by Eric Martin
So McCain announced he’s picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. An interesting move. One thing it will offer the McCain campaign is a sense of historical importance – something they need in the face of Obama’s groundbreaking run. Further, it offers something "new" from a Republican Party that is rightly viewed as musty and bankrupt of fresh ideas. It will also serve as a bid to attract the dead ender clique of Hillary supporters (though I think entirely too much has been made of their clout in terms of actual numbers).
Tapping Palin also signals that the McCain camp thinks that "drill, drill, drill" is one of their strongest domestic issues to flog. Who better to discuss the benefits of drilling than an Alaskan? Fear of the "seven houses" gaffe could have also played a part – making Romney less appealing, and the blue-collarish Palin more attractive.
One major drawback: How can McCain’s main line of critique be Obama’s putative lack of experience, yet his pick for vice president is a 44 year old politician who has only been in the Alaska state house for little over a year. Before that, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alasksa: population 8,000. This is the person that will be one heartbeat away from the presidency – a consideration of particular importance considering that McCain, if elected, would be the oldest president ever to be sworn in for his first term.
I mean this seriously: Would you trust Palin in the Oval Office?
[UPDATE: As someone pointed out, Palin’s lack of experience will backfire in the sense that McCain’s age will now become even more relevant and a topic of much discussion. That’s not what McCain wants people to focus on, but by picking Palin, he’s made his age a legitimate issue. The Obama camp should be saying thank you for the segue.]
[UPDATE II: Joe Biden will debate Sarah Palin. That should be fun. (via Margarita)]
McCain is thinking short-term impact–which will obviously, rightly be BIG–over long-term success.
after the country gets used to this idea, the knives will come out. Palin has no opinion on Iraq or whatever, but she can tell a hell of a good fishing story.
Well, this also means that we don’t have to worry about a strong VP “fourth branch” in a McCain administration.
she wrecks the all-Senator fight I was hoping for.
“Would you trust Palin in the Oval Office?”
99% of Americans say, “who?”
ok, I lived in AK when she was elected. She’s got nothing. This is a joke. This is Harriet Meiers level of unqualified. This is an impulsive act of a desperate man, flailing and failing.
I think this is probably a good sign (from a Dem POV). It’s a desperation-choice. I don’t know precisely *how* desperate it is, since I haven’t yet heard Palin speak and don’t know much about her yet – although I note that she is for prohibiting abortion by law (assuming that’s what ‘pro life’ really means); IOW, vis a vis PUMAs, there can be no wilful ambiguity about abortion with her. At first blush this just reeks of ‘hail mary’.
99% of Americans say, “who?”
A: you know, she’s that woman on 30 Rock, used to be on SNL.
I have only vaguely heard of this person before today, and then only via TPMMuck because of her being investigated for corruption.
Why I trust her? How about this from Politico:
Her oldest son, Trick, turned 18 last year and enlisted in the Army on the sixth anniversary of 9/11. Palin’s youngest child, Trig, was born in April and diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome.
As the Anchorage Daily News reported, Palin sent an email to friends and family at the time in which she said: “. . . Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.” The paper said Palin wrote the email in the voice of God and signed it, “Trig’s Creator: Your Heavenly Father.”
Sympathetic to her child’s condition and all, but that’s just creepy.
From Atrios
Andrea Mitchell: “The campaign has just given up the experience argument.”
Prediction: Palin goes the way of Harriet Miers and becomes the first person to dropoff the ticket after the convention since…well I’m sure someone has, but not recently. McCain then goes with Cheney.
Trick and Trig ?
I think this could hugely backfire. McCain always to be careful with the VP, because whenever he made a choice the issue of his age would be raised, making the VP a lot more than just window-dressing. I know all his options were bad (hey, that’s the party you chose, pal) but there’s no way you can tell me that picking the one person who undermines the central issue of his campaign so far (if it had one) is anything other than a hail mary.
phoebe: can you say more?
To be clear, the prediction is mine, not Mitchell’s.
Even if there are only twelve women who voted for Clinton in the primary and are now going to vote for McCain because he chose a female running mate, you can bet that those twelve women will spend the next two months going from one TV camera to the next.
Bristol, Willow, Piper, Track and Trig
Abandoning your newborn Down’s syndrome baby to run around with a 72 year old man?
Th-that’s not ch-change we can believe in!
First thought: OK, I see what they’re doing here.
Second thought: McCain needs to turn off the TV. The McPundit is buying his ilk’s own bullshit.
Third thought: Dan Quayle.
Fourth thought: Joe Biden just found out what he’s going to eat for breakfast.
I wonder who turned the gig down? This is so obviously not a first choice, that there are barons in the party who were passed over, and pissed about it.
They’re likely to sit on their hands now, and when you already face an enthusiasm gap, that’s not helpful.
McCain just made himself the risky choice. that’s awesome.
I wonder who turned the gig down? This is so obviously not a first choice,
Hutchinson?
I can’t help thinking, given his personal history, that he’s not the wrong wrong person to make this pick.
Fourth thought: Joe Biden just found out what he’s going to eat for breakfast.
He needs to be careful, though – in our sexist society, demolishing a woman candidate comes off differently from doing the same thing to a male candidate.
I will say that this does seem like a better pick than Pawlenty. Does anybody really know anything about Pawlenty besides the fact that people have been talking about him as a VP pick forever? He’s a bit older than Palin – 47 rather than 44, and he’s had considerably more experience in state politics – he’s been governor since 2003 and was a prominent state legislator for ten years before that, whereas Palin was only the mayor of a tiny town. He’s also the governor of a much larger and more important state
So Pawlenty isn’t as much of a lightweight as Palin, but he would clearly be seen as kind of a lightweight as well – like Palin, he’s virtually unknown outside his home state. But he would have been a totally boring lightweight. Would anyone anywhere have been energized by Pawlenty? Palin’s more of a lightweight, but at least it’s an exciting pick.
I doubt it will do McCain much good in the long run, but it at least gives him a bounce in the short run, and gets everyone talking about him rather than Obama’s speech last night, in a way that Pawlenty and Romney would not have.
Pass the popcorn – the debates will be something to behold.
She could always go the Bush 2000 route and talk about how she’s been serving as governor of the largest state in the country.
Seth: Even if there are only twelve women who voted for Clinton in the primary and are now going to vote for McCain because he chose a female running mate, you can bet that those twelve women will spend the next two months going from one TV camera to the next.
What’s more likely to happen is that every single woman who supported Hillary Clinton during the primaries will be asked, repeatedly, and regardless of her answer to previous repetitions, if her support for Hillary Clinton means she’ll now be voting McCain/Palin.
In a country of 30 Million – I’d be surprised if you didn’t find at least 12 Republicans willing to claim that they would have voted for Clinton but now they’re voting McCain/Palin…
You have to admit that Sarah Palin is pretty hot (remember she was in the Ms. Alaska Pageant) and MUCH BETTER on the eyes than Joe Biden
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5055328
Davis – GOS thinks Palin was a choice the Rovites made, not McCain, and that they made it mostly for the short term gain of crowding Obama off the news. Which is about what I expect from the Rovites – actual governance has never meant anything to them – though how this makes the GOP ticket more electable escapes me.
It’d be kind of interesting if Palin turns out to be a head-fake – named ONLY to get attention – and then, once she’s served that purpose, she drops out (due to family issues, say) and the ‘real’ VP steps in.
If, as seems more and more likely, the GOP winds up postponing or even cancelling its convention, the massive head-fake hypothesis makes more sense.
I can understand he wanted a pair of ovaries on the ticket, but aren’t there better women out there? Libby Dole is the first I thought of, but there are female generals, reps, inspirational or business leaders- heck, mayors of cities with larger populations than Alaska.
I keep thinking of the Night Court bit when Judge Harry Stone says he was appointed when the outgoing gov started calling down an alphabetical list and he was the first person home on a Sunday.
“I’m walkin’ on sunshine, whoa ooh oh oh! And don’t it feel good!”
This is the best couple of days I can remember in a long time. Just wheel out Hillary as an attack dog and maybe we can get McCain to cry. Or at least freak out.
(Yeah, I want to make sure that it doesn’t look like Joe Biden is beating up on a girl. And besides, I think Hillary is better at the throat-ripping.)
Biden will not be eating anyone for breakfast. If expectations for Bush’s performances in the debates were low, hers will be underground. If she manages to form a complete sentence in response to one out of every four questions, the media will consider her a rock star. And from what I recall Dan Quayle didn’t do too bad in his debate with Al Gore.
The only way this works out for McCain is if she turns out to have the charisma and empathy of Bill Clinton combined with the inspiration of Obama, and even then she’ll remind everyone that McCain has none of those things.
It’s wonderful to get back to the good old feckless McCain campaign we knew and loved back in the primaries.
