So John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential nominee. I know nothing about her, so will suspend judgment. But she is a woman, which is fantastic. The U.S. will either have an African-American President or a female Vice-President, which is the kind of history that should have been made long ago; so kudos to McCain for his courage in making that choice.
Beyond that, there are just a few tidbits that seem to be trotted out in all the stories about Palin. She is very firmly pro-life. Unless you are a polar bear. She is in favor of domestic partnerships, although against gay marriage (which puts her in the official Democratic position). She’s been embroiled in some sort of scandal, although it’s always hard to tell at first glance how serious those things should be taken. Perhaps her signature issue, as far as national politics is concerned, is drilling for oil all over the place — she’s in favor.
One might wonder whether McCain undermines his message of the importance of experience by picking a 44-year old governor with no national experience at all. But one might wonder whether Obama undermined his message of bringing change to Washington by choosing a white male Washington lifer from the Northeast; so clearly the McCain camp thought this was worth the risk. We might learn terrible or wonderful things about her in the next few months, but for the moment this seems superficially like a more palatable pick than any of the bigger Republican names that had been floating around — clearly it was in McCain’s eyes. (Brad DeLong wonders whether a similar line of reasoning didn’t leave us with Dan Quayle twenty years ago.)
Update: I originally included a link to this YouTube video of Palin making Craig Ferguson an honorary citizen of Alaska, which I think speaks to her sense of humor. But it also involves Ferguson making jokes about her giving off a sexy librarian vibe, which is fine in the context of a late-night comedy show, but isn’t a fair first impression for a female candidate for a major national office. All sorts of jokes will doubtless be on their way, we might as well make some meager effort to start things off with more substantive considerations.
Update again: Because I don’t know anything about Palin, I’ve tried to be open-minded about the pick. But 24 hours later, the obvious first conclusion to which one is tempted to jump appears increasingly correct: this is a person who has no business being anywhere near a national ticket. Sufficient evidence for this conclusion comes from the words of her supporters, along the lines of: Sure, she’s woefully underqualified, but in all probability John McCain will live for at least another four years! And if he doesn’t, we’re sure she will have the good sense to resign.
I wonder how many times she has visited Iraq to get the facts on the ground?
Don’t take the PUMA folks seriously Neil. We wouldn’t even hear about “party unity” issues if it weren’t for reps and the main-stream media pushing the idea that there’s a problem. This should be especially clear after Denver.
I agree with Matt S. Do not take the PUMA folk seriously.
When Obama falls on November 4th only Obama will be to blame. Not his 300 foreign policy advisors, not PUMA, not his 50+ speech writers, not lifelong democrats and independents like me and not the superdelegates but OBAMA and him alone.
Palin is a fantastic choice. talk about change! She will bring many of the working class voters (men and women) to the Republicans as well as executive experience to the table. She rose to office only after becoming a whistleblower against oil companies. She wants to make us energy independent by drilling and many other ways but she is also a conservationist.
What’s Obama going to do say “she is not experienced” That will be like calling the kettle black.
Good Bold Choice by McCain
Shows that is not your run of the mill republican. But more a republican in the T. Roosevelt tradition.
That’s ridiculous. Put them side by side.
She has a B.A. in journalism from U. Idaho. He has a Harvard Law degree.
After college, she spent three years as a sports reporter and fisherman. He spent three years as a community organizer in Chicago.
Since then, he’s been in the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate. She’s been the mayor of a village with a population < 8000 people. For (less than) the past two years she’s been governor of Alaska.
Did I leave anything out? What a joke.
Kurt,
Wrong. This is not a “bold” choice, it’s pandering. She is strongly anti-choice (even if rape/incest), she wants creationism taught in schools, she denies an anthropogenic contribution to global warming, she claims to be a “porkbuster” but wanted the infamous bridge to nowhere built on the federal taxpayer’s dime.
And, how many times can it be said … drilling will NOT makes us energy independent. You mention that first along with “many other ways” as if it is the cornerstone to achieving this. This is absolutely false, it has been debunked thoroughly, where do you get your numbers? Additionally, what are her “many other ways”?
How is she not a run-of-the-mill Republican?
