It's official. McCain has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. This is a pick that should satisfy all the disparate factions of the Republican Party and also adds an incredible dynamic to the slate by giving disaffected Hillary voters a really difficult choice to make.
Palin is both the youngest and first female governor of Alaska, having been elected in 2006 running on a good government campaign after blowing the whistle on ethical violations of state republican leaders.
Palin is also a Washington outsider and something of a maverick herself and will be the only of the four candidates who is not an incumbant U.S. Senator. She should prove to be a very interesting choice.
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written by Robert Hornak , August 29, 2008
Just released from Assembly Leader Tedisco:
Statement from Assembly Republican Leader James Tedisco
(R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga)
“John McCain’s historic selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to serve as his running mate is a tremendous decision that sends an unmistakably positive message to all women that our Republican Party ‘gets it’ and truly wants their vote. Governor Palin will help our Republican ticket be victorious this November by working with John McCain to deliver – not just talk about – the types of real change voters have been calling for.
Senator McCain’s choice of Governor Palin to run as Vice President demonstrates his sound judgment and ability to think outside the beltway box. Most importantly, for the millions of women who were dissatisfied with the disrespectful manner in which Senator Obama treated Senator Hillary Clinton throughout the Democrat Primary, Senator McCain’s choice of Governor Palin provides a new home and another alternative for them. I wholeheartedly applaud this choice of Governor Palin and look forward to working in support of our Republican ticket in this fall’s elections.”
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written by alice Lemos , August 29, 2008
Rush said that he is in love! Palin will energize the base. Hillary must be dying!
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written by Dorothy Loughran , August 29, 2008
I became so excited when I heard this news; I practically had tears in my eyes.
Thus far in this campaign, I've been confused about who to vote for.
Of course I'd never vote for Obama the Greek God, but my enthusiasm for McCain wasn't that strong.
I had just about decided to vote a third party - possibly Bob Barr.
This fantastic choice by McCain has helped me make up my mind for sure.
I'll vote republican, but my vote will be more for Sarah than John.
Go Sarah Go!
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written by Raquel Okyay , August 29, 2008
I am liking McCain more and more every day...
I cried tears of joy as well. As a woman it is a wonderful feeling knowing that a woman can rise to such a level in the Republican Party.
Obama-Biden is toast!
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written by Andrew Roman , August 29, 2008
I always wondered what it meant when some pundit, talk show host or assembly-line talking head went on about a particular candidate having the potential to "energize" a given constituency. "Nifty buzz words," I'd think to myself, while practically shrugging it off as an irrelevant bumper sticker catchphrase. I'm not a total fool (just ask my wife), so I could obviously intellectualize what it meant when the word "energize" was used. I've seen those battery commercials with the drum-thumping rabbit, so I could formulate a fair definition in my head.
Today, however - quite unexpectedly - after hearing the news that Governor Palin would be Senator McCain's running mate, I suddenly felt what could only be described as "energized." It was strange, to say the least. It came upon me without warning, ferociously and unrelenting. All of the "Obama's convention masterpiece" talk was instantaneously slapped from the front burners of my brain like a mosquito from my arm in August. I noticed that within a few minutes, a spring in my step could be detected as well. "What's happening here?" I had to ask.
Indeed, I liked the feeling.
I'll have more to write about Governor Palin as the days trudge forward and the Republican Convention moves into high gear next week. Safe to say, I am very pleased with the choice Senator McCain made on many many levels, not the least of which (for today anyway) is the quick toppling of the messiah's moment under the moon in Denver last night. I'm quite sure the Obama camp isn't too pleased that their man is the second-fiddle story this afternoon.
What a shame.
Of course, there a host of more significant reasons why I believe the move was a very sound one. To begin with, she is anything but boring, like, say, a Kay Bailey Hutchinson (no disrespect AT ALL intended). She is a global warming skeptic and was a BIG critic of the ridiculous animal-rights wacko moves to protect the GROWING poplulation of polar bears in her part of the world. She favors drilling in Anwar and supports off-shore drilling. She enjoys hunting and is a big defender of gun owner's rights. She is pro-life, the mother of five children. She has executive experience as the Governor of Alaska, served as mayor as Wasilla and sat on the City Council as well. Mrs. Palin has a son serving proudly in the United States Army who will be deployed (perhaps fittingly) on September 11th of this year. One of her claims to fame is that she is a corruption-buster, having taken on the corrupt Republican administration already in place in Alaska and defeating it overwhelmingly.