Maybe McCain can offer Palin up to compete with Cindy in the Miss Buffalo Chip ‘pageant’ in NV. It’s what the country needs! MORE PANTOMIMED SEX ROLES! Boys should have names like ‘Trick’ and ‘Trig’! Masculine names! And more pickles! Say no more, say no more, wink wink.
Sullivan: “McCain has just told us how seriously he takes the war we are in. Not seriously at all.”
Whereas Biden is a strong choice for governance, there is no way Palin can be presented as anything other than an electoral choice. Who looks like the serious candidate now?
Apparently McCain was looking for someone with weirdly named kids, and Romney only had “Tagg” to offer.
Since I previously noted the Michael Palin thing, I am going to have to ask (more in sorrow than in anger, of course) for a little something-something. Free lifetime subs to ObWi for all my friends should do nicely. If you had gone with a title ‘No one expects a Spanish Inquisition!’, I wouldn’t be able to say anything.
I’m predisposed, but I’d say (to riff on the point publius made in his post speech post)that it makes McCain look very small to have used the experience attack on Obama. At first glance, this seems like a hail Mary pass making a hail Mary pass. However…
I originally typed “I’m really disappointed that we won’t see neither Romney or Liebermann will get ripped a new one by Biden”, but in fact, that whole notion as a conversational gambit has to get thrown out.
There is going to be some very interesting positioning based on the fact that Biden can’t simply go after Palin’s lack of experience, but he will be somewhat constrained, and if Biden does misspeak, expect it to be repeated over and over and over.
Also, as Biden has strong Catholic beliefs, I bet that the Rove acolytes running McCain’s campaign think that abortion specifically and women’s rights in general where their best, and perhaps only, chance is. Somewhere, Bill Donohue is dreaming of sugarplum like fees dancing.
jrudkis gave an interesting defense of McCain here (scroll down for it all), and, not trying to call him out, but I really wonder what he thinks of this and if it changes his mind.
Did McCain hire Mark Penn? Because lately it seems McCain’s actually buying this PUMA thing, and selling non-existant voter pools as “the key” to an election is a technique that I believe Mark Penn patented.
The “Nutter Center” must be going over well in the UK coverage of the announcement.
Biden can’t simply go after Palin’s lack of experience, but he will be somewhat constrained, and if Biden does misspeak, expect it to be repeated over and over and over.
but he doesn’t have to go after her, he can simply answer the questions in a more knowledgeable and convincing manner than she will. and he will. her own inexperience will shine through.
compare that to Obama who actually has foreign policy experience, and while it’s limited compared to Biden’s and McCain’s, it’s undeniably more than a half-term governor of a small state. Obama can hold his own on the issues. can she ?
… in our sexist society, demolishing a woman candidate comes off differently from doing the same thing to a male candidate.
Examples?
Not of sexism, obviously. But when has a woman candidate for high office not been required to be not just competent, but if anything super-qualified? Americans (humans?) have innate contempt for the weak, especially when it come to their maximum leaders.
I’m in California, so woman candidates are no novelty. Maybe that’s skewing my perspective. But I don’t see a pity-vote strategy going over.
The lowered-expectations point is likely valid. But again, there’s perhaps also a countervailing higher-bar factor for Palin as a woman.
executive experience: Insty points out that she has more than anyone on either ticket.
In The Simpsons Movie, Homer decides to the family to Alaska, “Where you can’t be too fat or too drunk. Where no one asks you to show your high school equivalency.”
I think of this charitably as McCain’s strongest repudiation yet of the Bush administration: he wants the next vice president to be as un-Cheney as possible.
I might think of this uncharitably as McCain’s biggest yet “senior moment”.
liberal japonicus,
I am contacting our subscription department immediately. BTW: One of the best comments I’ve read in a while. Made me laugh, made me cry, it was, as they say, better than Cats.
I wonder if McCain thought about the fact that there might just be enough sexists in the country who will refuse to vote for a ticket with a woman on it that any supposed PUMAs will be balanced out (admittedly in a bad way).
Liberal japonicus:
That would have been a better post title. Lifetime subscription guaranteed.
I think this could hugely backfire. McCain always to be careful with the VP, because whenever he made a choice the issue of his age would be raised, making the VP a lot more than just window-dressing. I know all his options were bad (hey, that’s the party you chose, pal) but there’s no way you can tell me that picking the one person who undermines the central issue of his campaign so far (if it had one) is anything other than a hail mary.
I think is not quite as bad as that.
It will have a dramatic short term impact for the McCain camp in terms of recapturing control of the media narrative, after Obama’s “Enough!” speech, which otherwise would have dominated the news cycle through the Labor Day weekend (if McCain had made a more conventional and boring VP pick). That is a net benefit for McCain. Any female voters who can be peeled off from Obama because of the identity politics of it will also be a net benefit.
The problems will come in deeper into the campaign.
First off, it puts the issue of McCain’s age right out there front and center, by highlighting the age difference between the top and bottom of the GOP ticket – every time they stand next to each other on stage, the visuals alone will emphasize how old McCain looks.
Second it steps all over the GOP’s last remaining good attack narrative regarding Obama, on experience, as pointed out above. This also ties back in to the age issue, because her relative inexperience compared with McCain will raise the issue of the Presidential succession, which opens the door for talking about his age. This was an issue which the Democrats could not address directly without the risk of looking nasty and spiteful, but now McCain has opened the door for the media to bloviate over it.
This to me highlights one of the big differences between these two campaigns.
The Obama camp is focused on organization and plays a long game. Their focus this summer has been to fill in the holes and weaknesses in Obama’s position without worrying too much about the short term media cycles – see the Afghanistan/Iraq/Berlin trip for an example, see FISA for another example. They have carefully and systematically worked on shoring up the remaining areas where McCain could do real long term lasting damage, while ignoring stuff like the Britney/Paris Celebrity attacks which are easily rebutted by a display of substance and intelligence (see last night’s speech).
The McCain camp on the other hand is media (rather than ground game) driven. This means that winning each news cycle is what they focus on.
But the problem with this is that it involves exclusively short-term thinking, since the media is so ADHD. As a consequence, the McCain campaign has been all tactics and no strategy. They keep doing things which help them in the short term, but hurt in the long term. While Obama spent the summer shoring up his weaknesses and pretty much ignoring McCain, the McCain camp spent the summer attacking Obama and while they won most of the media cycles, they also squandered McCain’s biggest long term advantage, which was his reputation for independence and bipartisanship, because his Rovian tactics made him look like just another standard issue GOP candidate.
This was a terrible move in the long run, because coming out of the primaries McCain’s greatest strength, which made Democrats more apprehensive about running against him than any of the rest of the GOP field, was that he alone of the Republicans could run as if he was an independent, shedding the burden of George W. Bush. Instead of using that to his advantage, McCain has run a campaign best suited to convincing voters that McCain really is a Republican. This made Obama’s job of trying to tie McCain and Bush and GOP together in one rhetorical bundle far easier than it should have been if McCain had spent the last 2 months running as the 2000 version of his persona. John McCain should claim co-authorial credit for Obama’s speech last night, because his campaign helped to write it with their attack ad-centric approach to the summer months of this election.
It is like watching a chess match where one side is using a Romantic style of play which is all about rapid development of it’s most powerful pieces to engage in attacks during the opening, and the other side is playing it Modern style and concentrating on getting pawns into position to dominate the center of the board and take over the midgame.
“One thing it will offer the McCain campaign is a sense of historical importance – something they need in the face of Obama’s groundbreaking run. Further, it offers something ‘new’ from a Republican Party that is rightly viewed as musty and bankrupt of fresh ideas.”
All that is true.
But this pick seems like a big, big stretch?
The McCain camp must have polling that tells them there are a lot of Hillary voters to be won. I just don’t see it.
This is where Hillary Clinton must put her money where her month is and campaign her heart out.
Reminds me of Mondale picking Ferraro, a Hail Mary.
The Guardian’s latest article on Palin concludes with this:
The news media may also seek to tie Palin to longtime Alaska Republican senator Ted Stevens, who is soon to stand trial on corruption charges.
In the Alaska capital, Juneau, Palin is under her own ethics cloud: The Alaska legislature is investigating whether Palin sacked a public safety commissioner who declined to fire a state trooper that was engaged in a custody battle with Palin’s sister.
This is the time for Hillary Clinton to shine. Who better to attack Palin than the one person who can rip her to shreds without the sexism/mysogynsism argument being thrown around.
If Hillary wants a Cabinet position or complete redemption in the eyes of the Obama camp, this is her time to step up.
OCSteve — Technically she has a couple years as governor, of a state with 600,000 people in it. Is she known for trying to do anything with that executive power other than getting her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as state trooper? (Not that I expect you to suddenly be the expert, but you’re reading different news sources than I am.)
As a former Alaskan, I have to say this rocks! And she’ll be a bit of surprise to apparently all of you.
Remember she has beat Tony Knowles (D) (former governor and former potential VP pick) and Frank Murkoski (R) (former US Senator and Governor, daughter current Senator from Alaska), both seasoned politicians. She’s well-spoken, smart, common sense and anti-corruption.
