John McCain has made a historic selection for the Republican Party, selecting Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his VP nominee. We’ll be monitoring the right wing blogs today to see howmuch whining goes on about her conservative credentials.
The selection is an attempt to bring in disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters. As a former disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporter, all I can say is “nice try.” What did Hillary say the other night? No way, No how, No McCain.
But I would like to suggest to the Republicans that the Metrodome is available for rent in case they’d like to try and top Obama’s Rocky Mountain High.
A quick update; I just spoke with my old neighbor Yvette who moved to Irvien from Alaska (the family now lives in Louisiana; we miss these good friends and her awesome peach cobbler). She laughed when she heard the news, telling me the conservatives in OC won’t like Palin much as she’s more of a moderate Republican. Vyette was about to tee off and promised a follow up call later. More details to come.
Would Hilary supporters REALLY hold their nose and vote for McCain, just because he put a woman on his ticket, a woman who is staunchly pro-life?
That’s not being disgruntled…that’s being apoplectic beyond reason.
So if Obama doesn’t have the experience to be president, how does Palin? She has been governor two years after being a mayor and on a small town city council. I am surprised McCain didn’t tap Christina Shea as his running mate!
Predicted strategy from Democratic Party surrogates…given McCain’s age, can we afford to have Sarah Palin a heartbeat from the Presidency?
What a desperate move to shore up the wingnut base,Palin not only toes the line on abortion, she also agrees on teaching crationism in schools.
I am psyched!
I’m a Palin fan and hoped she’d be the pick, but was still surprised. I thought the McCain campaign might go the more traditional route of pciking a Veep who might tip a battleground state.
And disgruntled Hillary voters is a secondary consideration at best. Only the ones who robotically base their vote on female gender to the exclusion of all other considerations will vote McCain because of Palin. The McCain people are smart enough too know that.
she’s a political lightweight. Considerably less experience than any VP candidate before her. She’s Dan Quayle in a dress
Matt — in fairness, while your RedCounty blogger had some real good son Palin’s selection, Art over at OJ did have a post about it yesterday afternoon. But the post was a typical “psst, someone told me” so it was hardly anything solid and more akin to a lucky guess. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Yes, Art posted it wasn’t going to be Romney, Pawlenty et al, and that if might be Palin or Hutchison.
He updated with the Palin intel later that night, probably around the same time we did.
Dan, kind of hard to Obama to attack anyone for being a ligghtweight or lacking experience, don’t you think?
She’s been running a state and successfully battling an entrenched political establishment.
Obama has accomplished zippo because he started running for president almost as soon as he got elected to the Senate.
Shouting “inexperienced” just points out Oabam’s inexperience. That charge ain’t gonna fly — the Dems want to put Biden at the top-of-the-ticket.
She’s Dan Quayle in a dress.
Nice try, Dan. In that case, Obama is Jimmy Carter with charisma…and less executive experience.
let loose the Democratic attack dogs of war…swing voters will love watching them try to tear apart their next-door neighbor and team mom.
Team moms are wonderful for bringing cupcakes but not for leading the country. But Osama is quaking in his boots now.
What a choice between the 2 main parties.
The Navy Cross and the Hot Chick
Vs
Snake oil and/as the New Deal
Jubal,
The team moms and next-door neighbors I know don’t have people fired when they won’t fire an in-law who’s going through a messy divorce with a sibling.
Palin is no comparison to Obama in experience, NONE. And because of her point of view, environment record etc. I think we can easily call her Dick Cheney in a pantsuit.
And all McCain has done with this pick is further drive the party apart by leading on other VP hopefuls and picking a candidate that was not even VETTED.
This has just further proven that McCain does not have the judgement we need in the White House. And Joe Biden better be careful, he’s going to get called out for picking on a girl if he is to rough with her at the debates.
The team moms and next-door neighbors I know don’t have people fired when they won’t fire an in-law who’s going through a messy divorce with a sibling.
Oh please. As if you have any actual knowledge of what happened. Smear first, ask questions later. The M.O. of the Left.
Team moms are wonderful for bringing cupcakes but not for leading the country.
Loud echoes of Hillary’s “baking cookies” put down of mom’s when she was covering for Bill’s Gennifer Flower’s affair in 1992.
I truly hope the Dems pick up your line of attack, Dan. Obama’s is running even with McCain among women. I’m sure putting Palin down as some “team mom” who’s only good for bake-offs will do wonders for Obama among women.
But Osama is quaking in his boots now
I think he’d be more afraid of Palin than the latte liberal for change. What would Obama do? Talk Osama to death?
actually, the details of said investigation are ini my last post after the jump. Using the power of her office to settle a personal grudge; yep sounds like Shea.
