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[speculawyer]

The point is McCain could live to be 102 and Obama could drop dead from a heart Attack tommorrow.

Yes, we get it. But clearly the probabilities of those two things are not even close to being equal.

 

[GDJustin]

McCain hammers Obama for months about his age and lack of experience and then... picks a running mate that's younger and has even less experience?

McCain is OLD.... if he is elected, there is a very real chance than Palin might end up sworn in as president, and that shit is TERRIFYING.

SHE WAS A COUNTY SUPERVISOR JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. SHE HAS NEVER EVER DEALT WITH NATIONAL OR WORLD POLITICS ON ANY LEVEL.

fffffffffffffff.

 

[reilo]

He is going to draw in disgruntled Clintonian women who were on the fence and thinking about McCain. It also helps with women overall and rural blue-collar workers.

Which is such a small percentage of the voting public that they are statistically insignificant.

 

[vitaflo]

People don't care about VP. It didn't work against Bush/Quayle in 88.

Bush was the vice president of perhaps the most popular president of our generation. He was also up against Dukakis of all people. The comparison isn't even close.

 

[Gremmie4]

But as I said, this will either backfire HARD or signal the point where McCain won the election imo

Can you paint me a picture about how exactly this will win the election for McCain? I am loving this pick because I feel even better about Obama's chances than I did after last night. He's got this in the bag.

 

[DY_nasty]

This is where the "well Obama is inexperienced" argument doesn't fly. Obama took on the Clintons, the entrenched Dem establishment, and the PEOPLE still voted him to the nomination. That says a lot.

Palin was selected by one guy. The people had no say in if they think she's ready to lead or not until Nov. Obama's already been vetted by the american people (or at least the Dem ones).

Not only that, but she didn't even seem to actively pursue the nod. Hell, she didn't even know what the VP's role was until just recently.

 

[xs_mini_neo]

Well, girlfriend here truly set this thread on fire, did she? I don't remember quite a reaction since the God damn America fiasco.

Young males have two heads, and this selection is causing a lot of divisiveness between those two heads. It's either young, cool black dude or young sexy girl.

This is one of the reasons why McCain picked her. I also lol'd. The drama continues...

 

[Y2Kev]

barack is/was a smoker, drug dealer, terrorist, and muslim, i will charge him 99999999 dollars

john mccain survived being a pow and not having a kitchen table, therefore he will never die. he is also a hero. i will give him free insurance.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Obama only supports off-shore drilling if it was part of a comprehensive energy policy package. He also supports nuclear energy only if there is a safe way to enact it. He does not support any of this in the way you are making it out to be, so quit twisting his position on it.

Yes, but you make it seem as if McCain is for an uncomprehensive energy policy and for unsafe nuclear energy.

 

[pxleyes]

Yes, but you make it seem as if McCain is for an uncomprehensive energy policy and for unsafe nuclear energy.

Well his willingness to throw it out there as just a talking point without mentioning the risks leads me to believe that.

 

[reilo]

The media - even CNN and Wolf Blitzer - are hammering McCain pretty badly on this pick.

Wolfe: "Sarah Palin?!"

 

[CharlieDigital]

Some notes from my boss in UT:

Keyboard Jockey © says: Sarah Palin?
Bossman says: McCain's doom
Keyboard Jockey © says: it's somewhat comical
Keyboard Jockey © says: but she's from Alaska
Bossman says: Even more comical. probably one electoral vote
Keyboard Jockey © says: I didn't think about it that way lulz
Bossman says: He needed some one from Florida, Ohio or CA but a no name from Alaska? I mean I love Alaska but what was he thinking?
Keyboard Jockey © says: she IS pretty hot
Keyboard Jockey © says: so...
Bossman says: The end of the GOP for at least 4 years

 

[Fragamemnon]

Apparently, Palin not only supported the Bridge to Nowhere (before it became a fiasco), but kept the money for it even after the earmark was removed:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_...palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014468.php

So "no thanks" to the bridge itself, but NOM NOM NOM to the money that got sent their way instead of being earmarked for it anyway.

 

[speculawyer]

McCain hammers Obama for months about his age and lack of experience and then... picks a running mate that's younger and has even less experience?

McCain is OLD.... if he is elected, there is a very real chance than Palin might end up sworn in as president, and that shit is TERRIFYING.