I don’t know how anyone supporting Obama can talk about her lack of experience. As if experience as a Senator versus a governor is somehow “better.”
And, sure, no foreign policy experience in the traditional sense, but remember Alaska is the only state that shares a border with Russia. The cold war was a bit more real growing up in Alaska.
And you think Biden debating her is a good thing?!! Are you kidding?!!
Whatever happens, this will be fun to watch.
And Byrningman, I think your comments are a bit out of line. As one who had my youngest misdiagnosed with Downs before he was born, I can tell you that any parent of faith turns to God in situations like that knowing your whole life is about to change. What may seem “creepy” to you was simply an expression of faith that all children are created by God and that experiences like raising a child with Downs’ Syndrome is part of God’s plan.
From a purely crass political perspective, her story and faith will go over extremely well with the base and reach across party lines. Soccer moms everywhere now have their candidate and more.
I’ve followed her political career after leaving Alaska and have always been impressed and even back in the 90’s thought she would go far.
“I can understand he wanted a pair of ovaries on the ticket, but aren’t there better women out there? Libby Dole is the first I thought of, but there are female generals, reps, inspirational or business leaders- heck, mayors of cities with larger populations than Alaska.”
no. dole isn’t even all that popular in her own state right now. (believe me, i live there)
Farmgirl, don’t forget being mayor of a town of 8,000. Somehow I think that counts as less executive experience than running a Senate office.
Examples?
I was thinking of Clinton/Lazio.
Not of sexism, obviously. But when has a woman candidate for high office not been required to be not just competent, but if anything super-qualified?
Well, on the last point, I’ll just note that the much less experienced Palin beat incumbent governor and longtime senator Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary for Governor of Alaska two years ago.
That being said, I agree with your general point. But the issue isn’t how Palin will plays as a whole – I think my general feeling is that she’s a great pick for the news cycle today, but won’t play very well in the long run. My point was specifically in the context of debates. Biden just has to be careful not to look like an overbearing ogre. I think he can do that, and still easily win the debate, but it’s definitely something to watch for.
Hey, she says “nucular”. That should help her with the Bush fans.
bc,
My wife says you can count out her vote as a soccer mom. She feels that McCain is insulting her intelligence and the ONLY reason she picked her is to appeal to women. And she says as someone who believes in the right to choose, Palin’s failed in that respect.
On that note, she’ll only highlight to other women McCain’s Anti-Choice position on abortion.
Wow, she specifically calls out Geraldine Ferraro for praise. Just trying to set up the Hillary pander, but that’s still not a good comparison to be reminding people of.
“I wonder who turned the gig down?”
X raises a good question, and byrningman gives a good answer: Hutchinson, who I heard does not like McCain. I always thought that woman was kind of smart.
Andrea Mitchell was spot-on when she said this takes the experience argument off the table and cleek’s comment was perfect: “McCain just made himself the risky choice.”
Who would have seen that coming?
The conventional pick is rarely sexy but no one seemed to make more sense — espcially if the GOP really wanted to debate the economy — than Romney.
I guess if I am a Republican the best thing I could say: At least he didn’t pick Lieberman.
Talk about faint praise.
Actually, for McCain’s camp I kind of like this. It is a hail mary, but I think that they (unlike the pundits) understand that McCain was heading for a strong second place finish & that he had to do something unconventional. It was something like this or Joe, and Joe would leave the entire right wing of the GOP at home on election day.
I was expecting Hutchinson, or Fiorina, or something else odd (I heard Petraeus’s name mentioned, I dont even if if that would’ve been possible).
Like all hail marys it’s likely to miss, and it’s easy to see why: she has virtually no experience, name recognition, or accomplishments. She is not known as a great orator or campaigner (ie not a bad one, but not like Obama was in ’04). There is virtually no electoral angle.
And fwiw, she’s got a scandal going through the works- she allegedly fired a guy for not firing her sister’s ex-husband (state patrolman). She claims that a subordinate did this on his own. otoh, other than this she’s almost painfully clean.
But who knows, maybe she charms America and changes the conversation.
I don’t know how anyone supporting Obama can talk about her lack of experience.
she has absolutely no national experience, and only 2 years as governor of a small (pop) state where the legislature is in session only 90 days of the year. oh, and she was mayor of a town smaller than the development where i currently live. and she was a beauty queen and a TV announcer.
impressive on a local level, but even Obama makes her look like a nOOb.
I can’t believe she’s actually talking about her PTA experience in the speech.
I think this is where the long, drawn out primary helps Obama. People know him, or at least know of him, and he seems like he’s been around forever now. Whereas Palin, although only in the Veep slot, is a total unkown, and people only have just over 2 months to get to know her. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal for a Veep, see Quayle in 88, but McCain really puts the succession question on the table with this.
John: “I think my general feeling is that she’s a great pick for the news cycle today, but won’t play very well in the long run.”
I’m not even sure if this is a great pick for the news cycle — other than the fact that it will dominate.
However, I think it will dominate it with a lot of second-guessing and head-scratching. Is that what you want in the home stretch of a presidential campaign?
KC — thanks, I knew that part of her bio but don’t you think they’d be too embarrassed to count it?
What am I saying, embarrassment never stopped these folks from doing or saying anything…
I don’t know how anyone supporting Obama can talk about her lack of experience. As if experience as a Senator versus a governor is somehow “better.”
What cleek said. Besides, you kind of miss the point. It’s that Palin’s lack of experience neutralizes that line of attack on Obama. You can’t build your central attack around the notion that Obama is inexperienced and would thus be risky in foreign affairs and then tap someone with a wafer thin resume such as Palin as your veep.
It exposes McCain for a hypocrite.
“wafer thin” …nice.
When does the projectile vomiting begin?
Does anybody think that McCain didn’t make this decision late last night after watching Obama’s speech?
“It exposes McCain for a hypocrite.”
Eric Martin, unfortunately that’s never stopped McCain or the Republicans before.
VP picking observes the Hippocratic Oath – first, do no harm. Palin patently fails that test.
Anything is possible, but it’s a hail mary.
“Prediction: Palin goes the way of Harriet Miers and becomes the first person to dropoff the ticket after the convention since…well I’m sure someone has, but not recently.”
Thomas Eagleton.
Palin last month on CNBC regarding the VP spot:
“As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?”
Looks like Rove told her it mainly involves telling the President what to do, hiding occasionally in a secure location, and saber rattling.
And Byrningman, I think your comments are a bit out of line. As one who had my youngest misdiagnosed with Downs before he was born, I can tell you that any parent of faith turns to God in situations like that knowing your whole life is about to change. What may seem “creepy” to you was simply an expression of faith that all children are created by God and that experiences like raising a child with Downs’ Syndrome is part of God’s plan.
I think you misread byrningman’s comment. The creepy vibe I got out of it wasn’t that she was turning to her faith for support during a difficult time: that is absolutely normal and expected. The creepy bit was sending a letter that she wrote signed by God. Maybe you come from a very different religious tradition than I do, but impersonating God strikes me as deeply revolting.
Just watched McCain introduce Palin and heard her talk. Their walk off music was Right Now from Van Halen.
Her speaking style is, to put it gently, rather unpolished, so I see them trying to paint Obama as too slick, too well-spoken.
=======
Random talking head:
The McCain is taking a chance picking an unproven woman with no real experience
The Plain People of America: Hey, you be nice! She baked cookies for the PTA!
=======
(homage to Myles na gCopaleen/Flann O’Brian, who had these dialogues with “The Plain People of Ireland”)
I also think that they are trying to have it both ways with the media, and will squeal if they really start questioning her closely (especially about any scandal stuff in Alaska) but benefit about them wading in on women’s issues, especially given the way they latched onto the PUMA thing.
(And thanks for the kind comments, Eric)
She feels that McCain is insulting her intelligence and the ONLY reason she picked her is to appeal to women.
but did she know about Palin before today? Has she heard her speak? Fine to make a choice only on the abortion issue, but as for the other things, I would hope in America we would listen and then decide. I listen to Obama.
But who knows, maybe she charms America and changes the conversation.
Ah, open-mindedness. Refreshing. And your right to keep that as a possibility, Wu. She just may do that.
impressive on a local level, but even Obama makes her look like a nOOb.
How exactly does Obama make her look like a noob? Simply from being a senator? He has zero executive experience. Is it just because he is from Chicago? Is it because he changed his style to speak in soothing, impressive low tones?
Alaska’s different. Most states run themselves simply due to how long they’ve been in business. Just because you govern more people doesn’t necessarily make your performance more impressive. And Alaska has unique challenges that makes it one of the more challenging posts out there.
How do we rate CEO’s of up and coming companies? Is there experience less important? Don’t we rate performance?
I’ve not been one to rail on Obama’s lack of experience because to me there is a decided POSITIVE aspect to someone without “Washington Experience.” She’s got less of that than Obama, Mr. Party-Line Voter. I’d rather know their ideas and what they think is right and how they’d better the country.
