• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

PoliGAF General Election Thread of Conventions (Sarah Palin McCain VP Pick)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tyrone Slothrop said:
governer is more of a ceremonial postition. that isn't say it's where you sit on your hands while other people make your decisions, but you're more of a figurehead in the gist of it. you can argue from the "executive" experience angle, though.
Please, you're just spinning out of control here. Governorship is more similar to how the Presidency works than the Senate. Not that I think Palin is qualified (some states are easier to govern than others, and I'd put Alaska at the top of the list), but the position is hardly "ceremonial."
 

Cheebs

Member
reilo said:
Actually, some estimates think more watched Obama than people voted for Gore.
How many are die hard republicans who would never vote for him but are political junkies though, that is likely a huge amount. I mean most of us here will watch McCain's speech on Thrusday and he could promise to give us anything and we'd all still refuse to vote for him but we'd be counted in the ratings.
 

laserbeam

Banned
Dax01 said:
What. :lol

Her Husband works on the oil fields. He is not an Executive with BP. His primary Job is a Commercial Fisherman.

She also pushed the Alaskan Senate to raise taxes on Oil Companies by 2 billion. thats hardly oil companies best friend
 

Chris R

Member
JCreasy said:
Hold on, just so we're clear . . .

Do you think Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president of the United States than Barack Obama? Yes or no?
a) no
b) She is running for President?
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.

and his state is far larger than Alaska
This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
laserbeam said:
Her Husband works on the oil fields. He is not an Executive with BP. His primary Job is a Commercial Fisherman


Crisis averted.

Hard workin' man > Exec.

Back to Mayor of Prettytown.
 
Azrael said:
People dismissing McCain/Palin are deluding themselves. If it wasn't for Ross Perot, most likely it would be 32 years since a Democrat has been elected to the White House right now. And Bob Barr is no Ross Perot.

This is a zombie narrative that just won't die:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 said:
If Mr. Perot had not been on the ballot, 38 percent of his voters said, they would have voted for Gov. Bill Clinton, and 38 percent said they would have voted for President Bush. Of the 31 states where Mr. Perot garnered more than 20 percent, 17 were won by Mr. Clinton and 14 by Mr. Bush. A Breeze, Not a Storm

"Perot may have breathed some fresh air into the campaign, in terms of his personality, but the outcome doesn't appear to have been influenced by him at all," said David Bositis, senior research fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
 
James Power said:
Wow, this is impressive. This is huge. Sarah Palin combined with the invaluable experience of McCain basically guarantees the Republicans winning this winter. What a great gesture towards humanity, I am crying here. These two people will truly bring change to the US. They have an actual plan, they have actual experience and so they will know what they are doing. I mean this is much bigger than just the US, this will make headlines around the globe in the next days. A truly wise decision that will carry McCain across the finishing line first. Wow, I am still speechless. You witnessed greatness here today, people. Eight-Twentynine, never forget!
I still can't wrap my head around this. Is this just a horribly unfunny joke post or am I missing something here?

Also holy crap I can't believe McCain did this. What a boneheaded move.
 

JCreasy

Member
OuterWorldVoice said:
Remember, this means potentially a future First Husband is an exec at a foreign oil company.

And Alaska is the most corrupt state in the Union. It exists on resource graft and little else. There are thousands of bridges to nowhere.

av0d2q.jpg
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
rhfb said:
a) no
b) She is running for President?
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.


This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.

Alaska is the third smallest state in the union.
 

Tamanon

Banned
I AM JOHN! said:
I still can't wrap my head around this. Is this just a horribly unfunny joke post or am I missing something here?

Also holy crap I can't believe McCain did this. What a boneheaded move.

It's James Power, don't even bother trying to wrap your head around it.:p
 

pxleyes

Banned
rhfb said:
a) no
b) She is running for President?
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.


This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.
Are you saying that being in the VP role she shouldn't be qualified to be president? You willing to bet McCain's health on that?
 

besada

Banned
rhfb said:
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.

George Bush was the Governor of the second largest state in the union.
 
rhfb said:
This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.


You actually thought he was talking about the size of the state, literally? :lol
 

laserbeam

Banned
besada said:
George Bush was the Governor of the second largest state in the union.
George Bush was kidnapped and replaced by a Clone before he took over the White House. Only way to explain his total change
 

UltimaKilo

Gold Member
besada said:
Does someone have some evidence that Palin's husband is a BP executive? What I'm reading is that he's a commercial fisherman who works at BP on the off-season. I'm all for pointing out connections to the oil industry, but working for Big Oil in alaska during the off-season is hardly what I'd call a smoking gun.