SHE WAS A COUNTY SUPERVISOR JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. SHE HAS NEVER EVER DEALT WITH NATIONAL OR WORLD POLITICS ON ANY LEVEL.

fffffffffffffff.

Yeah, they complain about Obama only having 3 years in the Senate. Well, she's had just 2 years as Governor of a low population state . . . and before that she was just a mayor of a small town. Barack was a state senator in Illionois . . . home of Chicago.

 

[reilo]

Apparently, Palin not only supported the Bridge to Nowhere, but kept the money for it even after the earmark was removed:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_...palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014468.php

So "no thanks" to the bridge itself, but NOM NOM NOM to the money that got sent their way instead of being earmarked for it anyway.

I'm convinced McCain's camp did not even vet her and chose to pick her after Obama's speech ended.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Thats more or less my view. Obama became a senator in 2006. Palin became Governor in 2006. Governorship is more like President in terms of experiance then Senator is.

you consistently spew complete fabrications on these boards. mccain points?

 

[Fatalah]

yeah, is this real or not?

 

[Cheebs]

The media - even CNN and Wolf Blitzer - are hammering McCain pretty badly on this pick.

Wolfe: "Sarah Palin?!"

The reactions on all 3 cable networks is VERY negative so far as I can tell.

 

[TDG]

The nice thing about Palin being selected as McCain's running mate is that it means that both candidates pretty much just chose their running mates to balance the ticket. McCain chose Palin to bring someone who's not just another white person with a penis to the ticket, and to bring some youth to the ticket. Obama chose Biden to try to connect with midwesterners, to avoid an all-minority ticket, and to bring some experience to the ticket.

So at this point, it's basically a wash. It's McCain vs. Obama.

 

[DY_nasty]

There was no reason to give this to Palin other than the fact that she is a woman.

 

[frankthurk]

The point is McCain could live to be 102 and Obama could drop dead from a heart Attack tommorrow.

So both VPs are a heartbeat away from being president. What's your point?

 

[reilo]

Hillary: "We, should all be proud of Governor Palin's historic nomination... while her policies will take the government in the wrong direction."

 

[UltimaKilo]

Hillary Clinton just issued a statement basically saying that she is proud of Palin and that while they disagree in some policies, "she will bring an important voice to the debate"

 

[besada]

Palin's not going to be much of a draw for Hillary's women, with the exception of those so crazed they're willing to vote against their own interests. The woman is staunchly pro-life, which is the antithesis of the average Hillary voter.

And that's before you cull out the ones who have a problem with her treatment of animals.

 

[Y2Kev]

It seems as though the initial shock has worn off and everyone is just sitting there going SARAH PALIN?!?!

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Yes, but you make it seem as if McCain is for an uncomprehensive energy policy and for unsafe nuclear energy.

Yeah, but as far as the media narratives are concerned, McCain's advantage on energy is coming primarily from the fact that he went pro-drilling once the polls showed that it was favored 3-1 by the public as something we should do to combat high gas prices.

 

[TDG]

you consistently spew complete fabrications on these boards. mccain points?

But he's right. A good argument could definitely be made that being governor is more similar to being president than being a senator is to being president, and that's an argument I'd agree with.

 

[reilo]

FoxNews showing videos of Palin trying to handle a M4.

Now they just called it a "Hail Sarah" pass :lol

 

[JCreasy]

Apparently, Palin not only supported the Bridge to Nowhere (before it became a fiasco), but kept the money for it even after the earmark was removed:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_...palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014468.php

So "no thanks" to the bridge itself, but NOM NOM NOM to the money that got sent their way instead of being earmarked for it anyway.

This just gets better and better

When McCain hoped to suck the air out of the room with Palin, I'm sure he wasn't expecting it to happen like this . . .

 

[greepoman]

In the span of a single heartbeat she could be the President. You can either look at it as a time span, or that some upcoming heartbeat will be McCain's last.

Ah I see... so it's basically the same as saying "she's a split second away from being president". The "heartbeat" must just be added in for the obvious connotations, even though I doubt many people are associating "heartbeat" with a time span. It definitely makes no sense if you associate the "heartbeat" an event that has to happen for her to become president since if his heart is beating he must be alive.