Her husband is in the oil business, she’s against putting polar bears on the protected species list, and she’s picked the same day that the Economist (that lefty bastion of eco-dogma) runs with this brief story. I know McCain thinks there’s electoral gold in the drilling angle, but c’mon. Running against charismatic megafauna?
The McCain campaign’s strategy just went from ‘experience + drilling’ to ‘drilling’.
Carleton raises the spectre of Petraeus. I think he was the one wild card who may have been a game-changer.
How often have we heard the VP choice is the first important choice a presidential candidate makes?
Obama gave us Biden — nothing flashy, but solid, a choice that gave you confidence, a selection you could see a heartbeat away from the presidency.
McCain — the candidate of good judgment and experience — gives us Palin. I think this would have been the reaction if Obama picked Chet Edwards, so this isn’t about the candidate’s sex. It’s all about inexperience and unfamiliarity.
Just heard a usually informed co-worker say she was the governor of Texas and the mayor of some small town before that. Right.
Well, MY first thought on hearing that Sen. McCain had picked Sarah Palin as his running mate was: “D*mn! I missed out on that longshot bet!”– since Gov. Palin had/has been mentioned around the blogosphere as a sort of dark-horse pick for quite a while.
My second thought was: “WTF? Sarah Palin? How desperate ARE they?”
My third thought was that this is (despite the inevitable lame media spin about its “historic” implications)) pretty much of a surrender flag for the McCain campaign. I mean, Sarah Palin may be a nice lady and all, and – even though she IS a card-carrying member of the Alaska GOP, possibly reasonably honest – but it is hard to see this pick as much more than a frantic attempt to grab some (any!) media attention away from Obama and the Democrats; issues of “experience” and “governance” be darned.
Myself, I think that if one has to offer up a sacrificial victim to the merciless Gods of Politics, it might as well be a scruffy old goat as a cute, fuzzy lamb: but obviously, someone in Sen. McCain’s organization thinks otherwise…
I don’t think Petraeus would be legal a candidate — at minimum, he would have to resign immediately from his post. Would that be a serious approach to our engagement in that region, given the nearly universal plaudits for his performance there?
Gary, I’m sure you know more.
The creepy bit was sending a letter that she wrote signed by God. Maybe you come from a very different religious tradition than I do, but impersonating God strikes me as deeply revolting.
Yes, that was what I found especially creepy. A weird stage further than than talking of yourself in the third person.
I know it was an emotional time and all; but say McCain has to go into hospital, she’s acting commander in chief, and some major crisis like 9/11 happens. Do we want the person who adopts the persona of the almighty in moments of high stress in charge?
It is like watching a chess match where one side is using a Romantic style of play which is all about rapid development of it’s most powerful pieces to engage in attacks during the opening, and the other side is playing it Modern style and concentrating on getting pawns into position to dominate the center of the board and take over the midgame.
Chess?!?
Elitist!
[/snark]
Well, it looks like she’ll fit right into a McSame administration with “experience” like this: <(blockquote>One of her first acts as governor was to fire the Alaska Board of Agriculture. Her ultimate target was the state Creamery Board, which has been marketing the products of Alaska dairy farmers for 71 years and wanted to close down after receiving $600,000 from the state. “You don’t just close your doors and walk away,” Palin told me. She discovered she lacked the power to fire the Creamery Board. Only the board of agriculture had that authority. So Palin replaced the agriculture board, which appointed a new creamery board, which has rescinded the plan to shut down. (Weekly Standard, July 16 2007)
<(blockquote>Gov. Sarah Palin made the announcement the day after news broke that the dairy, financially ailing for the past two years, lost nearly $300,000 in July, possibly its worst ever loss in a single month. Her announcement also follows more than two months of turmoil in which the creamery board, which oversees the dairy operation, has tried to figure out what to do with the 71-year-old company. (Anchorage Daily News, August 29, 2008)
On a much smaller scale, of course, and nobody actually got killed, but doesn’t this kind of thinking remind you exactly of how the Bush administration treated the experts who told them not to invade Iraq? Fire them all! Hire new people with better advice! One expensive debacle later….
“Does anybody think that McCain didn’t make this decision late last night after watching Obama’s speech?”
You mean, after Obama questioned his temperment and he got really, really mad and said, “I’ll show him.”
I can see it now.
====
Dear Vladimir,
Stop screwing around in Georgia.
Sincerely,
God
====
I’d rather know their ideas and what they think is right and how they’d better the country
Again, tell that to the McCain camp who have been making experience their central attack on Obama.
And yes, in terms of foreign policy, Obama has more experience and a wider range of knowledge.
Further, in many ways, Alaska is the easiest state to run. The coffers are so overflowing that the residents don’t have to pay state taxes, and they actually receive a check from the oil industry every year.
She has executive experience equivalent to the mayor of washington dc, but no one’s talking up Adrian Fenty for a Veep slot.
no one’s talking up Adrian Fenty for a Veep slot.
After complaining about the Supreme Court ruling on the gun ban? What kind of veep would that be?
How exactly does Obama make her look like a noob? Simply from being a senator? He has zero executive experience.
she has:
no foreign policy experience.
no national experience.
no federal experience.
Obama has, literally, infinitely more experience in those areas than she does.
“executive experience” ?
1. she’s not running for a position with any real executive power. and it’s not like McCain is going to be asking her to help manage things – he’ll have a giant staff of his own for that.
2. her experience is pretty thin. it’s nice that the GOP gets to say there’s someone on the ticket with some E.E., but let’s be real here: she’s the half-term governor of a small state (pop).
Obama, on the other hand, was the executive of a campaign that just beat the best the Dems have to offer, including the dreaded Clinton Dynasty.
bc,
I can understand how you, as an Alaskan, woould be so proud. I felt the same way when Obama picked Biden.
I didn’t even back Biden in the primary. Without listing a laundry list of reasons, I felt Hillary Clinton had a better shot at winning and just didn’t see small-state Joe picking up the kind of traction it takes to win a modern-day campaign.
And now — especially after last night — I finally caught me some Obama fever.
More than anything, I think McCain’s selection process showed how weak of a field he had to choose from.
The “Nutter Center” must be going over well in the UK coverage of the announcement.
Trivia
It’s not 10 miles from where I’m typing. Locally known as “the nut”, of course. Named for Ervin J. Nutter, the owner of a company that left a environmental mess when it closed their local plants. My wife, who works there on occasion, says it is made for hockey, basketball and rock concerts – certainly nothing requiring thoughtfulness.
/Trivia
You mean, after Obama questioned his temperment and he got really, really mad and said, “I’ll show him.”
No, I mean after he got enraged, threw stuff at his staff, called his wife a you-know-what a few times, then called Mike Murphy and begged him through drunken tears to save him.
“but did she know about Palin before today? Has she heard her speak? Fine to make a choice only on the abortion issue, but as for the other things, I would hope in America we would listen and then decide.”
Well, in addition to listening to what she has to say, she will have to stand on her history and record. And for me personally, I’m not liking what I see:
-Anti-choice.
-Believes marriage only to be between a man and a woman.
-Supports opening up ANWR to drilling (McCain supposedly doesn’t, we’ll see when he flips)
-Believes in teaching creationism alongside evolution.
And not to mention the whole trooper-gate issue will bring up the notion of Republicans abusing government power.
And my wife still believes that this is mere tokenism by McCain. As others pointed out, what about Dole, Rice, Hutchinson, & FIorina? Would McCain have picked someone with Palin’s credentials if her gender were male?
McCain went to central casting and said, “Get me a woman.”
The guy, sitting at the desk, chomping on the cigar, turned to his Rolodex and Alaska was one of the first states in it and a star was born.
“How exactly does Obama make her look like a noob? Simply from being a senator? He has zero executive experience.”
Going from part-time mayor of a town of 6,000 to Vice President of the United States in under two years = noob.
Whereas Obama has the same experience as Lincoln.
Marc Ambinder: “Palin’s reputed temper.”
They both have temper problems? Yikes.
The guy, sitting at the desk, chomping on the cigar, turned to his Rolodex and Alaska was one of the first states in it and a star was born.
Funny.
Debbie Wasserman-Schulz is first to the “I know Hillary Clinton, and she’s no Hillary Clinton” line.
On the down side (later in that link):
Someone really, really, really needs to lock Howard Wolfson in a comfortable, communications-free hotel room and send him room service from now until November 5:
Way to undermine the job your employers did over the last four days, jerk.
At least one of the Cornerites thinks she’s effectively Harriet Miers.
For fast growing companies (i.e. up and coming companies), size IS an important consideration. There are definite questions when a company goes from 25 people to 200 or more. Or from 200 to over a thousand. Management styles change, delegation styles emerge or change.
And how well they manage at different sizes >IS< a matter of performance.
Why I don’t like affirmative action.
Example #39,385 Sarah Palin.
“I wonder who turned the gig down?”
