John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate today. She was the 2-term mayor of a 6,000 resident hamlet, and the Governor of Alaska for 2 years, and has Bachelor's Degree in Journalism.

Tell me this is all a sick joke.

*rant ahead*

Did the man I seriously consider voting for in the event Obama lost the nomination fill out his ticket with nothing but a pair of tits?

Did he seriously pass over his good friend Senator Lieberman, Governor Huckabee, Fmr. Governor Romney, Condoleeza Rice, and others, for a woman who is less qualified to be Vice President than half of the people on this forum?!

I am...shocked...to say the least.

Seriously, what happens if he becomes president, and is incapacitated for whatever reason. She will be acting President of the United States of America. Hell even George Bush has had minor operations where he had to be put under, and signed off control to Dick Cheney temporarily. What happens if McCain has a heart attack, and has to be hospitalized for months? What happens if he dies in office? The idea that this country being under control by a ploy to get Hillary voters, who's only experience is 2 years as Governor of a state with more deer (No offense meant to Alaskans) than people is abhorrent.

Personally, I want to see the Vice Presidential debates. Joe Biden, who is on a first name basis with many world leaders, will run circles around her.

Condi already stated that she didn't want anything to do with the Presidency.

you might say he's grown out of it.
Harr-harr

...(He's old)

SilentHunter7:
Seriously, what happens if he becomes President and is incapacitated for whatever reason. She will be acting President of the United States of America. Hell, even George Bush has had minor operations where he had to be put under, and he signed off control to Dick Cheney temporarily. What happens if McCain has a heart attack, and has to be hospitalized for months? What happens if he dies in office? The idea that this country being under control by a ploy to get Hillary voters, whose only experience is 2 years as Governor of a state with more deer (No offense meant to Alaskans) than people, is abhorrent.

A valid concern, especially considering McCain's state of health.

It seems that McCain's picking a woman in order to attract Hillary's disenfranchised feminist supporters, but it seems he's done a terrible job of it. If he wanted a woman, Elizabeth Dole would have been a much better choice. She's experienced, popular, and established. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is an absolute nobody on the national scale. It will take too long for the public to become comfortable with who she is. Plus, she's notoriously pro-life, which won't go over well with Hillary's base. Now, looking at her (short) record, it seems that in four years, after she's gained a bit more experience and familiarity at the upper level of politics, she'd be a great running mate. Right now, however, she's just McCain's latest mistake.

I don't follow American politics closely but even I can tell this is just a ploy to get votes. I'm sick of Western politics as a whole, it's all a big popularity contest. It isn't about who's got the most ethnic/minority friends. It's about running the country and protecting your people and their rights.

He's a politician, of course he's out of his mind.

BardSeed:
I don't follow American politics closely but even I can tell this is just a ploy to get votes. I'm sick of Western politics as a whole, it's all a big popularity contest. It isn't about who's got the most ethnic/minority friends. It's about running the country and protecting your people and their rights.

Just about all VP picks are pretty see through in terms of who they're appealing to

He's trying to get the pissed off Hillary voters on his side. It doesn't have to make sense.

BardSeed:
I'm sick of Western politics as a whole, it's all a big popularity contest. It isn't about who's got the most ethnic/minority friends. It's about running the country and protecting your people and their rights.

You forgot "Zingers".. nowadays politicians are all about "zingers" and not rational logical debates.

mspencer82:
I thought the same thing at first but after I read up on Palin I changed my mind. I kind of wish she was running for President instead of Vice President. Her history - regardless of how little there is - makes me more inclined to vote for McCain.

I looked up on her, too.
My first thought was Dick Cheney without a Y chromosome.

Listening to her speak made me cringe. She sounded like the movie cliche ditz.

Also, CNN's headline for the story is "MCCAIN TAPS GOV. SARAH PALIN".

That's one of the most frightening things that I've heard ever. If it was somebody with some proper political experience, I'd accept it. But what if the public of the United States were ridiculous to vote McCain, and some disaster befell him?

In other words, would you trust this woman with the world's second largest arsenal of nuclear weapons?

Oh, man.

Imagine if McCain winds up down and out, and she takes office. It comes to that time of the month, and she has that "Nuke the Hell Out of 'Em!" button sitting there.

The world is dead.

Logically it is bad choice, imo.

