She got the job done. Even if a ref makes a mistake that affects the outcome, the win or loss is in the books. Personally, I don't think she's made a mistake, and neither did McCain. McCain and Palin aren't going to win, but she makes the race so much more interesting. Rather than having Obama annointed and appointed, he's now looking over his shoulder like every pol should. He's got an opponent that will make him more worthy. He's got a foil that will lay the ground rules for coming legislative battles. So again, I say: Go Sarah! Go Sarah! Go Sarah!
That has to scare the crap out of the Obama camp. He's been campaigning non stop since he became senator and she's been on the ticket for a week and she's just as popular as Obama is.
Personally, I'm not scared. I think the novelty will wear off, especially once the interviews start rolling out. She's a new sensation. Hardly anyone knew about her before her nomination as VP. It's exciting, and it may have been clever in the short-term, but I just don't see it holding up in the long-term.
Which means exactly nothing since she's more symbol than person. I'll say it again: Honeymoons don't last long. If the vote were a week after the conventions you might have a point.
People forget that Quayle actually gave Bush 41's campaign a breath of fresh air for a few days right after he was chosen. Then he unraveled.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080907/pl_politico/13222 I don't understand how this is acceptable foreign policy experience. And I didn't realize Obama doesn't support the troops...he's shown so much lack of empathy that he was against sending them to Iraq in the first place; and that he supported bringing them home earlier.
Junkyard, real question: did Clinton have more foreign policy experience than Palin? Probably not. All we can do is look at her (very brief) record, her statements, what we can learn (in short order) about her demeanor and mentality, and make up our minds accordingly. I just think this whole foreign policy experience blah blah is a red herring, and the GOP is happy to wallow in it, because they're ahead in the polls on the topic.
Agreed, I don't really care about foreign policy all that much, I want DOMESTIC policy fixed first..... DD
I promised I'd post, and here goes: Sarah Palin has been on my radar since she was elected Governor. She was my personal 3rd choice for running mate after Coburn (unlikely because he's a boring speaker and not personable) and Sanford (who reportedly turned it down). To understand Governor Palin, you have to understand Alaska politics. It's machine politics, not unlike Chicago politics, where those who get elected and stay elected are those who do the most for the most people. Politicians tend to stay in government a long time, and it's quite corrupt. She ran against all of it, named names of the offenders, and fought them when she won. She cut property taxes (a mandatory tax) as mayor by raising sales taxes (a voluntary tax). She didn't try to get tied up in what to do with the State Surplus. She gave it all back to the taxpayers. She's a passionate Christian, but she truly understands the separation of church and state. She vetoed the ban on partner benefits for state employees because she believes in rule of law. Now addressing the criticisms of her. On the Bridge to Nowhere money that she didn't give back. It wasn't an earmark. Ted Stevens fought for it as an earmark, but after the pressure, Congress converted it to a block grant. It's the best of both worlds for Alaska: They get the money from the Federal largesse, and don't have to build an ill-advised bridge. On pursuing Federal funding as mayor: I don't blame the welfare recipient for contributing to the budget deficit, or the Medicare recipient for bankrupting our country. I even took the $2000 handout that FEMA gave those of us whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Rita. It's those that take your money and give away that should be stopped, not the recipients. Here's a great article about Palin, from a point-of-view similar to mine. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/the_libertarian_case_for_palin.html And politically, it was a brilliant choice. It took a campaign without a real message and gave it a theme: reform. McCain has tried to reform some, but he hasn't been particularly effective. He adds a real reformer to the ticket, and he can claim that his lack of effectiveness is just because he was limited by being in the Senate.
Oh I agree...but she's such an unknown will we have the time to learn all we can about her before Election Day arrives? McCain, Obama, Biden don't have that problem. Plus I just think it's silly for them to tout her role as commander of the Alaskan National Guard as foreign policy experience...it's just another example, in my mind, of the hypocrisy of their campaign.
Just a couple of things. Palin didn't just keep the money and use it to help everyone, she did build a "road to nowhere" with it, or maybe it was a road that was supposed to go to the bridge to nowhere. As far as not blaming in the welfare recipient that's fine. But she actually hired lobbyists to influence policy to get her check. She wasn't just a bystander who got the money. She was buying influence in Washington. Thank you for response, and giving legitimate rationale behind why you support her.