Colin Powell. Both sides.
Ack. Forgot. Experience is also relevant. CEOs with prior experience with growing companies get more lattitude to play with. Though, as usual, performance and talent trumps all.
But that goes for both sides in this political question…
Seems to me she’ll be a liability rather than a strength on the energy issue just because her husband’s in the oil business, whatever the merits, that doesn’t play well.
I’m not worried about Joe Biden looking bad in the debate against her because Joe Biden (unlike John McCain) is not a misogynistic douche and is perfectly capable of have a tough but professional argument with a woman.
But the real danger here is the unknown, and precedent is not good. Running in a largely-republican state of 700k or so is a world of difference than running on the big stage. Nobody but Barack Obama (who already came from a much larger stage) has managed that jump up so adroitly, and he has the best-run campaign in history. McCain’s campaign, in contrast, is a shambles. The potential for her to be a disaster on the stump is huge.
Luckily the Dems (apparently unlike the Republicans) have an abundance of heavy-hitting women to fight back.
I think this wrecks the Rep convention, because instead a smooth operation, it’s now going to be dominated by discussion of whether this was a wise or a desperate choice. Think of the pressure on her first speech.
OT- When did the Volokh Conspiracy turn into Freeperville?
Ugh: Prediction: Palin goes the way of Harriet Miers and becomes the first person to dropoff the ticket after the convention since…well I’m sure someone has, but not recently.
That would be since Thomas Eagleton, in 1972.
Not Dan Quayle. Clarence Thomas.
but impersonating God strikes me as deeply revolting.
There’s a lot of Christian poetry that would therefore strike you as deeply revolting. Not your tradition, and not necessarily mine (a lot of said poetry is decidedly low brow and sappy, but well-intentioned). However, trying to understand the mind and will of God is an injunction from the scriptures. I look at writing in the “voice” of God as exactly that. Nothing revolting about it. It’s just an expression of faith.
And I’m sure if you looked you’d find a lot of traditional Christian Hymns that have parts that are in the “voice” of god.
LJ: lol.
cleek: Obama, on the other hand, was the executive of a campaign that just beat the best the Dems have to offer, including the dreaded Clinton Dynasty.
Point taken. I’m close to conceding the point, but it’s hard to say who the better “campaigner” was when there were unique issues to this nomination. But, no doubt running this campaign counts as experience.
Further, in many ways, Alaska is the easiest state to run.
With today’s high oil prices, you’d think that would be the case and it’s certainly easier. But she showed she is a fiscal conservative cutting budgets anyway.
Heh. Somebody dredged this comment up from a right-wing blog:
Are you aware of the fact that Sarah Palin-Chavez proposed and pushed through the largest socialistic tax increase in the history of the world? It’s a 400% increase on the state’s #1 taxpayer that funds roughly 90% of the state’s budget. (See ACES)
Speaking of budgets… do you know that she increased the fy09 operating budget by 23%?
And what do you think of her left-wing socialist energy rebate debit card for $100.00 and utility reductions for every Alaskan resident? And people wonder why she has high approval ratings… ha! If you can’t figure that out, you’ve never been to Alaska were people love free money from the government!!!
I would have thought McCain had the Ice Road Truckers vote in the bag. Guess he does now.
Way to undermine the job your employers did over the last four days, jerk.
Since Wolfson is now drawing a paycheck from Fox News, I suspect his current employer is quite happy and would like more of the same.
Which John McCain made this choice?
The one who spent five years as a POW?
Or the one who doesn’t speak for the campaign?
Here is a blog post that provides a perspective of how a reluctant (i.e. anyone but a Democrat) Conservative supporter of McCain views Palin. The June 8th entry is pretty detailed about all her conservative “pluses”.
From Dave Noon, Alaska resident at LG&M:
Sarah Palin is profoundly, staggeringly ignorant about foreign policy. It’s impossible overstate this.
This might go down well with the Republican ‘base’ in the sense of the values crowd, but I am certain that much of the party establishment and especially the national security crowd is aghast. Many of the people we’ve loved to hate over the past eight years will actually be looking at Obama-Biden right now and secretly hoping they win.
Hee hee, now I am actually hoping for a foreign policy crisis in the next two months – Obama-Biden OWNS this issue now. Incredible.
If McCain wanted to make an outside-the-box move, maybe Meg Whitman would have been the way to go . . .
To those who acknowledged that Biden must be careful of the potential minefield in debating a woman, let’s remember he debated Clinton numerous times . . .
Does anyone know how the right is receiving this pick?
“Most executive experience than Obama and Biden combined” is clearly on the talking points issued this morning, and Instapundit must have been an early recipient. How many times will we hear that exact phrase (conveniently omitting “and McCain”) this weekend and beyond?
For the first time in my life, I’m looking forward to Maureen Dowd’s next column…
Nobody but Barack Obama…who already came from a much larger stage) has managed that jump up so adroitly
Bill Clinton?
Hee hee, now I am actually hoping for a foreign policy crisis in the next two months – Obama-Biden OWNS this issue now.
Maybe this was lost in the shuffle, but Putin was accusing the US of various skullduggery (the interview is here) I got the strong impression that the accusation was aimed at undercutting the Republicans. Can you imagine Palin visiting Putin?
Sebastian wrote:
Why I don’t like affirmative action.
Example #39,385 Sarah Palin.
Skipping over Hutchinson, Dole, Snowe, Whitman, Fiorino makes this the Republican version of AA, which is not really affirmative action at all.
Exactly. It’s what Republicans THINK is affirmative action, and not how it more often plays out.
This warms my heart:
“No one knows anything about her,” complained one GOP strategist, who spoke on the condition that he not be identified. “I don’t know anyone who has even met her.”
…
“I don’t know much about her,” Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison told CNN this morning. “I don’t know Sarah Palin.”
Her son seems to be named Track, not Trick, so the concern about silly names was clearly unwarranted.
bc, you had me worried until you trotted out Alaska “shares a border with Russia” line. That is some damn weak tea. It’s way too early to tell how this will work out. The reason I think this could be savvy is the average American will get her story from the MSM who loves her kind of story. I expect to hear a lot of fawning coverage over the coming weeks.
Does anyone know how the right is receiving this pick?
Most of what I have seen so far is very positive. It seems that more than a few had hoped for this for some time. I’d say it has given new hope to a lot of folks, and jazzed up many who had given up. “Re-energized” is the short version I think.
There is some hesitation, mostly on the experience angle and losing that club to use on Obama.
I’ve been reading here and elsewhere the last couple of hours about how this move showed desperation, but after reading up on her a bit and listening to her speak I’m beginning to wonder if this wasn’t actually a political master stroke. I suspect that everyone talking desperation and “Hail Mary” may be in for a rude awakening. It’s still way early and I’m just getting over the initial surprise, but so far she seems to me to be very impressive. Even if everything her detractors say is true this has given new life to the McCain campaign and gives them a chance to seize momentum, at least for a while. Worst case I think this could be real trouble for Obama.
KCinDC: Instapundit said, “I’d like it if she had more executive experience, but to be fair, she’s got more than anyone else on either ticket” – clearly including McCain.
Maybe McCain picked Palin as a second or third choice, but I personally doubt it. He picked her because his whole campaign this year is about winning, not governing. He’s not applying for a job, he’s grasping for a prize. The choice of Palin fits that pattern: never mind her capabilities, just look at what she symbolizes.
Womanhood? Check — just look at her 5 kids! Potential problem: do contemporary American women really identify with a mother of five?
Conservatism? Check — NRA, pro-life. Potential problem: do American women really value their right to own guns over their right to choose on abortion?
Outsider cred? Check — I mean, Alaska fer chrissakes. Potential problem: if that’s all it took, your local PTA chairman could be Vice-President.
Drilling advocate? Check — that’s what her husband does for a living, apparently. Potential problem: Alaskans get royalties for the oil drilled in Alaska; if Floridians, Louisianans, Texans, and Californians start demanding the same deal, the oil companies won’t like it.
Empty symbolism has fooled the country before. McCain thinks it will again. We shall see.
–TP
Frank Capra made this movie. With Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwick; or Fred McMurray and Ginger Rogers; or Ray Milland and who?…. And didn’t James Gleason play the angel?…. Edward Albert was the political fixer. …..Walter Brennan was the hobo philosopher.
Just to be a jerk about it, it seems to me that she’s ripe for ratf*cking.
Why is a mother of five, with her youngest both disabled and still an infant, abandoning her family? What kind of traditional family values does that demonstrate?
Isn’t Alaska sort of like Hawaii — weird, foreign (it’s closer to Russia than to Washington!), noncontiguous? What will Cokie say?
Any, Phoebe: “Myers-unqualified.” Very nice.
Are the people concerned about the existential threats of Islamofascism and the Russian Empire really ready to accept that Sarah Palin is ready to step up on a moment’s notice as commander in chief? This pick has got to be demoralizing for that crowd.
OCSteve,
I just don’t see it, but you would know better than I.
