Choosing Sarah Palin

Mccain_veepstakes_pal_wart

Folks, I’m absolutely swamped, this being Friday morning, but I thought I’d give those of you with the time a place to discuss McCain’s choice of … let me go check her name again… Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Here are some conversation-starters:

  • One thing’s for sure, I don’t have any video to share with you of Gov. Palin. Never met the woman.
  • For a brief moment this morning, I thought maybe Bobby Jindal was back on the short list, when I saw this piece by him in the WSJ. (I know that’s not logical, but the human mind is susceptible to the suggestion of coincidences.) That would have been cool, because it would have made the two tickets perfectly symmetrical — McCain playing the role of Biden on the GOP ticket, and Jindal (young, charismatic, ethnic) playing Obama.
  • Do you think McCain made a big mistake not beefing up his ticket’s economic cred with Romney?
  • Not that I want to attach a lot of importance to her gender, but it would seem that McCain is really, really serious about going after those disaffected Hillary voters, the ones who took HER gender very, very seriously.
  • Where’s Wayne Campbell when you need him for expert commentary on whether she, if elected, would qualify as the first babe to be a heartbeat from the presidency?

Talk amongst yourselves.

134 thoughts on “Choosing Sarah Palin

  1. bud

    I think this is a brilliant pick. He shores up his evangalical base, appeals to women and has someone young on the ticket. Plus she’s a governor with executive experience. The only downside is she is really inexperienced when it comes to foreign policy. Would she be the best person to answer that 3am phone call? As an Obama supporter this pick is really scary. I was hoping for Romney. That would have been too easy.

  2. bud

    Bill, pandering is a part of the political game, especially for Republicans. McCain is trying to win and he’s attempting to pick the person that gives him the best shot. If he has to pander, so be it.

  3. p.m.

    Here’s hoping Palin has the dynamics to bolster the ticket. McCain has the foreign policy experience. Chances are he will live long enough to answer any 3 p.m. phone call and get his VP some experience on the world circuit.
    This just in: Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA.
    And despite her lack of foreign-policy experience, already decried by the Obama campaign, she has every bit as much foreign policy experience as that peanut farmer from Georgia who managed to get folks in the Middle East to agree on a thing or two.
    And she’s from Alaska, just 49 miles away from the former Soviet Union. That’s as foreign as any U.S. state gets. Heck, she’s even at the same latitude as Canada.
    At least she wasn’t born in Kenya, like the Democratic Party’s nominee.
    God speed McCain.

  4. Doug Ross

    Is the rough and tumble campaign trail the best place for a woman to raise an infant?
    I think this would have been a better choice a few years from now.
    I’m watching McCain at the podium in Dayton.
    He’s READING his speech off cards. I mean SERIOUSLY looking at the cards every few seconds.
    For such an important speech he couldn’t speak from the heart?
    This is going to be a nightmare.

  5. Doug Ross

    Following on — I’m just guessing Karl Rove gave McCain the cards before he walked on the stage.
    He is a horrible speaker.

  6. dave

    I think they ought to trade places on the ticket. Let the Governor run for prez and McCain for vp.
    Then again, she’d have more sense than to pick McCain as her running mate.
    Dave

  7. Guero

    P.M. Serious question, why is it wingnuts like yourself, and Republicans in general, are so gullible when they read anything on-line?
    There are simply too many examples to name but among them would be the Hillary Snubs Gold Star Mothers myth, the tort reform myths of St. Ronnie (including Reagans out and out lie he teared up when touring Nazi death camps following the end of WW II), Leters from ____________(fill in the blanks here, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, etc).
    The latest bit of nonsense is this Kenya cr*p.
    And not to mention what even National Review calls the “heartbeat away” problem.
    If Barack is unqualified, she’s the equivalent of a dog catcher. Governor of a state that receives more welfare from the government than any other state, ex mayor of a town of 8k (Bob Coble has better qualifications!).
    I like the choice because it shows the intellectual dishonesty of the center of McSame’s campaign, the alleged inexperience of Obama. Who BTW, has far more experience than y’alls hero, Junior Bush.

  8. tomfliesthebonnieblue

    it’s brilliant, and not pandering by a long shot. she appeals to more constituencies than hillary supporters. this will further magnify what a bad choice biden was for o.

  9. Doug Ross

    Palin:
    “I was elected mayor of my home town and had two objectives: cut property taxes and stop wasteful spending”.
    That should warm Brad’s heart.
    And she just used the term “good old boys” as in “I fought the good old boys”.
    There goes South Carolina.

  10. Doug Ross

    Palin is now thanking Hillary for all she has done to “crack the glass ceiling”.
    Just how low will the McCain campaign go? It’s all about winning, not principles.

  11. Phillip

    I don’t know much about Palin but on the surface this seems brilliant, politically anyway. I don’t get how Romney would have “beefed up his ticket’s economic cred.” Two rich guys with 12 houses between them are not the right theme for these difficult times.

  12. p.m.

    I’m listening to Palin speak now, Guero.
    Obama is dead meat.
    She has more executive experience than Obama.
    She’s less an elitist than Obama.
    And, by the way, it takes wingnuts like me, guys who believe in fiscal responsibility and realize that actions speak louder than politically correct drivel, to hold things together.
    Thanks for the compliment.

  13. Susan

    This looks to me like a TERRIBLE pick for McCain.
    * It totally undercuts his arguments against Obama on experience, and so appears to be a cynical pick to pander to the voters.
    * Now he has to run on totally on policy, which is fine with Obama, as no one wants Republican policies this year.
    * Hillary supporters aren’t going to go over to McCain just because his VP’s a woman — Hillary’s supporters are all pro-choice and Palin’s definitely not. You can only stretch identity politics so far.
    * Suburban evangelical women were probably going to vote for McCain anyway, but I hope she has a good explanation of how she’s going to take care of a new baby (with Down Syndrome, no less!) while running for VP, because those evangelical homeschoolers are often pretty sensitive about that sort of thing.
    Just watched the announcement. John McCain looks worried to me, but maybe that’s just because I don’t think this pick is a good choice. She does seem like someone I would like, and like someone Alaskans would like. But I can’t see the logic in the VP choice.
    Is there something I’m missing that makes this a good choice?

  14. tomfliesthebonnieblue

    it was a very good choice for this election.
    she will appeal to enough women voters to get some crossover.
    she’s not old school inside the beltway washington, that needs ‘change’.
    not someone the dems can easily attack or a polarizing figure within the party.
    running on policy is fine, that is how elections should be decided.
    in this symbolic, sound bite world, it is a very good choice.

  15. buster

    I don’t understand how it totally undercuts the argument against Obama’s experience. Palin has more executive level experience than Obama has (since Obama has none). I can understand questioning her experience, but her experience in no way alleviates the questions about Obama’s experience (especially since he only has 143 days of experience as compared to a year and a half of experience that Palin has).

  16. Claudia

    “…commentary on whether she, if elected, would qualify as the first babe to be a heartbeat from the presidency?”
    Oh, come on, Brad! “BABE”??? Seriously, I really hate it when you pull crap like that… the He-Man-Woman-Haters club raises its glass again. (Siighhh…)
    (Yeah – I know, just being facetious. Still, it’s insulting – you should know better.)
    As for the ticket, I’m delighted. Obama and Biden look more and more to be the leaders for the future while the Republicans just appear to be “desperately clinging”.

  17. martin

    it’s time we amend the Constitution and add some experience qualifications for people aspiring to the House, Senate and Presidency.