The entire argument about experience - or lack of it - is so ludicrous here. Governor Palin, as stated in the previous paragraph, has executive experience, including being the Commander of the Alaskan National Guard - which constitutes FAR more experience than the presidential candidate on the opposing ticket. It’s somewhat of an apples-to-oranges argument, I know, but I only use it to illustrate a point. All things being equal - and assuming that her "lack of experience" is even relevant in the grand scheme of this argument - wouldn't one think that the "inexperience" factor matters far more in relation to the office of the Presidency than the running mate? In other words, if inexperience is a major sticking point for some, then is it more desirable that the inexperience sits with the Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate? Perhaps all roads STILL lead to the important – and still unanswered – question: What exactly has Senator Obama accomplished?
In my most humble opinion, this selection helps Senator McCain more than it hurts him … BY FAR … and that, to me, is the bottom line.
Andrew Roman
Brooklyn, NY
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written by Maggie Gara , August 30, 2008
From Dave Duval, an old Goldwaterite:
"And let me tell you something -- for the first time in my
adult lifetime during this campaign, I am really proud of my
presumptive nominee."
My feelings exactly.
Britain had Maggie Thatcher, The Iron Maiden.
America has been given Sarah Palin, The Iditarod Maiden.
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written by Jay Golub , August 30, 2008
"The entire argument about experience - or lack of it - is so ludicrous here. Governor Palin, as stated in the previous paragraph, has executive experience, including being the Commander of the Alaskan National Guard - which constitutes FAR more experience than the presidential candidate on the opposing ticket."
There are two important factors that make this choice problematic:
1. Obama's lack of experience was one of the reason why many Americans haven't jumped on the Barack-bandwagon. To select a candidate for VP who is just as inexperienced as Obama, ties the hands of McCain's campaign to attack Barack on this topic.
2. McCain's age has been, and will continue to be, a concern for the American voter, with voters concerned he might die in office. This makes the selection of someone with such little experience as Palin a liablity for the ticket. I'm sure the Obama campaign will point out again and again, or maybe just Biden during the VP debates, that she's a missed-heartbeat away from the Presidency.
On the other hand, picking a female candidate was a good idea and i'm happy McCain did so in this cycle - although i'm not sure how effective she will be in getting the blue-collar and female "Hillary" voters McCain has been trying to target. Also, i think the fact that she's a staunch social conservative will help McCain shore up his base, which he needed to do.
BTW, our own Luke asked for this selection a few months ago. Something i considered as an "off-the-wall" selection. Congrats on getting your woman, Luke...
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written by Jay Golub , August 30, 2008
http://pol.moveon.org/emails/p...c=homepage
Moveon.org's response to Palin as potential VP is now flying through the world wide web. It's harsh and could backfire on the Liberals, but this type of criticism, if not confronted well by Gov. Palin, could hurt McCain's chances.
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written by Jay Golub , August 30, 2008
http://politicalticker.blogs.c...h-georgia/
This type of rhetoric was good for the McCain camp and forced Obama to "take a trip" and stage some goofy speech in Berlin to appear to have foreign policy experience. Now it's use may be limited.
As i've read more and more about Palin, I can understand the interest in her as a candidate for this type of office. I do hope the McCain people were thorough in thier examination of her - Alaskan politics, especially fighting the pro-business, anti-green battles, could lead to some bad political connections.
Palin needs to be able to talk about a wide range of foreign policy issues because the Dems will attack her "lack of experience and ability to be the second in line to the oldest president in the United States." Biden, especially, will eat her alive in a debate if foreign policy is the main issue and she's not prepared.
Again, I think she'll be someone we can all rally around. It's just very important for her to dispell any questions of her inability to take over the Presidency right away. As the country is meeting her for the first time on such a big stage, it's critical that her first impression is one of youthful competence. She's attractive and has a courageous bio,but she will need more.
I'm curious to see how this turns out...
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written by alice Lemos , September 01, 2008
Palin coming from the likes of pseudo woman Maureen Dowd and Andrew Sullivan - also Michael Moore - will backfire. These peopele are sick.
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written by Jay Golub , September 01, 2008
Like i said, this decision to select Palin was not a good one. McCain created a liability where none needed to exist. Picking Romney solidified his base, gave him fundraising potential and kept the focus on him and Obama - mano y mano - a battle he was starting to win.
Now, the media is talking about Palin's lack of experience - partly because McCain's non-sensical, off-the-cuff comments about Palin being "more prepared to be Commander in Chief than Barack because she has been commander of the Alaska National Guard."
It's debatable whether or not she is more prepared, but either way, it's a debate that didn't need to take place. In my opinion, commanding the national guard of a state is NOTHING that makes someone "prepared" to be Commander in Chief. To say that is ludicris.
McCain is too old to make it seem he would turn the country over to a neophite VP solely because of the political benefit of selecting "a woman for the ticket." Her selection was political, in the main stream media's growing opinion, and this concept is confirmed, in their opinion, by the fact that Palin is without real experience.
Ask yourself. Why would McCain select Palin with all the truly "qualified" VP selections out there? Can one truly argue that she was the most qualified candidate available?
Of course not.