Man, are you guys kidding? This was a great choice. And lets get one thing clear… she is NOT anti-choice, do not confuse anti-choice with Pro-Life. They are not the same. And you had better check your records closer about the rape and incest issue. First, you are incorrect, and you can put the woman’s medical issue in that box as well.
I love it when someone brings up the whole rape/incest issue. The number is so small….. but if you want a debate, go ahead. Example: South Dakota.. now I know it’s not a highly populated state, but the rape/incest ratio per capita is. If I said my wife and I would take EVERY baby that fell into that classification, guess what, it would take nearly SEVEN years to get ONE baby!
As for Creationism….. yew hew! Where have you been? Every state is going to this. Even the hard core evolutionist admit there are too many holes in their theory and have accepted a combination of the two. That is what she is proposing, not creationism, in and of itself.
Porkbarreling……… you better go read Obama’s record.
You want a debate…. be careful who you go up against!
Boomerang says: “Even the hard core evolutionist admit there are too many holes in their theory and have accepted a combination of the two.”
Whoa. I had to do a double-take for that one.
brianR- Obama supporters should not talk about pandering. David Axelrod said 27 times “Hillary Clinton will say and do anything to win”
He should have been talking about Obama.
Obama after winning nomination
Refines his view on Iraq(after hammering HRC on it while aceepting the supprt from Biden and Kerry), talking to leaders of Iran and North Korea, gives into offshore drilling(how bold and progressive he is!), NAFTA, says welfare reform was a good thing, panders to evangelicals to expand Bush’ faith based initiatives, tells a crowd in FL that he will “find the money” to fund next generation NASA space vehicle after resisting it for so long, etc etc etc etc etc
Next, in 28 years no republican has threatened Roe vs Wade. We had Reagan and two Bush’s so please do not tell me that McCain – a maverick who was rumored to be in talks with Kerry to be a possible running mate, a man who vetted Tom ridge (pro choice) to be his VP will threaten Roe vs Wade. He has sided against his party on a dozen issues in the past 2 years will not threaten Roe vs Wade.
Lastly, I am not a McCain/Palin supporter So I will not defend them too much.
I am just saying that many DEMS will vote this ticket. Palin only needs to convince 2-3% of us and we McCain wins.
“Additionally, what are her “many other ways”?”
“Palin is unique from many GOP oil proponents. Despite her husband’s occasional employment with BP, Palin has taken great pains to remain apart from Big Oil. Nevertheless, she is committed to helping Alaskans economically by supporting development in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, reminding the public that the footprint for the project would be the size of a postage stamp on a desk. Meanwhile, she has worked hard to address climate change issues such as greenhouse emissions and pollution.”
I also read on her website (which is being bombarded right now) that she thinks the only long term solution is nuclear power.
Wow, this pick amazes me…
Picking a female VP to woo Hillary diehards I get… But they must not have looked much further than that… Maybe they started alphabetically until they found a female in the GOP?
Palin is in the midst of an ethics probe that should be ready to explode before the election! So much fodder on top of her lack of experience!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93609302
Using her office to leverage personal attacks and firing public officials that don’t do her personal bidding?
Oh, wait this is the GOP VP… right, now i get it… She still needs to shoot someone in the face to get the respect she is looking for from the right…
-j-
I love the way the whole long terrifying record of the republican party of the last (particularly) 12 years has just vanished from the dialogue.
It’s neither joke nor exaggeration that McCain supported Bush policies over 90% of the time.
Slide2112, Palin has more executive experience than John McCain.
The money quote:
“once again, McCain turns to a much younger woman to save his political career.”
“kudos to McCain for his courage in making that choice”
WTF? Putting an African-American on a national ticket is a significant gamble. Sorry as I am to say it, it will probably cost millions of votes. Putting a woman on is not. Margaret Thatcher and Ayn Rand are already up there in the conservative pantheon.
The choice was not about courage; it was about swinging important votes in November. She will bring a lot of women, people concerned about gas prices, and people in Western states.
Sean, congratulations on your first politically fair post.
Kurt says: “I am just saying that many DEMS will vote this ticket.”
