Ah, all kinds of history in this election cycle. Seems that Senator John McCain knew how to steal a little bit of Barack Obama's thunder when he chose a woman to be his VP. Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska is young(44), not a Washington Insider, A staunch pro life, has a child with down's syndrome. She has been a mayor, city councilor, and defeated some incumbents to be Gov of AK.
The way I see this, it will bring some of the women, working class, etc to John McCain. One thing that should be noted is that the McCain camp did a better job of keeping his secret than the Obama camp. The only inkling that Palin was the choice was a private plan from Alaska landing 40 miles from Dayton.
Here's the funny thing, the Obama camp has been taking hits at all the other possible choices, so no one even thought of Sarah Palin. They admit that they were surprised.
Palin was born Feb. 11, 1964, in Idaho, but her parents moved to Alaska shortly after her birth to teach. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.
The Palins have five children: Track, 19; Bristol 17; Willow 14; Piper, 7, and Trig, who was born in April with Down syndrome.
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Comments: 129
You say it best. That's what this pick is all about.
Country first my a$$
As far as the Obama camp managing Biden pick. It was top secret until they wanted to leak it during Olympics prime time. This pick was already announced here on Gather before the networks. Check the times of the posts.
She was the mayor of a small town and became Governor of a small state just last year.
She does have a lot of experience; however, as runner-up for Miss Alaska and as a TV sportscaster.
Great pick.
I just watched Sarah Palin on TV. I was very impressed. i can,t wait to learn more about her, but I know:
She is pro life-A+
Lifetime member of the NRA-A+
Former union member, so she understands working class people-A+
I think she will be very good for Americans.
Private "plane", not private "plan".
G I L F ??
Wow, such credentials! Any woman who would vote for McCain now doesn't have a clue seeing that this woman could possibly end up leading the United STates, if anything happens to McCain (if elected). Which is a good possibility. Who could possibly want such an inexperienced person leading this country....I don't care if she has 20 kids.
Absurd. Alaska was already a Red State and will remain so but to toss this inexperienced woman onto a ticket (with her corruption investigation after only a year in office) there's little doubt that the intention here is to lose the election.
Bet John is sleeping on the couch in one of his houses.
Hysterical. First criticized for not having enough experience and now with Gov. Barbie Doll Whats-her-face on the GOP ticket with less experience than many mayors, it's too much experience. Wow. Olympic caliber flip flopping.
Joe Biden's wife wasn't picked to run as VP on the Dem ticket. Joe was.
For once, you're right, Bill. Anti-corruption, anti-war, anti-poverty, anti-tax breaks for big corporations and the wealthy, including big oil, anti-tyranny, anti-cronyism, anti-incompetence, .......etc. etc. etc.
Maybe YOU should get it right. Trying actually reading something about it before talking about.
Clickity Link!!
That's called a source. So much for rumors, eh?
"...but he seems to be friends with all the criminals. "
Yeah . . . innuendo is fun, eh? Some people have friends who are or were criminals and others just like to vote for criminals.
Bill, I'd be willing to bet that you wear panties more often than most Obama supporters.
Delores, do you even consider the fact that we have the tome of posts you've shared as a history of your inaccurate track record? I'm not sure you have been right about one thing you've shared, or that you have answered one question you've been asked. Yet, you keep putting out more of the same and expecting people to take you seriously? Are you serious?
Please, let's send her to Russia next week. Think about that. Can we send this woman overseas tomorrow? Answer the question honestly!
At least Obama has had 19 months talking to foreign policy experts and answering the questions. In less than 3 months this woman can be VP with about 2 months preparation.
Let's be honest America. What if something happens to McCain in December? You are talking about a woman who was mayor in small town Alaska less than two years ago.
Purdy. CHECK!
Has a special needs child. CHECK!
Can run a town of 9000. CHECK!
Can run a HOUSEhold. CHECK!
Raised her kids without a nanny. CHECK!
Can pick cool names for her kids. CHECK!
Don't forget, she has a kid with downs syndrome. CHECK!
Definitely someone with some credentials! w00t! Sorry Obama! I'm jumping ship!
Heh.
Not all mothers do, Delores. And even the best of moms in the home do not qualify to be President of the United STates of America, or even VP of this country. Get real. Really.
No, Delores, what's absolutely stupid, even ludicrous, is that you would even think of comparing Obama's experience, alongside Joe Biden's, with this woman's. THAT's stupid. And please answer Christos' question - is this woman ready to be sent over to Russia, or Iran, or any country for that matter? Absolutely not. There is absolutely no comparison here.
I can lay claim to having been the president of a company, but it would be a gross exageration to say that provided me with the executive experience to run a large company or even medium size company.
Alaska may be one of the largest states in area, but it is one of the smallest in population, Quite frankly there are probably at least a dozen or more cities in the United States that have more complex problems in providing the services its citizens need.
So don't teach either, since neither can be proved to the other sides satisfaction.
Hmmm...
Happy Birthday Senator McCain you are 72 years old.
You have Melanoma and I am not sure how long you are going to be around.
But what the heck, Palin is cute. She was once named "Miss Congeniality" in a beauty contest and we know you never have been that cute.
How can we object about her foreign policy opinions. She doesn't have any. And you haven't met her but once prior to a week ago.
She is well liked in Alaska.
Reformer. That's great.
But the most important judgment decision Senator McCain needed to make today was to pick a Vice-President ready to take over.
Let's hope if McCain is elected she is a fast learner. No big deal, just putting a soccer mom up for Vice-President as opposed to Senator Biden shows you what kind of judgment Senator McCain exercises.
But hey she's not a celebrity is she?
Don't know much about Palin, but with what I do know, she is much too off-base with my needs, and outlook. I am not swayed to change my vote to McCain, even though I was a Republican, since Reagan.
Heather, you are one dumb gal.
Wait, just wait, until you live in a country where ALL abortions are illegal. Just wait. You're gonna love it...
This is precisely why I no longer care about this election. The minute you criticize either candidate you're "dumb" or an "idiot" and those are just some of the nice terms.
I probably won't vote for McCain. I will never vote for Obama. I have my reasons, and I have listed them on here a while back, for which I was attacked and called every name but a human. There are FAR more important issues than abortion, I hate to burst your bubble. This is the problem with American politics, pick one issue and be damned if we look at anything else. Hating a candidate because of one issue is no better than single issue voting.
Obama hasn't voted on ANY actual bill that created ANY KIND of controversy. He always voted for whatever was politically expedient. Whatever suited his political ambitions, not what was best for his constituients. Typical chicago politician.
No it should be, "McCain is Amazing!! He criticizes Obama for having NO experience, then he picks a VP with little experience."
Some is better than none, and its easy to see she really is an agent for change, because she has a record, no matter how short, to prove it. The record was made prior to being in the mix for President or VP. So it wasnt just for show.
The race is on now.
She comes from middle class and knows what it is like to worry about the house payment and the grocery bill and raising a large family,more of a "normal" person.
mcsame is thinking with the wrong"head" again.
So now the sexist people are coming out..
Michael, LMAO, you're so funny. Poor judgement, Obama has a lock on that. Tell me, does it hurt to be so ignorant?
Palin is SO much more qualified than Obama it isn't even funny. What has Obama ever done? NOTHING, except run for office. I wouldn't vote for him on a dare.
So will Obama rename his plane when he loses? What will he call it? Wannabe one?
This may be the first time a Vice President is just a heart throb away from the Presidency.
I'll take this opportunity to edumacate you about what's going on in the Senate...
There's a fairly simple reason why the Democrats have done so little in the Senate. You can see the reason why here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/18218.html.
And before you respond with the RIDICULOUS example of the Senate declaring July 2007 NATIONAL WATERMELON MONTH, please note: 1) it was initiated by a REPUBLICAN and, 2) EVERY Congress introduces legislation like this whether controlled by Republicans or Democrats, 3) I still think they were idiots for wasting the people's time on this.
Now, can you say it: Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss [R-GA] is an IDIOT for introducing this legislation and wasting the people's time.
