have made a pretty good choice in choosing Palin is painful.

I just watched "Pitchfork Pat" Buchanan gushing over Palin on Hardball, a few minutes ago. Chuck T was babbling about how energized the McCain camp is about this pick. Sure it's a gimmick, as he readily admitted, but it's the first time the McCainiacs have felt good about what they're trying to accomplish.

Is the sky falling? A quick glance out the window tells me, no, it isn't, but an election I'd thought might be a done deal last night just got interesting again. Attacking Sarah Palin directly, publicly mocking her rather obvious short comings, might well backfire. Imagine footage of her crying on camera and the effect that could have on the low-information voter. Smugly proclaiming that she's a net minus for the McCain campaign's chances in November is true, if, and only if, Obama and his supporters can capitalize on that negative.

I have great faith that Obama is capable of finessing this one. What bothers me is, can his supporters keep their heads and do likewise? A good ground game can still beat McCain. The clock is running and in many ways it's just too late for him to turn his fortunes around in time to win in November. The down-side of picking Palin for Veep will emerge in it's own good time, no matter what either side does.

Do not be distracted by Miss Wasilla, 1984, and first-runner-up for Miss Alaska. That's what the Rovians are banking on and, unfortunately, they might well be right. The talking heads are saying this is a referendum on Barack Obama. Let's prove them wrong once again, turn that around, and keep this all about John McCain and George W Bush.

So long as we ignore Ms Palin and stay focused on the old geezer wheezing his last beside her, we cannot lose.

Thanks for the excellent article you linked to. Sarah Palin is definitely not a brilliant pick.

Gov. Sarah Palin on the Wooten scandal and VP

At 2:50, "What is it exactly that the VP does day-to-day?"

It's entirely possible that the only person who fell for the PUMA ruse was John McCain.  The PUMAs were going to vote for him all along.

Ever watch the Cafferty file?  Jack said to some stupid republican pundit/strategist that he got over 13K emails this afternoon from both republicans and democrats about what a bad choice Palin is for McCain and that democrats just rec'd an early Xmas gift.  Jack went on to say that republican women said in emails he rec'd today that they are enraged that McCain would think that just bc Palin is a woman that they would blindly follow.  They think its a bad choice too.

The republican (idiot) was in a somewhat angry debate with Cafferty for his comments and said well Jack u aren't listening to the same folks I am and Jack says I guess not...Idiotic Republican.

Republicans are being forced to sell Palin.  The ONLY people happy with Palin are social conservatives/evangelicals and that is basically McCain shoring up his base with her BUT not extending his base.  McCain has lost and will lose....

It turns out that Palin is not all that well liked in Alaska like the media portray her to be, according to alaskans themseleves.  Her approval rating is not 80/90% its 67...still high but remember Alaska the ENTIRE state is as large as the city of Austin in TX and one of the reddest of red states!  So 67 is not that great considering where it comes from, the bible belt of Alaska, Wisella...

Anybody else listen to Jack and read his emails that he gets from folks?  Today they were great re: Palin bc regular folks are what count about the pick not the MSM and the republican pundits about the pick bc they are deciding this election and they aren't happy with Palin...not bc she's a woman but bc she has NO foreign policy experience, has a 4 month old baby she should be taking care of, and lacks credible experience to be top2.

I've been a Defender of Wildlife for decades--and the organization just posted this note. Please pass it on.

“Senator McCain’s choice for a running mate is beyond belief. By choosing Sarah Palin, McCain has clearly made a decision to continue the Bush legacy of destructive environmental policies.

“Sarah Palin, whose husband works for BP (formerly British Petroleum), has repeatedly put special interests first when it comes to the environment. In her scant two years as governor, she has lobbied aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, pushed for more drilling off of Alaska’s coasts, and put special interests above science. Ms. Palin has made it clear through her actions that she is unwilling to do even as much as the Bush administration to address the impacts of global warming. Her most recent effort has been to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, putting Big Oil before sound science. As unbelievable as this may sound, this actually puts her to the right of the Bush administration. 

“This is Senator McCain’s first significant choice in building his executive team and it’s a bad one. It has to raise serious doubts in the minds of voters about John McCain’s commitment to conservation, to addressing the impacts of global warming and to ensuring our country ends its dependency on oil.”

 

From Steffany's wonderful link.

Check out the picture of downtown Wasilla, Alaska!