I have no idea where that came from. He is a fisherman who during the off season works as an oil field worker doing manual labor. He is also a union man. Turns out he is quite the sportsman too.

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8924080p-8824177c.html
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
I only posted population numbers, never the physical size of the state.

Or does he not know what the word POPULATION means?
 

Krowley

Member
reilo said:
Alaska is the third smallest state in the union.

He's talking about landmass. Alaska is a gargantuan state, and that has some effect on the complexities of governing it.

edit// i see it's already been pointed out. NVM
 

Chris R

Member
theviolenthero said:
You actually thought he was talking about the size of the state, literally? :lol
You can :lol all you want. I just like not putting words in other people's mouth. If you mean one thing, say that. Again had the poster said I don't know, more populous, larger in residents, or anyone of the other things that would have indicated people and not land mass I would have had no issue. People can be ignorant about Alaska. Several people I've met and talked to when on vacation down in the lower 48 think our state is to scale on maps and that we all live in igloos.
 

Ponn

Banned
Dax01 said:
What. :lol

I'm trying to find the article I was reading but I found this off of CNN

She is married to Todd Palin, an oil production operator on Alaska's North Slope. They have five children. Her youngest, Trig, was diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome.

Palin has focused on energy policy during her short stint in office, and she is known for her support of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a position McCain opposes but many grass-roots
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Krowley said:
He's talking about landmass. Alaska is a gargantuan state, and that has some effect on the complexities of governing it.

edit// i see it's already been pointed out. NVM

I know he is. And I only ever pointed out the population size.

He's arguing just for the sake of argument and twisting people's words to mean something other than what they meant.
 

Riddler

Member
rhfb said:
a) no
b) She is running for President?
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.

This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.


Come on its not that hard. Did she go out to any of the many villages out here in Alaska? You know her stand on " Measure 4 " in Alaska? Alaska people live in their own world away from the "lower 48" and you know that if your in Alaska.

Also she could be president considering we might have the oldest president in history.
 
Krowley said:
He's talking about landmass. Alaska is a gargantuan state, and that has some effect on the complexities of governing it.


Oh sure, that's REALLY IMPORTANT for a VP candidate.

Might as well point out that it shares a border with the former Soviet Union while you are at it!
 

Tamanon

Banned
Just the fact that so many random "facts" are being thrown around is a credit to how little anybody, detractors or proponents, know about Sarah Palin. I imagine that she'll get a bit of a better bump early on in the polls, just because people will look at it cosmetically, since they don't have a clue what her issue stances are. Some of the social stuff is documented, but then once you get into foreign policy, you're talking about a completely blank slate. I mean she even said she had no opinion whatsoever on Iraq last year. That's silly.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
UltimaKilo said:
I have no idea where that came from. He is a fisherman who during the off season works as an oil field worker doing manual labor. He is also a union man. Turns out he is quite the sportsman too.

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8924080p-8824177c.html


Yeah, I took that as gospel when I read it because it sounded right. Turns out the guy is basically the Marlboro man without the smoking and is a totally unassailable American archetype. In fact, he's a huge strength.
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Shiggie said:
:lol
Obamas district in Ill has more people than all of Alaska.:lol

Apparently the southside of Chicago is less diverse than all of Alaska, too.
 

Xeke

Banned
rhfb said:
a) no
b) She is running for President?
c) Just saying that being the governor of the LARGEST state in the union isn't as easy as some people are trying to make it seem (in comparing it to Obama's term as a state senator). I know my state has almost nobody living in it, thanks for pointing that out.


This is what I had an issue with. Illinois is FAR SMALLER than Alaska by a factor of over 10. Had the poster said his state's POPULATION, I would have had no issue. That is all.

Why would anyone be discussing geographic size when talking about an election...
 

NLB2

Banned
besada said:
The whole "experience" debate is pretty ridiculous. President is a unique job. There is no real training ground for it. Traditionally we look at Governors, since it's an executive position, but the difference in powers between your average Governor and the office of the President is so wide, it's basically an uncrossable gulf.

Historically, we've had effective Presidents from virtually every arena of the political spectrum, from Generals with no political experience to Senators, to Governors. Every President goes to the job as if it were a blank slate, because it essentially is. Even VP isn't much training for President, as the jobs are completely different.

At its highest level war is inseperable from politics. War is, afterall, an attempt to violently force our opponents to fullfill our political goals.

Generals work hand in hand with civilian political leaders to leverage our political, economic, and military power and those of our allies against our enemies. Presidents like Washington, Grant and Eisenhower had lots of political experience before taking office.
 