Politically it is a good choice. Leader of Puma is talking about how great McCain is for doing this, and how it makes it easier to vote for 'em. The choice gets attention away from Obama's speech (Which deserves a lot more attention vs this dribble). However, I feel McCain would have rather chosen Liberman, or another candidate with more experience, problem was, those people are not conservative on a few issues, and I doubt the party would stand for it (Being a maverick eh?), and he was swayed to Palin. Plus there is the likely possibility that she will make a sub-par vice president, and a in-effective president.

RAKtheUndead:
That's one of the most frightening things that I've heard ever. If it was somebody with some proper political experience, I'd accept it. But what if the public of the United States were ridiculous to vote McCain, and some disaster befell him?

In other words, would you trust this woman with the world's second largest arsenal of nuclear weapons?

She has just as much experience as Obama, and if he's elected we most likely will get 4 years, not maybe if something bad happens become President.

I do find it funny that people on both sides are acting like their person is just fine while the other one has barely any experience. You can't be both sides on this. For me? I think they're both inexperienced. If you think only one of them is inexperienced, you're horridly biased.

Why couldn't we have just elected Hillary?:(

But how is she going to handle men like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Vladimir Putin? Just listen to her announcement speech. She doesn't exactly come off as intimidating. In fact, I'll go so far as to say Mahmoud would walk all over her. At least Hillary *looks* like she can kick some ass. I'd be afraid of her.

On the contrary, this was masterful. McCain's problem was that he needed a choice who satisfies the conservative base of the Republican Party (who frankly dislike and distrust him), who props up or at least doesn't damage his own outside the Beltway, "maverick" image and countered the poor image of the Republicans, and who is able to take away some of the rock star status of Obama to give McCain some of the media attention. Palin does all that in spades.

For the first, she's strongly pro-life (she had a Downs syndrome child even knowing from early amniotic testing), she has a life-time NRA membership, and she's a fiscal conservative like McCain. She's worked in the private sector both as an employee and as a small businesswoman with her husband, working a fishing boat in Alaska - one of the hardest jobs in our country. The Republican base knows her well and loves her without reservation. Witness Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, one of the most influential social conservatives, who has said several times he could not vote for McCain. Today he came out and said he would in fact vote for McCain-Palin. In fact, Palin was one of the few people he could select who could shore up his support with fiscal conservatives, mend his fences with social conservatives, and yet not cost him votes.

For the second, Palin is the lady who stopped the "Bridge to Nowhere", taking on the immensely strong Alaska Republican party and winning. She has a solid reputation for fighting corruption, cronyism, partisan politics, and the good ol' boy system from local government (school board, then mayor of Wasilla, then as governor of Alaska - a state with a small population but a large budget.) One of the Republicans' greatest problem is the perception of being big-government and big pork. (The Democrats have the same problem, but their base see it as a positive. From the moderates' point of view, when offered a choice between Democrats and demi-Democrats, they tend to choose the real thing.) Both McCain and Palin have fought against that kind of behavior and irresponsible spending. Further, this whole election is about "change" - how much can each candidate promise to change the existing Washington culture. Obama, although a creation of the Chicago machine, had to select a VEEP who is firmly inside the Beltway, a paragon of politics as usual and a committed partisan because Obama is vulnerable to charges of inexperience. His only qualifications for being an outside are his inexperience and his skin color. McCain, with his history of working against his party and reaching across the aisle (hell, he practically lives there between elections with his good friends Joe Lieberman and Russ Feingold) and a great deal of experience, didn't need more experience, but he did need to prop up his outsider credentials.

For the third item, Palin is the first female GOP vice-presidential candidate and, if elected, would be the first female vice-president. Even though the media overwhelmingly love Obama, they can't spend all their time talking about how exciting and historic Obama's candidacy is without spending at least a little time saying similar things about Palin. The media have already gone out of their way to prop up Obama; with moderates getting Obama burn-out (as witnessed by the polls) and roughly half the Democrat party feeling resentful because the media clearly favored Obama over Hillary, the media are limited as to how much more they can do for Obama without increasing the backlash. The presidency is an extremely difficult job, and no one likes to think its resident has not achieved it on his own.

The timing and handling of this was incredibly masterful. There were leaks during the last day of the Democrat convention, taking a tiny bit of the Democrats' thunder. Obama gives an excellent speech, but the conversation on this weekend's political shows are necessarily going to be about Palin, not Obama. It was a stroke of pure brilliance that, frankly, I didn't think McCain and his team had in them.