Ellinorianne:
Keep it up! All those swing-voting moms out there will love watching you and your compatriots going after Palin with the straight razors.
Left-wing viciousness always helps Dem prez candidates in this center-right country!
Details, Dan? From a left-wing nutroots site that will take any accusation against Palin at face-value?
Face it — you and your fellow lefties WANT it to be true, but I hope you’ll at least give her a fair hearing on this. I read most of the LAT article yesterday on the Biden sons and their investment from the trail lawyer firm, but I’m not convinced that Joe Biden did anything wrong or crossed any lines.
I’m looking into the charge, but given that Palin poses a threat to a very entrenched GOP establishment, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is political enemies in the legislature “investigating” a charge they know to be specious in order to give her a political black eye.
It’s like here in California when campaign file FPPC complaints against an opponent, and then send out mailers saying the opponent is “being investigated” for “violating campaign laws.”
not that right wingers are vicious in a campaign? Divide, hate, fear are pretty much all you have left to run on? How do you think Palin will hold up against Al Qaeda?
“It’s like here in California when campaign file FPPC complaints against an opponent, and then send out mailers saying the opponent is ‘being investigated’ for violating campaign laws.Â
Yeah, Christina Shea does that all the time; big whoop.
Palin herself asked for the investigation Matt. My old neighbor who moved from Alaska to Irvine (and sadly off to Baton Rogue with her peach cobbler recipe) knew all the details. Republican politics in Alaska is plain crooked.
“Loud echoes of Hillary’s “baking cookies†put down of mom’s when she was covering for Bill’s Gennifer Flower’s affair in 1992.”
It wasn’t a put down, but an acknowledgement that women do more than bake cookies at home. Some of them actually have jobs you know. But at least hillary didn’t plagiarize cookie recipes from Rachel Ray like Cindy McCain did.
“I think he’d be more afraid of Palin than the latte liberal for change. What would Obama do? Talk Osama to death?”
That is the weakest comeback you have ever had in an argument.
How do you think Palin will hold up against Al Qaeda?
You want to elect as Commander-in-Chief a guy with a thin resume, a pattern of caving in under pressure, and no executive experience — and you’re wondering how a Vice President Palin would stak up against Al-Quaeda.
I think she’d take care of them just fine.
Although if we could win the War on terrorism with empty left-wing rhetoric, I might vote for Obama.
Yeah, Christina Shea does that all the time; big whoop.
Thank you for making my point.
I’ve been reading up on this case, and it’s not even nearly as simple as that Lefty site makes it out to be.
Jack Cafferty from CNN:
“All we have heard from John McCain for months is, “Barack Obama is too young. Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. Who do you want answering the phone in the White House at three a.m.? Blah, blah, blah.â€
So what does McCain do? He picks someone to be his running mate who is even younger than Barack Obama and has less experience.
Sara Palin is 44 – Obama is 47. Sara Palin is in her first term as governor of Alaska, a state that has 13 people and some caribou. Obama is a member of the United States Senate from Illinois.
It’s not a big deal, except for this: If McCain wins, he will be the oldest person ever inaugurated for a first term at 72. He has a history of health problems that include bouts of melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer. It is reasonable to consider that McCain’s running mate could be called upon to be our president.
Meanwhile, some may see this as a move for McCain to attract disaffected women who voted for Hillary Clinton and aren’t yet behind Obama. But that might not work for a few reasons: Palin, like McCain, is pro-life. Also, she might be a woman, but she’s no Hillary Clinton.”
It wasn’t a put down, but an acknowledgement that women do more than bake cookies at home. Some of them actually have jobs you know.
Yeah. Like being governor.
Oh wait — that only counts if the women is a Democrat.
But at least hillary didn’t plagiarize cookie recipes from Rachel Ray like Cindy McCain did.
Plagiarism. Then I guess you must be upset over Joe “working in a coal mine” Biden as Veep.
That is the weakest comeback you have ever had in an argument.
Weak? Why should Osama fear Obama. Obama opposed the surge, which defeated Al-Quaeda in Iraq. Now Obama, since he has no grasp of military issues, wants to take the strategy he opposed almost until the end, and apply it to Afghanistan, where it probably wouldn’t work.
Obama can’t even stand up to Bill and Hillary Clinton. I’m sure osama is really worried about Mr. cut-and-run.
Re the Jack Cafferty “analysis”:
Let’s see, Dan: you’re afraid Sarah Palin isn’t experienced enough to be Vice President, on the remote chance that John McCain might die in office.
So in response, you’re backing for President a man who is arguably the most inexperienced presidential nominee in the last 100 years.
That makes perfect sense.
“the surge which defeated Al-Quaeda in Iraq”
Al Qaeda accounted for less than 5 percent of insurgent violence in Iraq; the Surge was to quell the insurgency. Al Qaeda was never a big factor in Iraq.