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
Ignatz Mouse said:
Oh sure, that's REALLY IMPORTANT for a VP candidate.

Might as well point out that it shares a border with the former Soviet Union while you are at it!
You just got Richardson's attention.
 

agrajag

Banned
Amir0x said:
this will be a pretty good litmus test of how easily Americans are fooled

it is clear now that she was not picked for any of her credentials, but just for being a women who could appeal to those Hillarycrats... which is really at its core at odds with the feminist movement.

Feminists aren't so stupid to support the most misogynistic platform just because the VP candidate is teh womyns, are they?
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
It seems that whenever the media mentions Palin, they first mention that she's a female governor of Alaska.

They follow that up with a mocking "and previously she was a mayor of a town of.... 9,000. Also, she likes mooseburgers!"
 

GhaleonEB

Member
The more I read about Palin, the more delighted I am with the pick. The hilarious resume, the desperation, the hard GOP-liner, the corruption/firing scanda. Good stuff.

And HOLY SHIT at the number of viewers of Obama's speech last night. It was a stunning speech (finally got to watch all but the last few minutes). All the spin in the world isn't as valuable as people seeing that performance.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
rhfb said:
Please do some more research

http://gov.state.ak.us/agia/



Failed to Connect

Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at gov.state.ak.us.

Though the site seems valid, the browser was unable to establish a connection.

* Could the site be temporarily unavailable? Try again later.
* Are you unable to browse other sites? Check the computer's network connection.
* Is your computer or network protected by a firewall or proxy? Incorrect settings can interfere with Web browsing.


do you have a link that works?
 
I'm crazy surprised that Palin said her husband is a proud union member considering Republican (shit, and most corporate dems' views) of unions in this day and age. The free market is our lord and savior and unions are satan's way of pushing socialism down our throats. :D

McCain is really reaching for the middle and thanks to our media I've reconsidered my earlier thoughts and think the evil bastards are going to take it again. The media is so shitty, and goddamned Americans won't stop voting based on personalities instead of issues.
 

Deku

Banned
Gary Whitta said:
Experience-wise I'll take the guy who represented one of the country's largest urban/industrial states over the woman who presided over a remote, barely-populated state that's 99% wasteland.

with lots of oil!
 

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Isn't Alaska's economy far worse the other 48?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-08-06-gas_N.htm
In rural Alaska, fuel costs now matter of survival
Posted 8/6/2008 1:15 PM | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like ths


The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is rising fast. How has the price affected you? Join the discussion at USA TODAY's Fuel Forum to swap stories and money-saving tips with fellow readers.

Gov. Sarah Palin
AP

BARROW, Alaska (AP) — A gallon of unleaded gasoline: $10. Heating fuel: $9.10 a gallon. Electricity: $1.17 per kilowatt hour — 11 times the national average.

Some heavily taxed European nation or a time in the future when global fossil fuels have grown dangerously sparse?

Try right now in the most remote villages of America's 49th state.

Soaring oil prices that swelled Alaska's treasury have come back to slam the state, particularly its 170 rural villages.

Gov. Sarah Palin has proposed checks of $1,200 for each resident to help relieve some of the burden using a surplus from the oil-rich state treasury. Lawmakers are debating that proposal right now.


But in far-flung villages, the people expect things to get much worse. The seasonal barge shipments of fuel have yet to arrive, meaning villages are still paying last year's prices, already a minimum of 60 cents higher than the U.S. average.

Here in Barrow, the nation's northernmost city that lies just a few hundred miles west of the country's largest oil field, Prudhoe Bay, residents pay $4.65 for a gallon of gas. When the barges come, that price tag will be closer to $7.

"I'm tired of everyone else harping on $4 a gallon for gas," said longtime Barrow resident Marvin Olson. "We've been paying that for four years when everybody else was paying $2 a gallon."

High costs are hardly new for many of these villages, but the situation is becoming dire and some are fleeing for larger areas.

There are more darkened apartments, abandoned ahead of the coming winter when minus 50 will be considered a nice day. Villages are trying to figure out how they will pay for enough fuel to make it to summer.

The season's first snow in some areas is barely two months away.

Alaskans in rural areas will spend 40% of their annual income on energy this winter compared with 4% for the average Alaska household, according to a University of Alaska Anchorage study published in May.

Alaska is largely roadless, and essential supplies that arrive by barge or airplane will also cost much more.

The Legislature is considering several lifelines, including Palin's proposed relief checks.

This would be on top of the annual oil revenue dividends most residents already receive. Last year's Permanent Fund Dividend check was $1,654; this year's projections are close to $2,000.