Furthermore, the only real weapons against Palin - her inexperience and her gender - have already been taken away from Obama. She has ran a small business (fishing boat), a town (Wasilla), and a state - only for two years, but that's the same amount of time Obama has been a senator. Unlike Obama's time as a senator, Palin has actually been doing her job. Obama is a senator and before that a state senator, neither of which are executive positions. Palin's last two jobs have both been executive branch, governor and mayor. Before that Palin worked in the private sector, whilst Obama was a community organizer for Acorn, that far-left political organization also famous for slashing tires on Republican get-out-the-vote vans and for registering huge numbers of people who vote, but are otherwise unlocatable. So, which one's the political outsider again?

Much is being made of Palin's relative inexperience - but that just rebounds against Obama. If it's a bad idea to have an inexperienced vice president, how can it be a good idea to have a president even more inexperienced, especially in the executive branch. Remember the more than one hundred "present" votes Obama cast in the Illinois state legislature? Can't do that as governor - or as mayor, for that matter. As to using her gender against her - need I go there?

As for Palin versus Biden, even assuming anyone votes for a ticket on the strength of its vice-presidential candidate, that's a dangerous road for Obama. Leaving aside Biden's notorious loose cannon dialog (much of it lately against Obama) and persistent blatant plagiarism, the only way Biden can outperform Palin in a debate is for CBS to tilt the debate toward foreign policy. Making the vice presidential debate center on foreign policy also reminds people that Obama has no foreign policy experience, whilst it is McCain's specialty.

Palin's selection is pure brilliance. Obama picked the Republican's wet dream; McCain picked a woman with few skeletons, a great record, and great personal charisma. Hell, I may even vote for McCain now myself, after I said no way.

So let me get this straight. McCain and his supporters have spent all this time using "he has very little experience" as one of their biggest arguments against Obama, and then he goes and announces his VP should he win will be a person with... Very little experience.

Would this fall under hypocrisy, irony, or both?

Not that it matters much to me at any rate. I've been behind Obama this whole time anyway, and this just further cements my position.

I do find it funny that people on both sides are acting like their person is just fine while the other one has barely any experience. You can't be both sides on this. For me? I think they're both inexperienced. If you think only one of them is inexperienced, you're horridly biased.

I don't particularly trust either side when it comes to the Democrats versus the Republicans, but that's probably because I'm a dirty socialist.

The American left-right scale is fucked up beyond belief. It corresponds somewhere between the centre and the extreme-right of the equivalent European scale. Obama's just as capitalistic as the rest of the Democrats, and they don't even make a blip on the European left.

Why couldn't we have just elected Hillary?:(

If that had happened, I'd have personally commandeered a Russian nuclear sub to obliterate the US.

But seriously, I've debated against people about this very point. If I thought that Obama is too capitalistic for my taste (although he's my preference in this matter), Hillary didn't stand a chance. She probably would have warhawked just like the GOP.

No offense werepossum, but she blocked a bridge. A bridge that was admittedly useless. I'm underwhelmed.

Not to mention McCain killed his best weapon against Obama: his inexperience. Yeah, Obama can get some recoil from attacking her, but now McCain will also get recoil from using one of his main tactics against Obama. You cant call Obama's experience into question if your Vice Presidential candidate is even less experienced. Because what if the man croaks? Or even has to be hospitalized for a bit? Will you be willing to have a President Palin? Leading a state of a little more than half a million people is a lot different than leading a country of 300 million, running one of the most bloated bureaucracies in history, drafting international treaties, dealing with a trillion dollars in national debt, commanding an army, dealing with men who see the use of Nuclear force as acceptable, and every other issue that lands right on the desk in the Oval Office.

I'm okay with McCain running the country. I'm okay with Obama running the country. I'm okay with Biden running the country. Hell, I dont like them, but I'd accept Clinton, Romney, or Lieberman running the country.

I am most certainly NOT okay with Palin running the country.

wilsonscrazybed:

SilentHunter7:

SThe idea that this country being under control by a ploy to get Hillary voters, who's only experience is 2 years as Governor of a state with more deer (No offense meant to Alaskans) than people is abhorrent.

Bear, not deer.

Technically moose.

politics is about politicians, not policy. Always has, always will be.

vdgmprgrmr:
Oh, man.

Imagine if McCain winds up down and out, and she takes office. It comes to that time of the month, and she has that "Nuke the Hell Out of 'Em!" button sitting there.

The world is dead.

Shivari I'm quite surprised you said nothing about this.
Because I don't know what to say.