“Obama can’t even stand up to Bill and Hillary Clinton”
He did. He won. And he was gracious. And they are all on the same team now; what more is he or they supposed to do to convince you?
“you’re backing for President a man who is arguably the most inexperienced presidential nominee in the last 100 years.”
A man educated at Columbia and Harvard who choose to help working people in Chicago rebuild lives after a plant closing; a man older than JFK or Bill Clinton currently; a man who’s been in Washington long enough to know how it works without being corrupted by Lobbyists; a man who grew up from humble roots instead of been born into privilege or married into great wealth. A self-man man who realized the American dream. Yes. I’m backing this man who is far more in touch with the American people and understands the problems that they face more acutely than your candidate ever has.
And you’re backing a man who has changed positions on key issues affecting your party, someone Republican senators have publicly stated doesn’t have the temperment for the Oval office, a man who called his own wife the C-word. And this man was the best your party could do.
“I’ve been reading up on this case, and it’s not even nearly as simple as that Lefty site makes it out to be.”
Its a non-partisan site, but why let facts get in the way of rhetoric?
Jubal
It is not blades it is the truth and there are many more female Republicans McCain could have chosen with more experience than Palin.
It is laughable that you think by cticizing a woman that means I am anti woman. Not so. I just can’t believe that mcCain, who has been relentless in his attacks on Obama’s experience would pick someone with even less qualifications.
I am just stunned!
“Only the ones who robotically base their vote on female gender to the exclusion of all other considerations will vote McCain because of Palin. The McCain people are smart enough too know that.” – Jubal
Yes and they are smart enough to know that the Fundies will “robotically” vote for this inexperienced lady from the Great White North (and I do mean “White”) just because she opposes abortion and had a child with Down’s Syndrome, the latter which gives her points for the martyrdom they love. Never mind that she has little political experience and comes from a hard-core Republican state. Geena Davis would be better qualified – at least she has played a president on TV.
Andrew Siullivan on Sarah Palin:
“Compare McCain’s pick with Obama’s: a man with solid foreign policy experience, six terms in Washington and real relationships with leaders across the globe.
One pick is by a man of judgment; the other is by a man of vanity.
She may be a fine person, but she’s my age, she has zero Washington experience, and no foreign policy expertise whatsoever.
McCain has just told us how seriously he takes the war we are in. Not seriously at all.”
If Palin were a man, she’d still be a lightweight candidate. You Republians might want her to lose because here’s your champion for 2012
“I just can’t believe that mcCain, who has been relentless in his attacks on Obama’s experience would pick someone with even less qualifications.”
Allow me dispel this silly rumor once and for all.
Sarah Palin – in elected office since 1992, with executive experience (read: ALREADY knows how to run a government)
Barack Obama – in elected office since 1996, with….no executive experience whatsoever (read: needs to LEARN how to run a government)
If your silly attack line will be that our #2 has less experience than your #1 (which is pretty sad if I must say so), at least get your facts straight. Palin has more experience in elected office AND more executive office experience. Just, FYI…
So glad we can equate city council meetings with the federal govenrment; just because she knows how to run a mom and pop shop doesn’t mean she has the ability to run Washington.
Hahahaha, keep trying Dan, maybe you’ll get to a good talking point on Palin one of these days…
you guys…
got….
…..nothing.
I believe the years Obama spent organizing is important as well as his knowledge of the constitution.
As for running a city etc. Obama has proven he can run an organization like no ther, without drama.
I hear McCain fires his entire staff on Friday and rehires them on Monday. He’s a hot head who seems to thrive om drama. Like we need that in the White House.
Looks like the McCain crew couldn’t use Google to research Palin’s record as Mayor, where she increased taxes and abused eminent domain to build a money-losing sports complex, with large legal fees, arrogance, and incompetence.
They started building the sports complex on land they didn’t own.
The Republican line (thanks Jubal and d’Anconia) for justifying — oops, I mean defending — no, actually I mean trumpeting — the selection of this person for the VP slot is genuinely amusing. I’m reminded of the schoolyard taunt, I’m rubber and you’re glue. It actually would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
What will be fun to watch is these folks shred David Frum who wrote today the following (I’m no fan of this guy. I think he and John Yoo are prime examples of why we really should reform our immigration laws.):
The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing.
John McCain wanted a woman: good.
He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.
He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.
And he discovered that he could not reconcile all these imperatives with the stated goal of finding a running mate qualified to assume the duties of the presidency “on day one.”
Sarah Palin may well have concealed inner reservoirs of greatness. I hope so! But I’d guess that John McCain does not have a much better sense of who she is, what she believes, and the extent of her abilities than my enthusiastic friends over at the Corner. It’s a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I’d be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it’s John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.