Bullshit. You’ve been watching too much cable news and falling for all that malarkey. Are there some democrats that will ‘defect’ and vote McCain? Sure. It’s not electorally significant however … it’s a myth, it’s media-created drama.
The one thing the Palin pick might do is help re-energize the religious extremists of this country, which is a bit frightening. Rove is clearly trying to steer the discourse of this election from real, everyday issues to the culturally divisive issues.
Btw, I like how you side-stepped your statement about all those ‘hard core evolutionists’ who now advocate teaching creationism in public school. I must have missed that report.
Sean:
You state. : “I know nothing about her, so I will suspend judgement. But she is a woman, which is fantastic”. I can not comprehend an opinion of “fantastic” simply by virtue of the fact that SHE is a woman?
Do you know anything about Aileen Wuornos? She is (was) a woman. Would it also be fantastic if she had been selected as the VP running mate simply by virtue of the fact that she is (was) a woman?
Your comment exhibits a very narrow minded form or journalism.
By the way Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer, executed for her crimes.
I don’t think Karl Rove is actually involved in the McCain campaign. It seems others have taken up his tactics, however.
This pick reminds me of the time of year when teams that have no shot at the post season trade their veterans for draft picks. The GOP presidential field this year was pretty shallow. I think this choice is for a party knows they’ve lost and are trying to build for the future.
e.
You all are a bunch of hippies. This woman is the next big thing. Living in Alaska, I’ve seen what she can do. I’ve experienced it. Gov. Palin is able to stand up to corporations and tell them what is best for the people. I live in Alaska and I have already seen her at work. You can take my word, America will not be disappointed. You might not want Republican representation, but Gov. Palin is the new face of the Republican Party. If you love your children, you’ll at least listen to what she has to say.
Hippies! go hug some trees. We can talk after the November election when all your hippie Obama issues are done and gone. McCain/Palin is the future. If its going to be Obama/Biden, I don’t think I’ll be the only one who thinks Canada or Costa Rica is the future. McCain/Palin for the future of America!!!
My Fellow Americans,
After reflecting on the needs of family and the rigors of the campaign trail, I now realize that I cannot do both. It’s with heavy heart today I must tell that I am withdrawing as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee. As a person who holds my “family values” deeply within the core of my being, I cannot with clear conscience continue to devote my heart fully to this campaign. My special needs child deserves better. America deserves better.
I wish to thank John McCain for choosing me. As a woman, find his choice is both inspired and inspiring — to me and all the women of this beloved country. As a politician, I find his choice forward thinking and gutsy — truly the choice maverick. I am sure that John McCain’s campaign will recover from the unfortunate circumstances that prevent me from continuing on as his running mate. I wish him all the best and I will continue work hard from my home state of Alaska to see to it that he becomes the next president of this great country.
Thank you and God bless.
It is all so bizarre, is it not?
I like how the GOP memo went out on the bat-fax to the comment sections of widely disparate websites — we are now all meant to be talking about “executive” experience. Rocky Kolb for president! He has more executive experience than all of them combined.
It does appear to be one of the few unambiguous adjectives that can be applied to Palin alone in the field (the other is “like HRC, but sort of not really HRC at all, except in a womanly fashion oh God please someone vote for this ticket.”)
chmod a-x palin, I say!
Also, I think we should spread the rumor that it’s McCain-Paulin, as in Tom Paulin, the avant garde poet, who has Republican sympathies. (Different republic, though.)
I think Palin is a good choice for McCain politically. Based on her first speech, she speaks well, seems more like a down-to-Earth person than most “experienced” politicians, is attractive (which always helps), and is an outside the box pick that will give independents and disgruntled Democrats a reason to give McCain a second look. Even though that may all be true, Obama’s foreign and economic policies are better for the long-term success and security of the United States. So far, the biggest thing that should concern all of us about Palin is her admitted non-interest and ignorance of Iraq and Afghanistan. However, is that what we really need, a person who has little interest or knowledge in foreign affairs? I’m not criticizing her lack of experience; I’m criticizing her lack of interest. To me, that’s far more dangerous. Ironically, this choice demonstrates McCain’s willingness to put politics before country, and further calls into question his lack of good judgment when considering the security of our nation. After eight years of the Bush administration’s incompetence and poor judgment, four years of McCain/Palin would seriously weaken our nation. The Obama/Biden ticket is our best hope for increased prosperity, security, and the rule of law that can reign in the dangerous expansion of presidential power under Bush.