  18. Mike Cakora

    Palin’s quite the character, and of the heroic sort to boot. Heck, she took on the corrupt Republican machine, filed charges against the state GOP chief and the state AG, and ended up winning the governorship. She’s proved through action that she’s tougher than Biden and Obama combined. And I’m pretty sure she can shoot better too.
    Alaska has been on federal welfare, but as governor she’s taken steps to stop earmarks, with the “bridge to nowhere” just one of the handouts on her hit list.
    I’m sure that NOW will shortly announce their support and members will flood the campaign with contributions.
    So the Republicans ended up with the babe. Ironic, no?
    Susan – You may have a point: should women stay at home to take care of their kids?
    Actually, I think it is a TERRIBLE pick, but for McCain’s opponent.

  19. tomfliesthebonnieblue

    martin-
    you could solve the experience issue in the senate by repealing the seventeenth amendment.

  20. Doug Ross

    It’s 2012. 76 year old John McCain who has aged considerably under the stress of four years in the White House says he will not run for a second term.
    Are all you Republicans ready for President Palin?
    And “babe”? I guess it’s okay to lower the bar for Vice President qualifications but putting Palin in the “babe” category just WILL NOT STAND! She looks like most of the middle management women I’ve run across in my work career.
    Did anyone else see McCain’s awful performance on the stage? He will be DESTROYED in the debates with Obama.

  21. Tarzan

    It is a brilliant move on McCain’s part!Now,I don’t have to worry about O getting elected and wondering if I will become the minority.You men need to learn that the ONLY thing that a woman CAN”T do without a man is have children,so why be a broodmare ? I hope she pulls all of Hillary’s votes,for WOMEN who men think are too emotional to do anything.GO McCain & Palin!!!

  22. Mike Cakora

    Doug –
    I’m no Republican, but gotta figure that 2012 and / or 2016 will be exciting elections. I like the stuff Palin is made of (I used the word “babe” to annoy some — it worked — and to contrast the two parties’ tickets and what they could have been), just as I like the stuff of Bobby J.
    Folks seem to think that Palin will help with women, but she’ll help with real men too, guys who wish that this huntin’, fishin’, float-plane-flyin’ gal with a big ‘tude and uncommon sense were single.
    I gotta ask you to do one thing for your own sake: don’t read this AP article. It’s headline is “Palin’s age, inexperience rival Obama’s.”

  23. Doug Ross

    Mike,
    Sorry, I’m not voting for Obama either. Not because he is inexperienced — although we see now what having an inexperienced puppet in the White House can do to the country — I won’t vote for him because he would keep Social Security as it is now (a Ponzi scheme waiting for collapse) and has the potential to push for national health care.
    I won’t for McCain because of his position on the war and immigration.
    Unlike Brad, I don’t have to compromise on my basic beliefs and choose the best of the worst.

  24. just saying

    “Unlike Brad, I don’t have to compromise on my basic beliefs and choose the best of the worst.”
    You just take a pass and let other people make the important decisions instead…

  25. Doug Ross

    I see. It is only possible to vote for a Republican or Democrat. Thanks for the information, “just sayin”.
    At least I’m not afraid to sign my name to my beliefs. What’s your excuse for hiding?
    I voted for Ron Paul. He shared my views on the war, taxes, social security, the role of government, abortion, and more. To then just say “Oh, well, I’ll take someone who agrees with half my views” would be stupid. Just as it is stupid to cast a vote for someone just because there is an “R” next to his name.

  26. bud

    I didn’t know that Palin had a small child with Down’s syndrome. As a VP candidate she’ll be spending the next 2 months on the road. So much for good ole tradional GOP family values.

  27. Republican4Obama

    I’m so ashamed of my party and its mouthpieces these days, it’s killing me. I am a fiscal conservative and small business owner who voted for Nixon, Reagan and Bush Sr., but in the past eight years we’ve seen decisions such as the one John McCain just made time and time again. It’s pathetic. This isn’t conservatism. The Republican Party — the party I loved and cherished for more than three decades — is, for all intents and purposes, dead. It no longer thinks; it reacts. Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in government for the people, she believes in breaks for the rich, just like Bush and McCain. Her big issue is guns. Good, let Ted Nugent vote for her. I challenge REAL conservatives — fiscal conservatives — to break away from that sinking ship and join me in voting for only solid leaders we have in this election: Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Ever since Bill Clinton helped recover this nation from its economic slump, the real conservatives are, dare I say, to the left of the center. I haven’t switched parties yet because I always have hope for my beloved GOP. But my hope is waning and I’m loving the Democratic Party more and more these days. The Republican Party has become a joke. I hope that changes. In the mean time, I’m voting for Obama-Biden. Then we’ll see if the Republicans can kick these spoiled, economically irresponsible neocons out of the party once and for all. God bless America — and God save her.

  28. Norm

    The McCain campaign cannot argue her experience or his judgement. This isn’t a presidential decision–it’s political pandering trying to snag the PUMA vote–a sliver of the electorate. How is this putting country first?

  29. just saying

    “I see. It is only possible to vote for a Republican or Democrat.”
    It certainly is possible to vote for other parties. But, as we do not have a parliamentary system, unless we are in one of those rare years where one of the major parties is collapsing, a vote for a 3rd party has the same impact on the final outcome as if it wasn’t cast. That’s the way the math works out.
    If the voter truly is in the middle (or in a state where some candidate is a certainty to win), then I can’t see any arguments against a third party vote… and the extra attention in brings to someone who agrees with your views would be a good thing. However, if the voter is not exactly in the middle and is in a state that could go either way, then voting for a third party candidate is giving the candidate closer to your views one less vote (not quite as bad as helping the candidate you dislike more win, but on that path).
    “”Oh, well, I’ll take someone who agrees with half my views” would be stupid.”
    I assume you don’t agree with Ron Paul on _everything_. So what’s the cut-off for the percent of views a candidate has to share with you to get a vote?

  30. just saying

    “Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in government for the people,”
    Wasn’t a lot of her work during the first two years getting rid of waste and corruption? (e.g. using the peoples money better?)

  31. Jeff Mobley

    This is a good pick. Lieberman or Ridge would have been huge mistakes. Romney, for all his strengths, had a lot of potential liabilities as a running mate.
    Palin took on corruption in her own party. She is one of the few in positions of leadership who is doing something right now about energy other than talking (getting the ball rolling on a huge natural gas pipeline).
    I agree with Doug that he shouldn’t be expected to vote in a manner inconsistent with his principles.
    I disagree with Doug on John McCain’s prospects against Obama in the debates.
    Two words: No teleprompter

  32. Mike Cakora

    bud –
    You’re a bit late to the “mountain-out-of-a-molehill” party. Shortly after 11:30 today I heard a woman saying the exact same thing in distorting the notion of “traditional family values” and I’ve noted that the meme continues.
    There’s a fair discussion of the issues here, and the Palin family looks pretty traditional.
    You know full well that women are perfectly capable of working and caring for their families as long as they have the energy and spend the time nurturing the rug rats.
    The bigger challenge will be for her husband should the McCain-Palin ticket win. He’s a fisherman part of the year so they’re going to have to figure out how he can continue that from the new home at the Naval Observatory. And where the heck are they gonna find a moose to shoot in the DC area?
    I know that you’re really worried because in your heart you know that Palin can perform more of these essential skills while nursing an infant than Obama and Biden can together with instructions.

  33. Doodah

    What hostility I have just read! I did not know South Carolinians could use such hateful speech! I am delighted by the pick of Sarah Palin, it gives youth and excitement to our ticket. I need to remind some of you that President Bush has kept our country from being attacked for the last seven years. After 9/11, the US economy recovered rapidly due to Bush’s tax cuts. Best kept secret today – that the MSM has lied about Bush for the last seven years, every single day – that’s why we need talk radio, Rush, and blogs, to get the truth! And that is why newspapers are folding all over. The truth will make you free!!