Nothing important as to why to PICK Palin as a serious candidate for VP here other than political reasons. So we get it: COUNTRY FIRST means WIN BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Again, nothing of substance for the reason to pick Palin, just an attack on Biden and Obama picking him because of his experience..the main argument for the republicans against Obama until a week ago. While I can agree a little the picking Biden was unimaginative, I will also agree that his debate with Mrs. Palin will not be unimaginative. I can't wait to see how he deals with her on policy issues like he did on Meet The Press today. But attacking his record is unfounded and unsubstantiated in this article...at least the author admits that to him Palin hasn't accomplished much herself and only really has potential to him. I would say that Obama has done more on national issues, which is what a president has to deal with, in being in the senate than Palin has done with national issues being governor of Alaska. For those who try to make the argument that she has more "executive" experience than he does, it's really a bad joke that only the blind would accept. I mean quoting her mothership, PTA and moose hunting as leadership qualities for VP is a joke. Under those terms, 80% or more of the country's adults would qualify. Secondly, Obama has laid out his foreign policy experience clearly for over 18 months of running for office, not to mention that he opposed the war even before that. Palin said in 2007 that she didn't know much about what was going on in Iraq. So be for real, she has no clue except for what they are teaching her now trying to get ready for the debates and interviews. So her views want be her own, just what she is told to say to win the election. Instead of paying attention to the national issues, she was busy congratulating the Alaska Independance Party, or whatever it's name, on their convention while they thought of ways to secede Alaska from the USA. Now that's COUNTRY FIRST! BTW, the VP job is not meant to be a "on the job" learning experience. The person picked for that position is supposed to be ready on DAY ONE! That is not a new concept in US presidential politics. And with McCain's age and cancer history, it is even more appropiate to consider that the VP is ready on DAY ONE and not "on the job training". Also, Obama has more executive decision making experience at running the best and most successful national campaign for President in history in terms of voter turnout and fiscal responsibility, than Palin does as governor. Not only did he raise the most amount of money ever, but he won with a surplus in the bank. That's the kind of person we want running the country. McCain has no executive experience. If you want to try to count his leadership in the Navy over 40 years ago, you might wanna check out that success record first, or I should say failure record. I mean, who else crashed more planes than he did? How many other prisoners at his camp signed confession statements? Family values? Let's not go there. Why do republicans keep bringing up her family values? So that we can point out her own family struggles that are in opposition to her so called family values and then you can cry foul play..families are off limits? If you don't want her family talked about, stop using family values as her walking stick. After all, it was McCain and Palin that dropped her 17 year old daughter in the grease to save their own behind by outing the teenager's pregnancy to the whole world, not the media. So how is her life an exemplar of the kind of American dream that we can all admire? It is a nightmare for most that their 17 year old daughter who hasn't graduated highschool gets pregnant and walks on stage on national tv with a tight dress showing her stomach holding her boyfriends hand. That's against religious values. That should not be CELEBRATED. Not talking about the poor child is one thing, but how you republicans spin it to show EXEMPLAR family values is beyond amazing to me! What support for "muscular" foreign policy is this dude talking about? The "I don't know what's going on in Iraq" policy? No foreign policy, supporting the extreme right position on guns of having AK47s, and drill, drill, drill is representative of "across-the-board" conservatism? If so, I know why this country is in such bad shape right now. So the real political reasons for picking Palin and the acknowledgment that she is in training is agreed upon by this writer. At least the truth is coming out. This is about fighting against the first black president of the US by giving more white people the choice to instead put the first woman VP in office. Republicans may be bad stewarts of the government, but they are good at campaigning and know the inherent racism of many Americans. They bet all their cards that they could make this a choice to most voters over whether they want a black president or a female vice-president. They knew that this one aspect along would excite their base, because many most likely harbour severe racism in their conscious or sub-conscious. They needed to give them a good reason to stand up and support the crypt keeper instead of the black guy and they did for those type of people. Political goal accomplished....COUNTRY FIRST a LIE! I will give the republicans their credit again at knowing how to run successful campaigns. They are masters at pyschology. They suck at government, but you have to respect the party as formidable foes. They are playing the media like the real chumps that they are. They put out the story about an inexperienced Alaskan governor with a 17 year old high school daughter who is pregnant to the media, then they attack the media as being sexiest and getting into the family's private business for reporting it. They then group all the tv media together with the radio, newspapers and most importantly, blogs and tabloid media. This way they get to play the victim role to the American public. I just hope Americans have learned their lesson and are not this stupid still. Now they want to prepare that if anyone says that Palin is the wrong type of VP candidate to run the office right now, that it is because she is a woman only to make it sexiest. They then try to equate that to the equivalent of someone saying the Obama would be the wrong type of "black man" to be the president...something that has NEVER been said. But they are GREAT at bait and switch and setting up false arguments to get the sympathy of the unknowing or unwise gullible public. But it makes people who know what they are doing sick to their stomach of these types of tactics. It is dishonest and disgusting! This country will continue to go to hell under this type of leadership. I am not gonna even call it republican leadership, because I want to believe that the vast majority of republican people are not this gullible themselves. But if McCain/Palin wins, it doesn't do a whole lot to say anything different about this country's people to the rest of us and not the mention to the whole world that is watching and hating the last eight years even more than we do!
damn dude you did a job on this post, I finally figured it out, when a girl like palin's daughter gets pregnant, its a country music song. okay, sorry, I'm trying not to discuss this but that's been on my mind the whole day.
Joe Biden got grilled by Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press today, took the heat, and responded very well, in my opinion. When do the American people get to see Ms. Palin receive the same kind of interview? Don't they deserve to see her respond to Brokaw one on one before the election? Wes? Thumbs? Anyone? What is she afraid of? What is John McCain afraid of?
No. Obama got his during the 2004 DNC and rode it to where he is now. (Thus extending his 15 minutes.)
