Now obviously I’m not privy to what Republican Sen. John McCain was thinking when he chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, but as I’ve spent the day thinking about this choice, it strikes me as more than a little curious. Putting aside Palin’s thin resume – which makes Democratic nominee Barack Obama look supremely experienced by contrast – there’s the issue of a pending investigation into her role in an attempt to get an Alaska State Trooper fired from his job because he’s Palin’s sister’s ex husband. Throw in Palin’s ties to the Alaska oil industry, and you’ve got one heck of a VP candidate!
Oh hey, and did I mention McCain has only met Palin once? That’s sure to inspire confidence and ensure chemistry for the Republican ticket!
“You dithering liberal, McCain met her TWICE. Get your facts straight but obviously you believe in facts like you believe in America.”
– Haas if he was reincarnated a as right-wing blog commenter.
Great choice! I am fired up over McCain/Palin.
palin already embroiled in scandal in alaska as reported by the washington post
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/mccains_vp_pick_palin_facing_e.html
I am stunned by this decision!!! What was he thinking? He is a heartbeat from dying and you put the safety of the country into the hands of a poptart. She says she didn’t pay much attention to the Iraq war? She has a four month old down syndrome baby? Go home and take care of your children. I am appalled. John Mccain could have picked a sound VP. Instead he gambled with the American people. Shame on you Mccain! We have watched Barack in action for two years. We’ve gotten to know him. I trust him. I don’t know this woman and don’t try to force feed her to me. Are you trying to replace Hillary? Did you make a campaign ploy/pander at the expense of the country? I would not be voting for you Mccain. You lacked complete judgement!!
From a woman in NY
Ah the hypocrisy of the democrats – I love it! The gall to question Palin’s resume and experience – when Obama has far less to show for. The Author of this blog post should check the facts. What has Obama accomplished as Senator? Nothing. Palin in contrast has run a state, been responsible for budgets and has actually led. That alone makes her more than qualified for the position. What is really the scare for the democrats here – are those precious Clinton feminist votes that are now teetering in the balance.
don’t know exactly how the selection went down, but i would need some recovery time if i were pawlenty…to start such a buzz, then go get someone who nobody had even heard of this time yesterday, is just disrespectful…i have seen a lot of pandering this campaign season from pretty much all of the candidates, but i might call this the grand-daddy (no pun intended, mr. mccain) of all pandering efforts…as a matter of fact, they have already said to the cameras that this move is designed to get the upset female clinton voter…of course, on its surface, there is only one reasonable interpretation…”if you wanted a woman, we can get you a woman”…slash beauty queen, slash recreational sportsperson, slash governor of a solidly red state with 3 electoral votes…maybe we can gain the votes of some x-gamers as well…meanwhile, just throw those two swinging states known as michigan (17 electoral votes) and minnesota (10 electoral votes) back into the pool…i guess anything is possible…but you risk a 1984 reagan over mondale style beating if the female voters that you are targeting perceive that you are calling them “easy.” and that’s the nice word, because you are actually calling them stupid…and using a woman to do it…which suggests that you think she is too stupid to realize that you think she’s stupid…
As it has been said, McCain has insulted many women with this choice, assuming that women will vote for someone who opposes every one of their issues – simply because she has the same parts.
McCain has also assumed that he can fool all those “fired up” conservatives, that they must be stupid. He might be right about that one.
Everyone knows McCain is NOT a conservative by any means. How can a short list be comprised of Leiberman, Ridge and PALIN! They share sooooo many different views.
Then again, so does McCain if you think about it…
I’m not particularly a politics-talking kinda person but who’s going to take care of this kid when she has to fly abroad on international assignments? she did not have a toddler, (one with DS at that) when she occupied her executive position. This might be a little different don’t you think?