  34. Doug Ross

    >I assume you don’t agree with Ron Paul on >_everything_.
    I don’t. I start with a list of issues and then sort of prioritize them in my head. Then I look for the candidate who matches the ones of highest importance.
    For me, the priorities are:
    1) Taxes
    2) Limiting government
    3) Privatize social security
    4) Immigration
    5) Iraq War/Foreign Policy
    Neither party is truly committed to doing anything about 1,2,3. McCain is dead wrong on 4 (and the impact it has and will have on the U.S.) and 5 (McCain sees every foreign policy issue as a military issue).
    I listened to Obama’s whole speech last night and while I can appreciate his style and his passion, I don’t agree with him at all on taxes and Social Security.
    So I can’t in good conscience vote for either one. And I don’t consider my vote to be wasted. That’s like saying every Democrat who votes for Obama in South Carolina is wasting his vote. Obama won’t win South Carolina anyway, so why bother?

  35. Doug Ross

    Mike,
    I could see Palin as a mother making a choice to join the campaign if her youngest was about five years old instead of five months.
    I don’t know about your situation, but if my wife had to spend two months on the road, working 12 or more hours a day, while she was caring for one of our kids when they were 5 months old ( nevermind a child with a medical condition that will require even MORE attention), I would be
    very concerned. Throw three more kids into the mix and it becomes a huge challenge.
    Maybe I’m old fashioned, but when Palin made a big deal about going back to work three days after having her baby, I wasn’t impressed. That’s not something to brag about in my book…

  36. Mike Cakora

    Republican4Obama –
    I think you need to take a closer look at Palin’s record as a fiscal conservative, corruption-fighter, and an official who’s no friend of Big Oil in a state swimming in oil. So far she’s been kind to the taxpayers and has refused federal earmarks pushed by the ethically-challenged federal senators and lone representative.
    As for guns, she grew up hunting in a state where firearms are ubiquitous. Get a bit away from civilization and there are critters that will kill you accidentally or on purpose. Gun control up there means taking a deep breath before you squeeze the trigger.
    Your memory looks a bit selective, so I have to wonder a bit about your conservative roots. Good luck with your new friends. Just watch out for whose side they’re really on.

  37. Harry Harris

    I predicted over a mointh ago Mccain would pick a running mate who is black, female, or Jewish (or some combination thereof)in an attempt to attract from a traditionally Democratic-leaning constituency. I did not think he would play gamesmanship with the future of the country and so blatantly go after disappointed Hillary voters (listn to the speech). He could have gotten all three groups with Whoopi Golderg. Think, John!

  38. Doug Ross

    For every Republican falling into line and agreeing that the Palin pick was absolutely the best thing McCain could have done, can you now tell us if there was ANY name McCain could have put out that there would have caused you to say “I will not vote for McCain”?
    Romney? Huckabee? Pawlenty? Lieberman?
    Ridge? Meg Whitman?
    There’s the test for a true partisan or not. If McCain could have nominated any of the above and you’d still vote for him, then why bother even paying attention to the election.
    What if McCain says he will reintroduce the illegal immigrant amnesty bill he and Lindsey Graham put up? The one he won’t even claim ownership of now? Would that make you not vote for him?
    What about if he said he would not waste time trying to overturn Roe V. Wade? Still vote for him?

  39. Doug Ross

    And do you think Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh would have aneurysms if someone asks Biden before the debate “How are you going to beat the bitch?” and Biden laughs and says “Good question!” before slipping into Senior Senator mode?

  40. Guero

    Mikie, Mikie, I’m surprised at you. Being married to a teacher known for her integrity and you go and spoil the family rep by fibbin’ through your teeth!
    You, not a proud Repugnant? You never met a rightwing-nut you couldn’t vote for. You never met a rogue corporation you couldn’t apologize for. The last Democrat you ever would even consider about voting for was Zell Miller and even he was too weird for you.
    Little Miss Sarah, the lady who brings her own brand of corruption with her. The lady who got her brother-in-law fired for daring to divorce her sister. The lady who has less executive experience than Bob Coble! The lady who presides over the BIGGEST welfare state in the entire country.
    As if executive experience means anything after y’all ( I know, I know, the Supreme Court Gang of Five did it for y’all) inflicted Junior Bush on us.
    That’s rich that she’s put up to be such a sterling believer in Republican economics when Alaska is the poster child for “Federal Hand-Outs R Us”. Oh, I guess that IS the definition of Republican economics-Borrow and SPEND federal dollars.
    Oh, and have you caught the Ted Stevens ENDORSEMENT of her that until today was proudly displayed on her website? Ted Stevens, the MOST corrupt member of the Republican Party culture of corruption.
    Think about writing a book of fairy tales, Mikie, you’re talented enough after that “I’m not a Republican” whopper…

  41. Ralph Hightower

    Sarah is a hotter looking babe than Cindi!
    Sarah was a surprise pick, but I was right that McCain wouldn’t pick any of his competitors in a response to Brad’s blog.
    Alas, South Carolina is stuck with “Fred” Sanford for two more years. Mark hasn’t accomplished anything in six years as “governot” (intentional misspelling) and he won’t accomplish anything in the next two years because he doesn’t know how to compromise. Sanford acts like a spoiled brat because he is a spoiled brat.
    But if McCain does kick the bucket as President, Sanford as President would be a scary thing to happen to the US.

  42. Lee Muller

    Ralph,
    Can you name any compromise offered to Governor Sanford by the thugs who run the House and Senate?
    Alaska is different. One year, they elected 10 Libertarians to the legislature, so the establishment crooks know they can only push back so hard without a backlash.
    Palin takes some suspicion off McCain on drilling ANWR, gun control, etc.
    The biggest factor might be a Republican turnout that dilutes Democrat power in the House and Senate.

  43. bud

    Mike, it’s the GOP that harps endlessly about traditional family values. And now we have a woman with a baby with special needs heading off on the campaign trail, a very demanding avocation, for 2 months. Then she may have to move 4,000 miles away from home. What kind of roll model is that? Sounds like a convenient way to abandon her family obligations to me. Please don’t bother trying to defend this obvious political ploy that is certainly not in the family values playbook. Of course the GOP sheep will fawn over this decision without managing to grasp the rank hypocricy of it. Typical GOP though. Do as I say, not as I do.

