TheApple

The Presidential candidates have made some interesting choices for their running mates.  McCain picked a cutie and Obama picked a fighter.

sanmccarron says ...

The Presidential candidates have made some interesting choices for their running mates.  McCain picked a cutie and Obama picked a fighter.

She may be a "cutie" but what an accomplishment. According to this article:

"Palin will become only the second female vice presidential nominee of a major party. Democrat Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's pick as a running mate in 1984."

 Did you know that she was called Sarah baracuda in high school?

Did you hear the booing when McCain said her father was a school teacher?

Deven says ...

Did you hear the booing when McCain said her father was a school teacher?

"All  we get is No Respect!" 

 

Deven says ...

What struck me most about the booing, aside from the crassness of it, is that there was absolutely no applause at the mention of teachers. I guess we all now know what the GOP thinks of us.

Deven - We all love the irascible you.  Disenfranchised dems and conservative alike.

Oh, for all those who think Ms. Palin is just the governor of a large state with few people, I need to point out that she has been to Kuwait, so she DOES have enough foreign affairs experience to fill McCain's shoes should he get elected and need sudden replacing.

 Hold it! Hold it!! They booed the mention of teachers?

Have they forgotten that Mrs. Bush was a teacher and so (I'm told) was daughter Jenna?

Yikes, the Republicans are eating their young (and old.)

As for Palin, well, it came as a big surprise to me (and apparently to many others.) It's an audacious move - of course, it's also a big gamble. But personally, I have a grudging respect for McCain for taking the chance. There are some pros, but also some cons:

Pros: "This was a bold move in this historic election, and a play for those Clinton supporters. Palin is a social conservative, and her views on abortion won't play well with most Democratic women. But this election has been a case study in identity politics. We'll see if she peels away some women.

The potential to grab some of those women voters is perhaps the best asset Palin brings to a McCain ticket. She also reinforces McCain's maverick image. She bucked her own party, launching an ethics investigation into the state party chairman with regard to his dealings with oil companies in the state. And being from Alaska, she's the ultimate outsider. She also reinforces McCain's drilling message -- though she's for drilling in ANWR; McCain is not. She also represents the next generation of Republican leaders -- she's a fresh face."

Cons: " But there are some potential pitfalls as well. Palin is currently under legislative investigation herself, accused of firing the state's public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law."A legislative panel has launched a $100,000 investigation to determine if Palin dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire the trooper, Mike Wooten," the AP wrote earlier this month. "Wooten went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister. Palin has denied the commissioner's dismissal had anything to do with her former brother-in-law. And she denied orchestrating the dozens of telephone calls made by her husband and members of her administration to Wooten's bosses. Palin said she welcomes the investigation: 'Hold me accountable.'"Although she's not linked to them, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young are facing legal/ethical troubles. In fact, Stevens' trial will start in late September, so the Alaska Republican Party is a mess. And Palin's trooper trouble could play into that.It will be interesting to see which story line catches on: "Palin, the reformer/maverick", or "Palin, under investigation

Ironically, Republicans have hit Obama on not being ready to be president, not ready to be commander in chief, because of his limited national experience. But Palin has only been governor of Alaska for less than two years and will surely face questions of whether she would be ready to step in as president. Of course, Republicans will point out that the difference is McCain and his experience are at the TOP of the ticket.

Additionally, it's not clear she would give any geographical advantage. Alaska has been solidly red -- it's only gone Democratic once (1964) since it became a state. Does she help in the West? It's not clear. 

On the issues, she is anti-abortion rights and is a hunter and fisher. In fact, she's a card-carrying lifetime member of the National Rifle Association."

I suspect that once the "surprise" has worn off (long before November), the cons are going to outweigh the pros. But again, you've got to hand it to McCain for pulling a fox (rather than a rabbit) out of the hat.

 I was being sarcastic, hotteacher.

Of course merely travelling to Kuwait doesn't give Gov. Palin any foreign affairs excperience any more than it gave Hilary Clinton any.

 Don't feel too bad, Deven. Some people took Swift's "Modest Proposal" seriously, too. It's sometimes the fate of ironists to be taken seriously.

johnslat says ...

 Don't feel too bad, Deven. Some people took Swift's "Modest Proposal" seriously, too. It's sometimes the fate of ironists to be taken seriously.

LOL some bought orson welles war of the worlds too, but what to think of their jusgement?

And far too few people took "1984" seriously.