Here’s I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign’s slogan is “country first.” It’s a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency.
But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?
And here’s a link to my National Post column on the choice.
I suspect now Mr. Frum’s conservative credentials to be confiscated.
Aug 10, 2008 — Karl Rove on Fox News opining on Obama’s possible selection of VA Gov. Tim Kaine. Anyone care to draw some similarities to Palin?
“With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he’s been a governor for three years, he’s been able but undistinguished. I don’t think people could really name a big, important thing that he’s done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it’s smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona; North Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada. It’s not a big town. So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I’m really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States?”
Campaign points, all about change and the need for a new directions. The song and dance of the demo’s hit a brick wall with the lady from Alaska being the VP choice for the GOP.
Now it looks like the party of change and a new direction is ……..
I’m curious. Does McCain really think Palin is more qualified to be Vice President or President than Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Elizabeth Dole? This is the most cynical decision I can recall in years.
The Biden pick makes Obama look weak- I didn’t like it at the time & I still don’t. Some have likened it to the Bush/Cheney relationship. I wonder who Hillary would have picked?
Obama “TALKS†about USA job loss & salary decline (largely due to Clinton joining forces with Republicans to push through anti-USA worker trade legislation- for the benefit of Wall Street greed), then he picks Biden- who voted with Republicans for the wholesale export of USA jobs?
btw- Is this a record # of posts for 1 thread yet?
This is a real opportunity for the women of America to break the glass ceiling, with an accomplished wholesome, all American female. It would be a shame if a small group of angry women empowered the historical male chauvinist attitude which has held women back for so long. America should elect McCain & Palin for the Whitehouse in November … for a return to wholesome American values. When it comes down to an experienced, successful Governor for Vice President … versus a community organizer and absentee junior senator, for President … Most of America would pick Governor Palin every time … I would.
No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko, no mean Michelle, NOBAMA
That John McCain is a hoot.
The Rodeo Queen at home and Miss Wasilla at the office!
I $upported Hillary.
I am now happy to help Obama.
Gina – thanks for coming over here and posting; I’m sure you earned some points from the McCain blog camp for your pro-Palin comments. Most of America would not pick Palin every time. She isn’t an experienced governor; she’s held the job less than Obama has as senator.
Thanks for bringing up Ayers; do we really hold Obama accountable for something Ayers did when Obama was 8 years old?
Who would have suspected women would allow themselves to be so manipulated? Obama disses women by giving no respect/consideration to Hillary or her voters, then in his unrivaled narcissism, he fully expects those same women to fall into step behind him, put him into office. Then in walks Sara Palin… You may not agree with her on many issues, but do yourself a favor–read up on her: she’s decent, she crosses aisles, she fights corruption wherever she sees it, regardless of party…and add to that, she has an excellent record of accomplishment to prove it. Something–any which way you spin it–Obama does not. Fancy that, a progressive woman of such character/integrity and she’s in politics. What a shame it would be to pass on this chance!
Who would have suspected women would allow themselves to be so manipulated? Obama disses women by giving no consideration to Hillary or her voters, then in his unrivaled narcissism, fully expects those same woman to fall into step behind him, and put him into office. Then in walks Sara Palin… You may not agree with her on many issues, but do yourself a favor–read up on her: she’s decent, she crosses aisles, she fights corruption wherever she sees it, regardless of party…and add to that, she has an excellent record of accomplishment to prove it. Something–any which way you spin it–Obama does not. Fancy that, a progressive lady of such character/integrity and she’s running for VP. What a shame it would be to pass on this chance to wipe out that ceiling!
Gloria – Palin is not a progressive woman. She is a conservative, pro-gun, pro-life, pro-creationism in schools Republican politician with minimal experience. We don’t agree with her on any issues. You are not going to persude me she is more qualified than Obama to be president
I just don’t get it. Senator Clinton is great, right? So why would she support Obama if she didn’t think he would support the things she believes in? And she the point that if you supported her in the primary for those reasons, for the people she wants to help, then no way, no how, no McCain!
How hard is that to grasp? Palin is the antithesis of who Senator Clinton is, just look at the Supreme Court.
Obama has shown great respect to Senator Clinton and unlike McCain, he’s not pandered to her supporters by picking her for VP. I think he made a good choice and I think Senator Clinton can do a lot more good as a Senator than she could as a VP.
And if you doubt Obama on his respect for women, look at his wife. She was given an opportunity to speak and she knocked it out of the park. I think that he chose to marry her says a lot about him as a man.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who voted for Clinton and calls themselves a Democrat has no clue as to why they voted for Clinton. Palin does NOT equal Clinton!
In regard to that ceiling; glass my *ss!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/31/22302/0236