  44. Mike Cakora

    Guero –
    I would be quite flattered at the attention you lavish upon me were it not so evident that your analytical ability, hence your judgment, seems quite flawed. You could also join the crowd by exposing yourself as Lee, Herb, and others who use their full names have.
    I plead guilty to the charge of being a conservative and voting consistently for conservative candidates, and that means these days primarily Republicans. But I am not now nor have I ever been a member of any political party. I’m just not a party kind of guy. I grew up in Chicago where one party has prevailed for far too long, breeding a culture of corruption oblivious to the rule of law.
    This October 2006 article (the second of two – it has a link to the first) from the Anchorage Daily News recounts Palin’s battle with the GOP establishment in Alaska, how she took corruption on, and ended up prevailing. Such political courage is rate in any era and seemed unlikely in a state represented at the federal level by the likes of porkers Murkowski, Stevens, and Young. She had to fight the GOP to get elected, and she won. That’s admirable whatever one’s political beliefs may be, no?
    In office Palin has worked to improve state ethics enforcement, refused earmarks, and took on Big Oil’s cozy methods of operation in the state. She’s a reformer with a track record, not a traditional business-as-usual Alaska pol. So far she’s been a popular governor, so I’m not surprised that Ted Stevens would want to associate himself with her. There is an investigation underway regarding her firing of the Public Safety Commissioner, so that will be a wildcard.
    Since you bring up the 2000 election, I’ll submit that Bush’s executive experience as governor of Texas gave him a slight edge over a career legislator like Gore. Governors and other executives have to run things, make decisions, and are accountable for everything that happens on their watch. Voters need a sense of how a candidate accepts responsibility and executive experience is the best measure.
    This year neither ticket (sorry Doug, I’m just looking at the two main parties) is led by a candidate with executive experience. That makes the choice for many a little more difficult. Being a leader in the US Senate doesn’t really count because timeliness is not a factor in a deliberative body: procedure rules there. I happen to think that Obama could have found a better running mate. Sure, Biden has foreign policy experience, but he’s usually been wrong. Republican friends tell me they were worried that Obama would select Hillary — that would be an unbeatable team.
    I think that another reason I’ve never joined a political party is that I hate conventions. Only one more to go.

  45. george32

    Would any of y’all have voted for Lincoln? One term in the House and a highly paid lawyer made wealthy by representing railroads and other large businesse without a whit of administrative experience. I guess you would have preferred the experienced Republicans who changed the direction Lincoln had proposed for the reconstuction era in the south.

  46. penultimo mcfarland

    Summation: Those planning to vote for McCain say Palin is a good idea; Obama supporters say she’s not.
    First I’ve seen or heard of “family values” during this election cycle is in your posts above, bud. Decrying Ludacris, Ayers and Obama’s former preacher isn’t the same thing as “harping on family values.”
    You got it right the first time. For an Obama supporter, Palin is a “scary pick.” She one-ups Obama, because she actually has reformed a government, when all he has done is promise change and rotate positions to suit the wind like a Clinton.
    Obama’s campaign speaks of Palin’s lack of foreign-policy experience, but he himself has paid little more dues in the foreign policy department than a campaign trip abroad that saw him skip a chance to bolster soldiers’ morale.
    Palin having a son in Iraq come Election Day won’t hurt. She and McCain seem like full-fledged Americans by comparison to Obama and his wife, who never found the good Rev. Wright “God damn America” speech a problem until it became a thorn in Obama’s side.
    The campaign has taken an interesting turn.
    God speed McCain.

  47. Guero

    Aw, Mikie. Nice bit of dodgeball on your part. There’s no registration requirement in SC as you know. Party denomination is most certainly not fixed by a membership card.
    You’re dissembling, plain and simple. Why not be proud of being a Republican?
    Just fess’ up, Mikie. You’ll feel more honest in the morning. Tell us how many Democrats you’ve voted for for President, Governor, US Senator, or US Representative.
    I feel confident you’re probably batting .000 as a Democrat-voting member of the public.
    Give us an honest answer and that’ll let the rest of us determine if you’re being honest or just trying to appear to be an independent.
    One last note, Mikie, quit trying to change the subject. Little Miss Sarah put the endorsement of Corrupt Ted Stevens on HER website, not the other way around. That wasn’t even a good try, Mikie.

  48. jen

    I find McCains VP choice quite astonishing. He accuses Obama of being a celebrity and his VP choice poses for Vogue. He accuses Obama of having no experience and, yet, his VP has next to none. He accuses Obama of not saying he will do enough for the environment, yet his VPs husband works for BP…interesting… Not only that, but his VP choice is under investigation for possibly abusing her power as a governor, which I have to say from what I’ve read it doesnt look too promising for her. If she abused her power as a governor, possibly she would do the same as a VP, you never know. Im not saying she would, but theres the possibility. Just because shes a woman doesnt mean women will flock to her. I just think he could have made a better choice.

  49. Ralph Hightower

    Sanford has demonstrated time and time again that he doesn’t get along with others.

  50. James D McCallister

    A second-place beauty contest finisher? What, is the GOP all out of 2nd rate TV actors to run? Heavens to Betsy.

  51. David

    Yeah James good point. I wonder what the selection of Obama indicates that the democrat party is out of?
    Anyone with even an atom of meaningful experience maybe?
    Anyone with the courage to support and nurture the life of a baby boy, even if his condition might mean a little inconvenience?
    Anyone with the morals to acknowledge Gods’ sovereignty in and over human life, no matter whether that life meets mans’ silly “standards” for quality – whatever that means?
    Anyone who believes in America enough to aggressively advocate for the development of our domestic petroleum resources?
    Anyone who believes that marriage is strictly reserved for a man and a woman?
    Hmmm. On second thought James, you actually have no point. Better face the truth – Obama is an empty suit. He has zero experience, is pro-death, pro-surrender and spouts an economic “plan” that will further ruin whatever economy this country has left.
    In front of all that, Palin looks pretty good, actually.
    Dave

  52. David

    And your silly-a$$ed non-point about her beauty contest result is just exactly what I hope the liberal mainstream media try to do to her between now and this fall.
    This is such a ludicrous and childish attempt to demean her and get people to focus on things that absolutely do not matter. I believe the electorate will recognize this for the fraud that it is, and the desperation in the democrat party that it represents.
    In other words James, is that all you got? You and jokers like you in the democrat party are really reduced to this kind of scummy tactic? Your candidate must really suck if you think your best tactic is to talk about some beauty contest.
    And you know what? A beauty contest is really all your primary was, and the biggest beauty contest of all was the democrat convention this week. Did Obama really need that Greek temple backdrop to look important? Certainly nothing he said amounted to a hill of excrement.
    Be a man for once James. Face the truth. Your guy really sucks and you are desperate to change the subject.
    Or alternatively, keep the moronic beauty contest stuff coming. The voters will will take that kind of democrat bullsh*t into account sort it all out in about 2 1/2 months.
    I can stand the heat if you can. David

  53. Guero

    I sure hate to pick on Mikie again but he’s pushing Lee “Spaceman” Muller when it comes to advancing simply invented stuff. That’s right, made up out of whole cloth, otherwise known as fibbin’ AGAIN.
    I checked out Mikie’s link to Amir Zaheri, his tabloid resource, for all-things Joe Biden. Mikie, you didn’t vette your boy, Zaheri.
    Seems he just can’t stop fantasizing and writing about non-existant events, non-existant sources, and other out-and-out lies. Tell us how you know Zaheri is telling the truth, Mikie? Does Zaheri rub his ear, shoot you a secret hand-sign for neocons, what?.
    But, in reflection,I guess that’s the story of Mikie’s boy, Junior Bush. Cook the books, eliminate inconvenient facts, ignore science(sorry, Mikie, couldn’t resist pointing out here that Little Miss Sarah is anti-science TOO. None of that evolution stuff for her. She believes the earth was created 4000 years ago.)
    After voting for Junior Bush TWICE, tell us again you’re not a Republican?

  54. David

    Sarah Palin is vastly more qualified than is Nobama for the presidency.
    Heck. She’s more qualified than McCain too, for that matter.
    David

  55. Dino

    Sarah Palin connects with 80% of the public on oil drilling. She is Nancy Pelosi’s worst nightmare, and will do quite well in demonstrating female competence from an opposing view.
    Some of you state that Palin has no foreign policy experience. By now, everyone should appreciate that pipelines have strategic international significance (Russia’s recent intusion of Georgia).
    Alaska not only has a major pipeline, but crude petro resources not to mention the contentious resources within the Arctic to which Canada, Russia and Denmark have already already laid claim.
    This woman has mastery of Alaska’s energy policy in a state where some residents can even see Russian territory with their naked eyes (2.4 miles from Alaska’s Little Diomede Island).
    In truth, Palin has more international policy experience than Arkansas’s Gov. Clinton had when he laid claim to the WH. Fortunately, she is no draft dodger, either.
    Too bad more of you are not for female affirmative action.