Palin and some lawmakers said on a recent trip to Barrow that they have tired of the suggestion that Alaska gets more than its share at the federal trough.

Alaska received $1.84 in federal spending for every $1 the state paid in taxes to Washington, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan organization. The state ranked third, behind New Mexico and Mississippi in 2005, the last year figures were available.

"We are taking care of the challenges we have in Alaska on our own," Palin said. "We are not asking Congress for relief."

Access to fuel in Alaska can be a matter of survival.

Boats and four-wheelers are used not for sport, but to hunt. Besides food, hides are used for clothing and to line whaling boats.

The Inupiaq Eskimo whaling community of 4,000 residents, like generations before them, rely on the land and sea to survive.

Animal hides hang from lines. Armed hunters troll the Arctic Ocean looking for bearded seals, locally known as oooguruk. Off road vehicles return home weighed down with a fresh-caught caribou.

There are ceremonies in the center of town to celebrate a successful hunt for bowhead whale. The captain of the boat is obliged to share his bounty with others in the community.

At a grocery store two blocks from where the ceremonies are held, a loaf of bread goes for $6; a gallon of milk, $10.00; a dozen eggs, $4.60; a pound of strawberries, $10; a half-pound of lunch meat is $7.

"If we had to go to the store and buy everything, we'd probably be on food stamps by now if we didn't have our land and sea animals," said North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta. "More and more our take home pay is going to be spent to buying gas to go get caribou, to go get fish, to go to our camps and gather our food."

Fuel-driven changes to tradition are already spreading through parts the state.

Henry Horner lives 300 miles southwest of Barrow in the village of Kobuk. He fears gas could reach $12 a gallon by the fall hunting season.

"Normally I run into six or more boats on the water this time," he said. "Where I went on the Kobuk, I was the only one there. I'm still wondering how many of us will be able to go hunting moose and caribou this year."

Barrow is better off than many Alaskan villages. The community gets subsidized natural gas from nearby fields. It's benefited from oil field property taxes that have helped build new schools and municipal buildings these last two decades.

Word of hardships in other isolated villages are slowly making their way to Barrow.

People shell out $10 a gallon for unleaded fuel in Anaktuvuk Pass; those from the state's southern coastal region pay $9.10 for heating fuel in Kokhanok; and electricity is costing $1.17 a kilowatt hour in Western Alaska's Lime Village.

The wait for Barrow's next fuel barge shipment in about a month, usually a time of relief, is now a source of growing angst, knowing gas for the next year could be in the $7 to $8 a gallon range.

Said Barrow whaling captain Jacob Adams: "We could be going back to dog teams if we can't afford the cost of gas for subsistence hunting."
 

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
reggieandTFE said:
I'm crazy surprised that Palin said her husband is a proud union member considering Republican (shit, and most corporate dems' views) of unions in this day and age. The free market is our lord and savior and unions are satan's way of pushing socialism down our throats. :D
She also enacted windfall profit taxes on oil companies, if what I read is true.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
It's also important to note that Alaska is far-removed from the continental US, she's not necessarily experienced with dealing with certain issues that would be prevalent to any other state governor. Does Alaska have a big problem with illegal immigration, for example?
 
I'm not too big on the "experience" argument, I mean really the only people that the proper experience to be President are ex-Presidents and maybe VPs who've seen how the sausage is made.

But Jesus, less than two years ago she was Mayor of a village of 6000 people in Alaska, and it's not like she's spent most of her life in some sort of civic public service as a primer. She's by all accounts pretty smart so I'm sure a few years as VP will help her along. But if McCain gets elected and kicks the bucket soon after getting sworn in, we're fucked.
 
Krowley said:
He's talking about landmass. Alaska is a gargantuan state, and that has some effect on the complexities of governing it.


Wouldn't it be easier to govern a state like Alaska with so much open space as oppose to a metro type area?

I have a mole problem in my backyard and before i could even dig a hole to put in a anti-mole device i had to check online to make sure i could even dig in my own backyard without hitting a a wire or something. :lol
 

JCreasy

Member
reggieandTFE said:
I'm crazy surprised that Palin said her husband is a proud union member considering Republican (shit, and most corporate dems' views) of unions in this day and age. The free market is our lord and savior and unions are satan's way of pushing socialism down our throats. :D

McCain is really reaching for the middle and thanks to our media I've reconsidered my earlier thoughts and think the evil bastards are going to take it again. The media is so shitty, and goddamned Americans won't stop voting based on personalities instead of issues.

There's no way Palin brings McCain to the center. You need to take another look at her positions . . . .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom