Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:03 -0400
Awesome choice that I believe will swing a lot of independents.
She's got about a 80-90% approval rate in Alaska to give you some idea of support she garners
Obama (and the DNC) is going to be very, very sorry about rejecting an accomplished woman
This sure adds an unexpected twist to things.
She is conservative, pro-life and a lifetime member of the NRA. I'm not sure how that's going to appeal to a lot of independents. On the other hand she's sure not a Washington insider.
She's also younger than Obama and just two years into her first term as governor. Her experience seems to be limited to serving on the city council of Wasilla City, population under 7,000. Since McCain has made the mandatory statements about picking someone who was ready to be president it seems that he's undercut his claims that Obama is not ready to be president by picking Palin.
Barry
Are you safer today than you were seven years ago?©
...I did some research on that this morning before the pick when the speculation was mounting and there is significant evidence that Palin knows how to score points in debates
from: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/
Biden is without doubt the best attack dog in the country, period. We aren't going to find someone who can beat him on that front. Furthermore, sinking to Biden's level would make the ticket look sleazy. Instead, we should note that Biden totally undermines Obama's "change" mantra, which McCain can now seize for himself by taking a reform minded VP from outside Washington. We can also show up Biden in the debates by selecting a calm, collected candidate who will show Biden for the hothead he is. Sarah Palin fits both bills.
For one, Palin has actually produced the sort of change that Obama and Biden can only talk about. Secondly, she will refuse to play in Biden's mudpit, which makes him look even worse. Third, she knows how to debate hotheaded opponents. Biden compares very well to John Binkley, another fast-talking attack dog who ran against Palin in the 2006 primary. Palin filleted Binkley (and incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski) by sitting back while they ranted and then delivering crushing one liners that made them look like bratty kids ("Alaskans deserve better than this."). Finally, Biden will do everything he can to attack his opponent on personal terms, which is very dangerous when you are running against a woman or a military parent. Biden WILL say something stupid in the debates, probably belittling Sarah for having been a housewife or mentioning that Track Palin is in the Army, and Gov. Palin will be ready with with a "you're no Jack Kennedy"-style response.
She probably won't get a word in edgewise.
None of the Above; we need Wes Clark as Secretary of State!.
Hope you're watching Palin's acceptance speech going on right now...have a feeling that Palin isn't going to be intimidated by Biden at all
Let's keep it in perspective. It's not like we're talking about a CA-size population (55) or even PA (23). (assuming PA likes Obama/Biden)
DE = 3. So, yeah. A wash.
..to the 52% of the electorate which happens to be female
Interesting that the first comment I had at work today from a fellow Clarkie and now Obama supporter (who hated Hillary) was that "Palin was being an irresponsible mother" (she just had a newborn a few months ago) for accepting VP - are the Democrats intentionally trying to lose the election???
...on election day.
My bet is that some of them care a little more about a woman's right to be taken seriously for the highest elective offices in the land and noticed some of the sexism in the party that claims to be watching out for them
You are obviously hoping McCain/Palin wins in November.
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism"
Clarkie since Summer, 2003
...a lesson for Democrats (not that they'll listen)
p.s. - after a day at work, have some interesting feeback from work, although the statistical sample is really too small to make much of it
First, my work environment is heavily GOP and up to today the vast majority weren't enthusiastic about McCain - they are now.
Seond, there is a small group of Indies/Dems also that I talked to and this pick did change the mindset of some to McCain including some who like me had voted for Hillary (none went the other way to more likely to vote for Obama because of this pick). It also had no effect on the Dems who have pretty much settled on Obama. What Dems need to realize is that they can't win elections only appealing to Democrats.
[...]But Newsweek reports that back in March, at a Women and Leadership event held by the mag, Palin's view of Hillary wasn't quite as charitable:
Once onstage, together with Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Palin talked about what women expect from women leaders; how she took charge in Alaska during a political scandal that threatened to unseat the state's entire Republican power structure, and her feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton. (She said she felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's "whining.")[...]
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/flashback_palin_said_she_didnt.php
...can't imagine how that would appeal to those of you who voted for hillary
She has less total experience than Obama had at the state level (more at the municipal) before he was elected Senator.
McCain is 72 and with average male US life expectancy at 75.5, an argument can be made that there is almost a 50% chance that she could become President.
It implies that experience is not important to McCain.
So, although Obama would be foolish to attack on experience himself, McCain loses some of the edge on the experience argument himself. And this is very relevant because the experience argument is one of his strongest selling points with swing voters against Obama.
Ironically, Governor Palin has more executive experience (2 years) than either McCain or Obama, whose only real executive experiences are in running their various campaigns. However, I think that this is not relevant, since most people don't seem to care about executive experience and 2 years is not much.
Life expectancy doesn't necessarily work like that statistically. Having an aged mother or father helps only a little (unless they happen to pass you useful dominant mutations). For a recent example, see the late Tim Russert (58) and his aged octogenarian father who is still alive.
There is better predictive power for short-lived relatives who have passed down a genetic predilection for disease.
Having both parents at an advanced age is probably a better predictor, but still weaker than environmental factors. But these are based on statistics, in reality, genetics will be a more meaningful factor for some lucky and unlucky people.
However, there is another statistical point in favor of McCain's longevity. If you calculate life expectancy by current age and sex (72 in McCain's case), life expectancy for McCain will be higher than the overall mean.
McCain's father died at age 70, his grandfather at 61
And statistically speaking, POWs have a lower life expectancy than other vets due to poor diet, injuries, and stress from captivity.
trying to figure out what about this comment deserved a "0" and a "1" rating.....I'm wondering about Defo's other downrated comments in this thread as well but this particular one is so innocuous...Some people here just boggle the mind....
Also wondering how my karma drops a couple of points in the last couple of weeks when I haven't even posted a comment in that time.
"She hopes to open shadowed eyes on a different world...." Robert Smith, borrowed from Penelope Farmer
I've droppped to below 3. Time to try and find out why.
Actually who cares. I went back and found kevin222 whater and 'Autumnbreeze down rating me post unworthy of it and found some other down rated post that did'nt merit it either..
Oh well.
So Obama sews up Delaware and McCain sews up Alaska.
We learn. We change. That's progress. If we don't do that, well, we're GWB.
In terms of the Republican base, she doesn't bring a lot to the table.
And in terms of courting the "Hillary" vote, it really depends:
Anyone who really supports what Clinton stands for won't be overly attracted to a woman who stands in direct opposition to everything Sen. Clinton stands for
Anyone who was supporting Clinton due to gender only would go for Palin. Same goes for those who were supporting Clinton due to hatred of Obama.
As for experience, two years as governor of a sparcely populated state undercuts the the whole "Obama isn't experienced" arguement.
Watching her speech, she brings energy to McCain's ticket. Joementum or Ridge wouldn't have done that for anyone.
snip:
JUNEAU -- Alaska legislators on Monday voted to spend up to $100,000 to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin's controversial firing of former state Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Palin's response from a few weeks ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pak-rH0dCeA
"it's cool, I want them to ask me the questions"
Does Team Obama really want people looking at political sleaze???
She has advocated teaching creationism alongside evolution and she is anti-choice. She is also the subject of an ethics investigation in which she fired someone for not carrying out her orders to fire her ex-brother-in-law from law enforcement. Palin is an anti-feminist. I would think Hillary Clinton supporters (aside from Obama-haters) should be appalled by this person being a heart-beat away from the presidency.
Reality-based science equals real national security.
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor
Reality-based science equals real national security.
http://www.feministsforlife.org/index.htm
Reality-based science equals real national security.
From General Clark's job plan speech, September 24, 2003.
The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. ~Gloria Steinem