OK. Let me get this straight. Many of you are mad that McCain chose someone who is more qualified then the Democrat PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE! I thought readers of this fine publication would be a bit smarter the that. For anyone who knows ANYTHING about politics, other then what John Stewart, Steven Cobert, or CNN shoves down your throats would see that she has a strong background, strong values, and is a great choice for VP.

Being a govenor of any state for even a month give you more experience to be president then any time in a state legislature or a year in teh US Senate. You have to run in, instead of just casting votes.

Palin was a mayor, worked in the private sector, and has RAN A STATE for almost 2 years, bring meaningful reforms, cutting spending, and helping the citizens of Alaska without rasing taxes.

Obama was in the state legislature for 8 years (and its not like the US Congress, state legislatures only meet for a few months a year), worked for a no-named community group called ACORN, and has only served less then 2 years in the US Senate, and spent most of the time running for president! During this time, he hasn't authored or passed any meaningful legistlation, or done anything other then run for president, and make grand speeches about empty subjects.

Read her background, look at the facts and give her a chance before just shooting off stupid statements. And she doesn't sound nearly as shrill or ditzy as Nancy Pilosi or Hilary Clinton.

Bulletinmybrain:

wilsonscrazybed:

SilentHunter7:

SThe idea that this country being under control by a ploy to get Hillary voters, who's only experience is 2 years as Governor of a state with more deer (No offense meant to Alaskans) than people is abhorrent.

Bear, not deer.

Technically moose.

Went to Alaska.

Got on a helicopter.

Flew over mountains.

Saw entire herds of mountain goats. So I'd say mountain goats.

But whatever, back on topic... I dunno, really. I've always thought McCain was a little off.

Is McCain out of his mind?

God no; this may just be the best move he could make! I'm...really looking forward to what Palin has to say at the RNC. I'm really hoping though that this campaign doesn't turn into a circus though....got a feeling that it may...

afrophysics:

vdgmprgrmr:
Oh, man.

Imagine if McCain winds up down and out, and she takes office. It comes to that time of the month, and she has that "Nuke the Hell Out of 'Em!" button sitting there.

The world is dead.

Shivari I'm quite surprised you said nothing about this.
Because I don't know what to say.

Not worth it.

SilentHunter7:
No offense werepossum, but she blocked a bridge. A bridge that was admittedly useless. I'm underwhelmed.

Not to mention McCain killed his best weapon against Obama: his inexperience. Yeah, Obama can get some recoil from attacking her, but now McCain will also get recoil from using one of his main tactics against Obama. You cant call Obama's experience into question if your Vice Presidential candidate is even less experienced. Because what if the man croaks? Or even has to be hospitalized for a bit? Will you be willing to have a President Palin? Leading a state of a little more than half a million people is a lot different than leading a country of 300 million, running one of the most bloated bureaucracies in history, drafting international treaties, dealing with a trillion dollars in national debt, commanding an army, dealing with men who see the use of Nuclear force as acceptable, and every other issue that lands right on the desk in the Oval Office.

I'm okay with McCain running the country. I'm okay with Obama running the country. I'm okay with Biden running the country. Hell, I dont like them, but I'd accept Clinton, Romney, or Lieberman running the country.

I am most certainly NOT okay with Palin running the country.

No offense taken. Admittedly killing one Congressionally funded pork project isn't the most notable accomplishment, but... What has Obama ever accomplished that can match it?

Actually I'd rather see President Palin than President Obama, President Biden, or President McCain. Palin has no less experience than Obama - and hers is in the executive branch, where you have to take some responsibility - when a controversial bill comes across the president's (or governor's, or mayor's) desk, that person can't vote "present" - he or she has to take a stand for or against - he can't just say "change!"

But you're missing the point - Palin is in the number 2 spot. If McCain croaks, she would need to pick a new Vice President with experience in foreign policy - EXACTLY the position Obama is in now except she would have actual executive branch experience. If McCain cannot fulfill his obligations, then America is exactly where it would be with President Obama, except with real executive branch experience and swapping naughty bits.

The only real difference is color versus gender. It would do America a world of good to have a black president, everything else equal. Ditto with a female president. (Two of the many reasons Condi Rice would be the perfect president.) Both would be empowering. I think the effect would be better with a black president because while women were historically cut out of power, they weren't considered complete non-people - the wounds just run deeper in blacks. You could beat your wife, but you couldn't sell her. Then again, America has more women than blacks, so who knows? Either would be beneficial, I think - IF everything else is equal. I don't at all like Obama's friends or his vision for America, so I'm stuck with McCain, Barr, or some other third-party vote-waster. And having followed Palin since she began battling with Alaska's Republican party, to me McCain's star just got a LOT brighter.