  56. Phillip

    Just wondering if Mike C wanted to reconsider his anti-feminism comments of a couple of Brad’s blog entries earlier…remember Mike, without the feminist movement, not just no Hillary coming within a hair’s breadth of a presidential nomination, but no Sarah Palin running for VP either. It’s easy to poke at the rhetorical extremes of any movement, but no rational observer could say that the feminist movement has done anything except widen the pool of talent available to us, in terms of leadership in both the public and private spheres.

  57. Mike

    This is probably a good pick for two reasons:
    1. Will insure turnout of Republican base. Not that any hard-right conservatives would ever vote Obama, but with a Romney VP pick, they very well may have stayed home.
    2. May bring in a few disgruntled Hillary supporters. Surely more than a Romney VP pick.
    In this neck and neck race, these two factors may push McCain over the top. Not that I will vote for him, but I do like this VP choice of Palin.

  58. Ralph Hightower

    John,
    I meant “doesn’t get along with others”. What would you term a person that is combative, belligerent, when interacting with others, disrepectful of others?
    What SC politician do I admire?
    Hmmm… Hang on a second, I’m thinking about it.
    Okay, here’s one:
    Henry McMaster. I didn’t vote for him the first time running for AG because he was the head of the SC GOP party. I thought he would be biased to prosecuting Democrats and refusing to prosecute Republicans. But he has proven himself to unbiased, impartial, and non-partisan, when it comes to enforcing the laws of South Carolina.
    I do have to say that he does pick and choose which Federal laws he is willing to enforce. His office refused to enforce the Federal law, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, to prosecute a spam operation that is located in Columbia, SC.
    One person who didn’t win that I wish would have won two years ago:
    Dr. Oscar Lovelace.
    He is everything Mark Sanford is not! An independent businessman, a person that truly cares about South Carolina. Dr. Lovelace understands servant leadership. Servant leadership is leadership by serving as stewards, helping citizens realize their goals, become healthier, wiser, better themselves; instead of focusing on their own personal agenda.
    Would you want to work for someone that berates and belittles his staff? That is Mark Sanford’s leadership style.

  59. Doug Ross

    How young would Mrs. Palin’s baby have to be before Republican bandwagon jumpers would say “Well, maybe she should spend more time with her infant and delay her ambitions until 2012”.
    Her baby is four months old. Is that the age where Republicans feel a child is ready for a part time mother?
    There’s a connection in my view of the change we’ve seen in the behavior of kids in school and the daycare generation that exists now.

  60. Phillip

    Hey, remember folks, it’s all about national security…with Palin we have less to fear…from those nasty polar bears. She’ll see to that!

  61. SC Hillacrat

    Doug Ross: Point!!!
    Governor Palin’s expressing she was not interested in the vice-presidency [Glenn Beck interview, sometime in early summer, 2008], having a baby, now jumping at the chance, and summarily handing this little bundle of joy/responsibility over to someone else for DAYS & WEEKS AT A TIME makes all of Hillary’s hard work come to NAUGHT! For all of Hillary’s hard work, someone who wasn’t even interested in going to Washington DC has been handed it on a silver platter.
    I am in a ***tizzy*** Must be all those female hormones……….

  62. David

    Very flimsy Doug. Very flimsy. Is this the best you’ve got?
    The Democrat Party fully supports the womans’ right to choose to abort and kill her baby at any point during pregnancy, up to and including the point at which the baby is fully delivered except for the head.
    When did you become so concerned and agonized about someone elses’ child at 4 months?
    Answer? You’re not concerned about Palins’ son.
    You’re a liar. Not an outright, brave liar…but a cowardly one who hides the fact that he is afraid of Sarah Palin and what she represents behind some cooked up, fake concern about her child.
    Just say it: Obama is completely inadequate and ill-prepared to be president, and Sarah Palins’ selection as McCains’ vp provides a graphic contrast which makes Obamas’ shortcomings stark and undeniable.
    She is everything Obama isn’t. That must be a frightening thing to a guy like you…and all you got is some trumped up slur of her motherhood.
    Flimsy indeed.
    David

  63. David

    And Polar Bears are thriving.
    Anyone who gets taken in and duped by these manipulated photos of bears stranded on ice floes is just an idiot who is purposefully disinterested in the facts.
    I have read accounts that show bear populations flourishing.
    And the Alaskan caribou have long been known to flourish and thrive around the Alaskan pipeline.
    Facts are pesky things when one has an agenda that isn’t supported by them.
    David

  64. SC Hillacrat

    Just say no to Obama AND McCain AND Palin!!!
    I am attempting to comment on this website, which I am now about 99 & 44 100ths CONVINCED is funded by John McCain:
    HillBuzz.wordpress.com
    Maybe someone else can go there with a different identity and say NO TO PALIN TOO @ this post:
    August 28 — With the fighting kitty:
    Democrats officially nominate SoetorObama. In other news, Republicans prepare to UNLEASH HELL

  65. JimT

    Palin is minimally qualified. She had to ask what the vice president does. But it was a smart choice by McCain. He needed to do something to match the historical nature of the Democratic ticket, and he hoped to pick up some disgruntled Hillary supporters to. I think when they really look at what Palin stands for, they’ll see that other than some personal spunkiness, she’s pretty much the polar opposite of Hillary, so I doubt McCain will pick up too many of them. But there’s no question it will give his campaign a fresher more up-to-date facade.

  66. Red

    Palin is just about as qualified as Obama. He’s got a couple more years of public service experience; she’s got a couple more years executive branch experience.

  67. Doug Ross

    David,
    What am I lying about?
    The fact that I have stated repeatedly that I will not vote for Obama?
    The fact that I am pro-life but don’t expect to have the government to enforce that view on every woman?
    The fact that my wife left her job to care for our three kids from 1988 to 1998? Until my youngest was in kindergarten? And then she took a job at a lower pay than she could get elsewhere so she could work at the same school that my kids attended?
    The fact that Mrs. Palin went back to work THREE DAYS after having a baby with Down Syndrome? Is that a lie?
    So what exactly am I lying about?
    I firmly believe that children do best when they spend their first few years with a mother/father around.
    Do you have kids? Would you advise your wife to take a job that would require 7 day a week/16 hour a day attention when your child was 4 months old?
    I’ll be interested to hear Brad’s take on this aspect of Palin’s resume. He’s got those two cute grandchildren now. Would he be okay with their mother doing the same thing?

  68. Pam

    Republicans in this state are ignorant. As evidenced by continuing to elect Lindsay Graham. I thought republicans hated homosexuals ? John McCain voted for the bridge to nowhere. Ms. Palin refused the bridge but kept the money . Republicans in this state believe anything that GOP says . Try researching your talking points . God I hate liars and stupid-ass republicans .

  69. Doug Ross

    I saw an excellent point on NRO Online attributed to Paul Begala.
    The question of Obama’s qualifications to be President has been considered by all of the Democrat voters during the primaries. In the minds of millions of voters and the majority of those millions of people, Obama is qualified.
    The question of Palin’s qualifications to be President has been considered and decided by one person: John McCain. A majority of Republican voters in the primaries didn’t think McCain was up to the task of being President — including 67% of the voters in South Carolina and 52% of the voters in his own home state of Arizona.