Additionally, McCain's people are saying that he knew about Palin's daughter's pregnancy - but i don't buy it. This is clearly a contradictory situation, even if it is thier own family's matter and none of our business. The media, and the Left, will not see it that way and will look to exploit the social conservative's family gone awry. This hurts McCain's chances and they should have moved in a different direction if they knew about it.
Either way, Palin has been less than impressive in the first 72 hours. The first 24 hours were fine, but since the opposition and the media have been looking deeper, it's been all downhill.
I would say this "bold" move is not looking too good right now...
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written by alice Lemos , September 02, 2008
you need to understand families more. We support our kids. This does not hurt McCain's chances - Governor Palin enhances them. "Opposition" - oh, you mean the smear merchants from the Daily Kossack who are creating a backlash of sympathy for the Palin family. Of course, some people would run to the abortion clinic during a crisis pregnancy - that is what liberals do. Those of us who loe our children love the grandchildren also.
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written by alice Lemos , September 02, 2008
are anti child and anti woman are showing their true colors. When those of us who are pro life say we love the mother and the child, we really mean it. Dr. Dobson from Focus on the Family is fully supportive of the Palin family. It is the liberals and RINOs who would not be supportive particularly if they are from the northeast or San Francisco. We know what their way of dealing with a crisis would involve.
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written by Jay Golub , September 02, 2008
i think you're right, Alibaba. Any criticism that has been implied by the Left regarding her daughter's pregnancy has been thwarted and i think the situation has played out to, if anything, create sympathy for the Governor from Alaska.
I'm still concerned that McCain knows too little about her to have made such a selection, but the next few days will probably answer any of those concerns...
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written by Daniel Peterson , September 02, 2008
Barrack Obama's mother had him when she was 18, perhaps 17 when conception occurred. Sen. Obama said that the daughter is off limits. Wise move.
I don't believe Bristol's pregnancy hurts the GOP ticket at all. Let's see, daughter of the VP selction is pregnant at 17, or Candidate at top of ticket buys house from felon Rezko? Which should be bigger news?
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written by Jay Golub , September 02, 2008
the Rezko stuff is being held back for some reason. I've seen no one talk about it beyond what the Clintons floated around a few months ago. I'm sure it will be a highly discussed topic before the election is over...
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written by Andrew Roman , September 02, 2008
I sincerely appreciate your thoughts, Jay. I do believe that the entire issue of Governor Palin's daughter being pregnant will slip into the background soon enough. In my heart of hearts, I do NOT believe it will be an issue of any substance in determining the election's outcome.
On the other hand, the issue of experience or "qualifications" will be a relevant one. Inasmuch as you (Jay) make the very valid point that having Palin as McCain's running mate could tie his hands in being able to bring up the inexperience of Senator Obama, I don't necessarily disagree. That only means that the Republicans, understanding that the "experience" factor could be neutralized, will have to focus on hammering away on the issues themselves - which, in my mind, is always the way to go.
I still find the whole "experience" debate a funny one. Pundits on BOTH sides of the political aisle who use the sticking point of “qualifications” and “experience” as a means to further their arguments are missing the boat on a more important issue – namely, ACHIEVEMENTS. Senator Barrack Obama has ACHIEVED NOTHING in his short career that qualifies him to be President MORE than Sarah Palin’s achievements qualify her to be Vice President. Please understand the distinction here . I’m not asking what he stands for, but I’m asking what he has ACHIEVED that qualifies him for the most powerful office in the world.
Likewise, for the feminist contingent still pining for Senator Clinton, what has she achieved that qualified her MORE for the office of the Presidency than Sarah Palin’s qualifications qualify her to be Vice President – and potentially, President?
One could make a case that Clinton has accomplished more than Senator Obama, certainly, but Senator Clinton’s biggest ACCOMPLSIHMENT was marrying William Jefferson Clinton. Without that, she would not even be CONSIDERED as a serious candidate for the Presidency.
Just my thoughts.
Thanks again for your thoughtful responses, Jay.
Andy Roman
Brooklyn, NY
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written by alice Lemos , September 02, 2008
"I want a talented 'rookie' if that is what you have in Palin . . . she is a maverick and a REFORMER." Plus, let's not forget the importance of Alaska, the state that the snotty Maureen Dowd called an "igloo". the "igloo" has oil and other valuable resources and a border with Russia. It is an extremely important state. The attacks leveled on Palin but the snotty, snooty feminazis will backfire with real women.
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written by alice Lemos , September 02, 2008
and vitriol leveled at Governor Palin by one Alan Colmes on his website, a self-appointed ob/gyn who questioned her "judgment" in traveling during her pregnancy and implied that the Governor was to blame for her having a Downes Syndrome chiild! Unbelievable! I guess in addition to being a "talk show host" Colmes is now a medical doctor!!!!!!
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