There, now don't you feel better, cleaner, and like an American citizen, instead of a partison hack?
Would you like me to say Harry Reid is an IDIOT for allowing this legislation to be introduced and for wasting the people's time and money? I'll do that if you'd like. Just let me know.
She certainly knows politicing--if there turns out to be anything to this report by Mudflats: Tiptoeing Through the Muck of Alaskan Politics.
You might want to look at Obama's ACTUAL voting record before making any more silly remarks like the above.
Seriously, Don b, if you don't learn how to look stuff like this up on the web before you graduate from high school, I'm going to have a talk with your parents about the quality of your local school system. Do what John McCain has suggested: look it up on factcheck.org, or for the REALLY NASTY STUFF politicians say about each other, try snopes.com.
And don't make me come over there and spank you with a URL detailing John McCain's voting record!
John McCain has said that rumors and claims can be investigated on factcheck.org. Your rumor can, no doubt, be verified there, with snopes.com. John McCain has not suggested this source yet--but I'm sure the Obama campaign will make, sooner or later, a false claim about John McCain, and he will suggest you visit this site to test the claim's truthiness.
ANYBODY trying to step into the Presidency is inexperienced. On the other hand, Obama has nearly two years of creating and managing a national campaign. Did I mention that he won that NATIONAL, even INTERNATIONAL, enterprise? Does anyone here have any idea about what it takes to assemble and manage a staff of thousands of people all over the country? Did I mention that Obama has actually done that? Does anyone talking about Obama's so-called inexperience know about the size and complexity of creating, from zero, an Internet enterprise to manage millions of people, their efforts, and the HUNDREDS of millions of dollars in contributions? All this suggests to me that Obama will be ready to staff a government with the several thousands of employees needed to competently run our government. Some talk about Obama as though he were some sort of super-hero who is doing the whole thing by himself. Just like Bush doesn't run our government, Obama hasn't managed his entire campaign by himself. Thousands of dedicated, hard-working, efficient individuals have made the biggest part of his campaign completely invisible--exactly the sort of government that is of interest to me. I want government to work and do its work efficiently. I think Obama, and his staff, have demonstrated they can do that.
Not to mention his campaigning for the presidency these past 11 months, Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 from the State of Illinois winning 70% of the vote - in the 109th Congress he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons, promoted greater public accountability in the use of federal funds - he made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa - in the 110th congress he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electrical fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism and care for returned u.s.military personnel - before the U.S. Senate he was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 - there he gained bipartisan support for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws, sponsoring a law increasing tax credits for low income workers - he negotiated welfare reform and promoted increased subsidies for children, among many other things - before this he had ample grass-roots experience as a community organizer, including developing a church-based community organization of 8 catholic parishes in greater Roseland in Chicago - Crain's Chicago business newspaper named Obama to its 1993 list of "under 40" powers to be - a Harvard law graduate cum laude, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago law school for 12 years, keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, and twice a best selling author.
To say that Palin, suddenly brought into the national limelight yesterday - who asked barely a month ago "what is it exactly that a vice-president does?" has the national and international know-how and expertise to be commander in chief if the situation arose, based on her 'executive' experience as two year governor of Alaska, is frankly, ludicrous.
And in selecting her, McCain acknowledged that his lack of experience argument against Obama was a totally spurious argument!
Well, the race goes on and now it can get to the real issues since the experience one has been conceded by McCain!
Yeah. Right. And Dick Cheney is not President. GWB is not the Decider. Nobody in any position of power has any power or ability. Its all done by puppets in outer space with strings coming down to earth. And by the way, that is a LOVELY tinfoil hat you are wearing!
Really, seriously, you have got to be smoking something. The Clinton's have been in control of the Democratic party machinery for some time. Obama is more like the leader of an internal rebellion who managed to bring a lot of people over to his side. He didn't saddle up any horse. He created the posse he rides with--against a lot of odds.
We do know Ms ethics reform is currently under investigation for ethics violations. Sounds par for the course in the republican party to me...
I agree totally! I suspect that the investigation will be an embarrassment to the party and McCain before it is all over.