It took a whole primary season with me being comfortable with Obama, and I am a dyed-in-the-wool Dem. I feel like I know the guy now.
Introducing an unknown this late in the game just seems odd and makes me wonder what McCain is up to. I don’t want a seat-of-his-pants Commander in Chief.
After watching her speech, she strikes me as a compelling individual who holds policies out of favour this election and who seems kinda out of her depth. A woman was always my main concern, but I’m sure the Obama campaign has wargamed for that. More importantly, the main thrust of the argument against McCain that they presented this week still very much holds, even more so: “Terribly nice guy, but he just doesn’t get it”. They’ll have to push back in a hard but intelligent fashion on the gender issue, but the Obama campaign’s strategy is still very valid.
The McCain strategy, on the other hand, is a very dangerous area at the moment. Their inexperience/national security argument is way up in the air, and they are now basically trying to appropriate Obama’s campaign. That’s a tall order, especially with a likable but entirely untested VP.
OCSteve, you say it’s beginning to look like “a political master stroke” – but that’s the point of a hail mary. It looks like genius if it works, but it has a high probability of failing, and failing badly. The risk is that if she has a major gaffe in the next few weeks, it’s hard to see them recovering.
I’m sure you’ll find lots of enthused republican voters posting on blogs, but the party hierarchy and the national security crowd must be pouring themselves a stiff drink right now.
I strongly smell the work of Mike Murphy here, but it’s late in the day for them to start listening to him. The McCain strategy henceforth is all about personality with the background chanting of “drilling”.
The other problem for McCain is that republicans simply haven’t won by being positive for a long time – and the primary gave him now preparation for this. The Democrats, on the other hand, by the nature of their primary are now practiced at running a respectful campaign while being sharply critical of your opponent on substantive issues.
Of course it might work, but it’s 100% hail mary.
Introducing an unknown this late in the game just seems odd and makes me wonder what McCain is up to. I don’t want a seat-of-his-pants Commander in Chief.
Yup, look for ‘maverick’ to be replaced by ‘reckless’ as often as possible.
Apparently Palin appeals to conservative evangelicals–
Link
It’s fiendish, I tell you, fiendish! Their plan is that the entire left blogosphere will spend the rest of the campaign distracted by obscure Monty Python references.
If you click on the link I provided, be sure to click on the comments and read all of them. I don’t know how representative this is–I no longer hang out much with conservative evangelicals and just started looking online, but maybe McCain is energizing his base with this pick.
A scene from The Princess Vice President
[Palin kisses the senile McCain]
McCain: What was that for?
Palin: Because you have always been so kind to me, and I won’t be seeing you again since I’m killing myself once we reach the honeymoon suite.
McCain: Won’t that be nice. She kissed me, she’s the vice president!
TLTiABQ: Wolfson is now drawing a paycheck from Fox News
Ah. That explains that. Thanks, TLT.
Seems to me the WaPo blog writer should have described him as “Fox News commentator Howard Wolfson.” But the fact that s/he didn’t is just exactly why Fox hired Wolfson.
She has a fondness for naming her children after Alaskan features. Given her policies she perhaps should have named a son Derrick?
“As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?”
maybe there’s a VP for Dummies book she could read?
It’s a pandering pick for which the negatives outweigh the positives. Perhaps she can perform with incredible spunk and charisma, and overcome that, but I seriously seriously doubt it.
As for negatives, she emphasizes the issue of McCain’s health and age, and also his judgment in making a risky pick. She eliminates the issue of experience for McCain.
She brings with her huge baggage in the trooper scandal, which is part of why I don’t see any possibility that she can take the stage and win over the crowd. Anyone that petty and mean (and dishonest) just does not have what it takes.
For those not up to speed, Palin’s sister is in a nasty divorce/custody fight with her ex (Wooten), who was an Alaskan state trooper. He was fired, and Palin now admits that her aides were pressuring the trooper’s boss to fire Wooten. The boss would not do the dirty deed, so Palin fired him (allegedly for reasons that contradicted her recent praise for his performance — oops). The boss alleges that Palin on several occasions spoke with him directly about firing Wooten. Initially, Palin denied any involvement by her or her office in any effort to fire Wooten, but once an investigation started, admitted that her aides were pressuring Wooten’s boss to fire him. She was forced to make this admission since the state trooper’s office had recorded the phone calls from the aide inquiring about Wooten being fired (someone obviously forgot that all calls to the trooper’s office are recorded). But allegedly Palin did not know the aide was doing this!
Who believes that lie? What possible reason would the governor’s aides have to call about firing the sister-in-law of the governor from his state trooper job.
This is a simple scandal, obviously true, that is complicated by the further lying and dishonesty by Palin in covering it up. It will hang over her during the 9 weeks before the election, and taint everything she does. Plus it is a window into who she is — petty, mean and dishonest. Not someone I expect to light up the campaign trail.
Why is a mother of five, with her youngest both disabled and still an infant, abandoning her family? What kind of traditional family values does that demonstrate?
You’re way behind. CNN was first out the gate with that a while ago.
Funniest comments seen so far:
VPILF (all over)
“How many millions is SNL going to offer Tina Fey to come back to the show?” (ace)
“Walter Brennan was the hobo philosopher.”
I loved that guy.
When I heard the names of her children, I felt reminded that Donald Ducks’s nephews in Germany are known as Tick, Trick & Track.
Maybe it is all a canard 😉
wanna watch the GOP research in action: Google Trends, last 30 days on “Sarah Palin”:
top 4 origins for searches:
1. Alaska
2. DC
3. Arizona
4. Maryland
big spike at the beginning of this month, then a long lull, followed by a spike on the 19th, another on the 23rd, then through the roof on the 27th.
OT – our wonderful war in Iraq produces…:
In the first major oil deal Iraq has made with a foreign country since 2003, the Iraqi government and the China National Petroleum Corporation have signed a contract in Beijing that could be worth up to $3 billion, Iraqi officials said Thursday.
Via, who has the best take:
Years ago I wish I’d thought to chant “no blood for oil for China,” but I must admit, that did not occur to me.
Troopergate — Dems should be all over this.
What about the ballyhooed vetting process?
Introducing an unknown this late in the game just seems odd and makes me wonder what McCain is up to. I don’t want a seat-of-his-pants Commander in Chief.
Putting aside for a moment the electoral optics of the pick, this is starting to piss me off, the more I think about it.
How can anyone say with a straight face that she is the 2nd best qualified person to be the President and CiC, out of the entire Republican Party?
Can anyone make a serious argument that, putting electoral politics aside, Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush, or any of at least two dozen other GOP governors and Senators are not more qualified than a 1 term Governor with no federal experience at all?
I may not like any of those people very much in terms of their politics, but even as a partisan Dem, however much I might not like the policies which they would pursue, I do recognize that some of them have enough experience to actually have a plausible shot at being able to run the country ( if something happens to McCain while he is in office).
But Gov. Palin? How big is her staff in the Alaska statehouse? What experience does she have running a large, complex enterprise, one that is even within 2 orders of magnitude of the size and complexity of the Executive Branch of the US Govt? Say what you like about Obama’s limited experience, but he has been running a Presidential campaign of unprecedented length and geographic scope, which has large staffing requirements and other organizational burdens, and has carried it off well enough to win against a heavy favorite.
What has Gov. Palin done which is even remotely comparable? Surely the GOP cannot be so utterly lacking in talent that she is literally the 2nd best person in that party, to lead this country? The contrast with Obama’s choice of Biden is very telling.
What this says to me unmistakably is that John McCain doesn’t give a damn about actually governing the country – that he is the one who is putting politics before country!
I have nothing personal against Gov. Palin, but speaking as an American citizen who has to live with the consequences of this choice if McCain wins and does not finish his term, I feel extremely insulted that he has made this pick on purely electoral grounds. It is said that picking a VP is the 1st major decision a potential President makes by which we may judge them by in that role. One candidate made that decision carefully and with the gravity that it requires, and the other treated it like a game. One of these candidates is serious about the responsibilities which come with the office, and the other is not.
big spike at the beginning of this month, then a long lull, followed by a spike on the 19th, another on the 23rd, then through the roof on the 27th.
Hmmm, right after Hilary’s great plea for unity. Oh, I’m totally convinced the McCain campaign picked Palin on her merits and not out of some desperate and condescending analysis of gender politics.
I think OCSteve probably has a point – although I wouldn’t call choosing her a ‘masterstroke’. She is indeed going to appeal to right evangelicals, and probably to the big swath of ‘independent’ voters who know nothing about anything substantive and think life and government are a teevee show, and like the way she comes off on the tube. There’s also the fact that lots of dems will underestimate – sorry, misunderestimate – her. That latter is really something to watch out for. Than could boomerang. She might prove to be a good campaigner, something the campaign doesn’t have now.
But she’s also just a weak choice on so many grounds, already mentioned.
i’m sure a lot of Dems will underestimatate her. but after last night, i don’t think Obama will be one of them.
