Putin: Ph34r Sarah Palin

[Fedup 0]

So McCain's strategy is criticize Obama on experience and foreign policy, then hire someone who he met once, and knows has no experience in a federal branch of government, and who's only foreign policy acclaim is she lives in a state that's a sailboat trip away from the easternmost tip of Russia?

How many idiots actually buy this?

Same ones who elected, then REELECTED Bush. Apparently enough of those.

[slim 1,523]

I'd agree with you if it weren't for the fact that the President is also the Commander in Chief. If he hadn't had control of the military, Bush would have simply been a mediocre President, rather than the worst President ever.

Would you rather have a Commander in Chief that pulled all his troops out because a few helicopters got shot down?

Maybe I'm giving voters too much credit, but I think many voters will see

You are giving voters too much credit. Remember back when there was that one guy that got more votes than the other guy but then they did a "recount" in the state the eventual winner's brother just happened to be governor of?

If you think voting makes a difference you should google "electoral college." The real folly here is that American sheeple actually think they influence which one of the two people designated to run by the media get elected.

And don't worry, they'll rig the election again so right before the outcome Obama's birth certificate will surface. "What's that say? That's not English..." Either way, it doesn't really matter. America's die was cast long ago....

[mox 298]

Would you rather have a Commander in Chief that pulled all his troops out because a few helicopters got shot down?

If you're talking about "Blackhawk Down," you need to remember that the reason Clinton pulled us out of there is because the Republican controlled congress threatened to pull funding. There was no support in the public, and no support in Congress to be in Somalia. Clinton was really backed against a wall. Now I'm not saying he would have done anything different even if he'd had Congress' support, but as things worked out he had no choice.

[akdiver 3]

Come on AKDiver...I know she bought your vote with the extra $1200 innocent.gif

Nope. I voted for Halrco. I think Palin is a religious nutcase - as confirmed by her own statements.

I dunno AK. Maybe I'm giving voters too much credit

I think you do too. I, on the other hand, think the voters are complete idiots. As proof, I give you GWB...if that's not enough, consider that more than half of U.S. adults believe in creationism over evolution, and a quarter of them describe them as evangelical christians. I rest my case.

but I think many voters will see her selection for the cynical choice that it was. Hard core McCain supporters and evangelicals will be energized of course because zomg she didn't have an abortion!!!!! (puh-leeez!) but I think that's all he's gonna get. He's not going to get the Hillary malcontents like I think he thought he would.

But he will get more of "his base" to get out and vote. The right-wingers are the biggest morons of the bunch.

Hillary supporters don't support her because she's a woman, they support her because she's Hillary.

Sure, that's what they SAY. Just like a lot of people say, "oh sure, I'd vote in a black man as president. Colour doesn't matter." I'm betting that people will vote differently from what they SAY they believe.

Voters with half a brain...

Which is only 10% of the electorate, at best.

And the talking heads keep saying that Americans don't pick a candidate based on VP, but this is the first time in modern history that a VP choice has been so woefully and blatantly unqualified.

People said the same thing as Dan Quayle. Didn't keep HIM from being VP.

As an American who may have to live under a McCain administration, I am utterly horrified.

Well, if you want to be horrified, do it because of what America has become, not because of the possibility of Palin as VP. As I noted before, really, it doesn't matter who the President is, let alone the VP. You could have the most unqualified, horrible person you can imagine in office and the overall effect wouldn't be much different than if you had the most qualified person in office. It just doesn't matter.

And I think a lot of voters who were looking for something to swing them one way or the other will see this as the sign they were looking for, and vote Obama. Up until this point I've only supported Obama because I see McCain as Bush years 9-12. But now I see that McCain would be even worse, making hair-trigger decisions with only short term results in mind. Oh wait...yeah, like I said, Bush years 9-12.

Frankly, I could care less about the rest of the U.S. All I really care about is Alaska. The U.S. has been screwing Alaska since day one. If it is willing to take Palin off our hands, it would be the first step toward making amends. Edited September 2, 2008 by akdiver

[akdiver 3]

Oh yeah - I don't think this is risky for Palin. If they lose the election, she still has another 2 years as governor of Alaska. Her VP run will do nothing but make her even MORE popular in Alaska. Her second term is practically guaranteed. It's even possible that the following events could occur:

a). Ted Stevens is re-elected senator.

B). Obama/Biden will the presidential election

c). Ted Stevens is convicted of various felonies and then kicked out of the Senate

d). At this point, governor Palin is required to call for a special election to replace Stevens

e). Palin runs for senator in the special election and gets elected

f). Palin is now U.S. Senator for Alaska for at least the next 6 years

OR

a). Obama/Biden win

B). Palin is re-elected governor of Alaska in 2 years

c). At some point, Stevens leaves the senate

d). Palin runs for senator and is elected

Overall, this VP nomination is nothing but gold for Palin. No risk for her at all.