 

[genjiZERO]

Heh, I called it a while back. Picking a woman was really his only choice, other than hoping for Obama to fall apart.

So did I. It's the smartest move he could make. I'm not sure how effective it will be though. I think the Hillary die-hards who were fans of hers because she is a woman are probably also liberals. I think come election time they won't be petty enough to vote for a female candidate, just because she's female, if she's ideologically opposed to them. At least I hope so.

After Obama's speech last night I think McCain has a whole lot of catching up to do. His VP candidate is a big deal, but I don't she'll be able to out-compete Biden in the end - he has much more experience, he's a genuine liberal, and his controversy isn't as big a deal as hers is. Plus I don't think McCain will be able to fill a stadium like that, and he certainly won't be able to talk about his loving family as much as Obama can.

 

[Mandark]

Yes, but you make it seem as if McCain is for an uncomprehensive energy policy and for unsafe nuclear energy.

He sorta is. He's given lip service to a cap and trade but opposes the actual cap and trade bill in Congress and doesn't seem to understand that the caps would be mandatory.

Plus he's slacking on transportation issues which are intimately tied to energy policy.

 

[reilo]

Ah I see... so it's basically the same as saying "she's a split second away from being president". The "heartbeat" must just be added in for the obvious connotations, even though I doubt many people are associating "heartbeat" with a time span.

Read: http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa010198.htm

1998. The "heartbeat" phrase is as old as politics itself.

 

[Tamanon]

Apparently, Palin not only supported the Bridge to Nowhere (before it became a fiasco), but kept the money for it even after the earmark was removed:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_...palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014468.php

So "no thanks" to the bridge itself, but NOM NOM NOM to the money that got sent their way instead of being earmarked for it anyway.

If this is on the up and up, then McCain's campaign are absolute morons. Complete and total failures on the vetting front.

 

[JCreasy]

Hillary Clinton just issued a statement basically saying that she is proud of Palin and that while they disagree in some policies, "she will bring an important voice to the debate"

Oh shit.

This is NOT what I wanted to hear from Hilary.

Where's the red meat she had for Barack?

Jeezuz Hilary

 

[vitaflo]

The nice thing about Palin being selected as McCain's running mate is that it means that both candidates pretty much just chose their running mates to balance the ticket. McCain chose Palin to bring someone who's not just another white person with a penis to the ticket, and to bring some youth to the ticket. Obama chose Biden to try to connect with midwesterners, to avoid an all-minority ticket, and to bring some experience to the ticket.

So at this point, it's basically a wash. It's McCain vs. Obama.

It's a wash for Obama to pick someone with more foreign policy experience than almost anyone in the nation?

Obama's pick was about governing. McCain's was about politics.

 

[Xeke]

The point is McCain could live to be 102 and Obama could drop dead from a heart Attack tommorrow.

And I could win the lottery and then the world could blow up tomorrow but whats the chance of that happening?:lol

 

[thekad]

Wow @ McCain taking a token woman. Offensive.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Foxnews is saying that McCain wanted Lieberman but was talked out of it by his advisers because it would unsettle the base too much.

 

[Chiggs]

Now they just called it a "Hail Sarah" pass :lol

Not bad. :lol

 

[reilo]

How do you know a VP pick is bad? When Bill Kristol calls it months ahead of time.

 

[A Black Falcon]

I fail to see how this has anything to do with what I mentioned earlier. Seeing as how the first entry is exactly what I was talking about. Oh wait...

You're trying to point out a republican for power abuse? Would it be wrong if I laughed?

:lol

The Democrats lost control of the House in 1994, hurt by scandals and corruption, after about 40 years of continuous control of that body...

The Republicans managed to get that corrupt in a whole lot shorter period of time.

Sure, a couple of Democrats have been involved in scandals in the last few years, but they're outnumbered many times over by Republicans with such problems. It's an important part of why the Democrats gained so much in the '06 elections, and it'll help them this year too. Maybe McCain just couldn't find anyone who wanted to be VP who WASN'T involved in some scandal or other?

... Maybe not, but you've got to wonder...

(And yes, I know the Democrats chose a VP pick with some family members involved in scandal too. At least there the scandal isn't really about Biden himself, though... but on the scale beyond just the presidential candidates, there are far, far more Republicans in legal trouble than Democrats.)