Okay, maybe we should look a little deeper at how McCain is positioning us for another dangerous and deadly debacle. Yes she is for drilling. This is bad enough but I am afraid it is much worse. Putin yesterday, declared that the Georgian conflict was orchastrated by the U.S. to benefit one candidate in particular. We have sent “humanitarian aid” on war ships and have parked them off the Georgain coast in wait. We are planning on a missile defense sheild that will force Russia to cut ties with NATO. If we move ahead with this plan, we will force the begining of another cold war. Now here is where it gets really scary; if Russia becomes testy, we of course will need new bases in AK for our protection, which I am sure Palin will have no trouble in offering up her own state. Imagine, the U.S. occupying a teritory to secure oil and infrastructre and oh, at the same time adding military bases and a new, perfect missile defense sheild site. People, this is not out of nowhere.
Jon, let’s be realistic here. Palin “led” a state of 680,000 people; it’s not as if she was governor of California or New York. By your logic, the mayor of Milwaukee would have been a perfectly good choice, since he’s got executive experience.
But hey, if you’re comfortable with McCain, a 72 year-old cancer survivor, picking a running mate with just two years of meaningful political experience – and thus putting her a heartbeat away from the presidency – then so be it.
Why are you all assuming SHE has to care for any of the kids? What happened to the leftist notion of women breaking the glass ceiling and not having to “stay at home and take care of the kids”?
Her husband is the primary caregiver for the 4 Palin children still in the home.
I realize it’s boiling all of your noodles to think this, but she’s the one who isn’t home baking cookies all day, and driving the crumb-crunchers to hockey practice in the family minivan.
So much for liberal notions of women’s progress, I guess.
Not all of us are assuming that, prosqtor. As a dad who’s done his fair share of child-rearing, I’ve got no problem with her husband being the primary caregiver for their children.
A few comments does not constitute “all” of us.
Oh enough about the stay at home parent crap. She went back to work 3 days after her last baby was born. Ever hear of bonding? Christ! Both parents need to bond with the baby. What does that tell you about her as a parent in general? If that isn’t bad enough, the serious nature of that baby’s medical condition calls for even more bonding in the first weeks.
And, hubby is on leave from his job at BP oil? That leave only started in 07 because they didn’t want it to be an issue of conflict of interest for her as governor. So much for the stay at home dad bullcrap.
The Palin’s are not people who put family first in their own lives!
Correction, hubby went back to BP now. He just didn’t go back in a managerial postion……..yeah, right.
Kay, you raise a good point. As the parent of a child with special needs, I know all too well the extra time and attention children with special needs require, and it’s curious she was back to work so soon. Then again, who am I to judge her parenting?
All of you on the left are assuming McCain is going to die in term though! Right? One heartbeat away.
So campared to McCain’s resume how does Obama’s look?
Zach should she have aborted her special needs child?
Since you want to get personal with her, since she knew should she and would you have looked down on her?
Steve, that’s the problem with conservatives like you. You simply don’t understand it’s not about abortion; it’s about allowing women to choose for themselves. Personally, I’d like to see a world with zero abortions, but I also think women should be able to make that choice for themselves.
See, unlike you, I don’t presume to tell women what they should and shouldn’t do when it comes to their bodies.
Who are you to judge her as a parent? You are a parent and have common sense. The entire country is going to be judging her parenting skills now. At least you have some of your own to use as a baseline.
But, if you want someone who judges parents for her job…….my sister-in-law social worker was appalled. Absolutely appalled.
No one could ever convince me, as a mom, that 3 days is suffient under the best of circumstances. Was there some crisis going on that dragged her away unwillingly? I didn’t find anything of that nature anywhere I read about the situation.
And, none of us “pro-choice” people ever reccomend abortion to anyone else. It is a personal decision and we want it left that way.
Oh, I see the war coming over this veep pick. And, I for one, am up for it.
Kay, you’re right – there’s going to be a war over this pick, because it shows a stunning lack of judgment on the part of John McCain.
Putting aside her ideology, I’m amazed McCain picked an individual he met once. After all, how thoroughly could he really have vetted her?