[mox 298]

And the talking heads keep saying that Americans don't pick a candidate based on VP, but this is the first time in modern history that a VP choice has been so woefully and blatantly unqualified.

People said the same thing as Dan Quayle. Didn't keep HIM from being VP.

I've heard the Dan Quayle comparison made several times this week, but even Quayle was a 2-term Representative and a 2-term Senator. He may have been a buffoon, but he was an experienced buffoon. There simply is no modern equivalent to the Palin pick, and possibly no pre-modern equivalent either. The magnitude of the insanity of this pick is hard to overstate, and any comparisons fall short. As I said before, even when Bush won, he had all the evangelicals on his side and still only pulled it out through the swing vote. McCain has (dear god I hope) lost the swing vote with this pick, so unless voting demographics have radically shifted I just can't see him winning. I shall of course cheerfully quote this post if I'm right, and spew forth mass conspiracy theories if I'm wrong.

Well, if you want to be horrified, do it because of what America has become, not because of the possibility of Palin as VP. As I noted before, really, it doesn't matter who the President is, let alone the VP. You could have the most unqualified, horrible person you can imagine in office and the overall effect wouldn't be much different than if you had the most qualified person in office. It just doesn't matter.

I disagree. Al Gore would not have gone into Iraq. I think that matters a great deal.

Frankly, I could care less about the rest of the U.S. All I really care about is Alaska. The U.S. has been screwing Alaska since day one. If it is willing to take Palin off our hands, it would be the first step toward making amends.

No offense my friend, but I'm looking forward to sending her back up your way come November.

Oh, and the reason I say that her political career could be damaged is because of the national spotlight on her own Troopergate and whatever other skeletons the press can dig up. What would have been a local story is now going to be exposed nationally. Also, if she's turned into a national laughing stock (which is very possible) then she'll probably quietly retire from public life.

[akdiver 3]

I've heard the Dan Quayle comparison made several times this week, but even Quayle was a 2-term Representative and a 2-term Senator. He may have been a buffoon, but he was an experienced buffoon. There simply is no modern equivalent to the Palin pick, and possibly no pre-modern equivalent either. The magnitude of the insanity of this pick is hard to overstate, and any comparisons fall short.

Maybe. Maybe. But even so, as I've noted above - I don't think voters really care about whether or not a candidate could is "qualified" to do the job. I can't remember anyone ever saying, "well, I'd like to vote that guy for president, but the vice president scares me". All they care about is their sprinkling of hot button issues. If a candidate agrees/disagrees with those, most people will vote for/against that candidate, regardless of anything else. There are people who will vote against the best, most qualified person possible simply because that person does or does not support legal abortion. The voters are short-sighted idiots.

I disagree. Al Gore would not have gone into Iraq. I think that matters a great deal.

True. Instead of sending over people to Iraq to kill Iraqis, he would be using the IRS to tax us to death here at home.

No offense my friend, but I'm looking forward to sending her back up your way come November.

Yeah, I know. I don't blame you (:

Oh, and the reason I say that her political career could be damaged is because of the national spotlight on her own Troopergate and whatever other skeletons the press can dig up. What would have been a local story is now going to be exposed nationally. Also, if she's turned into a national laughing stock (which is very possible) then she'll probably quietly retire from public life.

Oh come on. "Troopergate" is NOTHING compared to the storms other political dirtbags have overcome. Hell, Ted Kennedy has killed more people with his car than I've ever killed with my guns (:

Also, if she's turned into a national laughing stock (which is very possible) then she'll probably quietly retire from public life.

You have a clear lack of understanding of Alaska politics. No one here really cares what people in the Lower 48 think. Palin's VP run will make her more popular than ever here in Alaska. Unless the gas pipeline tanks, if she runs for re-election as governor in 2 years, she will be elected. Edited September 2, 2008 by akdiver

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Next to Jay Hammond, Sarah is the best governor this state has ever had. I'm voting for Obama for the fact I don't care much for McCain, but Sarah is for Alaska.

[mox 298]

Here's a story demonstrating exactly my point:

“[The John McCain Campaign] are sending a rapid response team of about 10 people that includes lawyers up to Alaska right now. They know there’s going to be an army of investigative reporters going up there, and they want to be ahead of it.”

“Some senior Republicans operatives outside the campaign say there’s no way they could have had a complete vetting with this kind of information coming out. Democrats say… the McCain campaign didn’t even go through Gov. Palin’s local newspapers.”

In other words, the McCain campaign, 4 days after choosing a VP nominee, are now sending a team to properly vet her. McCain will no doubt explain this away as just some post paperwork drill, but that explanation will fall flat.

If true, it's something the Democrats will seize on: McCain made a rash decision in the heat of the moment. He put a person a heartbeat away from the Presidency without properly vetting her, imagine how he'll handle the [insert your choice of country/world leader here] situation. Expect the Obama campaign to hammer this issue over and over and over. That John McCain is too risky, that his decision-making skills are flawed. If they can pull it off, it will be a brilliant riposte to McCain's own attacks on Obama about inexperience.