  70. Norm

    I’ve been puzzling this selection since it was announced, and still don’t have a good reason for it. The best I’ve heard or read is that it will bring out those who were going to vote for McCain anyway.
    I’ve read another reason this is a bad choice. Hillary and Bill and going to campaign relentlessly to ensure that another (unknown) woman doesn’t beat Hillary to the White House.
    Is it possible Senator McCain made this pick with another part of his anatomy instead of his brain? I mean, he doesn’t have much of a record when it comes to treating women with respect. Read this:
    http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/06/does-mccain-have-a-problem-with-women/

  71. BugsBunnie

    “Is it possible Senator McCain made this pick with another part of his anatomy instead of his brain? I mean, he doesn’t have much of a record when it comes to treating women with respect.”
    Norm’s definitely onto something here, folks.
    It’s gonna get VEWY VEWY INTEWESTING.

  72. Doug Ross

    If he chose Palin over Kay Bailey Hutchinson, it wouldn’t be the first time McCain traded in an older woman for a younger one.
    He hit the lottery the first time. Maybe he will again.

  73. Bill C.

    To Doug Ross – You seem to spend an awful lot of time talking about McCain “reading” his speach. Have you seen your savior Obama in a debate? He can’t put together two sentences that haven’t been pre-written and rehearsed.

  74. Bill C.

    Doug Ross – I hit enter too soon before reading all of your stupidity. Good for you, you got your wife to quit her job to raise your kids. If she is elected vice-president, do you have a problem with her husband quitting his job and raising their children? Ever heard of a stay at home dad? I know several successful women who’s husbands took over the helm of raising their children, is that wrong? Doug do you believe a woman’s place is at home, pregnant, barefoot and raising the children? Wake up Doug, this isn’t your grandfather’s world anymore.

  75. david

    Bill, you’re exactly right: Obama is incapable of stringing together three consecutive and coherent thoughts without a teleprompter. His horrible performance at Saddleback (among others) proves it to anyone who cares about the truth.
    The verdict is in, and Obama is guilty as charged: An empty suit who has no real plan. He thinks it is sufficient to spout the leftist talking points and liberal platitudes he heard as a college sophmore and as a democrat operative in Chicago.
    And don’t miss this point Bill: Jokers like Doug don’t really have the slightest concern for Palin’s son. This fake concern he’s bloviating about is just a cowardly way to smear Palin. It’s a great thing to watch – liberals who are upset and anxious about their dwindling chances to get their socialist into the Whitehouse…suddenly reduced to hand wringing feverish brow wiping as they express fake concern about Palins’ son.
    Sickeningly typical.
    David

  76. slugger

    We have read all the posts about why McCain did good and why he did bad in his choice of a running mate.
    Let us remember that there is no party that has a platform that will suit all the people so let us stop the nick picking and decide the strengths of those that will take our country out of the financial distress we are now facing and take on the immigration problems along with how to protect our country from invasion by terrorist.
    Governor Palin seems to be one woman that has the qualifications to take on the financial problems and protect us from those that would destroy our way of life and not afraid to take on the establishment (meaning the good old boy network).
    There are those that have been too long in political power in this country. New blood does not include Obama. He is only the front man and instrument that has been chosen to be the puppet for the old establishment. Obama is a very dangerous individual that spent the first 40 years of his life under the influence of those that would like to see this country turned into a Muslim nation and socialization and communism being at the forefront.
    Fight among yourselves on this blog about the right and wrong of who to vote for on Nov. 4th if that is your thing but the bottom line is that the future of our nation and the future of your children are in the hands of a would be president (Obama) that spent 40 years of his life under the influence of those that have shaped him to be their instrument of destruction of this county.

  77. RealityOnAPlatter

    Ultimately, we get the president we deserve — but whoEVER that is, needs to recognize America’s similarities to those of the Roman Empire @ its downfall:
    1. Moral irresponsibility.
    2. Fiscal irresponsibility.
    3. No border control.
    4. Military over-stretched.

  78. John

    Ralph,
    You certainly didn’t need to worry about McMaster prosecuting Dems. He is a card carrying member of the Good Ole Boy Network. He counts Don Fowler among his closest friends.
    What do you think motivates Governor Sanford? Please answer. I would assert that he is motivated by genuine conviction. It is easy to go along; he takes a more admirable path. I can’t wait to hear his speech at the Republican Convention.

  79. Anon.

    Don’t go there, Norm. Not on a post about Wilderness Girl. Because, it’s not a far stretch to checking her for ticks and all.

  80. Lee Muller

    I just love the way Sarah Palin has brought out the true colors of Democrats:
    * Dismissing her because she is a woman and a mother.
    * Insulting her appearance.
    * Calling her “inexperienced” when Obama has none.
    * Ridiculing her husband for being a blue collar union worker.
    * Ridiculing their being from small towns.
    * Ridiculing her being mayor of a town of 8,000 as “nothing”.
    Keep it up, dummies!

  81. James D McCallister

    Seems like all the righties on this blog are very strident…and David (many posts above), you assume much in calling me a Democrat. And you know what happens when we assume…

  82. Doug Ross

    Sorry, Bill C., you lose again.
    In 1988 when my first son was born, I was one of the first people in my company who was able to work from home so I COULD help care for my son. My wife and I have made many choices during our 20 years of parenting that put the kids over careers.
    I gave up opportunities for promotions several times so I could stay on a job that let me work from home.
    And your ignorance over Mrs. Palin is telling. Her husband works on the North Slope of Alaska for BP Oil. You think he’s going to be changing diapers up there?
    Most likely, the baby care will be passed on to nannies or the other daughters.
    I’ve been asking women what they think of a mother of a four month old going off on the campaign trail. I haven’t heard from one yet who thinks it’s a good idea. I don’t think we’ve seen a response yet from a mother on this blog who thinks its a great idea either. It’s not the right time.
    David, my concern isn’t for Palin’s son other than in the general case where I think a four month old does better with the fulltime attention of a mother. My concern is for McCain’s judgement and Palin’s apparent ambition. All I have said is that now is not the time in my view for a woman to take a four month old on the campaign trail. I wrote that it would have been better to wait four years than to make that sacrifice right now. What’s the hurry?
    Do you have kids, David? Have you had the experience of what demands an infant has on your time, your sleep schedule, your focus? When Palin’s baby gets an ear infection (they all do) and is down for the count for a couple days, what should she do? I don’t have any personal experience with Down Syndrome children, but I would imagine that there are a variety of additional challenges that such a situation would have.

  83. Doug Ross

    Would McCain have selected Palin if Hillary was the nominee? Would McCain have selected Palin if Hillary was selected by Obama for VP?
    In either case, I think the answer is no.
    Which says this was a political pick for McCain, not one that was made in the best interest of the country.
    The Straight Talker has pulled another fast one.

  84. Norm Ivey

    I’ve tried several times to post this response, but Brad’s Blog won’t let me post the links. You can access the links by clicking on my name in the Posted by: line below this entry.
    Alaska has a population smaller than the Columbia Metropolitan Area (2000 census), but I wonder if such executive experience is significant. She is smart except that she hasn’t paid attention to Iraq:
    see link
    and doesn’t know what our plan there is:
    see link
    Curiously, she doesn’t know what the vice president does, but wants to be sure the position would help Alaska:
    see link
    She appears to be true to the conservative ideals of deficit spending and incompetence (and a tax increase in Wasilla):
    see link
    She proposed a half-billion dollar subsidy for a Canadian company to build a pipeline to be paid for with Alaskan taxpayers’ money, even thought the oil companies were willing to build it without a state subsidy:
    see link
    Oddly (and to her credit) for a Republican, she approves of Senator Obama’s energy plan:
    see link
    I’m really puzzled how this pick helps McCain.