Agreed, if they’re anything, the Obama people are professional and disciplined.
dmbeaster,
One more detail to add to your detailed description of Troopergate. Palin said that Wooten was fired in order to move the Alaskan State Police in a different direction. Her replacement for Wooten, the former Kenai Police Chief, has since resigned as head of the ASP due to charges of sexual harassment in his previous post. So much for a different direction.
Palin is bait, pure and simple. The only purpose of this pick is to pile up on the distractions and divisions in the electorate, especially among Democrats. DON’T take the bait.* The Obama campaign has to attack, attack, attack on McCain and ignore Palin almost entirely. Attack her and they might look like jerks and get the PUMAs riled up and all seven of them will be on all the networks simultaneously from now till November. She doesn’t merit attention, it’s a weak pick from a desperate campaign. The Obama campaign has run a perfect rope-a-dope strategy so far and I’m sure they will just judo this distraction into the ground like all the others.
* I have to note the nice symmetry of a former fisherwoman becoming the bait.
“Can anyone make a serious argument that, putting electoral politics aside, Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush, or any of at least two dozen other GOP governors and Senators are not more qualified than a 1 term Governor with no federal experience at all?”
Romney. Jeb Bush. Even Huckabee. Hutchinson. Guliani?
I wonder why Charlie Crist never seemed to gain traction. Seems like an attractive choice and would guarantee Florida.
she even says nucular.
I wonder why Charlie Crist never seemed to gain traction. Seems like an attractive choice and would guarantee Florida.
I’m sure somebody else will answer that one.
Romney and Huckabee seemed to really want the job — imagine how they feel.
btfb — are you serious asking about Crist? Dude’s gayer than disco. (Doesn’t bother me, but I doubt the base would line up for that.)
Not sure where I saw it, but some close to Romney and Pawlenty are saying they’re feeling hurt at being lied to by the McCain campaign. Not good.
Actually, they should ignore it. The brother in law was really bad news — abusive, threatened the lives of the entire family, tasered his son.
The only way they should bring it up is to point out the philosophical difference: Biden wrote and passed a law to protect all women from domestic violence and Palin thinks only sisters of governors should be protected.
just saw a comparison if Palin to Laura Roslin (Pres on BSG). LMOA ROFL DIAF
maybe McCain thinks he’ll be her Adama ?
Also posted in the mile high thread
Let me channel Jesurgislac for a moment:
When the Son of Cain is declared winner of the election despite all exit polls saying that Obama led with 10% or so, there will be need for an “Explanation”. My guess is that the “explanation” could well be those elusive “better the son of Cain than a Democrat not being Hillary” that got pulled over to tSoC because he chose a female VP (don’t look at that Diebold and his merry purgers behind the curtain!).
—
I think there could also be number of people that would stay home because they despise tSoC and could not swallow the idea of a [b word] becoming POTUS, should tSoC buy the farm. Those could easily balance out those Hillary-or-nothing Dinos.
back to the Crist angle, he’s well-enough known to be gay (although not publicly “out”) and apparently was interested enough in the VP slot that back in May, Roger Stone (GOP dirty trickster) came forward claiming to have a security tape (?) of Crist and a “girlfriend” making out in an elevator.
More here, but you can just google “crist elevator tape” for a variety of sources.
Cleek, be serious. Everyone knows McCain is Saul Tigh.
TIGH-ROSLIN FOR PRESIDENT!!!! That’s awesome. I hope somebody is already making buttons and bumper stickers.
If any BSG spoilers appear in this thread about season four, I’m going to be very upset.
“btfb — are you serious asking about Crist? Dude’s gayer than disco. (Doesn’t bother me, but I doubt the base would line up for that.)”
Well.
There was an incident in college that — I didn’t realize until it became uncomfortable — this theater manager in Pittsburgh was hitting on me. I figured I was getting into those matinees for free that I skipped class for because I was a poor, likable college kid.
Twenty-some years later, I still haven’t developed gaydar.
Prediction: Palin goes the way of Harriet Miers and becomes the first person to dropoff the ticket after the convention since…well I’m sure someone has, but not recently.
I think Eagleton ’72, pointed out by Gary above, is the only example. Nixon almost had to step down the first time he ran, but his little dog saved him:
http://blogs.discovery.com/news_animal/images/2008/06/02/nixons_dog_checkers_2.jpg
If any BSG spoilers appear in this thread about season four, I’m going to be very upset.
i’d abandon this thread, if i were you. there’s a lot of potential for spoilers here…
Apparently Palin appeals to conservative evangelicals
As much as I would have been delighted if McCain had selected Romney or Lieberman I figured that that was the number one must-have criteria for his VP pick. I expected a Southern, Christian, establishment conservative who would appeal to both the Pat Robertson and Grover Norquist crowds but if there were someone like that out there who wanted to run this year they’d be at the top of the ticket. I think the fact that he had to look this far down the list in terms of qualifications shows what Republicans think of their chances this year. No one with a serious portfolio and ambitions for the future wants to get the loser stink on them.
As far as courting the PUMA crowd, sure he’ll peel off some votes but it makes me wonder who’s been rat-f’ing who. Have these last months been a massive plot to lure McCain into doing this?
i’d abandon this thread, if i were you. there’s a lot of potential for spoilers here…
Gah!
just saw a comparison if Palin to Laura Roslin (Pres on BSG).
And here I was thinking “First the Penguin, now Catwoman.”
Took me a moment to figure out “BSG” — are there any Losties among us?
btfb — It’s probably an inheritable trait like the ability to wiggle one’s ears. 🙂
A number of prominent elected/appointed Republican officials are “out” only within Washington circles (e.g. Lindsay Graham, Denny Hastert). The D.C. press corps protects them, unless a scandal becomes public. I’m not sure how I feel about this, given their hypocrisy on the issues.
OT-
A number of prominent elected/appointed Republican officials are “out” only within Washington circles (e.g. Lindsay Graham, Denny Hastert).
Crist is a gimme. Lindsey Graham is tougher, but yeah, not too hard to pick up on. But Hastert?! You need nuclear powered super-duper gaydar to figure that out, and I’m just not up to the task.
I’ll take your word for it, though, because I’m afraid to google “Hastert + gay”.
All this is important, but we’re not looking at the institution of vice president (the “fourth branch”), with its newly established/yet to be challenged powers: its seclusion from oversight (much less correction). Is Sarah to be the new Dick–with all that unexamined, newly created privilge?
>>i’m sure a lot of Dems will underestimatate her.
Thanks a lot, Bush. Now NONE of us can say that word right.
I’ll take your word for it, though, because I’m afraid to google “Hastert + gay”.
Apparently it was being strongly rumored at the time it came out that Mark Foley had been sexually harassing Congressional pages for years, while – at best – senior Republicans looked the other way and put their hands over their ears.
Apparently the gaydar-ping went off for some people when it cane out that; Denny Hastert lives with Scott Palmer, his chief of staff, and Mike Stokke, his deputy chief of staff; Scott Palmer isn’t married; Denny Hastert is, but his wife never stays in the Hastert-Palmer-Stokke house when she visits Washington.
Hartmut – You channelled me and I never noticed. 😉
btfb,
Lostie eh? How about McCain = Claire?
Noun, verb, POW = Noun, verb, MYBAYBEEY!
Eventually you reach a point where you pull your hair out and scream “ENOUGH ALREADY!!!”
ManilaRaf,
I must admit — McCain as Claire loses me.
I definitely see Barack as Jack.
Maybe Bill as Ben, Hillary as Juliet. I’ll go with McCain as Locke.
“Lost” simply amazes me in the way it creates one riddle to solve another and, unlike so much popular entertainment, constantly leaves you guessing. And, as the season finale showed, it outdoes major motion pictures on a regular basis.
Manilaraf:
And her excuse for hiring someone reprimanded for sexual harassment? Palin said she knew about the incident, but did not know about a letter of official reprimand being issued concerning the incident. Seems she vetted the issue about as well as she was vetted by McCain.
She seems to have mastered the Sgt. Schultz defense for politcal scandal.
are there any Losties among us?
Not since the “mini-start” of Season 3. I was annoyed by Season 2, the “mini-start” pissed me right off.
– – – – – – – –
“Lost” simply amazes me in the way it creates one riddle to solve another
It annoyed by by its refusal to answer much of anything, and when it did, the answer was either trivial or contradicted a previous fact.
===========
Noun, verb, MYBAYBEEY!
I wonder if that will be Palin’s “go-to” if asked a hard question (ie “attacked”): MYBAYBEEY has Downs!
You’re all helots.
It would be one thing if it were just clueless commenters on the internets suggesting that living in relative propinquity to Russia gives you foreign policy experience. It’s another when the pundits start doing it on TV.
Jeff: “It annoyed by by its refusal to answer much of anything, and when it did, the answer was either trivial or contradicted a previous fact.”
