More experienced than Obama and smoking good looks make her more telegenic too.
Posted on 08/29/2008 10:31:47 AM PDT by americanophile
Don’t kid yourself…John McCain just put all his chips on the table and rolled the dice.
Over the past many months, McCain’s team had skillfully underscored the natural impressions of Americans – that Barak Obama was the lightweight in the race; the candidate of risk. Now, with a single stroke McCain has undercut his most effective argument. He has weakened his case for wisdom and experience, and elevated a one-term governor of a small-population state based on her gender.
McCain had plenty of safe choices. Choices that would have bolstered Americans’ inherent understanding of McCain’s competency and ability; choices that would have underscored the longstanding notion that whatever gimmick the Democrats try, the Republican Party remains the serious one.
With the electorate evenly split, McCain’s first job was to pick a competent running mate that would not undermine his standing, and would reassure voters that should something happen to the oldest man ever to be nominated for president, a competent, experienced leader, ready to serve as commander-in-chief in a time of war, was waiting in the wings.
The former Miss Congeniality, and hockey mom from “the last frontier” is a bizarre choice.
McCain’s pick today has all the hallmarks of a political gimmick and a hail-Mary pass. While it is likely to excite some conservatives, his choice will refocus the entire campaign away from Obama’s status as a political neophyte and will reshuffle the risk calculus in the favor of the increasingly familiar, and always-eloquent Obama. With Biden on the ticket, Obama has lessened the sense that he poses a serious danger to the electorate. McCain’s selection by contrast is likely to shake voters and cast uncertainty on the wisdom and safety of a McCain presidency.
With competent and proven individuals waiting in the wings such as Governor Mitt Romney, the selection of Sarah Palin is a most unfortunate choice.
John McCain may have just lost the 2008 election…cue the hurricane.
Methinks this person is a little upset that their choice didn’t get picked... It’s like they’ve never even BOTHERED to learn ANYTHING about Palin. Weak and pathetic, and these “charges won’t stick” regardless.
I think this shows incredible confidence on McCain’s part. The VP can help you in office but no one really votes for the VP unless the choice is sensational. Look at Dan Quayle. We all voted for Bush besides him.
McCain I think waited to the last minute to pick her because he realized that the democrats were beat just looking at their convention.
He’s having fun with this. The dems are in a panic.
This was a good move. We all could have lived with Mitt and Pawlenty, but this wipes out Obama’s bump.
No news for days on Obama, trust me. Mitt? Pawlenty? and it’s Oh Hummmmm no news....
This conservative white male has zero problems that she is a female.
I personally did not want Romney, Huckabee, or Liberman.
I think alot of females now wondering why the sold their souls to the DNC. What did it get them this election year.
More experienced than Obama and smoking good looks make her more telegenic too.
Now, Mitt Romney has more than both, but he's not a Conservative and would have caused many Republican voters to stay home. Now, after today's announcement and yesterday's Obama "I Have a Socialist Dream" speech, we'll crawl over broken glass to get to the polls - just like in the old days.
Proof yet again that even nonminal GOP bloggers can be dumber than a rock.
Idiotic.
Sorry; that’s the only thing I can label your juvenile rant.
Palin has MORE experience than either McCain, Osama, or Biden - they were merely Senators with No Executive exposure. Gov. Palin has run the State budget, dealt with Russia and Canada, cut spending, taken on the bureaucracy and the entrenched lobbyists - oh and raised a family.
She is a great pick, and her experience as VP will be the stepping stone needed to get a solid Conservative into the White House.
I now unabashedly support McCain/Palin 2008.
Make that two. Mine just now phoned me with the news, and she was screaming with excitement...ahem, gotta’ go. Looks like something’s been left turned on at home. I’m liking Palin already.
With fools like the author of this democrat talking points piece, feigning Romney praise, the term pernicious bitterness may become a part of the near future lexicon. Bwahahahahaha ... and the funny thing is, folks will see the stupidity of impugning Mitt Romney by trying to attach disgruntle to him—just like they ahve tried to impugn Duncan Hunter by posing that he would doubt this pick—because Mitt Romney will be working hard to get this ticket elected! Why? ... Because Romney is a Republican and knows an Obama presidency would be a disaster for his country. Besides, wise men like Mitt the fli-flopper know instinctively that now, with Sarah Palin on the ballot, the trunout of conservative voters just might change the complexion of the House and Senate for the Republican party. And that scares and embitters those who want the nation punished for not embracing pricks like Barr or Obama.
Politics is 80% theater, and this is political theater at it’s most brilliant and effective. I love the choice. She will help McCain win and she will be the first female president of the United States.
Nope, I dont think that you did. I think that she’s a WONDERFUL choice. She’s fresh and new and listening to callers on Laura and Rush I see that she’s energizing the base in a way that sends tingles up my leg and down my spine. I’m not really a McCain fan but I’ll say that he’s run an AMAZING campaign.
McCain made a choice that will likely give him the presidency which he could easily have lost had he picked a Liberman or Ridge. With the choice of Governor Palin he unites the base, generates some real enthusiasm among conservatives and undercuts Obama’s “change” message. The experience thing is far less a liability with the vp pick than with the top of the ticket and Obama has little or nothing to offer insofar as experience of any kind is concerned.
Governor Palin has shown courage in standing up forthrightly for her convictions. Obama obfuscates and prevaricates about his. Governor Palin has actually been an executive. Obama has been a community organizer. Governor Palin actually DID something about reform in her capacity as governor and while on that Alaska energy board challenging powerful members of her own party in the process. Obama played the game and toed the line the Chicago way to advance his career.
The pluses far outweigh the minuses for Governor Palin. The choice is brilliant.
Judging by the number of comments on FR as well as every other right-wing blog (an admittedly unscientific sample) I'd say the excitement is tremendous -- more than I've seen since 2000.
McCain needed to make a choice that would electrify Republicans. I think he has.
Because of her gender?
More like because of her core values, toughness, and track record, and despite (or more accurately, without regards to) her gender.
McCain picked a Veep who adds strengths and balances him very well.
Obama picked a Veep who adds no substance and reinforces his own weaknesses.
And roll the dice is exactly what he must do because, despite our recent good polling performance, McCain knows that eventually the whole array of obstacles bearing down on him must eventually tell and, barring a catastrophic mistake by Obama or a revelation out of his past, this is the Democrats' year.
I have been posting for months and months that the Republican candidates and now McCain are doomed to lose this election unless they can change the rules of the game and kick over the table and make this a whole new election on their terms. This is precisely what McCain is trying to do with this selection. Make no mistake, he is rolling the dice, but at last we have someone who looks like he is playing to win instead of sleepwalking toward execution.
Getting your talking points from Chuckie Shumer now?
You might as well go ahead and vote directly for Obambi. If you want to stop McCain/Palin, why fool around?
They should change their name to GpRidiculous.com.
This is the most puerile political analysis I ever read.
Having said that, the're both quite lovely.
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