  85. Ralph Hightower

    John No Last Name,
    McMaster has a minor role in the GOP Convention starting tomorrow. McMaster is the Sergeant-At-Arms of the convention. His duty is to open and close the meeting, and make sure the agenda is on time.
    Mark “Fred” Sanford is not scheduled to speak at the Republican Convention.
    If Sanford has any speaking role at the convention, it would be announcing the vote from the South Carolina delegation. Sanford only endorsed McCain after the South Carolina GOP Primary. Go figure!
    Of course their schedule is probably going to change since Bush & Cheney have said they are going to monitor Hurricane Gustav from Washington. Bobby Jindal has said his first priority is Louisiana.
    So there are probably some holes to fill in…
    This schedule is from http://www.gopconvention2008.com/schedule/service.aspx:
    9/1/08:
    President George W. Bush
    Vice President Richard B. Cheney
    First Lady Laura Bush
    Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.)*
    Gov. Rick Perry (Texas)*
    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Calif.)
    Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.)*
    U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.)*
    U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)*
    U.S. Sen. John Ensign (Nev.)*
    U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.)
    House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio)*
    U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.)*
    U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.)*
    U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Fla.)*
    U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake (Va.)*
    U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.)*
    U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif)*
    Robert M. (Mike) Duncan, Chairman of the Republican National Committee*
    Jo Ann Davidson, Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Chairman of the 2008 Republican National Convention Committee on Arrangements*
    Maria Cino, President and CEO of the 2008 Republican National Convention*
    Tommy Espinoza*
    Maj. Gen. Rick Goddard, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)*
    Bill Gross*
    Ashley Gunn*
    Chris Hackett*
    Doug Leatherdale*
    Jay Love*
    Cynthia Lummis*
    Erik Paulsen*
    Capt. Leslie Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.)*
    9/2/08:
    Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
    Gov. Jon Huntsman (Utah)
    Gov. Linda Lingle (Hawaii)
    Gov. Sarah Palin (Alaska)
    Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.)
    Former Gov. Tom Ridge (Pa.)
    U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.)*
    Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.)
    House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio)*
    U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.)*
    U.S. Rep. Luis Fortuño (Puerto Rico)*
    U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam (Fla.)*
    Dennis Hollingsworth (Fla.), President of the National Conference of Republican County Officials*
    Rosario Marin, California Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency and former Treasurer of the United States
    GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele
    Chris Collins*
    Carolyn Dunn*
    Phil Hayes*
    Lisa Keegan*
    Ruth Novodor*
    Dr. Elena Rios *
    Shirley Sadler*
    Joe Watkins*
    9/3/08:
    Mrs. Cindy McCain
    Republican Party’s Vice Presidential Nominee
    Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.)
    Former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.)
    U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)
    U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas)*
    U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.)*
    Mayor Mick Cornett (Okla.)*
    State Sen. Abel Maldonado (Calif.)*
    Carly Fiorina, Victory ’08 Chairman for the Republican National Committee and former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.
    Meg Whitman, National Co-Chair for McCain 2008 and former President and CEO of eBay
    Renee Amoore*
    Anne Beiler*
    Jessica Colon, Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation*
    Christy Swanson*
    Raul “Danny” Vargas*
    9/4/08:
    John McCain
    Gov. Charlie Crist (Fla.)
    Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.)
    U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.)
    U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)*
    U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.)
    Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist (Tenn.)*
    U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (Okla.)*
    Michael Williams, Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission*
    David Flaum*
    Christopher Fussner*
    Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)*
    Charlie Smith*

  86. Ralph Hightower

    Lee,
    “Fred” Sanford prefers to govern by press releases and theatrics instead of sitting down with people and talking with “the other side”, which includes members of his own party, to iron out differences.

  87. bud

    Norm, it helps McCain’s campaign in 2 ways, neither of which have anything to do with the good of the country:
    1. First, it is a shrewd attempt to woo some disaffected Hillary supporters, mostly working, suburban women, who really want to see a woman elected to national office. There probably aren’t many but in a close election even a few hundred thousand could be decisive.
    2. It helps shore up the far-right conservative base, especially the second ammendment zealots. These people were never going to vote for Obama but they might stay home unless given a compelling reason to come out.
    McCain’s gambling, again, that he can shore up his base and pilfer just a few votes from the middle to win a few “purple” states. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Colorado hold the balance in this election. (Florida is probably already in the GOP bag. Likewise I think Iowa and New Mexico will go for Obama as they did for Al Gore).
    This doesn’t mean that Palin is in any way, shape or form a good choice for VP. Quite the contrary. She’s an appalling choice in fact. She’s ridiculously far to the right, even supporting the notion of creation science. She’s also hopelessly inexperienced with a scant few months in charge of a tiny (by population) state. Before that she was mayor of a town smaller than Cayce.
    McCain’s taking a gamble. Sadly, this type of pandering may work. If only the country came first instead of politics.

  88. Doug Ross

    Prior to last week, John McCain had met his Vice President nominee ONE TIME. I guess he’ll be learning as much about her credentials in the next few weeks as the rest of the country.

  89. Norm Ivey

    Bud,
    Thanks for the clarification of my point. On my own blog, the entry was titled This is Country First?

  90. John

    Ralphie,
    I had to chip away at your ego, but Sanford will be speaking on behalf of the Republican Governor’s Assoc. His speech was scheduled for Monday night, though that may be changed due to Gustav. You might try reading some local newspapers to confirm this. It became official last week. How timely my statement on the connection between your hero McMaster and Fowler was. You really know how to pick ’em Ralphie.

  91. Lee Muller

    Did you notice that Sarah Palin can speak without hesitation on every subject, without having to read a speech written by someone else, like poor old Obama?
    Obama is not even a US citizen. He will be off the ticket, with Biden and Hillary running by October.

  92. Guero

    “Spaceman” Lee, good one, buddy. Keep up the delusional thinking.
    Little Miss Sarah certainly can speak on any subject. She said she knows nothing of Iraq which makes her a expert with the Bushies. She also doesn’t know what the VP does. Another good one, Spaceman.
    I see the first polling is out. Little Miss Sarah HURTS John McSame with women! Ya gotta love that wild man McSame. Shootin’ from the hip as he always does.
    I also love the Alaska newspapers piping in. They’re proud of Little Miss Ssrah but also say she’s NOT qualified to be VP. What’s that old saw, the people who know her best…..?

  93. p.m.

    “McCain’s taking a gamble. Sadly, this type of pandering may work. If only the country came first instead of politics.”
    Actually, bud, McCain’s gamble chooses substance over style, dedication rather than self service, and heart over hokum.
    McCain has put country first and politics second. He’s interested in the welfare of all of us, unlike the Democrats, whose main methodology is the redistribution of wealth, purchasing the votes of the disaffected with social programs by the dozen in order to empower themselves.
    Palin has more executive experience than Obama. She has governed; Obama has posed. Palin probably plays basketall more effectively, too, and if she had time to bowl, she could probably beat 37 with one hand tied behind her back.

  94. Lee Muller

    Sarah Palin speaking with honest humility about how much she still has to learn about Iraq. She has an open mind on the subject, unlike Obama and many Democrats.
    Since she commands the Alaska National Guard and Air National Guard, which have been deployed to Iraq, she has a lot more direct knowledge about the military than Obama the liar.
    Mrs. Palin also has a son who is in the military and being deployed to Iraq.