I think it would be fun to be president – Go to awesome ( in the true sense of the word ) Dinner parties and maybe hang out with Carla Bruni – Someone with real power.
I think it’s hilarious that anyone is paying any attention at all to the Republican nominations.
After the most disastrous presidency in US history, the Republicans knew they were not going to get elected whoever they nominated. So they chose someone so old he’d retire when he lost, with none of the real contenders’ images tarnished – just in case BO messes up and they might have the slightest chance of winning in 2012. BO would have to go to war with Russia to make people forget how awful the last Republican president was.
Palin is the expendable side dish of the Republican sacrificial lamb.
Sarah Palin: pro-gay diva?
This is not what you’d expect from a social conservative:
Palin’s first veto(http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/palin-on-gay-ri.html) was used to block legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to the partners of gay state employees. In effect, her veto granted State of Alaska benefits to same-sex couples. The veto occurred after Palin consulted with Alaska’s attorney general on the constitutionality of the legislation.
Also, she acknowledges having gay friends, something Republican politicians rarely acknowledge.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64876
“I have no fear that in this country we will never go back to back-alley abortion. I respect both the pro-choice arguments and the pro-life arguments and I believe it is a personal choice that the government cannot be involved in. I am not afraid to have a pro-life president and vice-president because I believe that no matter who is on the Supreme Court, women will never lose their right to make the decision themselves. No man can ever take that away from us. We would revolt before we would let that happen and they know it.”
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=43047
Kurt — quite the contrary! Ann Coulter is one classic example:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-jacobs/ann-coulter-on-the-gay-_b_70156.html
ans most of the social conservatives are actually really comfortable with the people they claim to hate. “The personal is political” is a left-wing mantra; on the right, things like “self-loathing” are items on the CV.
Great choice Senator McCain. She brings alot to the table. Anyone who questions her experience better look at the top of Dem ticket. She has more experience than Obama.
She crosses party lines (already done it) Her record shows she has done what her constistuents want and the constitution says, not her personal views. Check her record. Someone stated she is big on porkbarreling, excuse me, her title is Governor not Senator. She started the investigation on the Senator from Alaska that porkbarreled the “bridge to nowhere”.
She has veto’d over 300 bills so far. And if you look the bills she veto’d, I’ll bet you would have also, I know I would have.
Then you compare Senator McCain to President Bush! Are you kidding? I’m amazed he’s made it this far because the republican party (the insider’s) don’t lile him. He doesn’t play the game with them….. he’s voted with the democrats on many bills. He votes based on his constiuants wants, needs, wishes.
That’s what a Senator is supposed do. McCain’s a big porkbarreler, yea right. Know how much porkbarrel money he has gotten for Arizona? I can tell exactly how much…. $0.00 He doesn’t believe in it. And he’s proven you don’t need it to have a healthy state. And if he’s done such a bad job howcome he’s been re-elected by overwelming majorities every time?
If you are gong to look at voting records…… let’s look at Obama’s record, it’s not pretty. And what’s the percenage of his record of voting “with Bush”? It’s higher than McCain’s. Look at the details instead of believing a bunch of sound bites that are taken out of context.
You want to pick on Governor Palin? Finally we have a statesman……or woman in this case, instead of a politition. I’ll take her anyday. I don’t care if the person running is male, female, white, black, green, or red.
If you are going to bring up the race issue with Obama, you had better bring it all. He’s half white too you know. I wonder what he listed on his college application? Because if he listed african american (which he did by the way) This is actually incorrect and could be interpeted as a falsified record. His actual race is classified as “mixed” and yes it’s on the application papers.
I think Senator McCain made an excellant choice. You want change? You can’t do any better than McCain/Palin! I just hope there’s room for Senator Fred Thomsen in their cabinet.
You say Senator Biden will eat her lunch? I don’t think so. This gal can more than hold her own!
Great choice Senator! Go get’em Governor!