And I don't worry too much about "that time of the month". If she hasn't blown up and shown her ass as mayor or governor, I doubt she'll blow up the world just because she is retaining water. Besides, that's probably the same amount of time Clinton spent screwing interns, and we came out of that just fine.

silentsentinel:

Bulletinmybrain:

wilsonscrazybed:

SilentHunter7:

SThe idea that this country being under control by a ploy to get Hillary voters, who's only experience is 2 years as Governor of a state with more deer (No offense meant to Alaskans) than people is abhorrent.

Bear, not deer.

Technically moose.

Went to Alaska.

Got on a helicopter.

Flew over mountains.

Saw entire herds of mountain goats. So I'd say mountain goats.

But whatever, back on topic... I dunno, really. I've always thought McCain was a little off.

Okay how about this guys, Shes the queen of beers, moutain goats, Moose?(And elk?)

werepossum:

SilentHunter7:
No offense werepossum, but she blocked a bridge. A bridge that was admittedly useless. I'm underwhelmed.

Not to mention McCain killed his best weapon against Obama: his inexperience. Yeah, Obama can get some recoil from attacking her, but now McCain will also get recoil from using one of his main tactics against Obama. You cant call Obama's experience into question if your Vice Presidential candidate is even less experienced. Because what if the man croaks? Or even has to be hospitalized for a bit? Will you be willing to have a President Palin? Leading a state of a little more than half a million people is a lot different than leading a country of 300 million, running one of the most bloated bureaucracies in history, drafting international treaties, dealing with a trillion dollars in national debt, commanding an army, dealing with men who see the use of Nuclear force as acceptable, and every other issue that lands right on the desk in the Oval Office.

I'm okay with McCain running the country. I'm okay with Obama running the country. I'm okay with Biden running the country. Hell, I dont like them, but I'd accept Clinton, Romney, or Lieberman running the country.

I am most certainly NOT okay with Palin running the country.

No offense taken. Admittedly killing one Congressionally funded pork project isn't the most notable accomplishment, but... What has Obama ever accomplished that can match it?

Actually I'd rather see President Palin than President Obama, President Biden, or President McCain. Palin has no less experience than Obama - and hers is in the executive branch, where you have to take some responsibility - when a controversial bill comes across the president's (or governor's, or mayor's) desk, that person can't vote "present" - he or she has to take a stand for or against - he can't just say "change!"

But you're missing the point - Palin is in the number 2 spot. If McCain croaks, she would need to pick a new Vice President with experience in foreign policy - EXACTLY the position Obama is in now except she would have actual executive branch experience. If McCain cannot fulfill his obligations, then America is exactly where it would be with President Obama, except with real executive branch experience and swapping naughty bits.

The only real difference is color versus gender. It would do America a world of good to have a black president, everything else equal. Ditto with a female president. (Two of the many reasons Condi Rice would be the perfect president.) Both would be empowering. I think the effect would be better with a black president because while women were historically cut out of power, they weren't considered complete non-people - the wounds just run deeper in blacks. You could beat your wife, but you couldn't sell her. Then again, America has more women than blacks, so who knows? Either would be beneficial, I think - IF everything else is equal. I don't at all like Obama's friends or his vision for America, so I'm stuck with McCain, Barr, or some other third-party vote-waster. And having followed Palin since she began battling with Alaska's Republican party, to me McCain's star just got a LOT brighter.

And I don't worry too much about "that time of the month". If she hasn't blown up and shown her ass as mayor or governor, I doubt she'll blow up the world just because she is retaining water. Besides, that's probably the same amount of time Clinton spent screwing interns, and we came out of that just fine.

You can sell your wife, Its Illegal though.

I've got no qualms myself. Qualifications and policies aside (as a 22-year old white guy, I can't really count on any candidate to look out for my interests, mostly because I don't need it), this election now has long-term significance. We're going to have either the first black president in history or the first female vice-president in history. No matter which side wins, we'll be breaking the 230+ year mold of Male McWhitey running the White House. And I like that.

In fact, I'd argue that her inexperience is a good thing, as it leaves her with a more level head, uncorrupted by such political power.