That's what I mean when I say the VP choice will be relevant this time around. Perhaps not directly, but I think Obama realizes attacking Palin straight up would be suicidal. He won't have to though. He'll attack McCain for the decision, and it's going to be a hard one to defend against.

[Bobalouie 0]

So McCain's strategy is criticize Obama on experience and foreign policy, then hire someone who he met once, and knows has no experience in a federal branch of government, and who's only foreign policy acclaim is she lives in a state that's a sailboat trip away from the easternmost tip of Russia?

How many idiots actually buy this?

And how many idiots would actually buy that since Obama has only four years experience (2 of which were spent campaining) in a federal branch of government and NO executive branch experience is qualified to be the number one guy?

Do you want your number 1 guy in the the white house to be the inexperienced one, or the number two guy? Thats the difference here.

[mox 298]

And how many idiots would actually buy that since Obama has only four years experience (2 of which were spent campaining) in a federal branch of government and NO executive branch experience is qualified to be the number one guy?

Do you want your number 1 guy in the the white house to be the inexperienced one, or the number two guy? Thats the difference here.

But this is not how the issue is going to be presented. It's going to be presented like this: "John McCain, you said that Obama was too inexperienced. Then you, a 72 year old man with health problems, picked a VP with even less experience than Obama, who has never even expressed an interest in international politics, and who you have only met once before, to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. You said that a VP needs to be ready to take the Presidency on day one. Can you honestly say that Sarah Palin meets this criteria?" If McCain says yes, it will be the sound bite from heaven for the Obama campaign. If he says no, it will be the sound bite from heaven for the Obama campaign. She may have won over the religious right, but she has lost the swing vote for McCain. And remember, even with the full support of the religious right, it was still the swing vote that put Bush back into office.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I have to admit that McCain's pick for VP is questionable at best. I heard a lot of stuff this weekend about her experience or lack thereof in politics and international relations. Yeah, even the comment that she has experience in international politics because Alaska is next to Russia was laughable. This decision really makes one wonder about the ability of McCain to make choices under critical situations that are in the best interest of America.

There seemed to have been plenty of other republican women with far more experience to choose from, but he chose a novice because of what? For someone that made such a big deal about experience and being able to lead America from day one, he really picked strangely.

I think this decision is going to be a tough choice for him.

Oh, and just for the record. Bush had a republican congress in charge until the last election in 2006. Since then he hasn't managed quite as easily as the prior six years.

[akdiver 3]

All of this ####### about experience is just that, #######.

What foreign policy experience did the governor of Texas have before becoming president in 2000?

What foreign policy experience did the governor of California have before becoming president in 1980?

What foreign policy experience did the governor of Georgia have before becoming president in 1976?

Simply serving in the military hardly qualifies as "foreign policy experience".

What political experience of any kind did the Governator have before becoming gov of California?

This is why leaders have advisers who actually DO know something. The president (or VP) does not need to be smart or knowledgable. They just need to hire people who are.

As for Palins issues - they're only issues because the media is hot for a story. I mean, her husband's 20+ year old DUI? What does that have to do with ANYTHING??? He's not running for office. Her daughter is pregnant? Well, gee, she isn't running for office either. Give me a break. The "troopergate" issue has potential, but again, it's really pretty small potatoes compared to the sins of other politicians who have no problem getting elected.

Most voters could care less about experience or credentials anyway. They just want someone they like and someone who agrees with them on a couple of issues and/or will give them money in one form or another. Don't get me wrong - I have no interest in voting for Palin. I voted against her as governor of Alaska and I'll vote against her as VP of the U.S. But plenty of people will vote for her. I venture that the more the press rallies against her, the more votes she will get.

Edited September 2, 2008 by akdiver

[slim 1,523]

She may have won over the religious right, but she has lost the swing vote for McCain. And remember, even with the full support of the religious right, it was still the swing vote that put Bush back into office.

What you're forgetting here is the swing vote was going to Hillary. Maybe because she was a woman, maybe because she was more "working class" (or whatever) but the fact is she was getting votes over Obama in places like West Virginia and Ohio.

You can claim a variety of reasons for this but it comes down to a simple fact that is supported historically, "blue collar" folks would rather have a white woman (even if she has an elephant stamp) over a black man (Muslim at that) any day.

[IAMX 3,055]

So McCain's strategy is criticize Obama on experience and foreign policy, then hire someone who he met once, and knows has no experience in a federal branch of government, and who's only foreign policy acclaim is she lives in a state that's a sailboat trip away from the easternmost tip of Russia?

How many idiots actually buy this?

And how many idiots would actually buy that since Obama has only four years experience (2 of which were spent campaining) in a federal branch of government and NO executive branch experience is qualified to be the number one guy?

Do you want your number 1 guy in the the white house to be the inexperienced one, or the number two guy? Thats the difference here.

Question -- did you vote for Bush?

If you did, you're being a hypocrite.