And as for abuse of power, well, if you don't think that the last eight years of the Bush/Cheney administration haven't been one of the greatest general abuses of power in all of American history, well, there's nothing more to say.

First off any ties to Stevens are minimal at best; she ousted one of his buddies to become governor, he gave her a half hearted party line endorsement, and she has criticized him during the investigation. And honestly, I don't think the Obama camp wants to open a discussion on personal or business connections to shady characters.

That's what's so great about that she's involved in a scandal now too, she comes in claiming to want to clean up the party's corruption, and then that...

I wasn't saying that she necesarially has close ties to Stevens or the others in that scandal-riddled party, but that it's an obvious opening for the Democrats to attack on the point.

There was a sense that Hillary was "bullied" during the NH debate. Biden is a tough character and I think it would be smart to be forceful in the VP debate, but aim it at the main culprit: McCain.

I agree, he will need to be sure to not allow his statements to be taken in a sexist way... but there's more than enough ground to attack McCain and Palin on, it shouldn't be that hard. Joe Biden is a very, very good debater.

Her husband is not an executive at BP, he works for BP. Considering you guys have defended Obama from attacks over him getting money from oil company employees it seems hypocritical to attack her for being married to someone who is an oil company employee. Lets be fair here

True, that might not be a good thing to press. One of Biden's sons has been a lobbyist for the banking industry, after all, and is currently involved in a lawsuit about it (where both sides are suing eachother)... both sides may want to just drop the issue of the ties of family members of the other VP candidate, unless they really want to descend into the mud-slinging. Both sides have potential vulnerabilities there.

I get the impression that this frenzied reaction is meant to hide fear. I was initially taken back by the pick as well, especially considering how easily McCain changed all the media attention in a fell swoop (Romney would not have been able to do that). But as I said, this will either backfire HARD or signal the point where McCain won the election imo

Fear? How so? You think the Democrats are more afraid of losing now? I'm not so sure, I think the "least qualified since Quayle" line is a pretty good one... and quite accurate, too.

That she's a creationist really won't help in large parts of the country either. But I guess he was convinced that he really had to solidify his base...

How do you know a VP pick is bad? When Bill Kristol calls it months ahead of time.

:lol

 

[Tamanon]

Oh shit.

This is NOT what I wanted to hear from Hilary.

Where's the red meat she had for Barack?

Jeezuz Hilary

um....it's the exact same statement that Obama did. You don't expect Hillary to go on the full-on attack the first day do you? That would just feed into silly narratives.

 

[Hitokage]

Mandark: ETA on that thread of yours?

 

[Chiggs]

Foxnews is saying that McCain wanted Lieberman but was talked out of it by his advisers because it would unsettle the base too much.

And it would have.

 

[pxleyes]

Foxnews is saying that McCain wanted Lieberman but was talked out of it by his advisers because it would unsettle the base too much.

Further proof McCain is just a party hack. He won't follow his own judgment at this point.

 

[Chiggs]

Fear? How so? You think the Democrats are more afraid of losing now? I'm not so sure, I think the "least qualified since Quayle" line is a pretty good one...

I'm not sure it's very good since, you know, Bush and Quayle won in 88.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

Whoooooooooooooa nelly. I just hopped online for the first time today and this is the headline that stares me in the face? Gimmick running mate? My first reaction: This has to be one of the most callous and cynical grabs for a specific block of voters I've ever seen. Does McCain think women are so stupid that they don't pay attention to issues?

 

[CharlieDigital]

...for one line?

Is this a record?

 

[kevm3]

I think that this pick may not be as advantageous towards courting the woman vote as McCain thought. There are several glaring faults. One of the bigger reasons, interestingly enough, is that she is too attractive. Her looks coupled with a thin resume rings along the lines of a CEO picking a secretary for her looks and not accomplishments. Women want to be looked upon as equals who can use their talents to compete 'with the boys.' The beauty queen with few credentials doesn't really appeal to women who want to see women empowered through ACHIEVEMENT. There were other women McCain could've picked that had more experience/intellectual pedigree. Hillary gave off the image of a saavy woman who was tough enough to hang with the boys. Palin simply looks good.

What the dems really also need to hit on to neutralize the woman switching over factor is to emphasize that although she is a woman, is she for women's struggles? Is she bringing the ceiling down to talent or working her way up through sex appeal?