“Executive Experience”

Before her meteoric rise to political success as governor, just two short years ago Sarah Palin was the mayor of Wasilla. I had a good chuckle at MSN.com’s claim that she had been the mayor of “Wasilla City”. It is not a city. Just Wasilla. Wasilla is the heart of the Alaska “Bible belt” and Sarah was raised amongst the tribe that believes creationism should be taught in our public schools, homosexuality is a sin, and life begins at conception. She’s a gun-toting, hang ‘em high conservative. Remember…this is where her approval ratings come from. There is no doubt that McCain again is making a strategic choice to appeal to a particular demographic - fundamentalist right-wing gun-owning Christians. And Republican bloggers are already gushing about how she has ‘more executive experience’ than Obama does! Above is a picture of lovely downtown Wasilla, for those of you unfamiliar with the area. Behind the Mug-Shot Saloon (the first bar I visited when I moved to Alaska long ago) is a little strip mall. There are street signs in Wasilla with bullet holes in them. Wasilla has a population of about 5500 people, and 1979 occupied housing units. This is where your potential Vice President was two short years ago. Can you imagine her negotiating a nuclear non-proliferation treaty? Discussing foreign policy? Understanding non-Alaskan issues? Frankly, I don’t even know if she’s ever been out of the country. She may ‘get’ Alaska, but there are only a half a million people here. Don’t get me wrong….I love Alaska with all my heart. I’m just saying.

Dan Carr-

And for those who want to imagine that women will support McCain because he has picked Palin, just because she is a woman, how does that square up with the appointment of two or three more Alitos or Roberts's? This might occasionally happen but most women I know are a good bit more intelligent.

These two fear reactions I am reading here today just are not convincing.

Hey, my reaction (I assume I was one of "those" you were referring to) isn't based on fear, it's based on thoughtful introspection.  I argue that identity politics is a real effect, "irrational" as it may be.  We've just been through a heated primary full of the stuff.  

Sure, if you're liberal enough to worry about more Alitos and Robertses, then Palin's selection is probably not going to sway you.  There is a large set of voters who are much swingier than that, though.  Inductive logic tells us that effects we've been seeing all along aren't just going to instantly go away, even for an obvious pander.

James Haygood - 

I agree so very much--criticizing Palin for being a working mom is a bad idea.  How many fathers of young children get elected to office all the time without anyone commenting on it or judging them for it?  (I'd narrow that down to fathers of young special-needs children, but my guess is that there aren't enough special-needs children around to make this a very large demographic.  But if there were, I still can't imagine anyone judging them for it.)

This is the type of double standard that is probably invisible to most people until it's pointed out to them.  With Palin's pick, though, McCain is counting on the fact that Hillary supporters will see these slights and be upset about them.  It was a risky play, but it might pay off.  

I say, let's all do our collective best *not* to play into McCain's hand with this one.  

 

On the short term, it stole Obama's thunder by successfully distracting attention away from the best nomination speech of modern Presidential politics. (McCain, unlike Obama, has to keep pulling tricks out of a bag for the press to cover him.)

In the long term, this is the thing that will matter most:

The Democratic ticket is now more experienced than the Republican ticket. The whole issue of "experience" is taken off the table. McCain, with a little over two months till Election Day, has to find a new reason why Obama should not be President. He will fail. Identity politics won't save him.

Pat Buchanan on Morning Joe, before they knew who McCain's VP would be, was very down on her - basically saying there's no way it could be her, that it would be a disaster. Then magically, 12 hours later, he is hailing it as the bestest decision that McCain has ever made.  Does he not know about youtube? 

I actually don't care about how inexperienced she is - the problem is she was selected (not elected) and it's only a couple months out from the election.  The fact that people are equating her experience with Obama's - and completely ignoring the fact that Obama ran and got people to vote for him - is ridiculous.  

 

 

One more thing about Morning Joe - Mika and Joe were so incredibly rude to Sebelius and Clark.  They were on to talk about Obama and the whole time, Mika was texting on her blackberry and taking calls and Joe just ignored them to ask Pat about his VP guesses.  

My two cents: This is just what we have to deal with and we will. Dismissing her might be a mistake since we don't know anything about her yet.

Here are some of the arguments that I can think of: 1. If you were really interested in putting your country first then how could you pick someone that you don't even know? How do you know if she will make a good partner? How do you know that she has the judgement to be president, etc? Have you seen her work? Have you seen her temprement? This all plays in to the shoot first, ask questions later thing. 2. You have insisted on arguing that Obama is too inexperienced. How could you pick someone with less experience than Obama? 3. Would you have picked her if she were a man? 4. McCain has to carry the entire foreign policy burden himself now. He is prone to gaffes and may show his true colors on his own.

For every one that he gets by choosing Palin, he risks loosing someone. I think that the more independent types might see right through this and be deeply bothered by it's recklessness.

Could you please connect a link to P.Buchanan saying today on Morning Joe that Palin wld be an aweful pick please?  BC I only heard that he was thrilled with her.

Mcain gained the group that matters INDEPENDENTS w/Palin.  He only solidified his base...the social conservatives...

I don't believe VETERANS will want a Palin as CinC anytime soon and that must cross their minds when they look at this pick.

Who have we heard from today that today is a good pick?  Republican pundits, strategists, some PUMAS (who are really mccain supporters anyway), and SOCIAL conservatives...thats it.

Those are his base.  Obama was handed a gift in my opinion!  Don't ruffle your feathers just yet.

 

 

My bestest friend who lives in Denver just sent an email to me and I'm floored. She was a STAUNCH Hillary supporter of the vote with her ovaries variety.  Here is what she said:

"Okay, don't fall out of your chair but I am a staunch Obama supporter.  Pick your mouth up off the floor!  I watched Michelle, Hilary and Bill speak-hell, I watched most of the speeches from the DNC and wow have I become convinced!  When I first heard today that McCain selected a female v.p., I wavered.  Then, I read about Ms. Palin and her anti-abortion stance.  Add to that, her complete lack of experience and her husband being an oil worker and then add that she has a brand new down syndrome baby to raise with her other four children, and I don't think anyone in her right mind can think she is a good choice to run our country in the event that McCain drops dead of old age!  Ok, I know I'm preaching to the chior, but just wanted to let you know of my conversion."

That speaks volumes about just how effective the Convention was...how brilliantly orchestrated.  The Obama campaign knew all along that JSM III would announce his pick today to divert attention.  It doesn't change the fact that 38 Million (plus the PBS/CSPAN crowd) watched and listened to that brilliant speech and were moved by it.  Long story short: the Convention *worked*.

and more folks talking about how this has to be a last minute pick.  I mean as others here have said, there were no signs with both their names on it at the announcement today...Obama and Biden signs were displayed at Obama's unveiling of his VP.

so why can't the MSM speak of this if they did then voters would realize that it was reactionary and not well thought out...which it definitely wasn't.

did you see them both interact today...they don't know each other well at all....mccains decision was purely political it had NOTHING to do with governing at all....

I would think the Obama campaign will be very careful about tearing Palin down.  Better to let her flaws come to the surface and let the media and the Internet do its work.  Obama's folks are better off concentrating on McCain and registering voters.

I think she's a good candidate for the Republicans if they can hide her from intense scrutiny.  I just don't they can do that in this day and age.  

It's important to get to know anyone running for one of the high offices of the land. In that spirit, I figure sharing a document prepared by VP-to-be-or-not Palin, which I don't believe has yet made its way to the limelight of the Internet, might be of interest to some.

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin was required to file a financial disclosure report with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Her 2008 report, filed in March of this year and covering the year 2007, can be found at this link.

In reviewing the report, it's clear she is not a rich woman, and there aren't any smoking guns revealed, though it does offer some insight into Palin's personal gift basket.

As governor of Alaska, she received an annual salary of $125,000 last year, the report shows.

Interestingly, Palin also received gifts that same year from various sources with a total value of $7,450, or about 6 percent of her total salary. (The figure does not include some $3,000 in transportation, lodging and meals for her attendance at the Republican Governors Association in November of last year — which seems a legitimate expense.)

But then we get into another whole list of gifts — the $7,450 figure — that can best be described as sea-mammal-inspired for the most part.

Here you go, Palin's "2007 Log of gifts received with cumulative value of $250 or greater from the same source," in this order — source, description, value:

• Evan Chunak in New Stuyahok, Seal hat, $300
  
• NW Territory Energy Minister, Brendan Bell, Quivet scarf, $250
  
• Alaskan Native Heritage Center, Aleut woven basket, $450
  
• Ditto, Sea Otter head band, $150
  
• Ditto, Tlingit rattle, $300
  
• Ditto, Athabascan Chief necklace, $265
  
• Bering Straits Native Corp., Ivory carved raven, $700
  
• Calista Corp., Woven grass dance fans, $300
  
• Ditto, Ivory necklace, $150
  
• Ditto, Ivory Puffin mask, $2,200
  
• Tlingit & Haida Central Council, Silver love bird bracelet, $350
  
• Sealaska Corp. & Sealaska Heritage Institute, Pendleton blankets, $285
  
• City of Nome, Gold nugget pin, $1,200
  
• Northwest Arctic Borough, Baleen basket, $300
  
• AFN, Quivet scarf, $250

That's pretty sgag stuff in a frontier sort of way. Just think of the kind of swag she can score in a run for the White House.

 

 

 

Ha, ha, ha--I am being red-baited here.  I love it!

The good ole days are never too far away, just under the surface of the US psychic economy lurk the Hiroshima/Nagasaki apologist cheerleaders.

Precious.

Look, Palin is a lightweight. She just is. No experience. No record of her foreign policy ideas. Never been on the national stage. Her selection is an incredible gift to Democrats. She makes Joe Biden look like Lincoln. And yet too many folks in our camp - the day after Obama's remarkable final night at the convention - are seriously questioning if this throws the election to Grandpa Simpson. Thirty-eight million people tuned into Obama's speech - more than opening night of the Olympics, American Idol, and the Oscars. And that doesn't include C-Span, PBS, and internet streams. And we're already back to Chicken Little?

Here's how this works. We have a remarkable ticket. We had an incredible convention, after an historical primary. We're united. We're on the right side of history. The issues are ours. This race is ours to lose. But we will lose it if we freak out every time the McMaverick camp runs a stupid ad or lies about Obama's record or the daily tracking polls are tied or McCain's ahead or nominates for VP a thoroughbred lightweight (that's for you Steven Hunt). To all Chicken Littles, from now until election day, just please STFU. Dammit. Chicken Littling is the equivalent of concern trolling. Anyone who engages in it from this point forward does not want to win.

End of rant. Thanks for indulging me.

 

On the short term, it stole Obama's thunder by successfully distracting attention away from the best nomination speech of modern Presidential politics.

Yes, but it also short circuited any criticism of said speech. So this didn't allow the MSM to spin the speech into something less than it was. And when you have an unspoiled shot at 38 million eyeballs (plus CSPAN, PBS, and the internet) I consider that a good thing.

Mcain gained the group that matters INDEPENDENTS w/Palin.

I'm going to assume you ment he didn't gain with independents, which, I think is true, and I would argue he even hurt himself among male independents....

I guess when he found out she was one of his isolationist, gay-hating, white-supremacist robots for Jesus his opinion of her improved?

This DKos diary reports that Palin's team just scrubbed her website of Palin's endorsement earlier this month of Obama's energy plan.

And that she left her town's finances in shambles when she left the Mayor's office.

Ready on day one to screw up the economy and rewrite history.

That's just rude. "Hiroshima/Nagasaki apologist cheerleaders"? That's sick. Your critiques about American imperialism abroad and propaganda at home are trite--even if true.  But isn't that the point? You want a revolutionary. Obama is not your kind of revolutionary, but his campaign increasingly presents the possibility of a different kind of revolution from the sad-sack or violent models of the 1930's or 1960's. Obama's language last night was far more progressive than Dean's ever was--or any other presidential nominee in generations. If the people he has enabled push him, we will all be happy with the policy moves.  You deride the idea of patriotism--and you are right to "boldly" state that it is a ruse, though one embraced by most Americans. But Obama's "new politics" is ultimately not about policies--though his will obviously help from checking some imperialist tendencies to forwarding truly transformative environmental laws--but about kindling a different kind of ownership society, one in which large numbers of Americans accept that 1) government policies can change lives--or save the planet and 2) Democrats can exert force to change government. Feeling good about the kind of America that Obama upholds as a possibility is not being duped into some rightwing version of patriotic nationalism.  

Trooper-gate has yet to be played out. The abuse of power for personal vendettas, firing a competent and respected civil servant to carry out a vendetta and bypassing the rule of law is frowned up by most Americans and most Alaskans.

 

Palin is very unpopular with the people of the city of Juneau, the state capitol. She considers Juneau too small to live in and her teenage daughters want to live near Anchorage so she commutes to the capitol. This past spring Juneau had a devasting avalanche wiping out about three miles of their electical grid. During the repair time which has taken several months, the city has had to resort to very expensive diesel generating to provide power. Electrical rates have gone up about 500%. To assist the legislature passed a bill to provide subsidies to the citizens of Juneau to help with their electrical bills. Palin vetoed it, stating contempuously,that the people of Juneau were  not going to get any government hand outs from her. Here's a woman of the people with her three homes plus a governor's mansion.

The swing voters will look and see how young she is.  And then they will look at him.  Uh oh.

Landslide.

The fundies will love this photo.

Standing on chair...clapping.

For those that might be worried once again, might I suggest watching some clips from this last week?  Obama's big speech...Beau Biden's intro...Michelle and girls...these would all make for great pick-me-ups, and remind you how great things are going for us at the moment.

Steven Hunt:  You got the attention you consistently crave so dearly.  Debating strategy on how to handle Repub moves is cool, but pissing in the well isn't.  "Red-baited?!?"  Please.

By the Republican talking points, Palin has more experience than McCain.

Apparently being a Gov for 20 months trumps any US Senator.

Pul-eeeze.

OK, I was being a little interwebs-smackdown-self-indulgent there.

But really this is what it's about: experience matters, but judgment matters more.  What does McCain's pick say not about Palin, but about McCain?

Palin is out of her element as Mayor of Alaska (oops, self-indulgent there again).  Can even Fox News really pretend this is serious?

 

If Palin is supposed to win over Clinton supporters, this may just backfire. There are a lot of Republican women like Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Olympia Snowe that are much more qualified than Palin is.

It seems that for many of the older woman supporting Clinton, the Democratic primaries represented to them an older, more qualified woman being passed over in favor of the "glamorous" Obama.

Now McCain has passed over older and more qualified women for the beauty queen Palin? Does he want a VP - or a trophy wife?

And I agree with nepat about the rampant Chicken Little-ism on the blogs today.

a week ago tonight I was worrying about Obama's pick for VP!

this pick proved that McCain doesn't care about this county but about his campaign more.

Palin Pleased with Obama's Energy Plan

Includes Alaska's Natural Gas Reserves Printer Friendly

No. 08-135

August 4, 2008, Fairbanks, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today responded to the energy plan put forward by the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

“I am pleased to see Senator Obama acknowledge the huge potential Alaska’s natural gas reserves represent in terms of clean energy and sound jobs,” Governor Palin said. “The steps taken by the Alaska State Legislature this past week demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to supply the energy our nation needs.”

In a speech given in Lansing, Michigan, Senator Obama called for the completion of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, stating, “Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska natural gas pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process.”

Governor Palin also acknowledged the Senator’s proposal to offer $1,000 rebates to those struggling with the high cost of energy.

“We in Alaska feel that crunch and are taking steps to address it right here at home,” Governor Palin said. “This is a tool that must be on the table to buy us time until our long-term energy plans can be put into place. We have already enjoyed the support of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and it is gratifying to see Senator Obama get on board.”

The Governor did question the means to pay for Obama’s proposed rebate — a windfall profits tax on oil companies. In Alaska, the state’s resource valuation system, ACES, provides strong incentives for companies to re-invest their profits in new production.

“Windfall profits taxes alone prevent additional investment in domestic production. Without new supplies from American reserves, our dependency and addiction to foreign sources of oil will continue,” Governor Palin said.

Brenden, you goof.

Yes, it is sick--the culture that excuses the crimes of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  Own it, don't put it on me.

This is the life-negating, blood-lust impulse--snuff out the nay-sayers and the truth-tellers.  Like pogrom, it just 'is'.

Not pleasant to look at--and this is why we have 'exceptionalism' here in 'America'.

Feeling good about the kind of America that Obama upholds as a possibility is not being duped into some rightwing version of patriotic nationalism.

Really, Brenden, this trite bs is why I called you a 'goof'.

I have supported Obama, in general, throughout the primaries.  I am a partisan, but I will still state my views, doubts, and predictions.   That's life.

...play nice!

Had I been around to moderate, I would not have let certain personal swipes back and forth between a small number of commenters to get through the goalie here. Take that stuff elsewhere, please.

And some folks need to line up for their Chicken Little booster shots, too.

Unless McCain has a secret poll showing himself 20 points ahead (and we all know that he doesn't because we're reading the same data), his choice of Palin was as close to a white flag of surrender that could have been waved. It's a totally desperate maneuver.

(And yes, that image up above is photoshopped comedy, duh. I never said it was real! I think it's funny that some folks thought it was a real Vogue cover, though, and that's indicative of just how difficult it is going to be for McCain-Palin to control the formation of Palin's national image, with so much freaky and exotic creationist, "feminists for life," eccentricity oozing from her every pore.

She's the Sargent Shriver of 2008. (With apologies to Shriver.)