  95. Doug Ross

    Lee,
    Had Obama selected someone with the same credentials as Palin, can we assume you would be cheering the pick?
    It doesn’t bother you at all that McCain had only met her once before making the decision to bring her on the ticket? Rush, Sean, and the rest would be apoplectic if Obama had selected someone he had never met. And the supposed family values Christian conservative women would be berating a Democrat woman who went on he campaign trail with a four month old.

  96. Guero

    Good one, Spaceman. First you tell us Little Miss Sarah can speak on any topic, then your first fall-back position is to praise her ignorance. What’s next, Spaceman?
    Aren’t you one of the morons who said Alaska is next to Russia therefore she has foeign policy experience?
    BTW, Spaceman, the commanding general of the Alaska National Guard has already shot down your Commander in Chief argument. He says both HE and SHE have nothing to do with the federalization of the Guard and they BOTH know nothing of the same.
    Thanks for playing, Spaceman, try again soon.

  97. HP

    Bud, that gamble continues to play out:
    http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10356170
    Mothers with young children and mothers with young children having children do not need to be a heartbeat away from running the country right now.
    I commend these respectable Palin women for their pro-life and their whole-life stands. But they do not need to be making them on a world stage in times like these.
    Wow.

  98. Lee Muller

    Doug,
    I see no big deal about McCain only meeting the governor of Alaska once or twice. They both have telephones, and you can bet her credentials and background checked out.
    Obama can’t find a running mate to make up for his lack of experience, lack of ability, and lack of patriotism.

  99. Lee Muller

    Guero, since you sound like you are still in high school, I understand why you know nothing about the National Guard, State Guard, or the regular military, which includes Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage.
    Obama also knows nothing about the military.
    Biden only knows what some aide told him.

  100. Lee Muller

    Guero, since you sound like you are still in high school, I understand why you know nothing about the National Guard, State Guard, or the regular military, which includes Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage.
    Obama also knows nothing about the military.
    Biden only knows what some aide told him.

  101. Guero

    I love it…
    Little Miss Sarah has lawyered up!
    Depositions are coming. Alaskans are coming out of the woodwork saying no one from John McSame’s office vetted her.
    Tell us, Mr. Warthen, about the judgment of your hero? Isn’t the selection of a running mate the first decision of a presidential wannabee?
    Tell us about John McSame’s shoot-from-the-hip style, Mr. Warthen. That’s very presidential, isn’t it?

  102. Steve Gordy

    About the military, Biden knows that his son (who is Attorney General of Delaware) is going to Iraq. Guess the boy never learned the Bush-Cheney-Sanford tricks of either a) having your daddy intervene to get you a cushy stateside billet or b) getting special permission to join a Reserve unit conveniently timed for an election campaign. BTW, how are Barbara and Jenna enjoying their tours in Iraq?

  103. Mike Cakora

    Wow! I go away for a long weekend and see that I didn’t miss much. I see that this has continued to be quite personal and somewhat nasty.
    Well, for another view, go read Jim Treacher:

    The biggest difference, as I see it, between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama?

    One of them is little more than an elegant, attractive, dare I say sexy piece of eye candy.
    The other one kills her own food.

  104. Mike Cakora

    Phillip –
    My remarks were directed at radical feminists as depicted by the NOW gang, and they stand. They don’t seem to cotton to Palin too much.
    Palin is reportedly a member of Feminists for Life, a group I know little about.
    One does not need to be a feminist to believe in individual rights, no matter what sex they belong to. That NOW folks often take stands that run counter to notions of individual liberty keeps them off my “favorites” list.

  105. Lee Muller

    Well, since George Stephanopolous was arrested for driving without a license while working in the White House, and had never had one in his life … he’ll probably let Mrs. Palin off on the fishing.

  106. Guero

    Exactly, Norm.
    In addition, the editors of her home-town newspaper say no one from John McSame’s people checked out their paper archives. Their website very clearly says not everything is available on-line.
    Tom Eagleton in a dress…

  107. Doug Ross

    Another fib from the McCain campaign exposed:
    “Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, considers Palin “extremely responsive and smart” and says she is in charge when it comes to in-state services, such as emergencies and natural disasters where the National Guard is the first responder.
    But, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.”
    How many more lies will they tell?

  108. Lee Muller

    National Guardsmen carry a dual commission, both State and Federal. They are under the command of their governor, just like the State Guard or Militia, but they can be called up by the President and federalized under regular Army or Air Force command, serving attached to regular units or entirely in their own units.

  109. Lee Muller

    Dan Quayle, contrary to the media smear, was quite qualified, in charge of foreign policy for all of South America, and oversight over coordination of state and federal governments for disaster response, such as hurricanes. He knew every top officer in every agency, and the military, and their roles. He made Al Gore look like a dope, but then Al Gore is a dope.

  110. Lee Muller

    Eagleton wasn’t a bad guy. He was just unstable, crying and all that, so he wasn’t 100% recovered from his prior breakdowns.

  111. Guero

    Unlike Mr. Warthen, I would have voted for Tom Eagleton. Mr. Warthen has never voted for a Democratic candidate for President.
    Mr. Warthen may have been disappointed but that doesn’t translate into anything other than dissembling on his part considering his voting and endorsement record for president.

  112. Lee Muller

    To their credit, most Democrats recognized that having a mentally stable VP on their ticket was important, not only for being elected, but for actually handing the job.

  113. daniel cabrera

    Scientists always say:- …”every extraordinary claim, requires extraordinary proof…”
    This moment in history,… in the history of our great country is an extraordinary time in the human dynamic,… in the entire socio-economical and international plateau whre we all are.
    It does require extraordinary people.
    And then, here we are,… Sen John McCain with his undeniable courage, strong drive, serious interest and love for his country,…surprises all of us, with real and tangible response to the problematic of our times.
    Gov Sarah Palin, the right choice, indeed. And as we see, and examine the facts,… there are somes ( and always will be ) , somes that will refuse to accepts the facts.
    Gov Palin is an american woman. Well educated, knowledgable, and in touch with energy crisis and related factors so important to formulate answers for the economical and others areas.
    Is an individual of good character,strength, and vision for present and future times.
    Experience she does have. Lets make no mistake about that, at all. She does not only talk about things,..is very well proven she trully delivers.
    As vice-president helping an american hero that trully fought very hard for all of us I firmly, not only belive, but absolutely know that they will deliver.
    The knowledge, experience and vision to do as such, they certainly have. They irradiate the confidence and drive to do so.
    The answers, all at once are not to be,…but we can have assurance these two leaders will find the ways for what is transpires.
    Honesty is one of the tools, another one is common sense,…drive and interest for to put the country and people first are another two.
    Mark my words,…John McCain and Gov Sarah Palin are two extraordinary people for extraordinary times.
    GOD BLESS AMERICA!
    Sincerely, and respectfuly
    Daniel Cabrera
    Merrillville, Indiana

  114. Brad Warthen

    Well, as I’ve mentioned before, I voted for McGovern.
    Actually, that’s not quite accurate… what I did was vote AGAINST Nixon. McGovern made it as hard for me as his could, though, and dumping Eagleton was one of the things I didn’t like about him.

  115. Brad Warthen

    By the way, I know the guy who won the Pulitzer for exposing Eagleton’s history — or one of the guys.
    Clark Hoyt and Bob Boyd shared a Pulitzer for their reporting on that. Clark is now the Public Editor at the NYT.
    I’ve always liked Clark, but I wonder sometimes whether the nation might not have been better off NOT knowing that about Eagleton. Of course, it made me like him more, because at least he’d been treated.

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