That was one of the reasons I gave up on the “X-Files” during the last couple seasons of its run. So far, “Lost” has kept me hooked — and Evangline Lilly in a T-Shirt every week doesn’t hurt, either.
Haha McCain is so awesome. I thought that Romney would be the worst possible choice he could make, but McCain proved everyone wrong. He picked someone that is going to be even worse for his campaign. His campaign will be toast in less than a month.
That’s why I didn’t start watching it. The problem with riddles is that, for most shows, the writers don’t know the answers either and are just making things up as they go along. That happened with “X-Files” and “24”, it’s one reason “Battlestar Galactica” is going downhill in its final seasons.
“the writers don’t know the answers either”
That was clearly the case with the X-Files and, as someone who began with the show when it was a blip on the mainstream, I was quite disappointed.
The Lost writers have promised they’ve had this whole thing mapped out all along. We’ll see. What’s promising is they’ve set an end date — just two more seasons — whereas FOX milked “X” until it had no life.
On Larry King, Carville was doing pretty well talking about McCain’s mistake in choosing Palin, until he walked into a sexism accusation (complete with appeal to PUMAs) from the Palin defender by being too dismissive. Criticizing her is going to be a little tricky.
Back to Palin —
Boy, did that whole scene look odd today.
Having finally seen it on TV, I thought McCain looked uncomfortable.
I guess we have to cut Palin some slack but she does a whole lot of finger-wagging when giving a speech. Looks like your mother scolding you.
Then again, why should we cut Palin slack?
This woman could be a heartbeat away from the presidency, the leader of the free world (assuming they still call the president that).
Why shouldn’t she undergo the same scrutiny Barack Obama went through?
You have to love that John McCain, always putting country first.
“Criticizing her is going to be a little tricky.”
Indeed.
That’s why you pretty much stick to the experience angle.
That’s it.
Hit ’em hard on the very thing they’ve hit you hard with, as Obama did so successfully throughout his speech last night.
(Thanks for the update, KC. I was going to tune into King but the family is down here watching “Son of the Mask” — I didn’t even like “The Mask” — but my boy is yukking it up.)
>>Apparently the gaydar-ping went off for some people when it cane out that; Denny Hastert lives with Scott Palmer, his chief of staff, and Mike Stokke, his deputy chief of staff; Scott Palmer isn’t married; Denny Hastert is, but his wife never stays in the Hastert-Palmer-Stokke house when she visits Washington.
Lawrence O’Donnell — I’m sure hilzoy remembers him — wrote a HuffPo piece about this during the Foley thing that so completely walked the line between saying “Hastert is gay” and saying nothing of the kind that it drove me nuts.
As long as I’m wallowing in immaturity: It speaks well of the blogosphere that I have not as yet heard any jokes about Palin and drilling. (It speaks far less well of me that I thought of this.) But is it possible that Rovians are trying some subliminable ploy, hoping that the sight of a former beauty contest winner and the repeated uttering of the word “drilling” will hypnotically win votes from the Penthouse Letters crowd?
I thought that Romney would be the worst possible choice he could make
I’m a little biased (a few Mormon friends), but I thought Romney would be a decent pick. Yeah, he’s a flip-flopper in a bad way, but his economics are pretty mainstream Republican and he’s probably a social conservative at heart. He has governing experience (of a state where people actually live) and seems like a decent guy (passes the “I’d have a beer with him” test, although it should probably be “I’d go to his BBQs”).
Unfortunately those weirdo Mormons believe evil, satanic things that authentic (/snark) Christians don’t, but I’m not sure that the crazy people are that big a deal.
I think Pawlenty was the worst choice I thought feasible. Crappy governor, pretty unpopular, and from a state that I don’t think McCain has a shot at anyways. Oh. And the whole bridge thing.
Palin really does seem to be the absolute worst choice possible, unless McCain looks up David Duke or Montgomery Burns. She brings absolutely nothing to the table and her liabilities take McCain’s only card (experience) off the table.
Like Obama said last night, McCain just doesn’t get it. Women aren’t dumb enough to vote against their interests just because they share a chromosome with the VP. This was an incredibly condescending and insulting pick that costs wayyyyyy more votes than it could ever hope to gain.
She seems like a nice woman, and I’m not really sure she knows what she’s getting into. I almost feel bad for the embarassment she’s going to suffer. Almost.
Bedtime, he was trying to make the experience argument, but got into something about how “my daughter has more foreign policy experience than she does” that allowed the McCain surrogate to pounce on the dismissiveness.
Crist was on afterward and he used the phrase “with a servant’s heart” in talking about how grateful he was to be governor of Florida. Palin earlier today said “we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions, and a servant’s heart.” I’m assuming this is some sort of dog whistle to evangelicals.
“Criticizing her is going to be a little tricky.” Indeed. That’s why you pretty much stick to the experience angle. That’s it.
I don’t know if I saw it here at ObWi or at Balloon Juice, but someone gave the advice to kinda just ignore here. If she screws up, great. If not, we don’t look like we’re picking on her.
I don’t know if its even worth it to hit the experience issue (officially). Ben Smith has McCain’s comeback at attacks on that front. Yeah, its incredibly weak, and yeah, by their definition she has more experience than McCain himself. But they seem so giddy in the comments that I figure we shouldn’t give them what they want.
MeDrewNotYou, I agree that the Democrats shouldn’t attack on experience. The significance of the Palin pick is that McCain and his people can no longer use the experience argument against Obama without being laughed at. And media people can certainly press them about his sudden shift on the importance of experience, and laugh about the “more executive experience” and “next to Russia” stretches.
I’m assuming this is some sort of dog whistle to evangelicals.
Yeah, probably. But I don’t think they’d be voting for a closet atheist Muslim false messiah anyways. And I just can’t see a GOTV effort on them being much of a game changer anyways.
I’d like to make a joke about how many servant’s hearts there are in McCain’s 7 mansions, but I figure he’s suffered enough today. Besides, it’d only be funny with a Stephen King reference and I got nothin’. ^.^;
KCinDC, the first google hit.
And:
This preacher says:
Etc.
As long as I’m wallowing in immaturity: It speaks well of the blogosphere that I have not as yet heard any jokes about Palin and drilling.
I haven’t seen anything explicitly using the “drilling”, but I’ve definitely seen a number of people using the term VPILF. I can’t see any meaning for that except as a take off on MILF. And that seems to be most common among “conservatives” who like her. I guess the people using the term think expressing a desire to commit adultery is now a conservative value.
As long as I’m wallowing in immaturity: It speaks well of the blogosphere that I have not as yet heard any jokes about Palin and drilling.
Not on the blogosphere but on, either the Daily Show or the Colbert Report I think, last night when mentioning the rumors about her. They mentioned something about her, drilling, then comedic pause and ironic look. So it shouldn’t take long to hit the blogosphere.
If we stick to talking about facts about Palin– especially since she’s such an unknown– then we’ll be fine. Whenever criticing her Dems need to say something nice about her being the first GOP woman VP and then the talking points– rinse, wash, repeat.
Here’s just a few things: she’s radically pro-life (no exceptions ever), she supported Pat Buchanan in 1996 and 2000, she’s pro-creationism and denies global warming, and she makes a lot of noise about being an ethics reformer but is under investigation for ethics violations herself.
Don’t stray from these points– don’t talk about her experience or anything else.
Bill Maher was on fire last night during the fall debut of his HBO show.
On McCain-Palin: That’s not a presidential ticket. That’s a sitcom — “Maverick and the MILF.”
The more I was thinking about all of these closeted gay Republicans we were talking, the more I was thinking how much I respect Barney Frank.
Tactics: how good, really, is the tactic when probably over 40 million Americans watched Obama’s speech without the filter?
As for Joe Biden, I think that it doesn’t necessarily change much. Part of why he was brought in was to lay into McCain. In the debate, he’ll keep laying into McCain, and it will be up to Palin to defend McCain and tear down Obama. I don’t think she’s dumb ala Dan Quayle (we’ll see in the coming days, I suppose), but she’s going to have to come a long, long way to succeed: she doesn’t know McCain, wouldn’t endorse him earlier, and doesn’t have a lot of experience talking about these issues. I’m not sure that the VP debate will make much of a difference unless one of them makes a horrible gaffe, and as long as Biden stays focussed on McCain, I think she’s a lot more likely to have a gaffe.
The creepy bit was sending a letter that she wrote signed by God. Maybe you come from a very different religious tradition than I do, but impersonating God strikes me as deeply revolting.
It’s evangelical religious kitsch, and it has an audience.
Palin is walking, talking Americana kitsch. It has an audience.
If you think of candidacy for vice president of the US as serious, responsible undertaking, Palin is a ridiculous choice.
If you think of it as a marketing strategy, she’s actually a pretty clever one.
There are, today, millions of Americans who are saying to themselves, “I’m not sure I like McCain, but that Palin is one spunky little filly!”. Or, something to that effect.
As much as it might boggle the mind, IMO it was a good pick.
Thanks –