 

Going by the tone of 99% posters (1% being nepat, laura) here, he managed to kill completely the post-convention buzz and more importantly, any meaningful discussion about it, all within 12 hours.

I guess,  I will wait for Al to chip in further.

amk

Thanks Al for chipping in. I don't see the reason for all the panic in the "librul" blogs. But then, I am a non-american, what do I know.

amk

Went to the mccain site pursuing the graphic analysis above, and found

something else interesting: hit the 'en espanol' button

in the upper right corner, and you get not just the page

in spanish, but a page two weeks old!

Talk about ignoring a demographic group...

And I should add, from Palin's financial disclosure report filed with the state of Alaska, her husband, Todd, appears to be a big-time snowmobile fanatic.

I grew up in the great North Woods of the USofA, and I've been known to jump on the back of an iron dog myself once in a while -- it's a cult thing, like Harleys. This is great political ad material -- Palin breaking the wind over the white landscape with presidential McCain, in full snowmobile garb (not unlike a flight suit, with helmet) hanging on for dear life on the back of that iron dog as it roars over the unspoiled tundra of Alaska.

They'll have to black out that reference to the United Steelworkers, though. Might be difficult to explain in the context of it all.

From Palin's financial disclosure report:

(Additional "Other Income'/Gifts) Todd Palin

Iron Dog Race Winnings: $10,500

Iron Dog Race Arctic Cat Contingency: $2,500

Sponsors of Iron Dog Race:

"In-kind" Arctic Cat, Inc.: $5000

Debenham AK: $500

Spenards Bldrs: $1500

[Written in pen] AK. Pacific Leasing $2500

Sponsors to Iron Dog Partner, Scott Davis:

Crowley: $2500

United Steel Workers: $500

William Walker Levesque Wallert: $2000

 

Sorry, I can't resist. 

 

McCain is well aware that he called out the conservative right in 2000 and feels the need to accede to Rush Limbaugh’s threats, but what may be in the back of his mind is his advocacy of the immigration bill. For the Republicans on Wall Street that wanted the bill, Palin is the source of a lot of long sighs and dry martinis. The Republican opponents of the bill are the guys who think she jumped out of a Christmas tree, and they, also social conservatives, will provide a little more organizational enthusiasm on account of her.

This will lead to a consolidation of Obama’s support among the high earners and college educated voters. Where Palin may help McCain is among the women over 50 without a college that kept voting for Hillary in large margins.  However, some discussions I've had today suggest older woman think Palin is Deborah Norville taking over Katie Couric's Today Show job.. the young, attractive, less qualified woman taking a job that Liz Dole and Olympia Snowe were more qualified for -- which will surely turn many off.

The argument against Palin is:

1. Palin is a radical social conservative: she’s Anita Bryant, not Meg Ryan;

2. McCain picked her for political reasons, not because he thought she would be the best president. McCain’s politicization of the pick and overall judgement reflects badly on his governing skills.

Any major gaffe or inability to express depth of understanding of an issue will hurt McCain considerably. For her to ace this test, the journalists that have covered her that say she’s light on the issues have to be proved wrong.

Although this was a headache in the news cycle after the momentum of last night, it may prove more helpful for Obama’s campaign than any day of the DNC.

You said, "This doesn't change the essential dynamics of the Obama v. McCain contest at all."

I disagree. It hasn't even been 12 hours, and the media (of all things) is starting to show signs of pouncing on this pick. The online response from reasonable Republicans has been one of confusion. Online Democrats are pulling data out of the woodwork to support the notion that Palin is a bad pick (and the media is picking up on it).

So, I think this may turn out to change the dynamics. Maybe not now. But in a month when Palin hits the campaign trail, more details about Palin are dug out, and the Obama campaign makes the "one heartbeat away" phrase part of the national lexicon, I think this race may be much, much different (in Obama's favor).

is going to be a short one, I suspect. So McCain surprises most of us with a dark horse pick and steps on Obama's convention speech bounce for a news cycle or two.  So what? We've got 2 months to go to the election, and Palin is an untested neophyte from a small state. Put her under an intense national glare in a heated campaign, and the Repubs are going to look like amateur hour.  Bringing Palin into the campaign at this point is like asking a pitcher who missed spring training and the regular season to start game 6 of the World Series.

 

:-)

"Bringing Palin into the campaign at this point is like asking a pitcher who missed spring training and the regular season to start game 6 of the World Series."

 

And bringing the pitcher up from single A minor-league ball.

John McScary & Governor Cruella Deville