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?
Yes, but a governor is a full time job, state senators only have 72 legislative days a year in Illinois. In the US Senate, it’s about 100 days. Governor is good experience. Noone dissed Howard Dean about his post, and Vermont is smaller and has less people and a tiny economy. Why wasn’t that questioned?
She hasn’t used her office to legislate her views into people’s homes and lives. For example, she doesn’t support spousal benefits for gays but did veto a law to ban them saying it was unconstitutional.
She’s terrific. Yes, she’s conservative, but what did you expect on the GOP ticket. She’s wonderful, and don’t think women aren’t going to vote her way-after all, it worked for African American voters in the dem primary. Women may have learned a thing or two…
Hey, PFS, I agree Palin is “terrific.”
[Origin: 1660–70; < L terrificus frightening, equiv. to terr(ére) to frighten + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic]
Earthquakes are terrific. Forest fires are terrific. Tsunamis are terrific.
As in “horror” = “horrific.”
Deeppeace, I feel sorry for you and your kids, if you should be so fortunate to have any. Are you from Talkeetna? Or Houston? Please, for the sake of our future generations, put the pipe down and realize that everybody has an opinion and although you don’t have to agree with it, you have to respect it. It would be alot easier on the rest of us if you just went off into the woodlands of Talkeetna and started hugging trees. After all, isn’t that what this is all about?
it would be a lot easier on me if you took up the pipe and stopped typing.
Vern–
I’m confused. You think I’m Alaskan? You think I’m the only one who disagrees with someone else’s opinions here? You think ___I___ am disrespectful? Are we reading the same content?
I feel passionately about the Constitution that has been so flagrantly ignored (if not outright trashed) for the last eight years. I feel passionately about the human rights that the current administration finds so annoying. If not in this forum, certainly in others, I have been equally reactive to posts by liberals as by conservatives.
I do believe there are at least as many views of current events as there are viewers. I do understand that people disagree. I do feel, just as others here do, that I have an equal right to speak freely about my perspective on the country that we claim we love. If you don’t like reading my words, skip over them.
PFS,
If it’s a full time job how could she spend 312 days working from home and claiming the per diem from the state? Real working people would be fired for fraudulently submitting travel reimbursements when they are working at home.
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.
Elliot
The party’s over. Obama is done. Next time, please check the contents of the suite, it really should have something inside it.
well, i guess thats that.
if some anaonymous poster on some random blog
says its over, i guess its over.
contents of the “suite”? are you staying at a hotel?
I laughed.
I was just kidding deeppeace. I’m all for Obama. I just wanted to get you going because I knew I could get you fired up. Obama bin Biden 2008!!! Sounds alot like Osama bin Laden, doesn’t it? Obama bin Biden!!! I feel sorry for everyone who has the unfortunate opportunity to actually take time to read what deeppeace has to say here on this fine forum. GO VIKINGS!!!
First they burn books, then they burn witches:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/11/politics/animal/main4439414.shtml
oh, Vern. Your witty comments make this like the Algonquin Round Table.
GO TROLLS!
GO EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!
We the rest of the people on Earth are happy as long as you American people don’t make us lose confidence in you guys yet again… 🙂
As if Obama has any experience to go by! He has none but charisma and his skin colour to support him, other things they make out for him are mere excuse to make him look american and cover the terrorista in him, do not be fooled – the only change Obama’s sure to bring on is that for the worst! If you love the country, vote for the one who has the integrity to truly care for the country, and the accomplishments to show for it, as well as the background.
Consider alone the muslim, terrorists and criminal associations Obama has in the last 10 years and tell me if you would want that kind to run the most powerful office in the world, kinda like giving hitler another chance to dominate. Heaven forbid!
Isla, your comments would be funny if not for the fact that a sizeable percentage of the US population actually believes that crap. You really shouldn’t believe everything you hear.
Folks, I liked “King Ralph” too, but it was NOT A DOCUMENTARY.
You wear me out, Vern. How’d I do?
Congrats on getting me fired up. I am. Especially on the days around 9/11, I am so upset by people ‘memorializing’ the date and the place and those lost but then doing nothing that will actually protect our country. All they care about is the next season of American Idol or why their newest iPhone doesn’t work better than their last one.
In some ways I want to say ‘you get what you deserve,’ but outcomes aren’t individually specific enough for that. If 50.000001% are morons, the whole nation pays the price.
deeppeace, dont give up the fight.
my method is to prod the trolls,
i figure the more they write here where
we know they are insane, the less they
write elsewhere
All you need to know about Sarah is that the American people love her.
Mrs. McCain is too fragile to serve as first lady and Sarah was chosen not so much as Vice President, (although that is not a terribly difficult job), but as a surrogate first lady.
Pre-requisite: Attractive, smooth talker, able to hold her liquor, (now that is what they should be asking her—–pulling out her gun and shooting a dignitary’s wife if NOT politically correct).
Experience required: None.
Voila–mavericks. Promised you silly people a change and you got it—Don’t need to change anything else. The campaign is not over yet and you are already being lied to.
I say the Road to the White House should have to cross the Bridge to Nowhere.
i believe if john mccain will loose this campain if does not start attcking obama with his links to accorn and wright and tell the middle class what he plans to do for them and i dont care about bush tax cuts they havent worked for me or any one in ohio if he wants my vote i want to know what his doing for main street not corpirations they dont pay my bills i do and sarah palin needs to spend more time talkin about our problems not alaska she now has 49 states to woory about she a great pick for us now let her show it stop hidden her put her on orielly and she will past my test and the publc how you want there vote. miss palin is a strong women and she needs to just say that she is learning forgien affairs and will learn from you as she should and dont let up on obama he is a liar and a teift now show it tell the public about hi mbeing legal council for accorn and that they have alot of need for him to be president and they are a fraud and was a part of that. we need you as president so show us you want it and take him out now and forever out on the defence about his lies about you and sarah thank you both and god bless you and your familys
Anyone can be president
zit seems that obaham believes he is moses and can part the red sea. I don’t think so.he is so full of it.